Epidemiology, risk factors, and treatment of chronic migraine: a focus on topiramate

A prolactin-dependent sexually dimorphic mechanism of migraine chronification

OBJECTIVE

Determination of possible sex differences in mechanisms promoting migraine progression and the contribution of prolactin and the prolactin long (PRLR-L) and short (PRLR-S) receptor isoforms.

BACKGROUND

The majority of patients with chronic migraine and medication overuse headache are female. Prolactin is present at higher levels in women and increases migraine. Prolactin signaling at the PRLR-S selectively sensitizes nociceptors in female rodents, while expression of the PRLR-L is protective.

METHODS

Medication overuse headache was modeled by repeated sumatriptan administration in male and female mice. Periorbital and hindpaw cutaneous allodynia served as a surrogate of migraine-like pain. PRLR-L and PRLR-S isoforms were measured in the trigeminal ganglion with western blotting. Possible co-localization of PRLR with serotonin 5HT1B and 5HT1D receptors was determined with RNAscope. Cabergoline, a dopamine receptor agonist that inhibits circulating prolactin, was co-administered with sumatriptan. Nasal administration of CRISPR/Cas9 plasmid was used to edit expression of both PRLR isoforms.

RESULTS

PRLR was co-localized with 5HT1B or 5HT1D receptors in the ophthalmic region of female trigeminal ganglion. A single injection of sumatriptan increased serum PRL levels in female mice. Repeated sumatriptan promoted cutaneous allodynia in both sexes but down-regulated trigeminal ganglion PRLR-L, without altering PRLR-S, only in females. Co-administration of sumatriptan with cabergoline prevented allodynia and down-regulation of PRLR-L only in females. CRISPR/Cas9 editing of both PRLR isoforms in the trigeminal ganglion prevented sumatriptan-induced periorbital allodynia in females.

INTERPRETATION

We identified a sexually dimorphic mechanism of migraine chronification that involves down-regulation of PRLR-L and increased signaling of circulating prolactin at PRLR-S. These studies reveal a previously unrecognized neuroendocrine mechanism linking the hypothalamus to nociceptor sensitization that increases the risk of migraine pain in females and suggest opportunities for novel sex-specific therapies including gene editing through nasal delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 constructs.

Cognitive reawakening and improved quality of life achieved after discontinuing 16 years of anti-seizure treatment with topiramate

A 42-year-old female patient with epilepsy and a co-morbid migraine suffered from the severe cognitive side effects of topiramate (TPM) for more than 16 years with detrimental consequences for her daily functioning, career, and social interaction. Even a prodromal stage of dementia was suggested, giving rise to fears of developing a neurodegenerative disease. Recently, cognitive monitoring of attention and executive function before and after withdrawal of TPM revealed a significant recovery from the severe negative cognitive side effects of the long-standing and inefficacious antiseizure medication (ASM). Whereas the side effects were reversible after cessation, their consequences for the patient`s biography were permanent. A considerable increase in quality of life, however, was observed without TPM and family members were impressed by the improvements. This case illustrates the potentially severe consequences of negative cognitive side effects which affect daily functioning, career and social life, thus underscoring the importance of being knowledgeable of the potential cognitive risks when prescribing an ASM. Because cognitive side effects may not depend solely on ASM choice and drug load, but also on individual idiosyncratic intolerances, and patients might stay on their treatment for many years, cognitive monitoring is highly recommended.

Evaluation of a Rapid Topiramate Titration Scheme for the Early Detection of Cognitive Side Effects

BACKGROUND

Topiramate (TPM) is effective for treating epilepsy, but executive dysfunction is a common side effect that could significantly affect everyday life. Additionally, previous studies have suggested that patients might be unaware of these changes.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate a rapid TPM titration scheme for the early detection of adverse cognitive side effects.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, we assessed changes in objective cognitive performance (EpiTrack^®) after rapidly titrating TPM (50 mg per day during an inpatient stay) in 49 epilepsy patients and compared those results with an outpatient control group that underwent the recommended standard titration (n = 23 with 25-50 mg per week).

RESULTS

Using Bayesian statistics, analyses revealed decisive evidence of a negative effect on cognitive performance when TPM was introduced (BF 31480000000) independent of the titration speed (BF 0.739). When using a fast titration rate, deficits in executive function increased from a baseline of 53.1 to 73.5% at follow-up, and 55.1% experienced a statistically significant intraindividual decline. When using the standard titration scheme, impairments increased from 52.2 to 65.2%, with an intraindividual deterioration found in 52.2% of the patients.

