error process. Non-pharmacological headache management is often beneficial. Hopefully, future research will shed light on this headache syndrome and with it effective treatment.
Roger Cady, MD
Headache Care Center Springfield, MO
Melatonin for headaches
I read the abstract on the use of Agomelatine to treat migraine in several patients. I was wondering if you knew more about the use of melatonin itself to help prevent migraines. – John P.
In response to Dr. Seymour Diamond’s request for comments on the revised HeadWise format:
Thank you, Dr. Diamond and HeadWise staff and contributors, for the much improved HeadWise. The more direct approach to the science and headache education and discussions is welcome as the primary format, but the occasional articles on patient successes based on folk medicine, heresay, or trial and error are also very interesting and stimulating and I hope will also appear! Having endured migraines since about nine years old, 70 years ago, poor toleration of medications have limited success in preventing the problem. Harvey B. Studio City, California As a long time subscriber, I just want to thank you for the new approach in the HeadWise magazine. I pretty much skimmed over it when it was all the lifestyle information, things available in more general magazines. I’m interested in research. As a migraine and CDH sufferer for the past 45 years, and siblings with the same, I’m looking for what’s down the road in treatments as well as understanding new theories for the causes of headaches. I’m 68 and don’t expect any answers in my lifetime, but if better pain medications could be found, something not in the Imitrex or Botox lines, neither of which helps, I’d sure have more hope that these next 30 years for me will be better.Thanks for all the work you do for those of us out here! Marge Tucson, AZ
www.headaches.org | National Headache Foundation
Melatonin is a hormone produced in the pineal gland in the brain that regulates sleep. Many studies have linked sleep with migraine. For example, studies show that headaches become more frequent when people regularly sleep 6 or fewer hours per night. Melatonin may also affect pain centers in the brain. Melatonin has been directly studied as a migraine prevention treatment. In one study, 3 mg of melatonin was taken 30 minutes before bedtime for 3 months, the number of migraines decreased by almost two-thirds and migraine severity decreased by half. A few people taking melatonin reported side effects of excessive sleepiness, hair loss, and increased sexual libido. Interestingly, melatonin levels have been shown to decrease during menses in women with menstrual migraine, which may suggest that taking melatonin around your menstrual period may help reduce menstrual migraines.
Dawn A. Marcus, MD
University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA
11