Promising Treatment, Give me a Chance
March 14th 2008 03:54
UCLA researcher discovers promising treatment for migraines
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
By JEAN ENERSEN / KING 5 News
Why women get more migraines Jodi Fleming is a mother, decorator, and chronic migraine sufferer.
"I have suffered from daily headaches for 10 years," said Fleming.
Fleming was diagnosed with everything from dehydration to depression.
"I was at the end of my rope," said Fleming.
Finally she saw Dr. Andrew Charles, a top headache researcher at UCLA. She learned she wasn't alone.
"Five percent of women have a headache more than 15 days per month," said Charles. "So it's a huge percentage of the population that has a headache nearly every day."
In fact, women suffer from migraines three times as much as men. A possible reason: A phenomenon called "cortical spreading depression."
"It's actually a spreading wave of electrical activity that moves across the surface of the brain very slowly," said Charles.
Jodie Fleming had daily headaches for 10 years.
A CSD wave moves across the brain of a mouse, signaling the start of a migraine headache. Studies showed female mice were far more susceptible to these waves than males. Scientists don't know why or what triggers the waves, but Charles found a drug that blocks these waves called Mamenda, or Memantine, usually used to improve memory in Alzheimer's patients.
"It's heaven absolute heaven. I have my life back," said Fleming.
In the five weeks she's been on Memantine, Fleming says she's had just five small headaches. The drug isn't FDA approved for migraines yet, but Charles says women everywhere can take comfort that help is on the way.
"The main message that I would want to give to patients is that they simply shouldn't just live with their headaches," said Charles.
Most doctors don't know about using Memantine, also known as Namenda, for migraines. And insurance companies may not cover the drug. There are other migraine treatments out there, but one of the best things migraine sufferers can do, according to Charles, is to have as much consistency in their lives as possible: eating food at regular times during the day and not varying caffeine intake.
----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- -------------------------
I would be more than willing to take this med.Why can't I have the opportunity,why do I have to wait for FDA Approval? I'd sign a waiver.I have suffered long enough.
The system needs to change.When you've got people at the end of their rope,why make them wait?How long might this take for approval?
You see,first you have to get funding for research.Then the process takes soooo long to go through before a new drug to be approved.When you have something like this that is a possible releif for someone like myself, I say give me the option to take it.Don't make me wait years.
And it's not like damage cannot be done. Who knows what this is doing to me? I know what it's doing to my life. I don't have one. All I am now is the pain.
It has to change.I'm being robbed of my life.Give me a chance.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
By JEAN ENERSEN / KING 5 News
Why women get more migraines Jodi Fleming is a mother, decorator, and chronic migraine sufferer.
"I have suffered from daily headaches for 10 years," said Fleming.
Fleming was diagnosed with everything from dehydration to depression.
"I was at the end of my rope," said Fleming.
Finally she saw Dr. Andrew Charles, a top headache researcher at UCLA. She learned she wasn't alone.
"Five percent of women have a headache more than 15 days per month," said Charles. "So it's a huge percentage of the population that has a headache nearly every day."
In fact, women suffer from migraines three times as much as men. A possible reason: A phenomenon called "cortical spreading depression."
"It's actually a spreading wave of electrical activity that moves across the surface of the brain very slowly," said Charles.
Jodie Fleming had daily headaches for 10 years.
A CSD wave moves across the brain of a mouse, signaling the start of a migraine headache. Studies showed female mice were far more susceptible to these waves than males. Scientists don't know why or what triggers the waves, but Charles found a drug that blocks these waves called Mamenda, or Memantine, usually used to improve memory in Alzheimer's patients.
"It's heaven absolute heaven. I have my life back," said Fleming.
In the five weeks she's been on Memantine, Fleming says she's had just five small headaches. The drug isn't FDA approved for migraines yet, but Charles says women everywhere can take comfort that help is on the way.
"The main message that I would want to give to patients is that they simply shouldn't just live with their headaches," said Charles.
Most doctors don't know about using Memantine, also known as Namenda, for migraines. And insurance companies may not cover the drug. There are other migraine treatments out there, but one of the best things migraine sufferers can do, according to Charles, is to have as much consistency in their lives as possible: eating food at regular times during the day and not varying caffeine intake.
----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- -------------------------
I would be more than willing to take this med.Why can't I have the opportunity,why do I have to wait for FDA Approval? I'd sign a waiver.I have suffered long enough.
The system needs to change.When you've got people at the end of their rope,why make them wait?How long might this take for approval?
You see,first you have to get funding for research.Then the process takes soooo long to go through before a new drug to be approved.When you have something like this that is a possible releif for someone like myself, I say give me the option to take it.Don't make me wait years.
And it's not like damage cannot be done. Who knows what this is doing to me? I know what it's doing to my life. I don't have one. All I am now is the pain.
It has to change.I'm being robbed of my life.Give me a chance.
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