Headaches and Migraines
Headaches are common ailments that might stem from sinus congestion, stress, or other less serious triggers. However, severe or chronic headaches are a cause for concern and require evaluation by a medical professional.
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What Is a Headache?
A headache, also known by the medical term cephalgia, is characterized by pain in the head or face. Headache pain can be throbbing, aching, constant and dull, or sharp and shooting. Depending on their underlying cause, headaches may be classified as primary or secondary.
Primary Headaches
Primary headaches are those not caused by an underlying disease or condition. Triggers of primary headaches include:
Migraines, cluster headaches, and tension headaches are common primary headaches.
Secondary Headaches
Secondary headaches may be warning signals for these serious underlying conditions:
Common causes of secondary headaches include infections, vascular disease, or trauma. According to the American Journal of Medicine, only 1% of patients with headaches as their sole complaint have a brain tumor.
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What Are the Symptoms of Headaches and Migraines?
The primary symptom of a headacheis pain. Headache pain can be dull, stabbing, throbbing, burning, or pulsating. Migraine sufferers will have additional symptoms such as:
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Migraines are recurring and can be debilitating, often lasting hours or days. Those who suffer from headaches accompanied by one or more of the above symptoms should be evaluated for migraines.
What Are the Causes of Headaches and Migraines?
Primary headaches, including migraines, can stem from environmental factors and stress on the body. Possible causes for primary headaches include:
Women are more likely than men to experience migraines due to hormone changes connected to the menstrual cycle, hormonal birth control, menopause, or hormone replacement therapy.
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How Can Headaches and Migraines Be Treated?
Properly treating headaches and migraines depends on the root cause. While a neurologist might diagnose headaches and migraines based on outward symptoms, blood tests and imaging may be necessary to rule out other conditions, such as an aneurysm.
Since the treatment approach differs depending on the cause of the headache, it’s very important to seek a specific diagnosis from a neurologist. Dr. Benmoshe at Los Angeles Neurology takes a holistic approach to diagnosis and treatment as he aims to reduce or even eliminate chronic headaches and migraines.
When you experience a headache or migraine, your nerves send pain signals to your brain. Botulinum toxin, the active ingredient in BOTOX, blocks these nerve signals to reduce pain.
Prescription treatments for migraines aim to relieve current pain or prevent future migraines. Patients who experience frequent migraine attacks may require medication like Vypeti. At Los Angeles Neurology, Dr. Benmoshe provides Vyepti in our infusion clinic.
Vyepti for migraines is an FDA-approved infusion medication shown to reduce migraines in 75% of treated patients and prevent migraines from recurring for over a month.
This medication is an antibody. It attaches itself to a protein called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and keeps it from binding to receptors, preventing migraine pain.
Vyepti and Aimovig are CGRP blockers that work through different active ingredients. Aimovig contains erenumab-aooe, while Vyepti’s main ingredient is eptinezumab-jjmr.
While Aimovig is administered monthly using a prefilled self-injection, Vyepti is an infusion therapy administered for about 30 minutes every three months. At Los Angeles Neurology, we administer these infusions in our in-office infusion clinic.
As Vyepti is an infusion delivered directly to the bloodstream, it works quickly. Patients can expect a reduction in migraine episodes over the next three months after a single treatment.
When you experience a headache or migraine, your nerves send pain signals to your brain. Botulinum toxin, the active ingredient in BOTOX, blocks these nerve signals to reduce pain.
Prescription treatments for migraines aim to relieve current pain or prevent future migraines. Patients who experience frequent migraine attacks may require medication like Vypeti. At Los Angeles Neurology, Dr. Benmoshe provides Vyepti in our infusion clinic.
Vyepti for migraines is an FDA-approved infusion medication shown to reduce migraines in 75% of treated patients and prevent migraines from recurring for over a month.
This medication is an antibody. It attaches itself to a protein called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and keeps it from binding to receptors, preventing migraine pain.
Vyepti and Aimovig are CGRP blockers that work through different active ingredients. Aimovig contains erenumab-aooe, while Vyepti’s main ingredient is eptinezumab-jjmr.
While Aimovig is administered monthly using a prefilled self-injection, Vyepti is an infusion therapy administered for about 30 minutes every three months. At Los Angeles Neurology, we administer these infusions in our in-office infusion clinic.
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