Beth Morton Profile picture
Sep 25, 2022 24 tweets 11 min read Read on X
Week 2 #MigraineChatAMA - #migraine types: You had some tough Qs & I don’t have all the answers. Just because I didn’t find them in my search, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. If you have reliable sources of information, please share. Errors are mine. For more info, click links. /1
Types: 2 main types are migraine without aura (MwoA) & migraine with aura (MwA). Under MwA are migraine w/: typical aura*, brainstem aura, hemiplegic & retinal migraine. *Migraine w/typical aura also incls migraine without headache. migraineagain.com/10-types-of-mi…
#MigraineChatAMA /2
Types, cont: menstrual migraine (MM) is a subtype under either MwoA or MwA. If attacks happen only during menses = pure MM. Migraine attacks during menses and other times = mensturally-related migraine.

MM can be tougher to treat.
healthline.com/health/migrain…
#MigraineChatAMA /3
Types, cont: the ICHD-3 also classifies additional migraine types as syndromes associated with migraine, like vestibular migraine and abdominal migraine. ichd-3.org/1-migraine/
#MigraineChatAMA /4
Migraine can be classified by frequency.
-Episodic migraine (EM): < 15 days a month
-Chronic migraine (CM): > 15 days a month with 8+ days being migraine for 3+ mos.
But there is recent debate about this split. …adachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/he…
#MigraineChatAMA /5
Where it gets a bit muddied:
- Status migraine: an attack lasting > 72 hrs, possible either w/ EM or CM.
- Refractory migraine: resistant to treatment (# of txs seems debatable).
- Intractable migraine seems to have been used synonymously with both of these.
#MigraineChatAMA /6
Articles on status vs. refractory vs. intractable migraine:
1: …alofheadacheandpain.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.11…
2: proquest.com/openview/f9882…
#MigraineChatAMA /7
Sinus migraine is a newer idea stemming from the involvement of sinus pain or symptoms in migraine and the fact that most people who think they have sinus “headache” actually fit migraine criteria. #MigraineChatAMA /8
There are dozens of other informal migraine labels you might hear that are not actual diagnoses or old names for diagnoses above.

E.g., "Cluster migraine" is not a diagnosis (cluster headache is a different headache disorder).
#MigraineChatAMA /9
Your Questions:

Is there a limit to the # of migraine diagnoses (dx) someone can have?

Not that I could find. Some types probably supersede others, though (aura vs. no aura). #MigraineChatAMA /10
That said, it's important to get an accurate dx. You might end up with >1 dx if symptoms change or you see diff docs: e.g.,

MwA might actually be vestibular migraine if certain symptoms are dismissed/not included in initial diagnosis. #MigraineChatAMA /11
Diff btw migraine & cervicogenic headache (CGH), & how to treat the latter.

CGH is a secondary HA type; caused by illness or something structural. #MigraineChatAMA /12
CGH, cont: CGH is a disorder of “the cervical spine & its component bony, disc &/or soft tissue elements, usually but not invariably accompanied by neck pain.” #MigraineChatAMA /13
CGH, cont: Migraine is a primary headache; a condition of its own, not caused by something else.

Migraine & CGH sxs can overlap but CGH can be dx'edthrough imaging of the cervical spine.

With migraine, imaging is typically only *rules out* other issues. #MigraineChatAMA /14
CGH, cont: Treatment for CGH will focus on any issues identified in the spine, so things like nerve/other blocks, physical therapy, etc. migraineagain.com/understanding-…
#MigraineChatAMA /15
CGH, cont: Caveat… migraine treatments might help in some CGH headache cases. See @CSWhiteMD’s explanation on why this might be:
#MigraineChatAMA /16
Extended prodrome? Longer than attack phase?

Yes! Prodrome can last a few hours to a few days. Migraine (untreated) *typically lasts 4-72 hrs. You can experience prodrome for a few days but an attack for less (esp if your acute tx aborts the attack phase). #MigraineChatAMA /17
Related, some people can have intractable aura where aura symptoms are constant/near constant. #MigraineChatAMA /18
Are there migraine subtypes that have stronger digestive components?
Aside from abdominal migraine, I didn’t find anything that said one type was more prone to GI issues. However, GI symptoms (& comorbidities) are common w/migraine. healthline.com/health/gastric… #MigraineChatAMA /19
See the August special #MigraineChat topic for more on managing migraine and GI conditions/symptoms. Transcript here (bottom of page): bit.ly/MigraineChat
For ppl with >1 headache disorder, does knowing this help narrow treatments?

I don’t have a good answer. Only that for migraine & cluster headache, some treatments are approved for both (e.g., Emgality, gammaCore). #MigraineChatAMA /20
Cont: Some headache diagnoses might mean some treatments are contraindicated or make them a poor fit for other diagnoses. This is a conversation best had with your migraine specialist. #MigraineChatAMA /21
Please do not use thread reader apps to unroll these #MigraineChatAMA threads. These take a lot of research. I don't want others to post/profit off my work. If there's interest, I'll post to my blog.