CONCLUSION

Physicians might be able to detect adverse cognitive side effects sooner in epilepsy patients if TPM is administered using a faster titration rate while applying repeated cognitive assessments within days. This approach might help prevent any unnoticed intolerance and eventual negative consequences for the patient. Therefore, we recommend monitoring early on for adverse changes instead of withholding a potentially effective treatment option because of anticipated side effects.

Erenumab in chronic migraine with medication overuse: Subgroup analysis of a randomized trial

Objective

To determine the effect of erenumab, a human anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor monoclonal antibody, in patients with chronic migraine and medication overuse.

Methods

In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 667 adults with chronic migraine were randomized (3:2:2) to placebo or erenumab (70 or 140 mg), stratified by region and medication overuse status. Data from patients with baseline medication overuse at baseline were used to assess changes in monthly migraine days, acute migraine-specific medication treatment days, and proportion of patients achieving ≥50% reduction from baseline in monthly migraine days.

Results

Of 667 patients randomized, 41% (n = 274) met medication overuse criteria. In the medication overuse subgroup, erenumab 70 or 140 mg groups had greater reductions than the placebo group at month 3 in monthly migraine days (mean [95% confidence interval] −6.6 [−8.0 to −5.3] and −6.6 [−8.0 to −5.3] vs −3.5 [−4.6 to −2.4]) and acute migraine-specific medication treatment days (−5.4 [−6.5 to −4.4] and −4.9 [−6.0 to −3.8] vs −2.1 [−3.0 to −1.2]). In the placebo and 70 and 140 mg groups, ≥50% reductions in monthly migraine days were achieved by 18%, 36% (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 2.67 [1.36–5.22]) and 35% (odds ratio 2.51 [1.28–4.94]). These clinical responses paralleled improvements in patient-reported outcomes with a consistent benefit of erenumab across multiple measures of impact, disability, and health-related quality of life. The observed treatment effects were similar in the non–medication overuse subgroup.

Conclusions

Erenumab reduced migraine frequency and acute migraine-specific medication treatment days in patients with chronic migraine and medication overuse, improving disability and quality of life.

Clinicaltrials.gov identifier

NCT02066415.

Classification of evidence

This study provides Class II evidence that erenumab reduces monthly migraine days at 3 months in patients with chronic migraine and medication overuse.

Lifestyle modifications as therapy for medication refractory post-traumatic headache (PTHA) in the military population of Okinawa

Objective

Our aim was 1) to reduce disability, as characterized by headache frequency, duration and severity in patients with post-traumatic headache (PTHA), 2) to reduce the number of medical boards and work limitations in patients with post traumatic headache, and 3) to reduce use of medical resources and clinic visits related to headache or migraine.

Background

Modifiable risk factors for PTHA include stressful life event, sleep disturbances, and medication overuse. Cognitive-behavioral strategies, biofeedback, and relaxation therapy may have an important role in treatment and preventing progression to chronic post-traumatic headache (CPTHA). There is limited literature and a known practice gap for implementation of these techniques.

Design/methods

An IRB approved project focused on patients who were seen for PTHA and CPTHA. 1) Intervention consisted of lifestyle teaching, cognitive-behavioral therapy and biofeedback, supplemented by decreasing polypharmacy. 2) Patients were followed for 2 years and a retrospective review was conducted for 2 years prior to presentation. 3) Outcome measures included reduction in migraine intensity or frequency, improved quality of life, duty status, and decreased utilization of clinic visits.

Results

Over the course of one year, 221 patients were treated for migraines in the Naval Okinawa Neurology Clinic. Of these, 22 active duty service members and 3 Dependents suffered a mild TBI prior to onset. After intervention, there was a 36% decrease in PTHA frequency, 56% decrease in headache severity and 60% of patients had improved quality of life as compared to the 2 years prior to intervention. Twenty-four percent had reduction in polypharmacy. Appointment frequency for migraine decreased from an average of 6.8 to 2.6 per year.

Conclusions

An implemented program geared towards reducing polypharmacy was shown to improve safety, quality of life and reduce hospitalizations from the burden of migraines. Our systematic approach resulted in quality of life improvements and decreased use of medical resources.

Trial registration

Authors received the approval of NAVMED West, Okinawa Naval Hospital Institutional Review Board on January 13th, 2016. QI.2016.0021.

