News

5 December 2005

One scary ride

Now that’s one "ride" I really don’t want to try. As a part of Topamax’s Mind Over Migraine campaign, they’ll be setting up an exhibit at the Southern Women’s Show in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA. Part of the exhibit will be the "migraine simulator". That’s right, you (it won’t be me) can sit in this little device and get a glimpse of what it might be like to have a migraine attack.

How real is the ride? I don’t know – I can’t imagine a realistic simulator would be legal! After the migraine attack I had yesterday, I don’t think real attacks should be legal either. But the difference is, the migraine simulator comes with this label:

Please feel free to exit at any time if you become physically uncomfortable.

Hmmmm…we wouldn’t want to actually become physically uncomfortable, would we? Can we get one of those labels for a real migraine attack? I’d love to be able to switch it off at the first sign of discomfort…

1 December 2005

MT 100 coming to the UK

James Medications, News 0

MT 100, an oral migraine drug from Pozen, was been approved in the UK on Monday (28 Nov). The drug contains naproxen sodium and metoclopramide. Naproxen sodium is familiar to migraineurs, it reduces pain and inflammation, and is often used for migraine brought on by hormonal changes. Metoclopramide has been used to reduce pain and decrease nausea (it’s worked well for children with migraine). It also enhances the effect of naproxen sodium by accelerating it’s absorption.

Pozen gave up on MT 100 in the USA when the FDA expressed concerns that it may cause tardive dyskinesia, a rare disorder of the nervous system. Pozen argues that the drug is meant to be used intermittently, so the danger is minimal.

Pozen will be looking for distributors for the UK and various other countries.

22 November 2005

Goodbye to the Headache Doctor

James News 0

He was going to school in Connecticut when he woke up one morning with a severe headache. He went to see the doctor, and was told it was migraine. But the doctor’s attitude was,"So you have a headache – big deal! Live with it!"

The experience started a lifetime of research into the causes and treatments of headache and migraine. While still a medical student, doctors came to him for advice. When he started to practise, colleagues referred patients to him who had headaches. He became known as "the headache doctor", at a time when there were few who took headaches seriously.

The common belief back then was that headaches were due simply to stress or poor coping skills. But seeing so many patients that were stable emotionally, he became convinced that there was a deeper cause.

He worked with the drug ergotamine, started one of the first headache clinics in the USA, was a founding member of the American Headache Society, and its president in the mid-80s. The AHS awarded him with the Distinguished Clinician Award. He was also an associate professor of medicine at Hopkins, and was on the staff of the Johns Hopkins Hospital for 54 years. He retired 3 years ago.

The USA is mourning the loss of the headache doctor, Dr. William G Speed III, who passed away on November 15th. He was 87.

10 November 2005

Spinal Cord Stimulation trial announced

James News 2

A number of electronic devices have been suggested and tried for chronic pain, including the symptoms of migraine. You can see a good example of one of these devices and how it works by watching the video available at www.controlyourpain.com.

This site reports on the Precision rechargeable Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) system. It’s already being used for chronic pain issues such as back pain. But the company announced today in the US that the FDA has approved a new trial for migraine patients.

It will be interesting to see how the device works on the complex web of symptoms that make up a migraine attack. As you will see, the main purpose of the device is to deal with pain. Will it have other results? Of course, some of the other problems related to migraine must become worse when pain is present. Pain itself, although usually an important warning system in the body, can cause a number of problems its own when it goes crazy in the body.

As we’ve talked about here before, this is a quickly growing market, and new devices are being developed quickly. For a voice of personal experience with a nerve stimulation device, and an introduction to some of the major players, check out this post from Kerrie at The Daily Headache from August. Again, for a good video outlining a device in QuickTime or Windows Media format, click the link above.

7 October 2005

Sports injuries

James News, Tips 0

It couldn’t have been worse for the company. After specifically mentioning the new fancy helmets before the game, the Riddell Revolution, one of the players got a head injury. The doctors diagnosed him with concussion, and he’ll be out for at least a couple of games.

People are concerned about sports injuries, specifically head injuries. This is why we recently featured an article on post-traumatic migraine in HeadWay. If you’re looking for more information on sports head trauma, and the lingering headaches that can come along, you’ve come to the right place. Check out this new article on head sports trauma for the facts you need to know.

You can check Google News for more on the investigation into the Riddell Revolution helmets. It’s quite likely that this was not the fault of the helmet, just very bad timing for everybody. Still, it’s very important to make sure you’re wearing a good helmet for any type of sport.