MIGRAINE HEADACHES ARE DEBILITATING: MIGRAINE PREVENTIVE TREATMENT THAT WORK by Arlyn Valencia, M.D. Neurologist, Headache Specialist and Migraine Sufferer

MIGRAINE PREVENTIVE TREATMENT THAT WORKS: CALCITONIN GENE RELATED PEPTIDE INHIBITORS AND RECEPTOR BLOCKERS 2 once-a-month injectables are available to date. 

I have had migraine headaches since I was 10 or 11, and I had motion and car sickness as a child ( which was a manifestation of migraine on the very young since migraine headache experience is not yet as developed in early childhood). My whole family, both parents and 5 siblings have migraine, and now my 2 children have it. My daughter has very severe attacks. 

I’ve tried several daily preventive medications and none has effectively worked. Sumatriptan ( 5 HT 1 agonist and migraine specific) works for me to get rid of almost all attacks but using it frequently is not good since it also affects the cardiac blood vessels ( it and the other triptans are contraindicated for those with history of stroke, coronary disease, atherosclerosis among others) and I sometimes had to take it frequently . Botox injections done every 3 months work for chronic migraine and have helped so many. 31 injections around the head and trapezius muscles are done as migraine protocol. It has helped me but not as much as I want it too and I didn’t like the routine of having to be injected. 

Now comes the anti- CGRP, 2 are available : Aimovig ( erenumab) and Aijovy ( fremanezumab). I had the advantage of being first to try the Ajovy, as well as another member of staff and few of my patients. I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE of saying here’s a migraine preventive treatment that works!! Now 2 months since I started it ( 1 injection a month), my migraine headaches only occurred 2x a month, one time was when I was in Lake Tahoe ( high altitude) and one when I was so tired and stressed. There were at least  1-2 “ beginning migraines” that didn’t become full blown and I didn’t need my sumatriptan to abort them which is extraordinary since in the past once my migraine start it would become full blown if I didn’t take a triptan. I used to have 2-4 migraine headaches a week and it is indeed hard to function and as I said, it is not good to take triptans or ibuprofen or naproxen that often. 

NOW, I AM SHARING THIS STORY SO OTHERS MAY BENEFIT. AWARENESS IS SO IMPORTANT. I AM NOT ONE TO BE CORRUPTED BY ADVERTISING FROM BIG PHARMA. I LOOK AT AND RESEARCH THE FACTS , AND LOOK AT THE SUTUDY DESIGN AND RESULTS OF THE DIFFERENT PHASES OF CLINICAL TRIALS OF EACH NEW MEDICATION. MIGRAINE IS VERY DEBILITATING. Migraine attacks can cause white matter ( brain) ischemic changes. I’ve suffered from migraine headaches all my life, and I’ve treated migraine patients in my 23-24 years of being a neurologist. I am presently treating hundreds of migraine and headache patients a month ( amongst others) and we’ve been helping so many of them. There are other headache disorders, as you all are aware. Migraine is the third most common disorder in the world. If I can help in anyway, I will. 

By Arlyn Valencia, M.D.