Headache Management Center
Migraine Headaches are debilitating headaches typically affecting one side of the head and are associated with light and sound sensitivity and nausea. They are very common in young women and are often triggered by certain foods, stress, hormones or changes in sleep. We use a variety of medications to prevent headaches from occurring and for pain relief when the headaches occur. Dr. Misty Sinclair has expertise in Botulinum Toxin for neuro muscular disorders and over a decade of expertise of using botox in the prevention of migraine headaches.
At our Pinehurst Neurology Headache Management Center, we strive to provide the best and maximum relief for our patients suffering from headaches. We will work to provide you with a personalized diagnosis and generate a treatment plan that is right for you. There are different types of headaches you can experience, all of which have different treatment options. Diagnostic classifications for headaches include tension-type headaches, cluster headaches, migraines, and others. If you feel as though you could benefit from a consultation with one of our neurologists specializing in headache management, there are some tools you can use to help guide you. We provide two short questionnaires that can help to lead you towards appropriate treatment as well as a headache diary that you can keep to quantify how much your headaches affect your life. These questionnaires will also aid your doctor by providing them with valuable information during your visit.
Risk Factors:
If you are experiencing headaches, there are certain factors that should be evaluated. Headaches, such as migraines, are often triggered by certain situations. It is often a good idea to keep a migraine diary so that you can identify triggers to your occurrences. Common triggers include chocolate, wine, processed cheeses, caffeine, and certain smells, amongst other things. Some also find it beneficial to regulate their sleep schedule and meal time schedule to reduce your migraine frequency.
Treatment Options:
While there is no known cure for chronic headaches, there are treatment options to help restore some normalcy to your life.
Acute Treatment: Acute treatment with oral medication, nasal sprays, or injections are usually one of the first treatment routes taken, these are prescribed to treat your headache symptoms once they arrive. When appropriate, your doctor may suggest that you receive both acute and preventative treatment.
Preventative Treatment: Preventative treatment is often recommended when headache frequency and/or severity significantly impacts patients’ daily activities. This form of treatment can be oral medication taken regularly or Botulinum Toxin injections. Your doctor will discuss the benefits and possible side effects of each treatment option available to you.
What Are Chronic Migraines?
You could be diagnosed with chronic migraines if you experience fifteen or more headache days per month, lasting anywhere between four and seventy two hours. These headaches can start out mild but progress as time goes on. Typical symptoms could involve having pain on one side of the head that is moderate to severe in intensity, pulsating, and/or if you’re sensitive to light/sound while you have the headache. Often these headaches can prevent a patient from participating in activities of their daily living. If you feel as though you may fall into this criteria, consult with a headache specialist to see how you can improve your quality of life. There are many options available for the treatment of chronic migraines. Our goal is to help you find the most appropriate treatment for you.
Botulinum Toxin Treatment For Migraines
The use of Botulinum Toxin for migraines was approved in October of 2010 by the US Food and Drug Administration. We offer Botulinum Toxin treatment for patients who suffer from chronic migraines as a preventative measure. You could be eligible for Botulinum Toxin treatment if you experience more than 15 headache days a month, have been diagnosed with chronic migraines, and have not had success with other preventative treatment. For more information.
A migraine cocktail can be a very effective option for providing relief from a migraine. The procedure is performed in our office’s comfortable infusion suite where our infusion nurse will start an IV and administer a combination of medications ordered by your neurologist to break the migraine. The most commonly used medications are Benadryl, Toradol, Zofran, Decadron and Depacon.
For most patients, relief is obtained after only 1 day of infusion; however some patients require 2 or 3 days of infusion. This therapy is an abortive therapy and therefore is used only to break a current migraine, not prevent future migraines. Please note all patients receiving a migraine cocktail will be required to have a driver.
In as little as a few minutes, the newSphenoCath® device and procedure for administering a sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block provides most patients with immediate relief of headache pain with a simple, gentle, comfortable in-office procedure. The revolutionarySphenoCath® device delivers anesthetic through the nasal cavity, effectively delivering an SPG block for migraine pain without the use of needles, cotton swabs, or harsh meds. For most, the procedure is comfortable, while others may briefly feel a very slight nasal irritation. This device allows a low risk, simple procedure that is a pain management game-changer for anyone who experiences four or more severe headaches a year. For more information.
Related Links:
American Headache Society Committee on Headache Education (ACHE)
ACHE is a nonprofit patient-health professional partnership dedicated to advancing the treatment and management of patients with headache.
Migraine Trust
The Migraine Trust seeks to empower, inform, and support those affected by migraine while educating health professionals and actively funding and disseminating research.
My Chronic Migraine
Information on Chronic Migraines as a treatable, potentially debilitating condition. My Chronic Migraine is meant to raise awareness and provide patients with the tools they need not to “live a maybe life”
Botox for Chronic Migraine
For more information on the use of Botox for the treatment of Chronic Migraine follow the link below.