Migraine headaches are painful, throbbing headaches that usually develop on one side of the head and are often associated with hypersensitivity and nausea, among other symptoms. Many patients experience migraine attacks that are triggered by stress, imbalances in brain chemicals, food additives, hormonal changes, certain medications, and alcohol consumption. Each migraine attack can last from couple of hours to couple of days if left untreated.
Each year, American workers miss over 113 million workdays due to migraines making the chronic illness the sixth most debilitating in the world.
Trigger prevention is one of most effective ways to avoid migraine headaches.Conventional therapies for migraine include:
Despite the high worldwide prevalence and numerous effective treatments available, still some people experience refractory migraines, notorious to treat with all these conventional therapies.
Several promising studies reveal ketamine infusions can provide relief from a migraine attack by reducing a pain score significantly. A recent study showed that three-fourth of patients reported significant pain relief from between three and seven days of ketamine treatment. Another study showed that outpatient ketamine therapy decreases pain scores in half across five groups of patients with migraine headaches.
Although we don’t know the exact mechanism, we know that ketamine acts on a specific type of receptor in the brain called the NMDA receptor and that blocking it changes the way the brain forms connections. Research is ongoing in NY but preliminary data suggest that patients with refractory migraine have good reason to be hopeful with the migraine ketamine treatment. Besides, ketamine infusions for migraines also lack the same addictive qualities as opiates.
If you or someone you know is suffering from this disorder, you may be able to experience rapid relief. Please
contact us now for a consultation to see if you would be an ideal candidate for ketamine infusions.