James

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Posts by James Cottrill:

9 September 2011

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.

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 â€“ predictor of improvement of headache disability

6 September 2011

Feverfew and Ginger Combo for Migraine

James Discoveries & Stats, Treatments 1

There is growing interest in a feverfew/ginger combination in the treatment of migraine. A study last month from the American Headache Society further confirmed that feverfew and ginger may help some patients when an attack hits.

The supplement used was LipiGesic-M, a sub-lingual supplement to be taken when a migraine attack begins. It contains feverfew (pyrethrum parthenium) and ginger.

Feverfew is a well researched migraine fighter. It’s often given as a preventative, and has been very helpful to many migraineurs. It acts as an anti-inflammatory, and may have other mechanisms we’re just starting to understand. Read more about feverfew here.

Ginger is also well known in the fight against migraine, particularly helping to fight nausea.

The suggestion has been that this combo is best for those who have a mild headache phase early in the migraine attack. Patients in this study, then, took the LipiGesic-M early on. 32% were pain free at the 2 hour point, and a total of 63% were either pain free or only had a mild headache two hours after taking the supplement.

This may turn out to be a good option for many people who can catch an attack early. There were very few side effects, the most commonly reported being nausea or numbness in the tongue. (If you think it’s odd that this would cause nausea for some and fight it for others, think of all the headache medications that list "headache" as a possible side effect!)

As with anything, check with a doctor who knows your medical history before you try something new. Find out more on the LipiGesic-M site.

For a summary of the study, see A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study of Sublingual Feverfew and Ginger (LipiGesic(TM) M) in the Treatment of Migraine.

5 September 2011

Telcagepant Finally Shelved

James Medications, News 0

Telcagepant was a promising drug for migraine patients, with possibilities as both an abortive and a preventative. But in July, drug company Merck finally ended the clinical trials with no plans to recontinue them. Merck announced:

Merck is discontinuing the clinical development program for telcagepant, the company’s investigational calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist for the treatment of acute migraine. The decision is based on an assessment of data across the clinical program, including findings from a recently completed six-month Phase III study.

The drug (formerly known as MK-0974) was once a much talked-about drug with a promising future, as the leader of a new kind of migraine drug. Then researchers became concerned when some patients developed high levels of liver enzymes (transaminases).

The trials forged ahead in hopes that telcagepant would work better as an abortive. But Merck finally gave up trials. It had already shelved MK-3207, its other (CGRP) receptor antagonist for migraine.

This may be the end of telcagepant – but it’s by no means the end of this class of migraine medications. Researchers are pushing ahead with this and other types of medication that may fight migraine in the future.

But this is another reminder about the time and expense that’s put into developing new drugs. Though we have almost endless options today, we do pay for those options, and there’s a reason why.

3 September 2011

Get More on Facebook and Twitter!

James Website news 0

If you’re visiting Headache and Migraine News regularly, or you subscribe the the RSS feed, but you’re just not getting your fill, you might want to check out Facebook and/or Twitter.

Recently I’ve been posting not only current posts, but other posts and articles for your interest and discussion. And very often it’s your discussion that makes visiting these articles worthwhile.

So be sure to "Like" our Facebook page (which currently has over 11,000 Likes), or, if you prefer, check out Twitter for the latest.

Remember you can also subscribe to the Headache and Migraine News RSS feed, and even get new posts via email. Whatever works for you! 🙂

1 September 2011

Do you have an experience to share about how migraine is managed in schools?

James News 1

The Migraine Trust in London, England, wants to hear your experience with migraine in schools.

I’m assuming they’re especially wanting to hear from people in the United Kingdom, but I’m sure anyone could contribute (just tell them where you’re from).

This is what they said:

The Migraine Trust is interested to hear from young people, or parents of children or young people, about their experiences of managing their migraine in schools.

The Migraine Trust would like to learn about examples of good and/or bad experiences of migraine managment within schools.

We are interested in hearing your experiences to inform our work in schools and at policy level to raise awareness of the issues young migraine sufferers can face and educate schools and education providers about good practice.

You can contact the Migraine Trust by phone (in the UK) or email.

For more details, see Migraine in schools at the Migraine Trust.