Experts Issue New Guidelines to Treat Migraines

Health experts from the American Headache Society (AHS) issued new guidelines for doctors in treating migraines. They cautioned against prescription pain medications and CT scans noting their adverse effects.

Around 12 percent of the American population suffers from migraine headaches, with women having three times as much attack as men.

Treatment of chronic migraine has evolved in a span of several years and according to scientists, the migraine is now associated to a hereditary disorder linked to a person's nerve pathways and brain chemistry.

Opioids like OxyContin and Vicodin are painkillers that are usually prescribed but have adverse risks when taken long-term. Moreover, a growing dependency on these drug medications is rising in an alarming rate. Based on the report of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are three cases out of four overdoses that are caused by opioid painkillers.

Also according to the guideline, patients better not use over the counter medications often and over a long time. "It's not good for the kidneys, liver or stomach to be taking these medications on a daily basis. There are a lot of strategies that can work that are better than just grabbing handfuls of Motrin," said AHS president Dr. Elizabeth Loder.

Instead, patients may take triptans when experiencing migraine. Triptan has the purported ability to stop a migraine headache at its earliest signs. Other alternatives are preventive therapies such as biofeedback. This is a technique that a patient may adopt and use to control the body's response to physical changes. Another option for migraine patients is to make sure to get ample sleep and have meals on time.

Another important part of the guideline caution against brain scans and CT scans being performed for chronic headaches that seem like migraine. Instead, MRI should be used especially for diagnostics not classified as emergencies.

"Our aim is to encourage doctors and patients to think carefully about medical care that can be harmful or unnecessary. We didn't approach this with cost uppermost in mind. The goal is to help address the problems of low-value care."

The observational study used to make these guidelines was published in the online journal Headache.

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