ATHENS, Ohio -- A new study of migraine headaches under way in Columbus and Athens could lead to more effective treatments for patients who suffer from severe migraine pain.
The project, funded by a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, is enrolling patients at headache clinics in Athens and the Columbus suburb of Westerville. About 80 people are taking part in the study now, but the researchers plan to enroll up to 250, said Kenneth Holroyd, a professor of health psychology at Ohio University and leader of the migraine study.
Severe migraine headaches occur several times a month, according to Holroyd, and affect about 25 percent of the more than 25 million Americans -- most women -- who suffer from migraines.
These individuals account for somewhere around 80 percent of the disability, lost work time and health care costs because they are the individuals most impaired by migraines," said Holroyd, whose research is examining both drug and nondrug therapies currently prescribed for the treatment of migraines, with the aim of finding out which treatments -- or combination of treatments -- work best. "It is these individuals who also often require the multiple treatments we are evaluating."
Researchers plan to study several types of treatment packages, all of which will include Triptans, a new class of drugs developed for migraine patients. The packages also may include other medications to prevent migraines. A new behavioral migraine management program, which uses nondrug techniques such as relaxation and stress management or biofeedback to manage migraines, also will be evaluated.
Finding just the right combination of drug and nondrug therapies could not only lead to fewer migraines, but might also help reduce the cost of treatment for patients who often sometimes must pay as much as $14 a pill for migraine drugs.
"Not all migraines are the same, so the most effective therapy for one patient may not be the most effective for another," Holroyd said. "We want to find out which treatment package works best for which patients."
Before being enrolled in the study, migraine patients are evaluated by a neurologist and complete an interview with another health professional. Everyone accepted for the study will be assigned to a treatment group, and will be asked to keep a daily journal using a hand-held computer throughout the 10 month-study.
Holroyd has been studying headaches since 1975, and has led several studies on the subject. His last project, also funded by NIH, examined chronic tension-type headaches. The findings, reported last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that a combination of an antidepressant and stress management therapy can cut the frequency of headaches by as much as half.
