Headaches After 10 Years – Will I Improve?
A new study takes a look at an important question – after 10 years, which migraine patients have significantly improved – and why?
It’s important to remember that when it comes to conditions such as migraine, patience is important. A true, lasting, significant improvement can take time – but it’s worth it.
We’ve talked about the opposite before – what makes migraine worse? Specifically, what makes it become chronic? Genetics plays a big part, but there are other factors, such as sleep disorders, depression, obesity, and poor treatment.
This study published last month in the journal Headache looked at the progress of over 380 migraine patients after ten years. The study is titled How Does Migraine Change After 10 Years? A Clinical Cohort Follow-Up Analysis.
First of all, the bad news. Less than half of patients were significantly better. Now, that’s not quite as bad as it sounds – the researchers were looking for a significant improvement – days with migraine at least cut in half.
Still, that percentage is way too low, and there is good reason to believe that good information and quality treatment could have made things much better.
That being said, it was helpful to see a couple of the key things that made a difference:
- NOT SMOKING: One of the biggest commonalities among those who improved significantly vs. those who did not was that the improved group did not tend to be smokers. This issue has been discussed for a long time in migraine research, but probably not enough. And it should be noted that turning to vaping is not the answer – vaping commonly triggers headaches. Your goal, even if it’s a longer term goal that you’re aiming for, should be to avoid smoking and vaping altogether, if you want to be free of migraine attacks.
- MEDICAL FOLLOW-UP: Another major factor was something as simple as going back to the doctor. Just showing up. There could be a number of reasons for this. But as we mentioned above, migraine treatment is usually a long term process (as with many neurological issues). Going to a doctor and getting a prescription and never doing anything else is apparently a huge barrier to actual significant long-term improvement.
Another note on #2. Patients who started with more migraine attacks per month were also more likely to see significant improvement. Part of the reason could be that these patients are more likely to take migraine and its treatment more seriously. But remember, even a couple of days a month lost to migraine has a major impact over the course of a year – and a lifetime! Everyone should take fighting migraine seriously.
Although treating migraine may take time, and does require patience, don’t assume it’s going to take many years. It is hoped that migraine treatment for most people will bring an improvement in much less time.
And now we’ve learned two more keys – make a plan to quit smoking if you do, and don’t give up on improving your treatment as the years go by. There is hope – don’t give up the fight!
(Speaking of not giving up, remember that the Migraine World Summit starts this week – click the link to register for free, and make it your next “virtual” follow-up doctor’s appointment, with some of the world’s foremost experts!)