New York Headache blog

Cefaly is a neurostimulation device that was approved by the FDA in 2014. Until October of this year, it required a prescription. Several clinical trials proved the device to be not only effective but also very safe. Now it can be...

Zolmitriptan (Zomig, Zomig ZMT, Zomig NS) is one of seven triptans sold in the US. It is available in tablets, orally disintegrating tablets, and nasal spray. The nasal spray is approved for children 12 and older. Both tablets and...

Many studies have shown that virtual reality experience can relieve pain. The first such study in burn patients was published 20 years ago. A comprehensive review of this topic, Immersive Virtual Reality and Virtual Embodiment...

Verapamil (Calan, Isoptin) is an effective drug for the prevention of cluster headaches. It is sometimes used for migraines as well. However, the evidence for its efficacy is weak. A double-blind crossover trial by Dr. Glen Solomon...

Fortunately, migraines improve during pregnancy in the majority of women. None of the preventive drugs for migraine are approved by the FDA for pregnant women. The only medicine that is considered safe is a beta-blocker...

People who suffer from migraines often have a variety of visual symptoms. These include seeing an aura prior to the onset of headache, blurred vision, difficulty reading on screens or even on paper, and eye pain. Patients with...

Venlafaxine (Effexor) is the first drug in the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) class. It was approved by the FDA for the treatment of depression in 1993. At low doses, venlafaxine works as a selective serotonin reuptake...

If you’ve never experienced a hangover headache, a group of Spanish researchers can tell you what it feels like. They set out to evaluate and characterize what the international headache classification calls the “delayed alcohol-induced...

Tramadol (Ultram) is a mild narcotic (opioid) pain killer. Just like other opioids it is not a good choice to treat an acute migraine attack. Besides its addiction potential, it does not work well for most migraine patients, can cause nausea...

Frequent use of marijuana has a negative effect on the developing brain. Researchers at Tulane and Dartmouth medical schools looked at the possible protective effect of marijuana in severe head injury. The results were recently...

Cannabis has known anti-inflammatory properties. A group of researchers from UCSD published a study, Recent cannabis use in HIV is associated with reduced inflammatory markers in CSF and blood. They measured a variety...

Topiramate (Topamax) is one of the most popular preventive drugs for migraine. This is not because it is more effective than other approved drugs. It is because it can cause weight loss. The drug manufacturer tried to get it...

It’s been a year since the introduction of Nerivio, an electrical stimulation device for the acute treatment of migraines. One of the unique features of the device is that it is controlled by a smartphone app. This allows Theranica...

Vitamin D deficiency predisposes to or worsens many different medical problems. I’ve written at least a dozen blog posts on vitamin D. A group of South Korean researchers just published in the journal Neurology a study...

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland located in the brain. The release of melatonin helps us fall asleep. Melatonin supplements have been used to treat insomnia. The results of clinical trials, however, are contradictory...

Tizanidine (Zanaflex) is a muscle relaxant that has been shown to relieve chronic migraines in a 200-patient double-blind study by Dr. Joel Saper and his colleagues. It may be particularly effective in people with neck...

People who live at high altitudes tend to have lower oxygen levels in their blood. A higher percentage of them suffer from migraines than people who live at sea level. Oxygen is effective for a significant percentage of patients with...

Timolol (Blocadren), is the second of the two beta-blockers approved by the FDA for both hypertension and the prevention of migraines. Among the dozen or so beta-blockers, it is not very popular for either hypertension...

Histamine is best known as a part of the defense against allergies. But it is also an important neurotransmitter – a brain chemical involved in arousal, anxiety, the stress-related release of hormones, activation of the sympathetic...

Acetyl-leucine (Tanganil) is an amino acid that has been available in France for over 60 years as a prescription drug. It is approved for the treatment of low blood pressure and dizziness. However, there are no published studies of this...

Naltrexone is similar to naloxone, a drug used to reverse the effect of narcotic (opioid) overdose. Naltrexone is not used to reverse the effect of an overdose, but to treat opioid and alcohol dependence. (LDN) and is given as a monthly...

Sumatriptan (Imitrex, Imigran) is by far the most popular triptan because it was the first one on the market. Because it came out a long time ago, many manufacturers make generic copies of this drug. This has reduced its price...

Having given Botox injections to thousands of patients, I know that some patients tolerate pain better if they curse during the procedure. A British psychologist Richard Stephens seems to have made a career out of studying...

Rizatriptan (Maxalt, Maxalt MLT) is one of the seven triptans approved in the US. Along with zolmitriptan, it is one of the two triptans available in an orally disintegrating form – it melts in your mouth and does not require water to...

Lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril) is a blood pressure medicine in the family of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI). At 20 mg a day it was effective in the prevention of migraine headaches, according to a double-blind...

Two patients treated at MD Anderson Cancer Center for brain tumors were given Botox injections for their tumor-related headaches. The report at the recent meeting of the American Headache Society describes two patients...

Lamotrigine (Lamictal) is an epilepsy drug that is also approved as a mood stabilizer in bipolar disorders. Its exact mechanism of action is not well understood. There are no good controlled trials of lamotrigine in migraines...

Promethazine (Phenergan) is a phenothiazine drug that can be very effective for the treatment of migraine-induced nausea and vomiting. Like other phenothiazine drugs, it can have some direct effect on pain of migraine although...

Prochlorperazine (Compazine) belongs to the category of phenothiazine drugs. Chlorpromazine (Thorazine) was the first drug in this family and it was approved for the treatment of schizophrenia in 1950. Phenothiazine drugs...

Protriptyline (Vivactil) is one of the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). It is rarely used, compared to amitriptyline and nortriptyline. This is probably because protriptyline has never been subjected to a controlled trial in migraines...