Migraine Medicine - More Harm than Good?

Is your migraine medicine making your migraine worse?

Medication overuse headaches do not only emerge from use of prescription medications, most patients who experience these headaches are taking a combination of medications, and as migraine with aura converts from medication overuse headache into chronic daily headache it frequently loses aura. Headache can result from any migraine treatment medication that is taken more than 2 or 3 times per week, according to meeting-presented information cited in an article published online in Clinical Neurology News. Acetaminophen is implicated in nearly 50% of cases of medication overuse headache, but most patients are taking this drug or others in combination. Suspicion of an overuse syndrome should intensify for patients who report taking drugs like triptans 10 or more days per month or analgesics such as acetaminophen or non steroidal anti-inflammatory medications 15 days or more per days per month. Modifying migraine treatment in order to control medication overuse headache can involve a slow taper of the medication that the patient has been overusing while simultaneously uptitrating prophylactic therapies.

Now, test your knowledge!

1. Which of the following statements is/are TRUE regarding medication overuse headaches?

A. Use of non-prescription medications can produce these headaches
B. Most patients who experience these headaches are taking a combination of medications
C. If a migraine with aura converts from medication overuse headache into chronic daily headache, aura typically persists
D. A and B

2. True or False. Medication overuse headache can result from any migraine treatment medication that is taken more than 2 or 3 times per week.

A. True
B. False

3. Acetaminophen is implicated in approximately _____ of cases of medication overuse headache.

A. 29%
B. 50%
C. 71%

4. Clinicians should have a higher suspicion of an overuse syndrome for migraine patients who develop chronic daily headache who report taking drugs such as triptans __________ days per month.

A. 10 or more
B. 15 or more
C. 20 or more

5. True or False. A prudent strategy to control medication overuse headache may involve a slow tapering of the medication that the patient has been overusing while uptitrating prophylactic therapies simultaneously.

A. True
B. False

Researchers found that the monthly occurrence of migraine headaches significantly decreased with medical marijuana use. (Is there anything this plant can't do?) 
Further studies will be conducted to narrow down which strains and doses are best to alleviate migraine headache frequency. In the study, migraine headaches decreased from over 10 per month to about 4 per month, more than half. The patients used marijuana daily in various forms. About 14 patients in the study reported no migraine headaches. 

The patients who inhaled the marijuana were those who reported aborted migraine headaches. Patients who ingested edible marijuana reported negative effects in terms of the intensity. This was a report only found in the patients who ate the edible marijuana. 

Medical Marijuana vaporization is legal in New York and smoking is not. Call Dr. Janis L. Enzenbacher to find out if medical marijuana can help you. 845 680-6600.

Keep up with our recent blogs about Medical Marijuana to learn more about the process of being referred. Call 845 680-6600 or 845 358-8385 or email www.doctor@drjanisenzenbacher.com 

Answer Key :

1. D. A and B

2. A. True

3. B. 50%

4. A. 10 or more

5. A. True