A new study by Phoenix’s Barrow Neurological Institute is leading to changes in how migraine patients are treated in emergency rooms across the U.S.
Migraines are a leading cause of headaches among emergency room patients. Barrow, along with the University of Calgary, found that certain injectable treatments were especially beneficial for migraine patients and should be offered by emergency rooms whenever possible.
The current recommendations rely on opioids and haven’t been updated since 2016. Researchers say these new guidelines will make migraine treatment in the ER more consistent and evidence-based. The study was published this week in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain.
Researchers aimed to answer the following questions with high-quality evidence:
- Which injectable medications should be considered effective for adults with migraine who visit an ED?
- Are nerve blocks, including sphenopalatine ganglion blocks, effective for the treatment of adults with migraine who visit an ED?
To find answers, researchers examined 26 new trials that have occurred since the 2016 American Headache Society guideline publication, including treatments like nerve blocks and eptinezumab, which may lead to improvement in symptoms and pain freedom at discharge.
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