New drug option for migraine sufferers

"AUSTRALIA'S three million migraine sufferers may be able to break the cycle of debilitating headache attacks with the first preventative medication being added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
At least 12 per cent of the population suffers from frequent migraines, but fewer than 10 per cent of sufferers use preventative medications. Topamax will be subsidised from today under the PBS for migraine sufferers.
Melbourne neurologist Valerie Tay said the most important thing was offering a new option to migraine sufferers that could improve their quality of life.
'This drug is not for everybody, but it does offer hope of a new option for people who are intolerant to other treatments,' she said.
Dr Tay said people who suffer from three or more migraines a month should see their doctor about preventative medications.
The symptoms of migraines include prolonged throbbing headaches, nausea, distorted vision, vomiting and sensory disturbances. Topamax, which is also used in the treatment of epilepsy, is aimed at reducing the frequency, severity and duration of migraines. A large majority of migraine sufferers use several types of painkillers, which often have limited effect.
Elizabeth Austin, a financial planner and mother of three from Sydney's north shore, is one of about three million Australians who suffer from regular migraines.
"I have three children and the migraines are very debilitating - I can't lead a normal life or look after my children," she said. "My 11-year-old has topack the lunches in the morning because the throbbing is so severe."

Ms Austin suffers up to a migraine a week, which puts her out of action for up to three days. She is thrilled at the possibility of medication that can prevent migraines."

Migraine sufferers offered hope as scientists identify the source

"Scientists have identified an area of the brain that causes debilitating migraine headaches.
Researchers in France observing the brain scans of volunteers found that activity in the hypothalamus gland was associated with an attack. The gland, in the centre of the brain just above the brain stem, has long been suspected to play a role, as it regulates physiological responses to factors known to trigger attacks, such as hunger. Other researchers suggest that more than one region of the brain causes attacks.
It is estimated that 190,000 migraines are experienced every day in England. They occur most often between the late teenage years and the age of 50, and it is thought that every day more than 100,000 sufferers miss school or work.
The researchers, from Rangueil Hospital, Toulouse, used positron emission tomography, which contrasts activity within the brain, on seven patients with migraine without “aura” – the type that accounts for most migraines.
Such attacks last up to 72 hours and are characterised by pulsating headache, nausea and vomiting and sensitivity to light. “Aura” refers to additional symptoms – neurological disturbances such as blind spots, flashing lights and tingling or numbness in the limbs.
It is hoped that the discovery, featured in the journal Headache, could lead to future treatments for sufferers."

Drug promises end to migraine misery

"A British doctor is leading a drugs trial that could spell the end of the misery endured by thousands of migraine sufferers. John Chambers, a consultant cardiologist at Guy's Hospital London, says that when, on a mere hunch, he tested clopidogrel, a simple clot-busting drug, on five patients plagued by migraines, it worked, in some cases, 'spectacularly well' .

Now a wider trial on 280 patients is under way with the results expected next year. If the drug proves similarly effective, it could mean an end to the throbbing head, nausea and flashing lights that characterise a typical attack.

Migraines affect at least one in 10 people in the UK and attacks can last as long as three days. Sufferers often feel drained of energy for a couple of days after an attack and, on average, experience 13 attacks a year.

Currently, migraines are treated with beta blockers, to lower blood pressure and regulate the heart, as well as anti-depressants. Other treatments include aspirin, paracetamol and stronger pain killers, such as Migraleve, which contains paracetamol, codeine phosphate and buclizine hydrochloride.

Dr Chambers's treatment is based on the hypothesis that migraines can be caused by tiny blood clots that form in the heart and travel to the brain, disrupting the blood flow and causing the t"