The Headache Situation

In this episode, Dr. Messina helps the listener understand the different types of anxiety and how they can relate to migraine. There is discussion about causes, medications, counseling and self-help. Anxiety and migraine are commonly associated and this episode should be very helpful to people having both conditions. Dr. Messina is certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and in Headache Medicine by the UCNS. Details of his credentials are found at https://www.michiganheadache.com/emessina.asp . Disclaimer: Remember, to listen to the disclaimer at the beginning of each podcast and the one on the The Headache Situation website (www.theheadachesituation.com). Our podcasts are intended to be informational and educational and not intended to replace your doctor, physicians assistant or nurse practitioner. Do not make any health decisions based on the information discussed here, talk to your doctor.

In this episode, Dr. Messina discusses the characteristics of doctors who may be burned out and not be your advocate. He cautions you about corporate medicine, how in influences your referrals and how to look out for yourself. The bottom line: your doctor needs to be knowledgeable and needs to have your back if you are going to get good results for your headache problems.  Dr. Messina is certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and in Headache Medicine by the UCNS. Details of his credentials are found at https://www.michiganheadache.com/emessina.asp . Disclaimer: Remember, to listen to the disclaimer at the beginning of each podcast and the one on the The Headache Situation website (www.theheadachesituation.com). Our podcasts are intended to be informational and educational and not intended to replace your doctor, physicians assistant or nurse practitioner. Do not make any health decisions based on the information discussed here, talk to your doctor.

This episode discusses how to tell the different main headache types, a source of common misdiagnosis. A successful headache treatment must begin with the correct diagnosis. As always, he urges headache patients to never give up, there is always something to help them. Dr. Messina is certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and in Headache Medicine by the UCNS. Details of his credentials are found at https://www.michiganheadache.com/emessina.asp . Disclaimer: Remember, to listen to the disclaimer at the beginning of each podcast and the one on the The Headache Situation website (www.theheadachesituation.com). Our podcasts are intended to be informational and educational and not intended to replace your doctor, physicians assistant or nurse practitioner. Do not make any health decisions based on the information discussed here, talk to your doctor. .

This episode explores the issues where sleep influences migraine and stress and how to better deal with it. Many suggestions for management of sleep and stress for the migraine sufferer. As always, he urges headache patients to never give up, there is always something to help them. Dr. Messina is certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and in Headache Medicine by the UCNS. Details of his credentials are found at https://www.michiganheadache.com/emessina.asp . Disclaimer: Remember, to listen to the disclaimer at the beginning of each podcast and the one on the The Headache Situation website (www.theheadachesituation.com). Our podcasts are intended to be informational and educational and not intended to replace your doctor, physicians assistant or nurse practitioner. Do not make any health decisions based on the information discussed here, talk to your doctor.

How to look up side effects for headache and migraine medicines In this episode, Dr. Edmund Messina, a Board certified neurologist and headache specialist follows up on how to look up headache (including migraine) medicine side effects and how to interpret your findings. He defines side effects vs. adverse effects and how to understand the severity or harmlessness of what is published. He talks about how side effects are dependent on the individual person as well as other factors such as other medications, supplements and general health. Not everyone gets a side effect, most people get no side effects from most meds.   Knowing that a medication MAY cause a side effect is not the reason to not try it. Being aware of side effects should be more of a guideline... it's not a call to action so you are on the alert for them. Just because a side effect has been reported in someone else, it does not mean that everyone gets it. Logically, it would be helpful to know what percentage of people have had problems with a medication, and we'll get to that soon. He discusses adverse effects and offers a website to check them, the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) Public Dashboard. He talks about how to use the https://www.fda.gov/drugs/guidancecomplianceregulatoryinformation/surveillance/adversedrugeffects/ucm070093.htm if needed. He reviews how sometimes, widely popular medications have been taken off the market because of lethal outcomes. For people concerned about safety, he discusses Medwatch (https://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch/ ) , as well as Black Box warnings. For those who simply want to see how probable side effects can be for a specific medication, he discusses Daily Med ( https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/ ).   He emphasizes that each patient needs to be considered as an individual and that generalities are not helpful.   As always, he urges headache patients to never give up, there is always something to help them. Dr. Messina is certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and in Headache Medicine by the UCNS. Details of his credentials are found at https://www.michiganheadache.com/emessina.asp . Disclaimer: Remember, to listen to the disclaimer at the beginning of each podcast and the one on the The Headache Situation website (www.theheadachesituation.com). Our podcasts are intended to be informational and educational and not intended to replace your doctor, physicians assistant or nurse practitioner. Do not make any health decisions based on the information discussed here, talk to your doctor.

