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The release of a generic substitute of the branded drug Imitrex (sumatriptan) has dramatically reduced the cost and improved the access to this uniquely effective migraine drug. The generic sumatriptan was released four years ago and now the...

Pain is defined as a negative emotional experience that is affected by a variety of psychological factors. Some of the pain brain mechanisms involve endorphins (endogenous opioids) and cannabinoids (substances related to marijuana – yes, we have...

German researchers examined the possible connection between headaches and low back pain in a study published in the recent issue of journal Pain. They questioned 5605 headache sufferers about the frequency and type of their headaches and about...

Expectation of relief can enhance pain relief, according to a new study published in The Journal of Pain by Canadian researchers. This is not a new discovery, but provides additional confirmation of this important clinical observation. The current...

Many people report that sex relieve their migraine and tension-type headaches. We also know that sexual activity can trigger severe headaches. A group of German researchers conducted an observational study among patients of a headache clinic...

Optimists appear to tolerate pain better than pessimists, an old discovery that is supported by a new study published in The Journal of Pain. The study by researchers at the Universities of Florida and Alabama involved 140 older individuals...

Cambia (diclofenac) is a prescription anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) which is approved by the FDA for the treatment of migraine headaches. It is sold as a licorice-tasting powder that has to be dissolved in water before being ingested. This drug...

Daily and prolonged intake of high doses of triptan medications (sumatriptan, or Imitrex, rizatriptan, or Maxalt, eletriptan, or Relpax and 4 others) has been shown to be safe in at least three clinical reports. I also have a few patients who...

A recently published study by neurologists at the Military Medical Center in San Antonio led by Dr. Grogan tried to find predictors of response to botulinum toxin injections in chronic migraine sufferers. They looked at the records of 128 patients...

Tension and migraine headaches are the 2nd and 3rd most common medical problem in the world after dental caries (cavities), according to a new study conducted by the World Health Organization (The Global Burden of Disease Survey 2010) and reported...

A typical visual aura which precedes the headache in about 20% of migraine sufferers usually lasts 20 to 60 minutes. A small number of patients suffer prolonged auras, which can last for hours. While we have many medications to treat the pain...

I failed to mention in my two previous posts that there is a difference in the type of electrical current used in transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and transcranial direct current stimulation. The former uses alternating current...

An article in today’s New York Times reported on the efficacy of electrical brain stimulation for the treatment of depression. It described a study published last week in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, in which a commonly used antidepressant...

Electrical stimulation of the nervous system is widely used for a variety of conditions and in a variety of ways. The nervous system can be electrically stimulated at the level of the brain, by implanting electrodes into the brain, at the level...

Sudden hearing loss is a rare condition, but it is more common in people who suffer from migraine headaches, according to just published study by Taiwanese researchers. Taiwan, just like many Scandinavian countries has national health insurance...

Many migraine sufferers report that flickering lights and vigorous exercise trigger their migraine attacks. Danish researchers published a study in the journal Neurology , in which they recruited 27 patients who suffered from migraines with aura...

Botox (anabotulinumtoxinA) is the only treatment approved by the FDA for the treatment of chronic migraine headaches. The FDA based its approval on the results of two clinical trials with 700 patients in each (I participated in one of them). In these...

Migraine surgery continues to be promoted by an ever increasing number of plastic surgeons. In my previous post in 2007 I mentioned the reasons to avoid such surgery and five years later all those reasons remain. Some of the leading objections...

Botox relieved severe pain of SUNCT, a rare and very painful condition, according to a report recently published in journal Cephalalgia. SUNCT stands for short-lasting, neuralgiform headache attacks with conjuctival injection and tearing. The pain...

Zecuity was just approved by the FDA for the treatment of acute migraines. Zecuity is a skin patch containing sumatriptan. Delivering sumatriptan through the skin is an appealing option for patients who have severe nausea or vomiting and have...

Newer oral contraceptives increase the risk of strokes and other types of blood clots in patients with migraines with aura, according to a study to be presented at the next meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in San Diego in March. We have...

Some features of migraine with aura clearly set it apart from migraines without aura. Aura is present in 15% to 20% of migraine sufferers. Most often it is a visual disturbance, which consists of either gradual loss of vision, starting from the...

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) seems to be effective for the treatment of migraines with aura. “Spring TMS” device which delivers a jolt of such stimulation has been on the market in Europe since 2011. The American company that...

Migraine headaches that occur at around the time of menstrual period tend to be more severe and more difficult to treat. Analysis of studies that involved 187 women with menstrual migraines who treated at least one of their attacks with frovatriptan...

Aspirin is by far the most effective drug for the prevention of migraine with aura, according to Italian researchers from Turin. They reported on 194 consecutive patients who had migraine with aura and who were placed on a prophylactic medication...

The use of acute anti-migraine medications in patients with episodic migraine (migraine occurring on less than 14 days a month) prevents progression of episodic migraine into its chronic form, according to Dr. Zaza Katsarava and his colleagues...

A new treatment developed by Belgian neurologists was reported to help patients with chronic refractory cluster headaches. The name cluster headaches originates from the fact that headaches occur in clusters, typically once a year for a period...

Exercise-induced headaches are thought to occur more often in people who do not exercise regularly and my usual recommendation is to exercise regularly, starting with low intensity and short duration exercise sessions. If headache occurs with...

Erythromelalgia is a rare, often inherited pain syndrome which causes pain and redness of hands and feet. I just saw another woman who had both erythromelalgia and migraines. My observation of several patients who had both diseases does not mean...

Many women are denied therapy with combined (estrogen with progesterone) hormonal contraceptives because published guidelines by doctor organizations recommend against their use in migraine with aura. The concern is that these products might...