The role of intracranial hypertension in the chronification of migraine

Besides a similar clinical presentation, idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) and chronic migraine (CM) also share relevant risk factors, show a higher prevalence of allodynic symptoms and both respond to topiramate. Moreover, sinus stenosis, a radiological marker of IIH, in CM patients is much more prevalent than expected. As a consequence of these striking similarities, IIH without papilledema (IIHWOP) may be easily misdiagnosed as CM. Actually, IIHWOP has been found in up to 14 % of CM clinical series. Considering that, on one hand, an asymptomatic sinus stenosis-associated raised intracranial pressure (ICP) may be highly prevalent in the general population, and on the other, that IIH clinical presentation with chronic headache may require a migraine predisposition, we have proposed that an overlooked IIHWOP could represent a risk factor for migraine progression. This hypothesis prompted us to investigate the prevalence of IIHWOP and its possible role in the process of migraine chronification in a consecutive series of CM patients selected for unresponsiveness to medical treatment and evidence of significant sinus stenosis. The main finding of our study is that the large majority of such patients actually suffer from a chronic headache secondary to IIHWOP. This implies that an IIHWOP mimicking CM is much more prevalent than believed, is commonly misdiagnosed as CM on the basis of ICHD criteria and is strictly predicted by refractoriness to preventive treatments. However, our data fully comply with the alternative hypothesis that an overlooked IIHWOP, although highly prevalent amongst healthy individuals, in migraine-prone subjects is a powerful (and modifiable) risk factor for the progression and the refractoriness of pain. The normalization of ICP by even a single LP with CSF withdrawal may be effective in a significant proportion of patients with a long history of refractory chronic headache, who represent about one-fifth of the patients screened in our study. We suggest that IIHWOP should be considered in all patients with almost daily migraine pain, with evidence of sinus stenosis and unresponsive to medical treatment, referred to specialized headache clinics.

The Frequent Unusual Headache Syndromes: A Proposed Classification Based on Lifetime Prevalence

BACKGROUND

There is no agreement on a single cutoff point or prevalence for regarding a given disease as rare. The concept of what is a rare headache disorder is even less clear and the spectrum from a very frequent, frequent, occasional to rare headache syndrome is yet to be established.

OBJECTIVE

An attempt has been made to estimate the lifetime prevalence of each of the headache subtypes classified in the ICHD-II.

METHOD

Using the ICHD-II, 199 different headache subtypes were identified. The following classification was made according to the estimated lifetime prevalence of each headache disorder: very frequent (prevalence >10%); frequent (between 1 and 10%); occasional (between 0.07 and 1%); and unusual or rare (<0.07%).

RESULTS

One hundred and fifty-four of 199 (77%) were categorized as unusual headache disorders, 7/199 (4%) as very frequent, 9/199 (5%) as frequent, and 29/199 (15%) as occasional forms of headache disorder.

CONCLUSION

The unusual headache syndromes do not appear to be as infrequent in clinical practice as has been generally believed. About three-fourths of the classified headache disorders found in the ICHD-II can be considered as rare. This narrative review article may be regarded as an introduction to the concept of unusual headaches and a proposed classification of all headaches (at least those listed in the ICHD-II).

Update on Medication-Overuse Headache and Its Treatment

OPINION STATEMENT

Medication-overuse headache-i.e., a too-frequent consumption of acute headache medications leading to increased headache frequency and reduced effectiveness of acute and preventive treatments-is a serious medical condition whose pathophysiology still remains incompletely known, which is reflected into a lack of mechanism-based treatments. The first mandatory step in the therapeutic strategy remains withdrawal of the abused drug, preferably abrupt, in concomitance with a detoxification pharmacological regimen to lessen withdrawal symptoms. Intravenous hydration, antiemetics, corticosteroids (prednisone), tranquilizers (benzodiazepine), neuroleptics, and rescue medication (another analgesic than the overused) should be delivered in various combinations, on an inpatient (hospitalization and day hospital) basis or outpatient basis, depending on the characteristics of the specific patient and type of overuse. Inpatient withdrawal should be preferred in barbiturate and opioid overuse, in concomitant depression, or, in general, in patients who have difficulty in stopping the overused medication as outpatients. In contrast, in overuse limited to simple analgesics in highly motivated patients, without high levels of depression and/or anxiety, home detoxification should be chosen. Re-prophylaxis should immediately follow detoxification, ideally with local injections of onabotulinumtoxinA every 3 months or topiramate orally for at least 3 months. Adequate information to patients about the risks of a too-frequent consumption of symptomatic headache medications is essential and should constantly parallel treatment to help preventing relapse after detoxification and re-prophylaxis.

