This blog is being reposted from earlier in the year because of its relevance to our current blog series. In addition to this blog, another will be posted at the end of the week regarding post traumatic headaches.

A recent study in the Journal of American Medical Association set out to determine whether therapy combined with Amitriptyline (an anti-depressant that also reduces migraines) or headache education combined with Amitriptyline was more effective for treating migraines in youths. 

At the end of the 20-week study, the amount of headaches experienced per month was reduced by 11.5 days for the therapy plus Amitriptyline group and by 6.8 days for the headache education plus Amitriptyline group. In terms of the amount of days without experiencing a headache at all, 66% of the group who underwent therapy experienced at least a 50% decrease in days with a headache compared to a 36% reduction in the headache education group.

This study provides practical evidence supporting Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for children and adolescents experiencing chronic migraines. As many people unfortunately know, migraines can be a chronic problem after suffering some brain injuries—especially more serious ones. This trial provides potential hope to alleviate this disabling condition.

You can read an abstract of the study here: 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24368463