National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – June is National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month. Western Mass News sat down with Dr. James Otis, vice president of neuroscience and rehabilitation at Baystate Health, to discuss the impact of migraines and what can be done to relieve the pain.

First of all, Doctor, what is a migraine and what causes it?

Dr. Otis: “Oh, thank you, David. Well, migraines are a very specific type of headache. Although most people think of migraine as just a bad headache, it’s actually a special category caused by chemical changes in the brain. And migraines are characterized not only by headaches, but also by other symptoms. Sometimes there is an aura, which can be flashing lights or zigzag lines, usually followed by a headache, then severe sensitivity to light, smell, sound, and frequently nausea and vomiting. And generally, the most important characteristic of migraine is that when patients suffer from it, they are truly unable to function. So that really sets them apart from your typical tension type headache or muscle headache.

It looks awful. Are there some people who are more susceptible to migraines?

Dr. Otis: “Absolutely. There is a familial predisposition to migraines. So if you have parents who have migraines or siblings who have migraines, you can see it. There are some very rare familial migraine syndromes, but these are quite rare. And then, unfortunately, migraines are also determined by hormones. Thus, women tend to be more prone to migraines, especially during childbearing years due to the effect of estrogen.

So what treatments can people expect if they have a migraine?

Dr. Otis: “So the first-line treatments are the typical things you get over-the-counter, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, etc. We obviously don’t see most of these people in medical practice because they tend to do pretty well on their own. After that, there are very specific medications that work very well for acute migraine attacks. And those are drugs called tryptans, and more recently, a new class of drugs called G-Pants. And if patients have migraines that occur more than twice a month, we generally prefer to put them on medication to prevent the migraine, rather than just treating them as they happen. So there are a variety of drugs that are used for this. Many of them are old drugs that are used for other treatments, other conditions such as high blood pressure, seizures and mood problems, and these work extremely well for about 80% of patients. Now there are new drugs. Some of them are injectable and some of them are oral and can also be used for prevention. And then finally, there is the botulinum toxin which requires injections every three months. And then there are certain devices and even transcranial electrical stimulation has been used for the most refractory types of migraine.

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