26 July 2022
A new paper published in the RACP’s Internal Medicine Journal today says that migraine treatments are continuing to advance, and that people who experience migraines should not give up hope in getting help.
The article Migraine management: an update for the 2020s, authored by RACP Fellows and neurologists, Dr Michael Eller and Dr Shuli Cheng, says that migraine patients have been ‘underserved’, with only ‘one third of patients with migraine diagnosed, and two-thirds never having been prescribed an acute medication to treat migraine such as a triptan’ (7,8).
Current data suggests that approximately 3 per cent of Australians are chronic migraine sufferers (15,16).
Dr Michael Eller, one of the authors of the paper, says that better awareness in the general public about the treatment options for migraines is crucial.
“There are so many migraine sufferers out there that probably think not much can be done and aren’t seeking a diagnosis.
“This latest review of the development of preventatives and treatments should give significant hope to migraine sufferers.
“We want the public to know that if you speak to your doctor about your migraines and get a diagnosis – there are treatment options available that are proven to help.
“For many migraine sufferers, simple interventions like the prescribing of triptans will see a big improvement in their ability to manage a migraine.
“For some patients where the initial treatments aren’t adequate – there are a range of preventative treatments that are now on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme.
“The availability of monoclonal antibody treatments, which are migraine specific, well tolerated and now government subsidised, has meant that there are more options for migraine sufferers.
“One of the biggest hurdles to addressing migraines is diagnosis.”
Migraines are severe headaches that typically last for between four and 72 hours. Migraine sufferers may experience nausea and vomiting as well as sensitivity to light or sound. They also frequently report throbbing pain that worsens with normal activity. (HealthDirect.gov.au)
A copy of the paper is available to media on request.
References (see paper for full list of references)
7. Hutchinson S, Lipton RB, Ailani J, Reed ML, Fanning KM, Adams AM, et al. Characterization of Acute Prescription Migraine Medication Use: Results From the CaMEO Study. Mayo Clin Proc. 2020;95(4):709-18.
8. Lipton RB, Bigal ME, Diamond M, Freitag F, Reed ML, Stewart WF. Migraine prevalence, disease burden, and the need for preventive therapy. Neurology. 2007;68(5):343-9.
15. Buse DC, Reed ML, Fanning KM, Bostic RC, Lipton RB. Demographics, Headache Features, and Comorbidity Profiles in Relation to Headache Frequency in People With Migraine: Results of the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) Study. Headache. 2020.
16. Deloitte Access Economics. Migraine in Australia Whitepaper [Web Page]. 2018 [Available from: https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/economics/articles/migraine-australia-whitepaper.html]