According to the data of Spanish Society of Neurology (sen), the migraine It affects 12-13% of the population, i.e. more than 5 million Spaniards.
Connected
indeed it is first cause of disability In those below 50 years of age. And between 2% and 3% also have chronic migraine, meaning they suffer from Headache At least fifteen days in a month.
The main problems patients face are late diagnosis (on average it takes two years) and Decrease in effectiveness of treatments,
Do you know the 4 stages of migraine? How it warns, what its aura is, how it feels, what kind of hangover it leaves…
However, medicinal innovation has opened a window of possibilities for those who suffer from this type of headache (recurrent headache accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light), which has become . Most common neurological diseases in our country.
in spain The first biological therapy against migraine, These are four drugs approved since 2019 that block CGRP, a protein that is involved in the processes of pain and vasodilation and is linked to Headache,
Biological drugs: the “latest” against migraine.
As mentioned in ‘Health Guides’, Dr. Pablo IrimiaNeurologist from the Clínica Universidad de Navarra and coordinator of the Headache Study Group of the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN), a therapeutic arsenal has already been incorporated into the National Health System that presents a great advantage over conventional treatments.
Following are the active ingredients:
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erenumab
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galcanezumab
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fremanezumab
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eptinezumab
Drugs blocking migraine-linked CGPR proteins are highly tolerated
Dr. Pablo Irimia. Neurologist
in monoclonal antibodieswhich belong to a new family of antimigraine drugs, “are specific for this disease” and “with high tolerability.”
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“Its effectiveness is better than the drugs we have so far for preventing the onset of migraine. But the most important thing is that they are very well tolerated. As with conventional treatments, experience has shown that many patients had to stop them Side effects,
let’s talk about something Medicines that are financed by Social Security and is only prescribed for people who have migraines more than four days per month and, therefore, need preventive treatment to reduce the number of pain days and the intensity of episodes.
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Of course, to access these innovative drugs “Patients must have failed at least three prior preventive medications“. They are administered subcutaneously every four weeks, which the patient can also inject themselves at home, and are dispensed in a pharmacy service.
When no other treatment works against migraine
However, there is a small percentage of patients for whom there is “no response” to any of the medicines available in our country for the prevention and treatment of migraine. they are persons resistant to conventional treatments, even monoclonal. But “there are potential lines of research to be able to yield new therapeutic options in the future.”
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“People with this neurological pathology need to know that, fortunately, research on migraine is increasing, and We hope that we will have more specialty medicines in the coming years.For both preventive and pain relief”.
Migraine is more than a simple headache: it is extremely intense and disabling.
Dr. Pablo Irimia. Neurologist
And suffering from chronic migraine and without any kind of medicine that treats the symptoms of this disease, this type of patient faces “disability”.
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“They cannot work or attend family gatherings or vacations because of the pain caused by migraines. And the sensitivity to light and noise forces them to isolate themselves and stay in bed until the symptoms disappear. Does.”
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“Is it’s so hard to live a normal life With a pain that occurs every day and, moreover, is of extreme intensity. Migraine is more than just a headache What can we eat when we are tired? Are extremely intense pain, very disablingDue to which the person has to go to bed.
What’s to come: Gepentes and Dietenes
We are waiting for the arrival of “very promising” new drugs for the symptomatic treatment of migraine. They are known as pants (rimagepant, ubrogepant and etogepant) and ditans (Lasmiditan).
Migraine in data: More than 180,000 cases of migraine may be diagnosed each year
Medications that, like biologic drugs, act against the CGRP protein (blocking the receptor) that causes seizures, but in this case, they are taken orally.
70% of migraine patients abandon their preventive treatment due to side effects
Dr. Pablo Irimia. Neurologist
They not only ease your symptoms, but also work as preventive treatments. And they are already approved European Medicines Agency (EMA, for its short form in English), although they cannot yet be scheduled in Spanish territory.
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Their main advantage is that they can be taken by people who have vascular risk factors or cardiovascular diseases (this does not happen with those who are used more frequently, the so-called triptan,
So far, and according to a study carried out by the Spanish Society of Neurology, “70% of patients who are taking regular preventive treatments (antidepressants, antiepileptics or those commonly used for hypertension) are taking treatment at the same time. Unable to continue.” Minus the requested six months”.
And this happens for two reasons:
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or they are not effective (cannot reduce the number of attacks or their symptoms)
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Or because of its side effects.
And this situation may be “solved” by new drugs coming in: more effective and with low social costs, That is, less sick leave associated with migraine attacks.
(TagstoTranslate)Neurology(T)Migraine(T)Headache(T)Symptoms(T)Treatment(T)Medications(T)Medications(T)European Medicines Agency