Migraines & Headaches Resource Center

If you are reading this, you have probably had at least one migraine headache, and most likely many more and on a regular basis.  We know how overpowering and debilitating they are.  We also know that it is not always easy to find treatment or relief from these headaches.

There is now some good news about migraine treatment.  Alan Rapoport, a professor of neurology at U.C.L.A., who has studied headaches for the past 35 years, says that there are some “exciting” new drugs coming in the near future to deal with migraines. 

The cause of migraines is not clear.  There are various ideas regarding migraine causes as well as some of the effects.  One main thing that ties all of them together is that when a person has a migraine something called the trigeminal nerve system, which moves information from the face, head, brain and spinal cord to the brain stem – is triggered.  Researchers have determined that this happens in every migraine, no matter what the cause or trigger.

During a migraine the trigeminal nerve system releases CGRP, which is a peptide, and CGRP causes the blood vessels to enlarge and creates pain.  A lot of pain.  There is a medication being tested currently that would this process from happening.  The medication, called telcagepant and produced by Merck, is in the final stages of trials and Merck is looking for FDA approval to begin marketing the drug next year.  This is essential for migraine sufferers.  Over 55% of the people in trials who took the medication had near immediate relief, and another 23% had total relief within 2 hours. 

Triptans used to be the drugs touted to help eliminate migraines, however, because they constricted the blood vessels and could cause heart attack or stroke.  Telcagepant does not work the same way, and researchers feel that it is much safer. 

Botox is another option for some.  In addition, for migraines with aura, there are ways to stop the aura so that the migraine never happens, by using transcranial magnetic stimulation – which stops the overload of the electrical activity in the brain. 

Regardless of what can work for you, there are now more options and more kinds of options for migraine headache sufferers, including me.

Migraine headaches are caused by a combination of signals that interact between the brain, blood vessels and surrounding nerves.  It is not exactly clear what activates the signals, however, we know that the combination creates serious pain and other symptoms to migraine sufferers.

This is where the migraine “pain center” comes in.  The migraine pain center is like a generator toward the middle of the brain.  It is known that migraines begin when nerve cells send out messages for blood vessels in the brain to constrict and then pulsate.  This is a painful experience, as any migraine sufferer will tell you.

Treatments are available that can diminish or eliminate a particular headache or control the headaches long term.  Many of these treatments, whether in the form of medication, herbs, biofeedback or other relief, are aimed at the pain center.  If the nerve cells are calmed down and therefore, the blood vessels stop pulsating and this should lead to the headache ending.

There are treatments and medications available that will achieve this.  In addition, it is important for individuals who suffer migraines – especially on a regular or continuous basis – to track their triggers.  What did you have to eat or drink right before the headache began, or within the few hours before?  What were you doing?  What kind of a day did you have?  Were you under stress?  Were your sinuses bothering you?  Did you just drive for two hours in rush hour traffic?

All of these are important to keep track of so that you can do the very best thing to deal with migraines: find the cause for you and eliminate it.  After all, the pain center cannot be activated if there is no trigger.

Stop your migraines before they start and give your brain’s pain center a break.