Headache — migraine — it's serious

Every seventh person has a headache. Means migraine. Millions of others suffer from other headaches. But the worst thing is the cluster headache. Each attack is an emergency.

Headache has always been considered a secondary problem by fundamental science, writes xrust. A strict hierarchy, often called “disease prestige,” dictates which ailments attract sympathy and scientific interest, and which are met with eye-rolling. This “section” is where the headaches come in.

Our cultural tendency to view migraine sufferers as weaklings may play a role in this. Women suffer from migraines at about three times the rate of men, and the disorder has long been considered a female hysteria. A recent sociological study found that people with migraines continue to experience excessive social stigma.

As a result, scientific and pharmaceutical breakthroughs in migraine treatment have been rare. A group of drugs known as triptans, introduced in the 1990s, were revolutionary for some but useless for many.

It took a quarter of a century to develop a new, more sophisticated class of drugs known as CGRP inhibitors, which block the neurotransmitter for pain. They were introduced only in 2018 and became the first drugs to prevent migraines.

While these drugs have been revolutionary for some patients, they do not completely relieve headaches for most; and for a third of patients who try them, they provide little or no relief.

Many patients must rely on off-label use of medications designed to treat other conditions—antidepressants, anticonvulsants, blood pressure modifiers.

What a headache.

Xrust Headache – migraine is serious