1 Comment

1. 

   Melissa on January 17, 2024 at 12:11 pm

   I could cry reading this. The aura is, for me, the most debilitating, most dangerous migraine symptom followed closely by loss of peripheral vision. I have aura sometimes with no migraine headache. I then have to take Advil immediately. God forbid it (aura) happened while driving, I only have a small bit in my central field of vision that doesn’t look like a moving circulator lightning bolt against broken glass seen up close. The violent nausea can be controlled by immediately taking both Advil and 2 – 4mg Zofran pills. The horrendous upper trapezius muscle cramping and spasms combined with the same thing in the back and sides of my neck can be mitigated by Advil, a heating pad and a prescription med whose positive side effect is to relax muscles. Botox worked infinitely better but, my Medicare Advantage plan only covers Aimovig, it won’t cover Botox (which is at least as effective [statistically] as CGRP antagonists and has far fewer side effects]). If I plead, with the help of my neurologist, for the insurance company to add Botox to my formulary, they will do so…at the highest, most cost-prohibitive tier. Migraines disable millions of Americans and Medicare isn’t allowed to negotiate for lower prices nor can those on Medicare or Medicaid ever obtain free or lower cost meds from pharmaceutical companies. I am so glad that imaging is once again being used to better understand the migraine mechanism. This may take researchers a step closer to an actual cure. And, this will help us reinforce to non-migraineurs that migraines aren’t ‘just’ headaches.

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