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More from @beth_morton

Nov 18, 2022
Friends, I’m going to do an impromptu #MigraineChat office hour to help anyone who wants to get started with - or learn more about - the MigraineChat Discord group. I’ll be online at 1:30p ET.

If you want to join, please DM me and I will share the Google meet link.
I’ve done no planning & will do a more formal tutorial later, so this might be a little chaotic. Right now, Discord is the next most organized place to join #MigraineChat besides Twitter.
New people have joined in the past few days, but I worry the “accept rules to enter” thing is throwing people off. Discord can be overwhelming at first, too.

I want to make it as accessible as possible, but understand it isn’t ever going to be for everyone. #MigraineChat
Read 4 tweets
Nov 5, 2022
This week’s #MigraineChatAMA invited Qs about the relationship between sleep disorders and #migraine.

Nothing shared is medical advice. Please talk to an HCP before making changes to your migraine treatment. Errors are mine. #MigraineChat /1
What is the relationship between sleep and #migraine? “[T]he exact nature and direction of the association remains enigmatic; migraine may be the result of sleep disruption, but also sleep disruption may trigger migraine,... [cont.]
#MigraineChatAMA /2
"...or migraine and sleep disruption may be symptoms of an unrelated medical condition, or they might be two intrinsically related phenomena with shared pathophysiological mechanisms.”
…alofheadacheandpain.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.11… #MigraineChatAMA /3
Read 32 tweets
Oct 23, 2022
This week’s #MigraineChatAMA invited Qs abt rebound headache: a topic I wish was more rigorously studied for lots of reasons. The research in this thread is not w/o limitations or issues.

Nothing shared is medical advice. Talk to an HCP before making changes. #MigraineChat /1
Medication overuse headache is the ICHD-3 term. Unofficially, it is often referred to as “rebound” headache. Some organizations are trying to get the name updated to medication adaptation headache (to avoid the stigma of blame). For space, I’ll use rebound. /2 #MigraineChatAMA
How common is rebound headache (HA)? A “true prevalence that is unknown, partly resulting from various changes in diagnostic criteria, but estimates are in the range of 0.5 to 2.6%.” /3 #MigraineChatAMA
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53815…
Read 39 tweets
Oct 16, 2022
This week’s #MigraineChatAMA covered acute CGRPs (gepants). There weren’t a lot of questions, so I threw in a few extra resources. There are Qs for the #MigraineChat community at the end.

Nothing here is medical advice. Talk to your doc before making changes. #MigraineChatAMA /1
Do acute gepants work for those w/chronic migraine (CM)?

Clinical trials typically look at ppl w/episodic migraine first: either excluding ppl w/CM or not enrolling enough to obtain reliable results for the CM subgroup. #MigraineChatAMA
/2
I couldn’t find studies of gepants for acute use in CM. Anecdotally, though, yes! The #MigraineChat community has shared experiences w/Ubrelvy & Nurtec as acute treatments even for those with chronic migraine. #MigraineChatAMA /3
Read 17 tweets
Oct 8, 2022
Two weeks ago, I posted the #MigraineChatAMA topic: #CGRP preventives. You had great questions. Some I couldn’t answer satisfactorily, others too big to summarize adequately in a thread (i.e., I’ve give an example study for one CGRP, but other research exists). /1
Quick notes: This is not medical advice, just meant to get you pointed in the direction of things to discuss with your doctor. Also, due to space, terms are defined then abbreviations used. Studies may not use brand names (e.g., erenumab, not Aimovig). #MigraineChatAMA /2
Is it worth ⬆️ Aimovig from 70mg to 140mg if you’ve seen severity ⬇️ but not frequency?

This Q is a little tough to answer because so many of the original studies looked at reduction in monthly migraine days (MMDs) as their main outcome (freq, not severity). #MigraineChatAMA /3
Read 36 tweets
Sep 18, 2022
For this week’s #MigraineChatAMA on Headache Specialists (HAS):

HAS are healthcare providers who completed a year fellowship in headache medicine and become board-certified through an accreditation organization (@UCNSorg). (ucns.org/Online/Online/…). /1
Others might call themselves HAS if they complete add’l qualifications like the @NHF Added Qualification in Headache (headaches.org/aqh/). Other healthcare professionals might regularly attend edu/prof meetings on headache treatment to improve knowledge.
#MigraineChatAMA /2
DYK - HAS are not all neurologists *and* not all neurologists are HAS? A neurologist’s training in headaches or migraine is pretty minimal. Neurology encompasses a broad range of neuro conditions; they may specialize in ones other than headache/migraine. #MigraineChatAMA /3
Read 12 tweets

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