New research shows that migraine prevention doesn’t need to be as expensive as you might have originally thought it might be.
If you’ve ever suffered from a migraine, you probably already know that they are much more than just headaches. They are neurological events that bring about pain, nausea, sensitivity to lights and noises, brain fog, and more. They can be debilitating, bringing someone to the point where they struggle to even get out of bed without vomiting.
About 39 million people suffer from chronic migraines in the U.S. Of these, many are elderly. Estimates say that about 5 percent of the people in the U.S. that suffer from migraines are aged 75 or older. These kinds of health complications can make every other aspect of senior care more complicated to deal with.
New research indicates that treatment of migraines doesn’t need to be as complicated as you might think, though. While there are a lot of different treatments out there right now, the cheaper and more easily accessible ones tend to have the best results. Looking at data from 2010 to 2020, the team of researchers found that three cheaper meds tended to have better results than more expensive beta blockers–which are often prescribed as a first line of preventative defense.
The three meds that were purported to be more effective than beta blockers included CGRP inhibitors, amitriptyline, and simvastatin. These meds are already highly used for things like fighting depression and chronic pain. The fact that they might be able to help fight migraines too is quite encouraging, especially because this has the potential to help fight expensive medication bills, too.
Over 100,000 migraine sufferers were looked at during the course of this study.
There are a lot of different medications out on the market right now when it comes to fighting and preventing migraines. It’s hard to watch television without seeing at least an ad or two for different drugs that are being marketed. These drugs may prove to be very helpful for some people, but like many other aspects of care, what works for some doesn’t necessarily work for all. Not everyone needs or will benefit the most from the latest, most expensive drugs. There are always tough cases to treat and these newer meds might be a perfect solution for those that haven’t had success anywhere else. But for other people, it is just another big out of pocket expense.
This research comes out of the University of Bergen. The research team published their findings in the European Journal of Neurology. Hopefully, this research helps people–both old and young–that suffer from migraines to find better, more effective and more affordable, treatment for their migraines.
Senior care is supposed to help improve the quality of life that someone experiences. The proper treatment of medical conditions should also be a big part of this.
If you have questions about how senior care can help a loved one experience a better quality of life, you’ve come to the right people. Give us a call today to schedule a more in-depth–and completely free–consultation session.
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