Algorithms(decision trees) do not work for headache patients(some illnesses, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, are more amenable to algorithms). So, official “guidelines” as to headache treatment do not work very well. This is becuase everybody is unique; if we have 100 different headache folks, we will go 100 different ways with medicines, non-medication therapies, etc. What drives where we go with meds is the headaches and comorbidities. The headache part includes: what type of headache(migraine vs. tension/chronic daily), severity, frequency, how well the “as needed” abortives work, etc.. The comorbidities include other conditions going on in the person, including anxiety, depression, IBS(irritable bowel syndrome), as well as other medical conditions(HTN, arthritis, diabetes, etc.). For instance, many people with chronic frequent headaches also have anxiety or depression or IBS; these color and influence our medical decision-making. In addition, of course input from the patient is paramount; they may not want to take a daily preventive, or may not want certain types of meds. Costs of meds, and insurance, also play a significant role. The care and treatment of a headache patient takes time and patience and significant thought; for some return visits, it would be helpful to have 2 hours! In addition, it “takes a village” to help a severe headache or pain patient; we “get other villagers” involved(whether it is psychotherapy, physical therapy, yoga, etc. etc.).
Archives
Top Posts
- CGRP QUESTIONS/ANSWERS
- "What Can Cause Stomach Pain and a Headache?" from Medical News Today
- New Butalbital Product(similar to Fioricet/Fiorinal/Esgic/Phrenilin)
- "Drug May Stop Migraines Before Headache Starts" from ScienceDaily
- CGRP Migraine Monoclonal Injections: proceed with caution" from Dr. Robbins, M.D.
- "15 Natural Ways To Lower Your Blood Pressure" from Medical News Today
- CGRP AND SIDE EFFECTS: LETTER IN ‘HEADACHE”
- Turmeric (Curcumin) Capsules for Headaches and Arthritis Migraine blog
Topics
adolescents
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimers
anxiety
back pain
blood pressure
botox
brain
caffeine
children
chronic migraine
chronic pain
cluster headache
concussion
concussions
COVID-19
dementia
depression
diet
exercise
fibromyalgia
Headache
headache blog
headaches
health
heart disease
meditation
men
migraine
migraine headache
migraine headaches
migraines
migraine triggers
migraine with aura
pain
physical activity
sleep
stress
stroke
triggers
triptans
vitamin D
walking
women
yoga