Headache & Migraine News Blog

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Migraine aura art
June 5, 2007 6:05 pm

Migraine art has become an increasingly large art field worldwide.  It's not surprising, really.  After all, personal expression has become easier, and it's easier to share with the world than ever before.

But there needs to be more, and it needs to be available for you to put on your coffee table.  Ok, maybe not your coffee table - but at least on your shelf.  Why?  Because sometimes the photographs, paintings, and drawings, not to mention poetry and prose, say far more about migraine than all the words in the world.

I'm not aware of such a book, but you can call your friend over to the computer and view some great art on the new migraine art page (focused especially on migraine aura art) here.  Actually, most of the art is not on the page - the real treasure is all the links to some great migraine art collections on the internet.

There are books that contain some migraine art - and these are mentioned on the page.  Do you know of others?  If so, leave a comment.

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Ask and ye shall receive (migraine art revisited)
June 12, 2007 3:47 pm

Not long after I posted my lament that I couldn't find a decent migraine art book, I read this post about a migraine art book from Jackie at Life in the Canadian Desert.  I was excited to read it, but I wished it had been posted a little sooner!  ;)

Jackie is writing about a project from editor Betsy Blondin.  Betsy describes herself as a "migraine overcomer" (I love it) who wants to publish a coffee table type book with migraine art of various kinds.  She mentions the reasons I mentioned, but also that she wants us to "consider submitting works that illustrate positive, uplifting, or even humorous moments and events in your life – what you do and accomplish without or in spite of your migraines" (from her website).

Betsy Blondin is looking for art, photographs, poetry, and pretty much whatever else you can think of (that could be published in a book).  If you have anything to contribute, visit her page describing the Migraine:  EXPRESSIONS project.

Incidentally, be sure to check out the art that Jackie herself has submitted.  I'm impressed, and I don't say that lightly.  Nice work!

I look forward to seeing the finished project - you can bet the book will be on my wish list.

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When things get worse (a personal note)
June 23, 2007 1:05 pm

Sometimes it happens so gradually, you don't notice it.  You just start to realize you've been having a lot of migraine attacks, tension headaches, or whatever, lately.  That bottle of painkillers is emptying a lot faster than it normally does.

This has happened to me once in a while, and actually the last few weeks have been pretty rough.  I've been thinking that there are usually two possibilities when this happens:

1. I've just started taking too many painkillers; I just need to get a grip and get moving.

2. There's something else wrong that is triggering the migraines

Now too often doctors seem to assume that everyone with migraine is in category 1.  Certainly there are times when medication can cause further headaches.  It's a real, serious problem, and it's not always that patient's "fault".

If you see an increase in your headaches, it's quite possible that something else has caused the problem - a change in diet, a change in schedule, or perhaps another illness.  That was it with me - I was sick ... just a little ... and that was causing the migraines to flare up.

But when it happens gradually, and you're just a little sick, it's easy to miss.  It's easy to think you're just being lazy.  But often that's not the case.

So if you're finding it harder and harder to get going, and the headaches are getting worse, don't assume you just need to grit your teeth and deal with it.  Listen to what else your body may be telling you, and you may find the answer is different than what you expected.

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Pregabalin (Lyrica) stretches its legs
June 28, 2007 10:56 am

Pregabalin, sold as Lyrica, is a relatively new drug.  It was approved in the EU in 2004, and in the US in 2005.  Pregabalin has been used to treat nerve pain, such as diabetic nerve pain and pain after shingles.  It has also been used to treat partial onset seizures.

But pregabalin has been popping up in the news lately because of studies indicating its usefulness for other pain-related problems, particularly chronic ones.  Earlier this month the European Neurological Society (ENS) heard a report about the drug's impact on chronic tension-type headache.  Pregabalin was used as a preventative, and patients had a small but noticeable improvement, as well as some reduction in "comorbid anxiety", the anxiety that seems to go along with chronic tension headache.

Last year the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) heard a report on the use of pregabalin in treating sleep problems related to chronic pain.  It's also been used for spinal cord injury pain.  Most recently, in the US the FDA approved its use for fibromyalgia, a disease that often goes along with migraine.  In the EU it has been approved for treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.

Pregabalin is certainly helping some patients, but more studies will show exactly whether or not it will be a good choice for chronic pain.  It is interesting to watch more studies being done on neuropathic pain, and how these many diseases may have commonalities and common treatments.

There are concerns about dependancy on drugs like Lyrica, and some patients do experience side effects, such as vision problems, dizziness and chest tightness.  It's probably still a long way down the list of things to try for most types of chronic pain.  But it's worth keeping an eye on Lyrica and related drugs.

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