Want to fight Migraine? Just Show Up.
A surprising new study in the journal Pain turns up an unexpected and simple way to predict which patients will respond to treatment.
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It’s always a mystery why some patients respond well to a certain treatment, while others do not. The bottom line at the moment is that migraine is a complex disease, and every patient is very different (yes, we’re complex too!).
This study evaluated patients who were somewhat or very disabled due to a headache disorder. The researchers studied a variety of factors to find out why some patients improved a lot and others not-so-much.
Was it social support? Type of headache? Race?
Nope. The one thing that made the difference – that predicted whether or not someone would improve – was simply whether or not they actually attended the three follow-up appointments.
That’s right. Patients who didn’t go to their follow-up appointments didn’t tend to improve as much. That’s it.
So please, don’t go to a "bare minimum" of appointments. Follow things through. Listen to your doctor. You may be surprised what a difference it makes.
via Showing up is half the battle – predictor of improvement of headache disability
18 September 2011 @ 11:47 pm
That reminds me, I have a follow up call with my neuro that is way past due. Normally I would be right on that, but being back at work is taxing and I am petrified my neuro will change my treatment. Granted my migraines are still very chronic, but it will be way worse if I have to switch up my meds and way worse and working simply do not mix. Last year I found the pain and the increasingly hostile work enviroment too much to bear. I don’t want to be in that position again. Yet, hard to say how long I can tolerate things as they are and function. I think somewhere I lost the hope that things could get better, so I find I’m just trying to survive as is. Eventually, I will have the energy to get some optimism again. Nevertheless, I will make that call because I at least want to believe there is the potential for some moderate success. So while I think this is an interesting point, over a decade of optimism, defeat, trying everything and anything, fustration and disillusionment some of us just get a little tired of it all and want to sit out of the game for a bit.
2 December 2011 @ 3:29 pm
i just read nikki note from september and i have to say i understand competely. I have been a migarine suffer for almost 40 years and i have tried it all. I tried a new drug about 7 years ago called topamax and i have to say it was a GODSEND it worked great for 6.5 years then my body changed and i could not take it anymore, i was crushed as only someone who has migarines can understand. I am now back to trying everything i had already tried because the docs think my body has changed so much that maybe one of the previous drugs will work. Well im not there yet. all i can say is dont give up and do your homework research everything you can find, try to remember your doctor see’s hundreds of patients and realisitcally he cant do all the work needed to research all the new drugs that are available. Trust me i go to my visits with tons of paperwork on any new drug i can find even herbs all my doc does is shake his head and smile but he listens and goes thru every peice of research i have. Good luck and dont give up.