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Alzheimer's Drug For Migraines

Reviewed By: Louise Chang,

SOURCES: 2008 Medical Reference from Medstar Television. Andrew Charles, MD, Neurologist, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA.

© 1999-2011 Medstar Television

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Narrator:

Jodi Fleming is showing her daughter how migraine pain used to spread through her head, an agony she dealt with daily.

Jodi Fleming:

I was at the end of my rope. It's kind of the type of thing that you just want to go into a room, turn the lights off and not talk to anybody.

Andrew Charles, M.D.:

Migraine's an extraordinarily common problem. About 25% of women have migraine, even by very strict diagnostic criteria.

Narrator:

Doctor Charles is a leading migraine researcher with a focus on a phenomenon called cortical spreading depression.

Andrew Charles, M.D.:

Cortical spreading depression is a wave of electrical activity that crosses the surface of the brain very slowly, and then is followed by a depression of activity.

Narrator:

And that can trigger a migraine. To control this wave of activity, researchers tried an Alzheimer's medication called Namenda (nuh MEN duh.)

Andrew Charles, M.D.:

What we found is that it actually influences cortical spreading depression, it inhibits spreading depression.

Narrator:

The U-C-L-A team prescribed Namenda, also called Memantine (MEMM en teen), to see if it could prevent migraines in patients who weren't getting relief elsewhere.

Andrew Charles, M.D.:

About 65% of them had a very significant decrease in their migraine frequency, with at least a 50% reduction in headaches.

Narrator:

Jodi hoped the drug would take the edge off her headaches, but was astonished at the results.

Jodi Fleming:

And when I started Namenda, my headaches were gone instantly. I mean I noticed it the first week.

Narrator:

Allowing this working mom to do everything she loves, without the throbbing pain. For WebMD, I'm Damon Meharg.

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