We already talked about the promise of a nasal spray in tackling migraines. Now it seems that a competing nasal spray treatment is further along, already being tested in small groups, and achieving pretty amazing results. A full 88% of patients saw significant relief, taking less or no pain relievers for their migraines.
Short-Circuiting a Migraine Pain Center
To prevent this nerve bundle from triggering migraines, researchers sprayed it with lidocaine through a small catheter that was threaded up through the nasal passages. The result was that almost all of the patients saw a dramatic decrease in their pain from their migraines.
Before the procedure, people rated their pain level at an 8. After the procedure, the average pain level as 4.
Although the numbing effects of the lidocaine wore off quickly, the migraine pain didn’t return. A month after treatment, people reported an average pain level of 5. In addition, 88% reported that they didn’t need pain medication for the month after treatment.
Unanswered Questions
Although this research shows promise, there are still a number of important questions that need to be answered. Most importantly, why did 7 patients just not respond to the treatment? What is triggering their migraines and how can we interrupt their migraine circuitry?
In addition, we don’t know how well this new migraine treatment works over the longer term. Although researchers have a six-month study in progress, those results aren’t available yet.
While we are waiting for this new migraine treatment to show that it’s ready, there’s a migraine treatment that can give you relief now: TMJ treatment.
TMJ can be one of the causes for the overloading of brain circuits that can trigger migraines. If you want to learn whether it’s responsible for yours, please call (803) 781-9090 for an appointment with a TMJ dentist at Smile Columbia Dentistry.