Zonisamide, topiramate, and levetiracetam: efficacy and neuropsychological effects in alcohol use disorders

The anticonvulsant topiramate not only decreases ethanol consumption in alcohol dependence (AD) but also may produce several adverse events including cognitive impairment. Zonisamide is a structurally related anticonvulsant that is a promising agent for the treatment of AD and may have greater tolerability than topiramate. This study evaluated the effects of zonisamide (400 mg/d) on alcohol consumption and its neurotoxic effects in subjects with AD. A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted using 2 comparator anticonvulsant drugs, topiramate (300 mg/d) and levetiracetam (2000 mg/d), which does not impair cognition. Study medications were administered for 14 weeks, including a 2-week taper period. Medication adherence was facilitated using Brief Behavioral Compliance Enhancement Treatment. The neurotoxicity of the study drugs was assessed using neuropsychological tests and the AB-Neurotoxicity Scale. Compared with placebo, both zonisamide and topiramate produced significant reductions in the drinks consumed per day, percent days drinking, and percent days heavy drinking. Only the percent days heavy drinking was significantly decreased in the levetiracetam group. The topiramate cell was the only group that had a significant increase on the mental slowing subscale of the Neurotoxicity Scale compared with placebo at study weeks 11 and 12. Topiramate and zonisamide both produced modest reductions in verbal fluency and working memory. These findings indicate that zonisamide may have efficacy in the treatment of AD, with effect sizes similar to topiramate. Both of these drugs produced similar patterns of cognitive impairment, although only the topiramate group reported significant increases in mental slowing.

Prevalence of chronic headache in Croatia

BACKGROUND

Chronic headache describes the presence of headache for >15 days per month on average for >3 months and fulfills the rest of the IHS criteria. The prevalence of chronic headache is within the range of 0.5-7.3% worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the 1-year prevalence of chronic headache in adult Croatian population.

METHODS

The data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of an adult population (>18 years of age) sample. Randomly selected patients from the general population in four Croatian cities were asked to fulfill a self-completed questionnaire. The prevalence of chronic headache was calculated in the sample representing 3,383,769 Croatian adults.

RESULTS

The total sample included 1542 responders among which 616 were with headache. The 1-year prevalence of chronic headache was 2.4%, and 0.9% of responders declared having headache 30 days per month. According to these results, 81,192 adult inhabitants in Croatia suffer from chronic headache.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of chronic headache in Croatia is comparable to other countries worldwide. These patients require special attention and should be offered multidisciplinary medical support.

Sinus venous stenosis-associated idiopathic intracranial hypertension without papilledema as a powerful risk factor for progression and refractoriness of headache

Data from two recent studies strongly support the hypothesis that idiopathic intracranial hypertension without papilledema (IIHWOP) could represent a powerful risk factor for the progression of pain in primary headache individuals. The first study highlights that an asymptomatic IIHWOP is much more prevalent than believed in the general population and occurs only in central venous stenosis carriers. In the second study, about one half of a large consecutive series of unresponsive primary chronic headache patients shows significant sinus venous stenosis. A continuous or intermittent IIHWOP was detectable in 91% of this subgroup and in no patient with normal venography. Moreover, after the lumbar puncture, a 2- to 4-week improvement in headache frequency was observed in most of the intracranial hypertensive patients. These findings strongly suggest that patients prone to primary headache who carry central venous outflow abnormalities are at high risk of developing a comorbid IIHWOP, which in turn is responsible for the progression and the unresponsiveness of the pain. Based on the available literature data, we propose that central sinus stenosis-related IIHWOP, although highly prevalent among otherwise healthy people, represents an important modifiable risk factor for the progression and refractoriness of pain in patients predisposed to primary headache. The mechanism could refer to up to one half of the primary chronic headache patients with minimal response to treatments referring to specialized headache clinics. Due to the clinical and taxonomic relevance of this hypothesis further studies are urgently needed.

Impaired verbal fluency under topiramate--evidence for synergistic negative effects of epilepsy, topiramate, and polytherapy

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Treatment with topiramate (TPM) is known to negatively affect executive functions and verbal fluency in particular. However, judgments of cognitive side effects under TPM rarely consider clinical conditions and possible effects of epilepsy, treatment, and drug load.

