The simulation will be featured at the event to help show women who do not suffer from migraine the debilitating effects it can have on a person’s home and work life.
(Millions suffer from migraine headaches).
Many people who experience migraine live in a seemingly endless cycle in which they are suffering, treating and then worrying about the next attack.
Nearly 30 million Americans experience migraine – a condition that affects women three times as often as men.
Step inside the Virtual Reality Migraine Simulation at the Universal Sisters event at Columbia University on Saturday, November 11, 2006, to witness what it’s like to have a migraine—without the pain, of course.
For women who suffer from migraine, it can be difficult and frustrating to convey the magnitude of this condition to someone who has never experienced it personally. The migraine simulation, created by Ortho-McNeil Neurologics, Inc., which markets TOPAMAX (topiramate)Tablets, a daily medication taken to help prevent migraine, follows a day in the life of a woman experiencing a migraine attack. The simulation will be featured at the event to help show women who do not suffer from migraine the debilitating effects it can have on a person’s home and work life.
While at the Universal Sisters event, attendees who suffer from migraine will have the opportunity to participate in Building Blocks to Migraine Prevention, an educational session dedicated to teaching women how they can change the cycle of migraine. Dr Olajide Williams, from Columbia University and Harlem Hospital, will lead the seminar and discuss lifestyle changes and medication options that can help prevent migraine.
With preventive therapy, many patients can experience a decrease of up to 50 percent in their migraine frequency. Many migraine sufferers are not incorporating these prevention options into their treatment regimen.
Migraine prevention may be appropriate for migraine sufferers who:
Experience two or more per month and/or severe migraine attacks that impact daily activities for three or more days; Experience migraine attacks that interfere with daily routines despite acute treatment; Take over-the-counter or prescription medications more than twice a week for migraine pain relief, and;
Find that acute medications are not effective.
Migraine sufferers who fit this criteria may want to talk with their doctor about prevention. TOPAMAX Tablets and Sprinkle Capsules, approved for the prevention of migraine headaches in adults by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August 2004, may be an option. In clinical studies with TOPAMAX, many people with migraine experienced significantly fewer attacks, enabling them to help manage their condition.
Serious risks associated with TOPAMAX include lowered bicarbonate levels in the blood resulting in an increase in the acidity of the blood (metabolic acidosis), and hyperventilation (rapid, deep breathing) or fatigue. More severe symptoms of metabolic acidosis could include irregular heartbeat or changes in the level of alertness. Chronic, untreated metabolic acidosis may increase the risk for kidney stones or bone disease. Your doctor may want to do simple blood tests to measure bicarbonate levels.
Other serious risks include increased eye pressure (glaucoma), decreased sweating, increased body temperature, kidney stones, sleepiness, dizziness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Tell your doctor immediately if you have blurred vision or eye pain.
More common side effects are tingling in arms and legs, loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea, taste change and weight loss. Tell your doctor about other medications you take.
Please see full U.S. Prescribing Information at www.TOPAMAX.com.
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