Menstrual Migraine Treatment

There is new research tonight that provides powerful evidence of a treatment that works to prevent menstrual migraines in many women. Approximately half of all women who seek clinical treatment for migraines have reported an association between migraine and menstruation.

Now, new research shows the drug Frova, or Frovastatin, can prevent these menstrual migraines in most women completely. "It's usually worse around my menstrual cycle. A normal headache is nothing compared to the migraine I get before my period." Jennifer Browne's migraines are more severe and more frequent as her time of the month approaches. "I'll usually take a Tylenol, and I'll use Vicks vapor rub on my temples." Now, two new studies in the journal neurology look at the frequency of menstrual migraines, and whether they can be effectively prevented by using Frova.

Menstrual migraine is defined as headache that occurs around a woman's period, which is within two days before and three days after the periods begin. The study found women were 71% more likely to develop migraine during those two days before menstruation. "Menstrual migraines often start about the same time as when the menstrual cycle starts, so girls start getting them in their early adolescent years. And the actual cause of the symptoms might be missed because sometimes they might have just nausea or just irritability, and headaches emerge later on. Until then they don’t know that it was a migraine." says Dr. Joseph Willner, chief of neurology at Englewood Medical Center in New Jersey.

"Some women find that if they just take high doses of Advil, say 3 Advil a day for the 3 days before their period, they have fewer migraines." According to Dr. Willner, there are estrogen receptors in the brain, and the fluctuating levels of estrogen in the brain affect the activity at the receptors and trigger the migraines. But he warns no one has completely understood what the exact mechanism is that controls the estrogen and causes a menstrual migraine. In another study in the same journal, this drug, Frova, was evaluated to see whether it can prevent menstrual migraines.

On a dummy placebo pill, 67% of women reported menstrual migraines, compared to just 41% of the women on Frova twice daily. More than half of patients who used Frovatriptan 2.5 mg twice daily had no menstruation-associated migraine. Overall, the severity of menstrual migraine symptoms was also diminished. "If you're having a lot of headaches then you ought to talk to someone about it. Your internist, a primary care doctor or a neurologist, it's important to see someone. If you have menstrual migraines you can even a headache specialist because she will directly address the headaches that you're suffering from." says Dr. Willner.

For more information on Migraines, click here

Related Stories

 - New Diabetic Guidelines
 - Prematurity Awareness
 - Seven Steps to Increasing Your Fertility