Treatment Options
Insurance Delays and Denials Impact Patient Access to Migraine Treatment
How Insurance Barriers Impact Migraine Treatment Access Migraine is a complex neurological disease that affects more than 42 million people in the United States alone. Approximately 5 million people in the US have chronic migraine, meaning they have 15 migraine/headache days a month or more. Migraine disease is so much more than “just a headache.”…
Read MoreFinding Answers: Taking Control of Chronic Migraine
Managing migraine day-to-day requires constant effort, no matter how long you’ve lived with migraine disease. People with chronic migraine – defined as a minimum of 15 migraine/headache days per month – may find this especially challenging. Not everyone has access to a certified migraine specialist. Very few people with chronic migraine receive a proper diagnosis and…
Read MoreMigraine Myths: Only Medication Can Help Migraine
Don’t we all wish there was a magic pill that could cure our migraine forever?! Unfortunately, that is just not the case. Migraine is a complex neurological disease that presents itself on a wide spectrum of frequency, severity, symptoms, attack triggers, and responses to treatments. While medication is an important part of any treatment toolbox, it’s…
Read MoreMy Experience with Ketamine Infusion at Jefferson Headache Center
Ketamine is a medication that is sometimes used off-label for migraine treatment, and headache specialists on the cutting edge of migraine treatment sometimes prescribe it as a nasal spray or by in-patient infusion. Many patients aren’t aware that this is an option, and there is little known about what it is like to get an in-patient infusion,…
Read MoreMigraine Medications Explained
A mix of medications is an important part of the migraine treatment toolbox. And while a wide variety of medications are available to help you manage your specific type of migraine and associated symptoms, navigating the many options can be difficult. Finding a medication or combination that works for you can be challenging and may require…
Read MorePreventive Care Toolbox
With approximately 40 million people in the US alone living with migraine and a stunning lack of mandatory education on headache disorders in medical schools, many people with migraine remain at a loss how to navigate preventive treatment. Visits to doctors often end up with a “one and done” attitude, not taking into account the importance of a toolbox approach. Between following insurance denials and guidelines for step therapy, and a devastating shortage of certified headache specialists, patients living with this disabling disease often find themselves without adequate and current information. Having a preventive care roadmap can go a long way to help figuring out how to maintain a quality of life that most people take for granted.
Read MoreCreating a Migraine Preventive Action Plan
Bearing in mind that migraine is a disease that can chronify, it’s not only important to know the signs for when preventive treatment is appropriate, but also have a road map to follow once you’re in that place. A Preventive Action Plan (PAP) is a road map for treatment communication and care planning. Having a PAP gives you a sense of direction and independence as well as the greatest potential for relief. It raises awareness of different approaches to preventive migraine treatment, and it also makes you a partner with your doctor in your disease management and healthcare. Your involvement in a PAP is essential, because you know your body best, you know how migraine is impacting your life, and the PAP needs to be integrated by YOU into your care and daily life.
Read MoreOpioids and Migraine: A Tough Conversation
At one of the seminars I attended at a recent American Headache Society Symposium, the question was posed, “Is There a Role for Opioids and Bultalbital-Containing Medications in the Treatment of Headache?” As part of the “Controversies in Headache Medicine” series for the symposium, what made it particularly interesting was that it included speakers on…
Read MoreAttack-based Care: Responsibilities
Throughout our Attack-Based Care series we have looked at several different approaches to treating different migraine attacks. We started off by looking at what the “Stoplight Theory” is (how to rate our pain) and the Migraine Toolbox we need to build to better manage this disease. Then we looked at different aspects that might guide us in deciding how to treat each migraine attack focusing on timing, pain level, symptoms and triggers. Today we are going to wrap up the series by looking at the tough topic of responsibility. This asks the difficult question about what treatments are actually FEASIBLE to take based on our responsibilities during any given attack.
Read MoreAttack-Based Care: Triggers
Migraine triggers are that all elusive aspect of life with migraine. They’re something we have all heard of, and something we tend to talk a lot about. However, did you know that some triggers can result in more treatment resistant, faster escalating, or more debilitating attacks, while others seem to result in less severe attacks? So, how can we approach treating a migraine attack based on what triggered it? Knowing this can help you come up with an attack-based plan where you can quickly decide how to treat. For example, you will have a better idea of whether to start with an FDA-cleared medical device, rest and OTC medication, or jump straight into your full-strength rescue medication, a dark room, and the need to cancel all appointments or work.
Read MoreAttack-Based Care: Pain Level
Did you know some people who live with migraine disease experience attacks that go from level 1-10 in just minutes? What can you do when the pain level is already debilitating? What about those attacks that you can catch quickly while the pain level is very low – should there be a different approach to them? There are many abortive treatment options available, and knowing ahead of time which route to take when a migraine hits can be really difficult, but so important. Add in quantity limitations, and wanting to save certain medications for more severe attacks or special occasions you can’t miss, you may end up with a problematic delay in pain relief. Sadly, this sometimes results in more intense pain, or an attack that lasts longer and is more resistant to treatment. So, how can you plan ahead to know how best to treat an attack based on the level of pain experienced?
Read MoreAttack-Based Care: Timing
Have you ever woken up with a full-blown migraine attack? Sometimes I even dream that I am having a migraine, and then the pain gets so bad that it wakes me up and – voila! Sadly, it wasn’t a dream at all! Figuring out how to treat that monster, compared to treating an attack that you catch in the first few minutes, is a whole different animal. It’s a situation made more challenging by all the other symptoms that often go along with a full-blown attack such as vision impairment, dizziness, vertigo, vomiting, and more!
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