Migraines–A torturous experience.

Nearly a billion people worldwide suffer from migraines regularly. I for one have experienced migraines so severe that I couldn’t go to school for weeks. When I was a child my migraine symptoms were so bad that doctors thought I had epilepsy. As I got older, my migraines came on as “attacks” at random moments. I’ll never forget the time when I was in gym class playing dodgeball and as I turned around, I nearly collapsed from the sudden excruciating pain. The whole room was spinning and I barely made it to the office. The light was bothering me so much, I thought, this must be what it feels like to be a vampire! Luckily, I had my friend beside me who supported me until my mom came. In the meantime, I vomited. It was not a pretty sight.

When people receive migraines, light is the number one factor that bothers them. Every time I get a migraine, I find myself closing all the blinds because the light bothers me badly. Another common symptom during migraines is vomiting and motion sickness. I once threw up all over the elevator trying to get to my apartment. The most difficult symptom I find is insomnia. Try to go to sleep when you have a severe headache–it isn’t easy. Not only do migraines affect you when you have it, but also when you don’t. For instance, as a kid, I wasn’t able to go on amusement park rides due to my motion sickness. Migraines feel controlling and limiting. You see everyone enjoying their time, and you have to sit there in envy. Overall migraines are like that feeling when you have to be with someone you don’t like.

Nonetheless, researchers tested 1,130 patients who suffered from migraines annually and got pleasing data, which they published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers divided patients into 3 groups to test the efficacy of Fremanezumab–an experimental medicine. One group of 376 people were given the medicine quarterly, 379 were given it monthly and lastly, 370 people here were prescribed placebos. About 50% of patients saw a reduction in the number of migraines they had per month. In the quarterly group, they saw a 38% reduction in the average amount of headaches, 41% in the monthly group and 18% in the placebo group. From this evidence of success, we have reason to be delighted and optimistic.

Fremanezumab may have helped reduce the number of migraines people got, but long-term durability and safety require further testing before it can be placed on the market.

Migraines are extremely common and not only affect your day but also your lifestyle massively. This drug is revolutionary and after so many years–and large thanks to advanced technology–scientists have developed this relief from pain at last.