NEW YORK, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- A migraine expert said Thursday therapy to prevent migraines can be more effective than attempting to treat the pain.
Dr. Stephen Silberstein, director of the Jefferson Headache Center and professor of neurology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, made the statement during an American Medical Association briefing in New York.
Silberstein said migraine treatment has come a long way during the past five years, with a key treatment factor being the development of triptans -- drugs capable of combining with neuronal receptors in the brain to initiate drug actions.
Said Silberstein: "One of the greatest bugaboos we see every day in headache centers is patients with chronic daily or near-daily headache, who are overusing medication. It is our most common problem.
"These patients have often not responded to treatment and in an attempt to treat themselves, actually make the problem worse. This is not addiction or an attempt to get 'high'; rather, it is motivated by the patient's desire to relieve pain and dysfunction."
He added, "Migraine preventive therapy is grossly underused."
About 25 to 30 million Americans experience migraine headaches and many more are undiagnosed.
