Active clinical trials for "Headache"

Efficacy, Safety, Tolerability and Pharmacokinetics of BIBN 4096 BS in patients with a single acute migraine attack with or without aura

This study will compare a local anesthetic technique that has been used to treat subjects suffering from transformed migraines (chronic migraines) versus medical management with traditional antidepressant Amitriptyline / Elavil. Subjects will be randomized into one of two treatment groups to compare the safety and efficacy of the therapies. Subjects will recieve either sphenopalatine ganglion nerve block with 5% lidocaine gel into the nasopharynx or medical management with traditional antidepressants, Elavil, to produce a reduction in the frequency and severity of the headache. We propose that there will be a difference in the outcomes when comparing the two methods of treating transformed migraines and that one research arm will result in more patient satisfaction and greater efficacy in the treatment of subjects

This study proposes to compare the efficacy of sumatriptan and aspirin to placebo as an acute abortive treatment for delayed alcohol induced headache in adult subjects.

This study will determine the number of visits to a chiropractor for spinal manipulation and light massage necessary for the optimal relief of cervicogenic headache (headache with associated neck pain). Effectiveness of care will also be determined.

Cluster headache (CH) is a primary headache disorder characterized by recurrent short-lasting attacks (15 to 180 minutes) of excruciating unilateral periorbital pain accompanied by ipsilateral cranial autonomic signs. The 1-year prevalence of CH is about 0.1 %, the male: female ratio is 3:1. The majority of patients have cluster periods of weeks to months with frequent attacks which are alternated with symptom-free periods of months to several years; the episodic from of CH. In about 10% of patients the CH is chronic (CCH) in which either no remission occurs within 1 year or the remissions last less than 1 month. At least 10 % of CCH patients are refractory to medical treatment or cannot tolerate the treatments. Recent pilot studies suggest that occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) in medically intractable CCH (MICCH) might offer an effective alternative to medical treatment. There are no randomised clinical trials and a placebo effect cannot be excluded. Long term tolerability is known from other indications. Here the investigators propose a prospective, randomised, double blind, parallel group multi-centre international clinical study to compare the reduction in attack frequency from baseline of occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) in patients with MICCH between two different stimulation conditions: high (100%) and low (30%) stimulation. Following implantation there will first be a run-in phase of 10 days of 10% stimulation intensity, followed by a stepwise monthly increase up to either 30% or 100%. Patients will be assessed monthly by a blinded assessor. The primary outcome measure is the mean number of attacks over the last 4 weeks of the double blind 6 month treatment period in the 100% versus the 30% treatment group. Hereafter, in an open extension phase of 6 months, all patients will receive 100% stimulation or the stimulation considered optimal by the patient. Secondary outcome measures include the rate of responders (≥ 50% reduction in attack frequency during the last 4 weeks of each treatment period), patient's satisfaction, medication use, quality of life, mean pain intensity, economic evaluation and whether patients would recommend the treatment to another patient. The investigators will also investigate whether predictive factors can be identified for efficacy.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of treatments (massage therapy or ultrasound) directed at skeletal muscle for alleviating pain associated wtih tension headache.

The primary aim of this proposal is to refine the intervention under investigation (i.e., family-based CBT) and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and methods (e.g., recruitment, assessments). The secondary aim of this proposal is to compare the relative efficacy of an 8 session family-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to Relaxation Training (RT) for reducing anxiety and chronic headaches in youth (N = 30) ages 7-17 years. It is hypothesized that CBT will result in greater reductions in both anxiety and headache frequency and severity compared to RT.

Cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) may be a safe adjunct to medical treatment for pain relief in migraine patients. However, despite the number of CES studies done, many have been open label, single blinded, or have utilized a small group of patients.

Headache is one of the most common reasons for patients to access healthcare. Greater occipital nerve (GON) block with local anesthetic and steroid has been described for the management of primary headache refractory to conventional treatment. Two ultrasound (US)-guided techniques for greater occipital nerve (GON) block have been described for the management of refractory headache syndromes: a proximal technique performed at the level of the second cervical vertebra and a distal technique performed at the level of the superior nuchal line. Our airm is to compare the accuracy, efficacy and safety of these two techniques in patients with refractory headaches.

This protocol matches child subjects with peer mentors of similar age who have learned to function successfully with a chronic pain disorder. The trained mentors will present information to the subjects in a supervised and monitored interaction via telephone and computer for 2 months and encourage participation in skill-building programs. Children will be tested for improvement in pain and functioning at 2 months and again at 4 months to see if improvements persist. The investigators hypothesize that children who received peer mentor support will show more improvement in pain and functioning at 2 and 4 months into treatment than those in a control group who do not receive mentor support.