Hopeful news for migraine sufferers.

A new medication for chronic migraine sufferers has been approved in the UK. The injection, designed to specifically target the direct causes of migraine, was officially recommended by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) this week.  The new treatment is recommended for chronic migraine patients who have have not responded to at least three prior preventive treatments. These include anti-epileptics, anti-depressants, or beta blockers - preventative therapies that were not developed specifically to target migraine.  The injection can be administered by patients either monthly or quarterly once trained by a medical professional. While not yet approved for use in Ireland, the medication is currently being reviewed by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE). Research has shown that one in seven people suffer from migraines in the Republic of Ireland. The condition impacts as many as 700,000 people in the country, with women being considerably worse affected than men. The majority of migraine sufferers experience 'migraine without aura'. Symptoms include common an intense throbbing headache, usually on one side of the head, worsened by movement, and lasting anywhere between four to 72 hours. Other symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, noises and smells, stiffness of the neck and blurred vision.