New York Headache blog

Migraine and epilepsy drug Topamax is being recalled by its manufacturer, Ortho-McNeil Neurologics, a division of Johnson and Johnson. This recall affects only two lots of 100 mg tablets. This recall does not affect topiramate, generic copies...

Obese people are more likely to suffer from more frequent and severe migraine headaches. The question that remained unanswered was whether losing weight helps relieve headaches. A new study just published in the leading neurology journal, Neurology...

Migraine headaches are very common in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) sufferers, according to a new study just published by researchers from Georgetown University. Migraine headaches were present in 84% of patients with CFS (60% had migraine without...

Temporo-mandibular joint disorders (TMD) have long been known to be associated with headaches. A very interesting study conducted in Brazil and published in the Clinical Journal of Pain examined this association in 300 patients with TMD...

Topiramate (Topamax) increases the risk of birth defects, such as cleft lip and palate, warned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Topiramate is an epilepsy drug which is also approved for the preventive treatment of migraine headaches...

Migraine prevention is most effective when a preventive medication and behavioral management are combined together. A study by Dr. Holroyd and his colleagues published in the British Medical Journal showed that a beta blocker alone and behavioral...

Everything you do – eat, drink, sleep, move, sit, stand, think, feel, interact – adds up to how you feel and function. In a body-mind program, as with one for diet or exercise, by changing your daily practices, you will get a different result...

Taking two different triptans (drugs such as Imitrex, or sumatriptan, Maxalt, or rizatriptan and other) within 24 hours of each other is contraindicated according to the FDA. However, there is no scientific reason for such prohibition. You are allowed...

Botox is now approved for chronic migraine headaches. However, it may help you feel happier not only because your headaches improved. Several studies suggest that the inability to frown caused by Botox makes people happier too. Psychologists at the...

Melatonin does not seem to be effective for the prevention of migraine headaches, according to a study published in Neurology. The researchers from Norway gave 2 mg of extended release melatonin every night for 8 weeks to 46 migraine sufferers...

Botox, which was recently approved for the treatment of chronic migraine headaches, was originally thought to relieve migraine headaches by relaxing tight muscles around the scalp. However, several recent studies determined that besides relaxing...

Intranasal sumatriptan powder seems to be a new and very promising way to deliver a migraine drug. Sumatriptan (Imitrex) nasal spray has been available for many years, however it is not very effective or at least is not consistently effective...

Temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) treated with a brief course of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in addition to standard care improves long-term outcomes, according to a new study published in journal Pain. A group of 101 patients who...

Botox was just approved by the FDA for the treatment of chronic migraine headaches. This is great news to the more than 3 million chronic headache sufferers in the US (people who have more than 15 days with headaches each month). In Dr. Mauskop’s...

A new treatment for motion sickness in patients with migraines was reported by a group of doctors from Pittsburgh. Giving migraine sufferers who are prone to motion sickness a migraine drug, rizatriptan (Maxalt) prevented motion sickness...

Headache coach, Jan Mundo will be conducting classes at the New York Headache Center (this is a second announcement). The course consists of 6 weekly sessions which will be held on Wednesdays from 6 to 8 PM from September 22 through October...

Aspirin is as effective as Imitrex (sumatriptan) in the treatment of migraine headaches with fewer side effects, according to an authoritative Cochrane review published earlier this year. The review examined 13 high-quality studies which...

Vertigo and dizziness are common in migraine sufferers. It is much less common for vertigo to be the only symptom of migraines. This seems to be the case with vertigo that begin at menopause, according to a recent report presented at the last meeting...

Headache coach, Jan Mundo will be conducting classes at the New York Headache Center. The course consists of 6 weekly sessions which will be held on Wednesdays from 6 to 8 PM from September 22 through October 27. Jan’s course is “for headache...

Medication overuse (rebound) headache (MOH) has been the subject of many studies and reports. Another review of this subject appeared in the latest issue of journal Pain by Italian neurologists. This review addressed possible causes, predisposing...

Many migraine sufferers feel that food allergies cause their headaches. There is little dispute that certain foods can trigger migraines. Some of these foods include chocolate, wine, cheese, citrus fruit, onions, smoked, cured, and pickled foods...

There are over 4 million chronic migraine sufferers in the US. Chronic migraine is defined as a headache with migrainous features, which occurs on more than 15 days each month. Many of these chronic migraine patients we see at the New York Headache...

Many, but not all epilepsy drugs are also effective in preventing migraine headaches. For example, divalproex sodium (Depakote), topiramate (Topamax), and to a lesser degree gabapentin (Neurontin), pregabalin (Lyrica), and levetiracetam (Keppra)...

Aspirin and similar anti-inflammatory drugs have been proven to be effective for many migraine sufferers. In a recent report 1,000 mg of aspirin was found to be as effective as 100 mg of sumatriptan (Imitrex) with fewer side effects. Cambia is a...

Medication overuse headaches are usually treated by withdrawing the offending drug (usually Excedrin, Fioricet or narcotics, such as codeine, Vicodin and Percocet) or dietary caffeine. About half of the people who stop taking these drugs improve...

Severe migraines are often accompanied by nausea and vomiting, making oral medications ineffective. Sumatriptan (Imitrex) and Zomig (zolmitriptan) are available in a nasal spray and Imitrex also as an injection (a needleless injection, Sumavel was...

Migraine sufferers are 2 – 3 times more likely to become depressed or anxious than those without migraines. The reverse is also true – depressed and anxious people are 2 -3 times more likely to develop migraines. According to a new study published...

Occipital nerve blocks can stop a migraine attack when other treatments fail. This is a relatively simple procedure (although not many physicians are trained in it), and it consists of an injection of lidocaine or a similar local anesthetic drug...

Review of 16 published scientific articles on the efficacy of naproxen sodium as a treatment of acute migraine indicates that it is effective in the treatment of moderate to severe migraines. Naproxen sodium, 500 mg (2 tablets of Aleve) provided...

Anxiety and depression occur in migraine patients 2 to 3 times more often than in those without headaches. The opposite is also true, those with anxiety and depression are more likely to develop migraines. Certain antidepressants, such as...