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Suggest Treatment For Intense Migraine Headaches
Question: Hi I am 22 years old and have suffered from intense migraine headaches for the last 13 years been to the doctor numerous times and have been referred to a neurologist twice and every time i go they just throw more pills my way been on numerous different medications daily for prevention as well as medication for getting rid of them should they show up i get a migraine headache roughly about 20 out of 30 days a month i have diaries of what i eat,drink,do,and the length of my headaches but no one in my area can seem to give me a answer anything you could tell me to help or that i may mention to my doctor would be greatly apprecieated
Brief Answer:
Botulinum toxin can be tried.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand what you are going through.
From your story it is a little difficult to make specific drug suggestions. You seem to already have checked for triggering factors for your headaches through your diaries.
Also seem have tried many different preventive treatments (since you don't mention drug names I'll have assume you have tried all the different drug classes available out there) as well as treatment for the attacks.
You also seem to be aware of the possibility of medication overuse headache (so it seems by mentioning being treated to get rid of drugs).
Since lifestyle changes and oral medication seem not to be effective for you the one treatment left which you don't mention to have tried is the use of botulinum toxin, what you might have heard as Botox. It has been shown to be effective in patient with chronic headache and its use is recommended if at least 3 other preventive therapies have been tried and failed. So I believe you should discuss this possibility with your doctor.
Also recently a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device, worn for 20min a day has been approved for migraine prevention, but being a new method I have no personal experience I must confess, am mentioning it only since you seem to have failed everything else.
I remain at you disposal for further questions.
Botulinum toxin can be tried.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand what you are going through.
From your story it is a little difficult to make specific drug suggestions. You seem to already have checked for triggering factors for your headaches through your diaries.
Also seem have tried many different preventive treatments (since you don't mention drug names I'll have assume you have tried all the different drug classes available out there) as well as treatment for the attacks.
You also seem to be aware of the possibility of medication overuse headache (so it seems by mentioning being treated to get rid of drugs).
Since lifestyle changes and oral medication seem not to be effective for you the one treatment left which you don't mention to have tried is the use of botulinum toxin, what you might have heard as Botox. It has been shown to be effective in patient with chronic headache and its use is recommended if at least 3 other preventive therapies have been tried and failed. So I believe you should discuss this possibility with your doctor.
Also recently a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device, worn for 20min a day has been approved for migraine prevention, but being a new method I have no personal experience I must confess, am mentioning it only since you seem to have failed everything else.
I remain at you disposal for further questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Ok I'll be sure to ask about that I haven't asked my physician about it but what is your opinion on the Omega procedure offered through the migraine treatment centers of XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
A last resort, time will tell efficacy
Detailed Answer:
The Omega procedure is based on the same nerve stimulation principle of the TENS I mentioned, it is more direct and invasive since the electrodes must be implanted through a procedure. It's not the only procedure there are others like XXXXXXX procedure for example. Of course the publicity surrounding them has its commercial side as well.
It is not available here in Europe that I know of so I don't have any personal experience with my patients.
It is still in early implementation and with any kind of treatment efficacy is based on large scale studies comparing this procedure with other alternatives. That is why any treatment has to be approved by the FDA after considering available studies, so until that happens I can't recommend it, not evidence based.
Whether it could be tried when anything else fails...yes it could, time might tell it to be a successful strategy, but for now better try all other options.
I hope to have been of help.
A last resort, time will tell efficacy
Detailed Answer:
The Omega procedure is based on the same nerve stimulation principle of the TENS I mentioned, it is more direct and invasive since the electrodes must be implanted through a procedure. It's not the only procedure there are others like XXXXXXX procedure for example. Of course the publicity surrounding them has its commercial side as well.
It is not available here in Europe that I know of so I don't have any personal experience with my patients.
It is still in early implementation and with any kind of treatment efficacy is based on large scale studies comparing this procedure with other alternatives. That is why any treatment has to be approved by the FDA after considering available studies, so until that happens I can't recommend it, not evidence based.
Whether it could be tried when anything else fails...yes it could, time might tell it to be a successful strategy, but for now better try all other options.
I hope to have been of help.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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