Overcoming the Barriers to Optimal Migraine Management
Sunday, October 16 at 9:50 am
Deborah I. Friedman, MD, MPH, FAAN, describes migraines as neurological, genetic, highly disabling, and importantly, “infinitely treatable.”
In her session on Sunday, “Overcoming the Barriers to Optimal Migraine Management,” she will briefly discuss the epidemiology of migraine and the diagnostic criteria. However, most of the talk focuses on treatment, including non-pharmacologic options, and acute and preventive treatments.
Some non-pharmacologic options include: identify migraine triggers (keep a diet and symptom journal, headache calendar, and limit caffeine and known dietary triggers), sleep hygiene, regular exercise, stress management/relaxation training, and frequent, small meals.
“The importance of stratifying acute treatment based on the manifestations of the migraine in an individual will be highlighted, with recommendations for treatment in patients who have severe nausea or vomiting, rapid onset of pain, or nocturnal awakening,” said Dr Friedman, professor of neurology and neurotherapeutics and ophthalmology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “We discuss emerging therapies in clinical trials and pending Food and Drug Administration approval, including those that target calcitonin gene-related peptide.”
The presentation will conclude with a case of a woman with migraine with aura to discuss the topics of stroke risk and hormonal contraceptive use, she said.
Dr. Friedman will be presenting this session along with D. Michael Ready, MD, FAHS, family physician at Scott & White Healthcare in Temple, Texas.
She said attendees may be surprised by how prevalent and disabling migraines can be, the number of treatment options available, and the new treatment targets that address migraine pathophysiology.
“Migraine patients are in your office and, possibly, in your home or amongst your family members,” she said. “Recognition and effective treatment can change someone’s life.”
—Mike Bederka