In this podcast, Dr. Messina discusses the basic concepts related to side effects of meds used to treat headaches, especially migraine. He discusses adverse events vs. side effects and how to avoid problems when these medications are first started. Dr. Messina is certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and in Headache Medicine by the UCNS. Details of his credentials are found at https://www.michiganheadache.com/emessina.asp . Disclaimer: Remember, to listen to the disclaimer at the beginning of each podcast and the one on the The Headache Situation website (www.theheadachesituation.com). Our podcasts are intended to be informational and educational and not intended to replace your doctor, physicians assistant or nurse practitioner. Do not make any health decisions based on the information discussed here, talk to your doctor.

Edmund Messina MD introduces the podcast series which will discuss options for management and coping with painful disorders of the head and face, including migraine, cluster and facial pain syndromes. Dr. Messina is certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and in Headache Medicine by the UCNS. Details of his credentials are found at https://www.michiganheadache.com/emessina.asp . Disclaimer: Remember, to listen to the disclaimer at the beginning of each podcast and the one on the The Headache Situation website (www.theheadachesituation.com). Our podcasts are intended to be informational and educational and not intended to replace your doctor, physicians assistant or nurse practitioner. Do not make any health decisions based on the information discussed here, talk to your doctor.

Dr. Edmund Messina of the Michigan Headache and Neurology Clinic presents an overview which takes the migraine sufferer through the steps and approaches taken by most dedicated headache clinics. He discusses important aspects of diagnosis, prevention and treatment of these troubling headaches. Dr. Messina is certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and in Headache Medicine by the UCNS. Details of his credentials are found at https://www.michiganheadache.com/emessina.asp . Disclaimer: Remember, to listen to the disclaimer at the beginning of each podcast and the one on the The Headache Situation website (www.theheadachesituation.com). Our podcasts are intended to be informational and educational and not intended to replace your doctor, physicians assistant or nurse practitioner. Do not make any health decisions based on the information discussed here, talk to your doctor.

Dr. Messina describes a very simple pen and paper method of classifying and tracking headaches for better care. Dr. Messina is certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and in Headache Medicine by the UCNS. Details of his credentials are found at https://www.michiganheadache.com/emessina.asp . Disclaimer: Remember, to listen to the disclaimer at the beginning of each podcast and the one on the The Headache Situation website (www.theheadachesituation.com). Our podcasts are intended to be informational and educational and not intended to replace your doctor, physicians assistant or nurse practitioner. Do not make any health decisions based on the information discussed here, talk to your doctor.

Dr. Messina discusses how to be taken seriously about your headaches. Dr. Messina is certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and in Headache Medicine by the UCNS. Details of his credentials are found at https://www.michiganheadache.com/emessina.asp . Disclaimer: Remember, to listen to the disclaimer at the beginning of each podcast and the one on the The Headache Situation website (www.theheadachesituation.com). Our podcasts are intended to be informational and educational and not intended to replace your doctor, physicians assistant or nurse practitioner. Do not make any health decisions based on the information discussed here, talk to your doctor.

Dr. Messina discusses how to make people understand how your headaches affect you. Dr. Messina is certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and in Headache Medicine by the UCNS. Details of his credentials are found at https://www.michiganheadache.com/emessina.asp . Disclaimer: Remember, to listen to the disclaimer at the beginning of each podcast and the one on the The Headache Situation website (www.theheadachesituation.com). Our podcasts are intended to be informational and educational and not intended to replace your doctor, physicians assistant or nurse practitioner. Do not make any health decisions based on the information discussed here, talk to your doctor.