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by Dr. Alexander Mauskop
October 17, 2010
Even a brief course of CBT improves TMD treatment outcomes
October 17, 2010
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...
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October 15, 2010
Botox is approved for chronic migraines
October 15, 2010
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...
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September 24, 2010
New motion sickness treatment for migraineurs
September 24, 2010
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...
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September 19, 2010
Headache coach
September 19, 2010
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...
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September 4, 2010
Aspirin is as good as sumatriptan (Imitrex) with fewer side effects
September 4, 2010
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...
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September 4, 2010
Vertigo as a menopausal migraine
September 4, 2010
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...
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August 16, 2010
Headache Coach, Jan Mundo
August 16, 2010
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...
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August 11, 2010
Medication overuse headaches
August 11, 2010
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...
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August 3, 2010
Food allergies in migraine
August 3, 2010
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...
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July 18, 2010
Book on refractory migraines published
July 18, 2010
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...
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July 5, 2010
Another epilepsy drug may work for headaches
July 5, 2010
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)...
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June 30, 2010
New prescription migraine drug (actually an old, repackaged one)
June 30, 2010
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...
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June 16, 2010
Genetic research in medication overuse headaches
June 16, 2010
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...
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June 12, 2010
Sumatriptan (Imitrex) suppositories
June 12, 2010
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...
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June 2, 2010
Depression and anxiety and response to sumatriptan
June 2, 2010
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...
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May 30, 2010
Occipital nerve block for an acute migraine
May 30, 2010
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...
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May 15, 2010
Aspirin is more effective for migraine than naproxen sodium (Aleve)
May 15, 2010
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...
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April 10, 2010
Use of tranqulizers for refractory migraine headaches
April 10, 2010
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...
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April 5, 2010
Combination therapies for difficult migraines
April 5, 2010
We always try to use one preventive drug or Botox for the treatment of frequent or very severe migraine headaches. However, it is not unusual to go through several drugs and not find one which works well and does not cause side effects. Under...
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April 5, 2010
More on migraines and vertigo
April 5, 2010
Vertigo is a common complaint of migraine patients. Ear-nose-throat specialists at the University of Pisa examined 22 patients with migraine headaches who complained of vertigo and 22 who did not, as well as 22 control subjects without migraines...
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April 5, 2010
Headaches due to fast heart rate on standing
April 5, 2010
Many migraine sufferers complain of dizziness, fatigue, exercise intolerance, blurred or tunnel vision, diminished concentration, tremulousness, nausea and recurrent syncope (fainting). These symptoms are often attributed to anxiety or panic...
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March 25, 2010
Nerve stimulation for cluster headaches
March 25, 2010
Occipital nerve stimulation has been under investigation for the treatment of difficult to treat migraine headaches for the past several years with promising results. A recent study at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ suggests that this treatment...
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March 19, 2010
Two large studies confirm that Botox is effective for chronic migraine
March 19, 2010
It is very exciting to finally have two published studies (PREEMPT 1 and PREEMPT 2) which provide definitive proof that Botox is effective for chronic migraine headaches. More than 15 years ago a plastic surgeon in California, Bill Binder reported...
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February 23, 2010
Migraine, strokes, heart attacks, hypertension, poor circulation, diabetes, and high cholesterol are linked
February 23, 2010
A recent study by Dr. Bigal and his colleagues just published in Neurology compared more than 6,000 migraine sufferers with over 5,000 matched control subjects without migraines. They discovered that people with migraine with aura and to a lesser...
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February 12, 2010
Treatment of a very severe headache
February 12, 2010
Some headaches, usually migraines, do not respond to the usual over-the-counter and even prescription headache medications. Once it is clear that there is no serious underlying cause, such as an aneurysm, several injectable medications can be given...
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February 7, 2010
Triptans appear to be safe in pregnancy
February 7, 2010
During pregnancy, two thirds of women stop having migraine headaches. However, one third continues to have them, and sometimes even worsen during pregnancy. As a general rule, only acetaminophen (Tylenol) is considered safe, but for most migraine...
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February 5, 2010
Preventive treatment of migraines is underutilized
February 5, 2010
There are several effective preventive medications for migraine headaches, however they are prescribed to only a small number of people who could benefit from them. A study by Dr. Richard Lipton in the journal Cephalagia and his colleagues...
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February 3, 2010
Participate in clinical trials!
February 3, 2010
Large clinical trials are required to prove that a new drug or treatment is effective. Without such proof doctors will not (and should not) believe that any particular medicine or device is effective. The FDA also approves drugs by evaluating...
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January 27, 2010
Migraine and cognitive decline
January 27, 2010
Migraine and migraine medications do not appear to cause cognitive decline, according to a Dutch study just published in Headache. After 6 years of follow-up there was no difference between those who suffered from migraines and healthy...
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January 27, 2010
Blood pressure drugs for migraine headaches
January 27, 2010
One of the oldest preventive headache medications for migraines is propranolol (Inderal), which belongs to the family of blood pressure medications called beta-blockers. There are newer and better beta-blockers, such as nebivolol (Bystolic), which...
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Insights from Dr. Alexander Mauskop on headaches and migraines
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