Quick thoughts after Larry King Live
There are going to be lots of comments going around the internet regarding the Larry King Live show on migraine, so rather than a complete analysis I’m just going to fire out a few initial thoughts. I don’t get Larry King where I am, but I did read the “rush” transcript.
First, I thought that overall it was a good show. You never know what you’re going to get on a talk show – you really can’t give a balanced overview of any topic in a format like that, but they did very well overall. I think the show will generally be helpful to people trying to understand friends that are suffering from migraine and cluster headaches.
Second observation. When they’re talking about causes of migraine, they’re really talking about what triggers the symptoms themselves. It can be confusing, but the cause of the disease is something different from what causes a specific attack.
Third, it was great to have Shawn King (Larry’s wife) on the show. We were able to see those who have found tremendous success and those who are still looking (like myself).
Some really interesting nuggets were brought up. Hemiplegic migraine was mentioned. Cluster headaches were mentioned quite a bit. Several different treatments were mentioned, such as preventative and abortive medications, new medications such as Botox, and alternative treatments such as biofeedback, and acupuncture.
Susan Olson brought up an interesting point about taking different medications at different times. It’s a reminded again to make sure your doctor knows your medical history and symptoms, and that if there are any changes you let your doctor know. Imitrex was mentioned quite a bit – this is now an older triptan medication that has done wonders for many people, but hasn’t helped everyone. There are many newer triptans out there that may help you if Imitrex (sumatriptan) hasn’t helped.
There’s lots more in the transcript. I encourage you to print it out and give it a read, or get a copy of the program and see what else relates to you. It’s a great starting point for several issues. If you’re a HeadWay subscriber, be sure to stop by the HeadWay MailRoom to give me your thoughts.