Wearable device provides as much migraine relief as meds

Pop a pill or press an app – both have the same effect on migraine, according to new research.

The study – which included Brian Grosberg, MD, director of the Hartford HealthCare Ayer Neuroscience Institute Headache Center – examined the use of remote electrical neuromodulation (REN) and the wearable device Nerivio to address migraine and other pain conditions versus medication. The results were published in the Journal of Pain Management.

“We found that the wearable device, which patients put on their upper arm and control through an app on their smart phone, provides an effective non-pharmacological alternative to stopping a migraine,” Dr. Grosberg said.

Nerivio is produced by Theranica, which supported the study.

Medication alternative

This finding is particularly important, Dr. Grosberg noted, since the American Headache Society recently recommended that patients with migraine who need acute treatments regularly should be instructed to limit medication use.

“This is to avoid medication overuse. Patients should be only taking medication to acutely treat migraine no more than two days a week on average,” he said.

A patient with chronic migraine can experience, on average, four or more headache days a week. Chronic migraine, Dr. Grosberg explained, is characterized by at least 15 headache days a month over a period of three months, of which eight or more days meet criteria for migraine and/or respond to migraine specific treatments.

“To treat patients with chronic migraine effectively and safely, we must expand the first-line standard care treatment options beyond prescribed medications,” he said. “This research provides a strong comparison of REN to prescribed medications, mainly triptans, and reinforces our conclusion that REN provides a much-needed alternative without compromising effectiveness.”

The research analyzed four parameters, including pain relief, pain freedom two hours later and consistent pain relief and pain freedom across multiple treatments. Results show:

• 23.1% of patients realized pain relief from REN, versus 19.2% using medication
• 62.8% felt significant pain relief with REN two hours after treatment, compared with 48.7% with medication
• 64.1% reported consistent pain relief with REN, compared with 57.7% using medication

How Nerivio works

Nerivio is a device worn on the patient’s upper arm. When a migraine attack is beginning, the patient activates the REN technology on their phone to alleviate migraine headache and associated symptoms.

“REN triggers electrical signals from the device. These signals are carried by nerve fibers to the brain which then activates the body’s pain control mechanism to shut down transmission of migraine pain signals, providing relief,” Dr. Grosberg said, noting that patients are also encouraged to track their attacks of migraine in the built-in diary on the app. The diary can be shared with their providers for migraine tracking and management.

For more information or help with headaches and migraines, go to www.hartfordhealthcare.org/headache.