METHODS

This retrospective cross-sectional study in large cohorts of patients with epilepsy evaluated the impact of TPM mono- and polytherapy on verbal fluency. To isolate TPM-induced effects from those of epilepsy and antiepileptic medication in general, verbal fluency under TPM (N = 421) was compared to the performance of a matched sample of patients with an antiepileptic medication other than TPM (N = 351), untreated patients (N = 108), and healthy controls (N = 100).

RESULTS

Impaired verbal fluency performance was seen in 77% of the patients treated with TPM. Compared to healthy controls, verbal fluency in untreated patients was reduced by 22%, under monotherapy without TPM by 31% and under TPM monotherapy by 45%. With and without TPM, verbal fluency performance linearly decreased with each additional drug in polytherapy. On each level, performance under TPM was 21-28% worse than in the respective condition without TPM. Unimpaired performance under TPM was primarily associated with lower dose, higher education, and a later onset of epilepsy.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of patients under TPM shows reduced verbal fluency. However, when taking the cumulative negative effects of epilepsy, and the concomitant drug regimen into account, TPM is associated with a 21-28% poorer performance as compared with other drugs. Additionally, the data indicate an impact of dose and reserve capacity on the occurrence of impairments.

Sinus venous stenosis, intracranial hypertension and progression of primary headaches

The recently advanced hypothesis that idiopathic intracranial hypertension without papilledema (IIHWOP) is a powerful risk factor for the progression of pain in individuals prone to episodic primary headache implies that IIHWOP is much more prevalent than it is believed to be in the general population and that it can run almost asymptomatic in most of the affected individuals. In this review, we discuss the evidence available supporting that: (a) sinus venous stenosis-associated IIHWOP is much more prevalent than believed in the general population and can run without symptoms or signs of raised intracranial pressure in most of individuals affected, (b) sinus venous stenosis is a very sensitive and specific predictor of intermittent or continuous idiopathic intracranial hypertension with or without papilledema, even in asymptomatic individuals, (c) in primary headache prone individuals, a comorbidity with a hidden stenosis-associated IIHWOP represents a very common, although largely underestimated, modifiable risk factor for the progression and refractoriness of headache.

Cocaine-induced neuroadaptations in glutamate transmission: potential therapeutic targets for craving and addiction

A growing body of evidence indicates that repeated exposure to cocaine leads to profound changes in glutamate transmission in limbic nuclei, particularly the nucleus accumbens. This review focuses on preclinical studies of cocaine-induced behavioral plasticity, including behavioral sensitization, self-administration, and the reinstatement of cocaine seeking. Behavioral, pharmacological, neurochemical, electrophysiological, biochemical, and molecular biological changes associated with cocaine-induced plasticity in glutamate systems are reviewed. The ultimate goal of these lines of research is to identify novel targets for the development of therapies for cocaine craving and addiction. Therefore, we also outline the progress and prospects of glutamate modulators for the treatment of cocaine addiction.

Evidences for pharmacokinetic interaction of riluzole and topiramate with pilocarpine in pilocarpine-induced seizures in rats

In this study we investigated the effectiveness of two antiepileptic drugs: riluzole and topiramate against pilocarpine-induced seizures, which are considered to be a model of intractable epilepsy commonly used to investigate the antiepileptic effect of drugs and mechanisms of epileptogenesis. Seizures and status epilepticus were induced by pilocarpine in adult male Wistar rats. Riluzole (1-4mg/kg) administered intraperitoneally before pilocarpine dose-dependently protected rats against seizures with the anticonvulsant ED(50) value (50% effective anticonvulsant dose) of 1.8 (1.3-2.6)mg/kg. In contrast, riluzole at 8 and 12mg/kg administered after the onset of pilocarpine-induced seizures affected neither status epilepticus nor mortality of rats. Topiramate significantly enhanced convulsive action of pilocarpine, lowering the convulsant CD(50) value (50% effective convulsant dose) of pilocarpine from 350.8 (329.2-373.8) to 246.4 (218.6-278.2)mg/kg. Riluzole (4mg/kg) lowered plasma and brain concentration of pilocarpine administered at a dose of 400mg/kg from 168.0+/-8.6 to 75.3+/-19.9microg/ml and from 193.7+/-6.6 to 97.0+/-26.1microg/g, respectively. Topiramate (200mg/kg) increased plasma and brain concentration of pilocarpine administered at a dose of 300mg/kg from 78.1+/-2.9 to 106.0+/-6.8microg/ml and from 138.4+/-5.0 to 155.2+/-5.1microg/g, respectively. It seems that both anticonvulsant effect exerted by riluzole and proconvulsant effect exerted by topiramate in pilocarpine model of seizures are due to a pharmacokinetic interaction. Therefore, we postulate that the concentration of pilocarpine should be measured routinely whenever the anticonvulsant effect of drugs is determined in the pilocarpine model of seizures.

