New guidelines released Monday highlight the many new treatments that have hit the market in recent years for the prevention of migraine.
The guidance for health care providers comes from the American Headache Society and the American Academy of Neurology, which last updated their recommendations in 2012.
“There has been a wealth of new treatment available,” said Rebecca Burch, guideline co-author and neurologist at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Burch also co-authored the previous guidance.
Among the key updates are at least a half dozen medications that were approved for migraine prevention by the Food and Drug Administration since 2012. Many of those focus on blocking the calcitonin-gene related peptide, or CGRP, pathway, which is implicated in migraine.
The new guidelines advise doctors to offer preventive treatment to people who have at least four migraine or severe headache days per month, or whose migraines interfere with their ability to work or complete daily tasks. An estimated 15% of Americans experience migraines, with women disproportionately affected. Many try to manage their pain with over-the-counter options once an attack has begun.
