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Kerrie Smyres- When it comes to raising awareness about migraine, finding something to say isn’t difficult—there are plenty of startling facts and statistics—but sharing information is not the same as being heard. The challenge isn’t what to say, it’s how to say it. The challenge is figuring out how to reach people who haven’t otherwise had a reason to learn about migraine. What gets your attention when someone posts about a cause or illness that you don’t know much about? Facts and statistics? Emotional appeals? Personal stories? Provocative comments? Thoughtful questions? There is no one right way to go about raising awareness;... Read more
Migraine.com- June is Migraine and Headache Awareness Month! One way to spread awareness is to change your avatar (profile image) across social media sites. You can download any of the images below to use as your own, or submit your existing avatar via the form below and we’ll add an awareness month graphic for you! Read more
Lisa Benson- If my migraine could speak… …it would tell you all the silly things I have done. My migraine must have a sense of humor because it makes me do ridiculous things. And I laugh at myself as it helps me make light of a painful situation. Here are a few scenarios told by my migraine: You can’t have too much of a good thing, right? I watched Lisa escape to the store one day despite the brain haze I was causing her. I couldn’t help but mess with her shopping list, and she brought home a huge pack of toilet... Read more
Jeanne Hecht, MBA, PMP- When we pick up our prescriptions from the pharmacy, most of us do not think about where these drugs come from. Yet every pill or medical intervention – from cold medicine to cancer treatments – begins with a scientific innovation and then must evolve down a long road over many years through the different stages of drug development. Clinical trials are the bridge over which all new medical therapies must pass, ensuring they have been rigorously tested and approved as both safe and medically advantageous. In honor of International Clinical Trials Day that took place on May 20, I would... Read more
Tammy Rome- In this third installment of our series on opioid medications we will be exploring some of the discoveries made about the use of opioids to specifically treat migraine. In case you missed the first two, please take a look at A balancing act – opioid use throughout history and Risks of long-term opioid treatment to catch up. According to a 2014 article published in Headache, Dr. Morris Levin analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of using opioids to treat headache disorders. He addresses both acute and preventive treatment1. Acute treatment Dr. Levin cited a 2008 study review led by Dr. Freidman... Read more
The Migraine Girl- Growing up, I was quite the water baby. Every summer, I was at the neighborhood pool the moment it opened for the season. I was on the swim team as soon as I was eligible and found out quickly that I was both comfortable and very fast in the water. For a few years, I even attended an intensive summer swimming sports camp—I was the odd man out in that I was one of the few swimmers who only did summer league and not year-round swimming. Back to that neighborhood pool in the 80s and 90s though. There was a... Read more
Tammy Rome- Have you ever wanted to do something to directly impact headache science? Research is the foundation of good science. To discover more effective Migraine treatments, we must first understand what happens in the brain, why it happens, and then learn how to prevent or interrupt that process. It costs money to do good quality research, but there’s no profit incentive. Typically this type of research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and private foundations... Read more
Kerrie Smyres- Photophobia is one of the hallmark symptoms of migraine and can also be a symptom of other headache disorders. The journal Headache published an exploration photophobia and headache disorders in the March 2015 issue.1 The overview is intended for health care providers, but the information is fascinating to anyone who experiences photophobia. Here’s a quick look at some major points covered in the article: Photophobia is technically defined as “excessive or irrational fear of light.” In medicine, however, it refers to pain or discomfort that’s caused by light. (People sometimes use the word photosensitivity instead of photophobia, but, medically, photosensitivity means... Read more
Tammy Rome- Often attributed to Winston Churchill, this statement is a reflection of my current mood as it relates to Migraine. As a lover of historical accuracy, I couldn’t resist the urge to search out the backstory. My UK friends will surely appreciate my desire to correctly quote one of their great leaders. As is so often the case, truth is so much more entertaining and enlightening than the legends that grow up around it. This misquote originates from a speech Churchill gave at Harrow School on October 29, 1941. While reading the full text of his speech, I discovered a much... Read more
Migraine.com- Treximet, which is a combination of sumatriptan and naproxen sodium, was recently approved by the FDA for treatment of acute migraine in children aged 12 years and above.1 This makes it the first approved combination prescription medicine for migraine attacks in patients who are children, and the first approved treatment in this population that contains sumatriptan. Treximet has been approved for use in adults since 2008 in the US. A pivotal phase III safety and efficacy clinical trial, in addition to a long-term safety and pharmacokinetic study, showed this combination to be significantly more effective in treating migraine in this particular population than placebo. It’s... Read more
Kerrie Smyres- There are three vital components for appropriate treatment of migraine: 1. consultation with a health care professional, 2. accurate diagnosis, and 3. adequate treatment. If any one of these areas is not fulfilled, a person’s chance of treatment success is diminished. A study presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual conference in April found that only 4.5% of people with chronic migraine receive minimally appropriate treatment. Researchers considered a person to be receiving minimally appropriate treatment if they used at least one recommended acute migraine treatment and one preventive treatment. The study included 1,254 people who met the criteria of... Read more
The Migraine Girl- The topic of mindfulness has come up again and again here on migraine.com, and with good reason: it’s an excellent way to manage stress day-to-day and has been proven effective in coping with migraine discomfort and chronic pain. (Even if practicing mindfulness doesn’t ease the pain, it can actually help you develop a more healthy, less fraught relationship with pain. Trust me on this.) When I first started doing mindfulness meditation at the local hospital’s Mind-Body Institute (a complementary care center with classes and methods based on research, which made me—a natural skeptic—be able to approach so-called “alternative” medicine with... Read more
Migraine.com- Migraine is an incredibly complex condition. Some symptoms are more obvious than others, making it difficult to even diagnose. We’ve put together a quiz that covers some migraine basics. Test your knowledge, share your results, and help spread the word about migraine to increase awareness! Read more
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Migraines and parenting
Being a mom to 2 babies is difficult as it is and on top of that having migraines on a daily basis makes it worse. My triggers have become silly things like scares or light or the smell of spoiled milk, not drinking coffee or just being worried. As recent as the few last months (March 2015 to this day) I’ve had episodes every day. The morning light hits my face and my heads starts throbbing and pounding, my eyes feel like I have elephants sitting on top of them. My heart feels like is beating in my head. I...
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