Week: 610.2

Guest: Dr. C. Phillip O’Carroll, Neurologist, migraine specialist

Topic: Migraines/treatments

Host/Producer: Steve Girard

NEMA: Help for migraine victims...coming up...

NEMA: Migraines...for some people, the disorder can be a constant source of disruption and anguish. Dr. C. Phillip O’Carroll of Newport Beach, California is a neurologist who treats them...and he’s excited by the creation of a nasal spray form of the prescription drug imatrex, or sumatrypten...a drug found to relieve migraine like seratonin, but without the same side effects...

O’CARROLL: We have now evolved a medicine that activates, or locks onto only the blood vessels of the head and neck, and tightens them, and that is the method by which it relieves the pain...and fortunately does not interact with blood vessels elsewhere in the body. So, it’s a very selective mimicker, if you will, of seratonin.

NEMA: There are non-medicinal approaches to migraine...

O’CARROLL: The medicine is a tremendous ally, but it is part of the team approach. we try to get them off of all harmful medicines, get them off of all narcotics, get them into a physical exercise program, give them a few sessions on how to handle stress. Because you know, one of the problems with the chronic headache sufferer, unfortunately, is that we all tend to be very perfectionistic, very compulsive, hyper-responsible type of individuals. So, giving us a little handle on stress is very, very important.

NEMA: Imatrex, or sumatrypten, may help you with migraine, but be sure to talk with your doctor about possible side effects. I’m Steve Girard at The Heart of the Matter.