According to a nationwide survey of migraine sufferers, their friends and family, many activities - including playing with children and household tasks - are disrupted by migraines. In fact, 87 percent of sufferers say they frequently or sometimes have to cancel plans due to migraine. Migraines also get in the way of intimacy, with 60 percent of sufferers and their spouses/partners reporting that migraines disrupt their sexual relationship. The survey was sponsored by Pfizer Inc.
Rachel Farris, a 38-year-old mother of two who has suffered migraines since high school, says that migraine disrupted her family for years, and that she and her husband could have used help explaining to their daughters what was wrong with mom. "Growing up, the girls regularly had to entertain themselves while I was in bed with the shades drawn, or worse, at the emergency room."
For Dr. Merle Diamond of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, the new survey underscores why family and friends need to encourage sufferers to seek treatment. "Migraine touches all aspects of sufferers' lives, including the people who care about them the most, which is why loved ones are often in the best position to help find new solutions," says Dr. Diamond." The first step toward effective migraine management is to talk with a doctor about available treatment options that can relieve the pain and symptoms."
To support this dialogue among sufferers, friends and family, Pfizer is offering "Understanding in a Box" - a new kit with tools to foster discussion about migraine and ways to help manage the condition. The free kit is provided by Pfizer, makers of Relpax® (eletriptan HBr), prescription medication for the acute treatment of migraine, and can be ordered by calling toll free 1-866-519-0300 or visiting www.migrainerelief.com.
The kit contains an informational brochure about migraine and migraine treatment, pocket tips for sufferers and their spouses/partners and friends, and a children's book called Mama Lion's Migraine. Written for children five to seven years old, the colorful book explains migraine through the experience of a lion cub whose mother can't play with him when she has a migraine attack.
Finding the right treatment made a world of difference for Farris. "I suffered for years before finding a treatment that works for me, but fortunately had the support and encouragement of my family," she says. "I take Relpax now and am able to be there for my family."
To order your free "Understanding in a Box" kit, call 1-866-519-0300 or visit www.migrainerelief.com.
The most common side effects reported in clinical trials with Relpax compared with placebo included dizziness (6 percent vs. 3 percent), nausea (5 percent vs. 5 percent), weakness (5 percent vs. 3 percent), and tiredness (6 percent vs. 3 percent). The adverse events seen with Relpax are similar to adverse events reported with triptans as a class.
As with other triptans, it is strongly recommended that Relpax not be given to patients in whom unrecognized coronary artery disease (CAD) is predicted by the presence of risk factors, unless a clinical evaluation provides evidence that the patient is free of underlying cardiovascular disease. Relpax should not be used within at least 72 hours of treatment with the following potent CYP3A4 inhibitors: Nizoral®, Sporanox®, Serzone®, TAO®, Biaxin®, Norvir®, and Viracept®.
