Put a patch on migraine

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This new FDA approved treatment for migraine contains a computer chip and provides a prescription drug by a plaster that can be wrapped around a patient upper arm or thigh. (Product photo courtesy of NuPathe)

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If one of the more than 30 million Americans suffer from migraines, you know that she called "just another headache" is like calling a hurricane "just another storm."

Fortunately Administration (FDA) says neurologist Eric Bastings, m.d., Deputy Director of the Department of Neurology at the food and drug, there are practical steps you can take to avoid that painful migraines and FDA-approved medicines either to prevent their outbreak or to alleviate their pain. There are two basic types of medications for migraine: abortive medication (also acute called medicines), the migraine to treat once they begin and preventive medicines, which help keep migraine from developing in the first place.

In January 2013, FDA approved an acute medication that uses a commonly prescribed drug for the treatment of migraine (sumatriptan, Imitrex branded products), but the drug through a new mechanism to deliver - a transdermal system in the form of a patch that can be wrapped around a patient upper arm or thigh. (Absorption through the skin is transdermal drug delivery.)

"Although consumers with a patch for, say, smoking cessation know, this is the first patch FDA approved for the treatment of migraine," Bastings says.

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Named Zecuity, the battery powered patch is the pharmaceutical company NuPathe. About 8 cm long and 4 inches wide, it wraps around Association the arm or thigh as an ACE. After Bastings, it used to move an electrical current to the drug through the skin over a period of four hours. A small battery and computer chip control the charge to ensure that the patient receives the correct dosage.

The patch offers an alternative to injections, tablets and nasal sprays. "Many migraine patients experience debilitating pain - sometimes so acute that they can swallow a pill not" Bastings says.

He adds that some people like not the unpleasant taste, that the nasal spray may leave, and others are even uncomfortable with injection.

In other words, the patch has some drawbacks, takes Bastings. For one thing, it's large enough that she can indicate if under short-sleeved t-Shirts or Shorts worn and requires some privacy (and sometimes the need to pull out) to attract it. "For many people, again a pill much more is direct and simple," says Bastings.

About 25 percent of the participants in the clinical trial complained about a painful sensation at the site of application patch. Others do not, such as the redness, the most developed patients at the site of application after the application of the patch.

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According to the national institutes of health (NIH), approximately 12 percent of the population in the United States experience migraines. Migraine affects women three times more often than men both children as well as adults, but adult.

Bastings stated that headaches are migraine Neurovascular. They are characterized by tap and pulsating pain caused by the temporary widening of the blood vessels in the brain, caused by abnormal activation of neural pathways involved in the transmission of pain signals.

Characteristics of migraine are common:

Pain usually on one side of the HeadPain, which has a pulsating or throbbing QualityModerate, severe pain, which concerns daily ActivitiesNausea or VomitingSensitivity light or SoundAura, vision problems, the starters, such as points, flashing lights and blind spots

Bastings also says that a number of studies show that migraine is equally rarely diagnosed through patient and physician. He says "Many people the symptoms not realize as migraine,". Or they think not sharing information about the occasional headaches with their doctor, even though it's hard.

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FDA approved a number of drugs used for treating acute migraine, including the triptans (Imitrex, for example) that bind to serotonin receptors in the brain, nerve and blood vessels. (Serotonin acts as a neurotransmitter, a type of chemical that signals from an area of the brain helps relay.) There are also non-prescription medicines 'over' the counter like aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen.

"These abortive drugs work most effectively when taken early in the attack" Bastings notes.

Many people experience frequent or severe migraine can preventive medications, including beta-blockers, a type of blood pressure drug, such as metoprolol. Specific antiepileptic drugs are also prescribed as topiramate and sodium konvulsivum.

In October 2010, the FDA approved BOTOX (known as Botox) for use in the treatment of patients at least 15 days a month suffering from chronic migraines.

To prevent another way to migraine attacks is your to learn personal "triggers" for headaches, says Bastings. Common include:

Hormonal changes in women with migraine frequently occurring to the menstrual cycle.Certain foods and beverages such as alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, chocolate, and old cheese;Stress; AndChanges in the waking and sleeping patterns.

"It certainly helps know your triggers and avoid them if possible", says Bastings. "Of course, stress is a major trigger, can only few of us fully that avoid in our lives."

This article appears on FDA Consumer Updates page, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.

21 March 2013

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