Topiramate in migraine progression

Increasing evidence shows that migraine, typically considered as an episodic disease, is a chronic and, in some patients, progressive disorder. Among neuromodulators used for migraine prevention, topiramate has a high level of evidence-based efficacy. Through its wide range of mechanisms of action topiramate increases the activation threshold resulting in neuronal stabilization and thereby reducing cortical neurons hyperexcitability, which is believed to be an important electrophysiological feature underlying the pathogenesis of epilepsy and migraine. Recent studies show that migraineurs have subclinical structural brain changes and persistent alteration of pain perception, in some cases correlated with the duration of the disease and the frequency of attacks that might play a role in the transformation of episodic migraine to chronic forms. An early and prolonged preventive treatment might reduce the risk of such transformation. Recent evidence suggests that topiramate, by reducing migraine frequency and use of acute medication, may prevent the negative progression of migraine. Furthermore, two recently completed multicenter, randomised, placebo-controlled trials have shown that treatment with topiramate 100 mg/day is effective and well tolerated in patients already progressed to chronic migraine and difficult to treat conditions associated with medication-overuse. Topiramate seems to be a preventive treatment, which might be able to act at different levels of the migraine cycle: reduction of frequency in episodic migraine, prevention, and treatment of chronic migraine.

Prophylatic treatment of migraine and migraine clinical variants with topiramate: an update

Migraine and migraine variants are common, chronic and incapacitating neurovascular disorders with a high impact on health resources. There is an extensive evidence base provided by double-blind, placebo-controlled trials showing that topiramate is a safe, effective and well tolerated drug in the management of migraine and its variants, being especially promising in the management of migraine-vertigo syndrome. Models both in the US and the UK have also shown that it offers a cost benefit when direct and indirect costs are evaluated, by reducing work loss, improving quality of life and reducing the use of increasingly scarce health resources.

The face of chronic migraine: epidemiology, demographics, and treatment strategies

Chronic daily headache (CDH) represents a therapeutic challenge for many clinicians. Treatment strategies should be aimed at correctly identifying the presence of CDH. In addition, an effective prophylactic regimen should be initiated; the presence of medication overuse must be addressed, and the offending medication being overused must be discontinued. Aside from analgesic overuse, other modifiable risk factors associated with the development of chronic migraine and CDH must be addressed including obesity and caffeine use and the effective management of comorbid conditions such as depression, anxiety, and sleep-related breathing disorders.

Barriers to satisfactory migraine outcomes. What have we learned, where do we stand?

Barriers to optimal migraine care have traditionally been divided into a number of categories: under-recognition and underconsultation by migraine sufferers; underdiagnosis and undertreatment by health care professionals; lack of follow-up and treatment optimization. These "traditional" barriers have been recognized and addressed for at least 15 years. Epidemiologic studies suggest that consultation, diagnosis, and treatment rates for migraine have improved although many migraine sufferers still do not get optimal treatment. Herein, we revisit the problem, review areas of progress, and expand the discussion of barriers to migraine care. We hypothesize that the subjective nature of pain and difficulty in communicating it contributes to clinical and societal barriers to care. We then revisit some of the traditional barriers to care, contrasting rates of recognition, diagnosis, and treatment over the past 15 years. We follow by addressing new barriers to migraine care that have emerged as a function of the knowledge gained in this process.

Vestibular migraine: a critical review of treatment trials

Vestibular migraine (VM), also known as migraine-associated vertigo, is a common cause of dizziness in adults. We performed a comprehensive literature search regarding treatment for VM or migraine-associated vertigo during the period of 1990-2008 and used, individually or in combination, the search terms VM, migraine-associated vertigo, migraine-associated dizziness, migrainous vertigo, migraine and vertigo, migraine and disequilibrium, and headache and vertigo. We found nine publications that address treatment strategies for VM. One small randomized clinical trial found some benefit from the use of zolmitriptan for abortive treatment of VM. The other eight observational studies showed marginal improvement with migraine prophylactic medications such as nortriptyline, verapamil, or metoprolol. Until more specific treatment options become available, patients with VM need to be managed with similar prophylactic and abortive strategies as those used for migraine in adults.