June | 2022 | Headache NewsBlog

Intravenous magnesium prevents migraines in children

By: Dr. Mauskop

27-06-2022

Alternative Therapies, Headaches in children, Migraine

Regular intravenous infusions of magnesium prevented migraines in five children, according to a report presented at the annual meeting of the American Headache Society by A.J. Freed and S. Sahai-Srivastava. The children were between the ages of 11 and 16. Four of them had the diagnosis of chronic migraines and one, episodic. Two of them continued to have daily headaches but they were mild with the infusions. The other three also had a significant drop in the number of headache days.

Over the past 30 years, we’ve given monthly infusions to thousands of patients, including children as young as 6. Genetic factors play a role in some patients with magnesium deficiency. We’ve had three generations of a family coming for monthly infusions. Besides genetics, other reasons for magnesium deficiency include stress, alcohol, gastrointestinal disorders, poor diet, and others.

About half of migraine sufferers are deficient. They are likely to respond to oral magnesium supplementation. Many, however, do not absorb magnesium taken by mouth. If we know that a patient is deficient because they have other symptoms of magnesium deficiency (cold extremities, muscle cramping, PMS, palpitations, brain fog, and others) or because their blood level (RBC magnesium) is low or is at the bottom of the normal range, we give magnesium intravenously.

If you cannot find a doctor who gives infusions of magnesium, you may want to search for an infusion center or an urgent care facility that would do it. In many large cities, magnesium and vitamin infusions are done at some spas. There are also companies that offer home visits by a nurse.

Acute migraine therapy in pregnancy – triptan is the safest choice.

By: Dr. Mauskop

20-06-2022

Chronic migraine, Headache medications, Migraine, Migraine in pregnancy

Two out of three women stop having migraines during pregnancy, especially in the second and third trimester. The difficult question is how to treat migraines in the first trimester and in women whose migraines do not improve or get worse in pregnancy.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol, paracetamol) is considered safe in pregnancy and that is what many women take for migraines and other pains. Unfortunately, acetaminophen is usually ineffective for severe migraines. It is also not as safe as many physicians and the general public thinks. Several studies indicate that acetaminophen increases the risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and with heavy use, possibly even autism spectrum disorder.

Some obstetricians strongly advise against taking any migraine medications. However, the stress of an acute migraine attack with severe pain, vomiting, and dehydration is likely to have a deleterious effect on the fetus. A Danish study of 22,841 pregnancies among women with migraine showed that untreated migraine leads to an increased risk of low birth weight, preterm birth, and cesarean delivery.

A report just published in the journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) examined “Association of Maternal Use of Triptans During Pregnancy With Risk of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Offspring”.

The study used the data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study, linked to the Medical Birth Registry of Norway, the Norwegian Patient Registry, and the Norwegian Prescription Database using the mother’s personal identification number. The conclusion of this large and rigorous study was: “This cohort study found no association between prenatal triptan exposure and ADHD diagnosis or ADHD symptoms at 5 years of age. This study adds to the growing literature on the safety of triptan use during pregnancy and expands it to an important neurobehavioral outcome.”

Triptans have been available without a prescription in all European countries for over a decade. In the US, triptans are available only by prescription. This is one of the reasons for the perception of acetaminophen as being more benign than sumatriptan and other triptans. The opposite is likely to be true. If you are a pregnant woman suffering from severe migraines, ask your doctor for a prescription for sumatriptan.

Cove presents its data on the efficacy of telemedicine in treating migraines

By: Dr. Mauskop

11-06-2022

Alternative Therapies, Chronic migraine, Headaches, Migraine

With tens of millions of Americans suffering from migraines, access to care is a major problem. Cove, a telemedicine startup, offers a practical and affordable solution. They deliver evidence-based therapies to patients in need. To prove that their approach works, Cove collects and analyzes vast amounts of data. The study I just presented at the annual scientific meeting of the American Headache Society shows that with Cove underserved minorities obtain excellent outcomes that are equal to those of whites.
Disclosure: I am a paid consultant to Cove.

Triptans are safe even in those with cardiovascular conditions – a new report

By: Dr. Mauskop

10-06-2022

Chronic migraine, Headache medications, Migraine

A paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Headache Society that is taking place this weekend examined the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with preexisting cardiovascular (CV) conditions. The researchers compared the risk of triptans with that of opioid/barbiturate drugs (drugs like codeine, Vicodin, Percocet, Fioricet) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

They used Mass General Brigham Research Patient Data Registry database to identify 12,121 prescriptions. Of these, 33% were for triptans, 50% for opioid/barbiturate drugs, and 17% for NSAIDs.

MACE occurred in 1% of those taking triptans, 4.5% taking opioid/barbiturate drugs, and 3.8% taking NSAIDs.

This goes against the established dogma of avoiding triptans in patients with CV problems. Instead, doctors are advised to offer opioid/barbiturate drugs or NSAIDs. Unfortunately, according to the FDA-approved package insert, triptans are contraindicated in patients with CV, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular problems. This contraindication came about from purely theoretical reasoning rather than real-life experience. Triptans do in fact have mild vasoconstriction properties and it is possible that someone with severe occlusion of coronary or other blood vessels can have dangerous constriction of a blood vessel. There have been also reports of healthy people developing cardiovascular complications, but those are very rare.

This new data indicates that triptans are safer than the alternatives most doctors prescribe. The two alternatives described in the report also carry significant risks of addiction, stomach ulcers, and bleeding. It is very likely, however, that doctors will continue to avoid prescribing triptans in this population because of legal concerns and ingrained habits.

We do have two new classes of drugs to treat an acute migraine attack that are proven to be safe in patients with CV conditions. These are gepants – rimegepant (Nurtec) and ubrogepant (Ubrelvy) as well as ditans – lasmiditan (Reyvow). These drugs are very expensive and insurers always require that patients first try other drugs.

Another study confirms vascular safety of triptans

By: Dr. Mauskop

04-06-2022

Chronic migraine, Headache medications

Sumatriptan (Imitrex) and other triptans have been available without a prescription in all European countries for over a decade. A new study by Austrian researchers published in the current issue of Headache confirms the outstanding safety of these drugs.

The study looked at 13,833 people over 50 years of age who were prescribed a triptan in 2011, the year before triptans became available over-the-counter. The comparison group included 41,400 triptan non-users. Of the 13,833, 19% were older than 65. The researchers established that 16% “overused” triptans, defined as getting more than 30 doses in a 90-day period, although the concept of “overuse” clearly lacks a scientific basis.

They discovered that those who were taking triptans did not spend more time in a hospital. They also did not have a higher frequency of heart attacks, hypertension, irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias), strokes, circulation problems in their extremities, or other vascular problems. This was true even for those who “overused” triptans.

These findings are consistent with the “Consensus Statement: Cardiovascular Safety Profile of Triptans in the Acute Treatment of Migraine” by the Triptan Cardiovascular Safety Expert Panel published in 2004. It states “The incidence of serious cardiovascular events with triptans in clinical trials and clinical practice appears to be extremely low “.

Unfortunately, in the US triptans are available only by prescription. About 15 years ago, the FDA blocked an application by the American Home Products (a company that Pfizer later acquired) to launch over-the-counter sumatriptan. This greatly restricts access to a highly effective and safe migraine drug. Many physicians remain under the impression that triptans cause heart attacks, strokes, and other dangerous side effects. My patients often tell me that this is what their previous doctor warned them about.

It is clear that triptans are safer than Excedrin, aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen. Several dozen of my patients have been taking triptans daily for years. They do not have medication overuse headaches, do not suffer any long-term side effects, and do enjoy disability-free life.