Nerve blockade therapy reduces severe migraine attacks

It has been reported that in patients trying to live with severe migraine pain, attacks have become less frequent and the quality of life has visibly increased thanks to the "nerve block" method applied to the head and neck area.

Health Sciences University (SBÜ) Gülhane Education and Research Hospital Neurology Department Head, Administrative and Education Manager Prof. Dr. Ömer Karadaş, in his statement to AA correspondent, provided information about the "nerve block" treatment applied to severe migraine attacks that do not go away despite the use of medication.

Karadaş, who drew attention to the fact that migraine is not just a headache, but is accompanied by symptoms such as light and sound sensitivity, nausea and vomiting, and that migraine negatively affects people's daily activities, said, "Migraine, which occurs in 1 out of every 6 people, is seen 3-4 times more frequently in women than in men. There are 14 million migraine patients in our country."

Prof. Dr. Karadaş stated that migraine is a treatable disease and that patients who do not benefit from drug treatment experience headaches for almost 27 days a month, and that they can reduce this period to 1 day in 3 months with the "nerve block" method.

Providing information about the treatment applied in Türkiye's first headache blockage unit established in SBÜ Gülhane Education and Research Hospital, Karadaş noted the following:

"One of the biggest problems of migraine patients is that they use too many medications. Painkillers have serious effects on the body, such as kidney failure and liver failure. Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of these as well. During this period, blockades come into play and the patients' severe pain is brought under control. Blockade is not a drug that spreads throughout the body. We administer a regional anesthetic to the area where the nerve is located. This anesthetic blocks and suppresses the pain production of the nerve."

Karadaş said that the procedure usually varies between 1 and 3 sessions depending on the severity of the patient's pain, and in some stubborn cases, up to 10 sessions can be applied. Karadaş stated that nerve blockade treatment is applied to approximately 100 patients per day at the center, and added that they aim to spread the method by organizing trainings for doctors in cooperation with the Turkish Neurology Association and the Headache Association.

Patients who benefited from the treatment also talked about the process they went through and the changes in their lives after recovery.

37-year-old Ebru Mersin, who has been struggling with migraine for 10 years, stated that her social life had almost come to an end before the treatment.

Mersin said, "People around me were tired of saying, 'Is your head hurting again?' My pain, which was almost daily, was reduced to once every 3 months with nerve block treatment. My sensitivity to light, nausea and the severity of my attacks have decreased. I can now spend more time with my children, my work life has been positively affected. I feel much better."

Having suffered from headaches since her childhood, 40-year-old Serap Atalay said that despite various drug treatments, she could not get any results and therefore resorted to blockage treatment.

Atalay said, "When I heard about blockade treatment, I applied immediately. After the treatment, my attacks, which were almost daily, started to occur every 4-5 months. I now have a better quality of life both at work and in my social circle."