Survey results published in NZ Medical Journal
We published our first paper from the inaugural Migraine in Aotearoa New Zealand Survey in the NZ Medical Journal on Friday 22 March. This explored the impact of living with migraine in Aotearoa NZ. From the media release sent out from the University of Otago, survey respondents reported significant disability, with half being unable to […]
The reality of healthcare for migraine in New Zealand
In this guest blog, medical student Blair McInnarney shares what he has learnt about migraine health care from analysing results from the Migraine in Aotearoa New Zealand Survey. I am a fourth-year medical student at the University of Otago, based at the Wellington campus. I have spent my summer working with Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New […]
An old drug with a new migraine use
In this guest blog, Drs Barrie and Matthew Phillips reflect on their experience using aminophylline, a drug that has been used for decades in respiratory and cardiovascular medicine, in the treatment of migraine attacks. My son and I recently published a short article about migraine, which was called “Aminophylline in Pain and Migraine” and published […]
A migraine research triumph
Photo: Professor Debbie Hay, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Otago The Royal Society of New Zealand announced the recipients of the 2023 Marsden Fund this month. We were super excited to see that they awarded $941,000 to Professor Debbie Hay, for research into CGRP receptors and their relationship to migraine disease. The Marsden […]
Migraine 3-minute thesis winner
By Tyla Alexander I am a final year PhD student in Professor Debbie Hay’s Laboratory in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Otago. Recently, I competed in the 3-minute thesis (3MT) competition and won the University of Otago Grand Final. The aim of the competition was for us to present our […]
Twenty three survey key insight reports published
In August 2022, Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand undertook the first online survey of people with migraine in NZ (the Migraine in Aotearoa New Zealand survey). We did this because there was no information about what it was like to live with migraine in NZ, the range of treatments people were using or would like […]
New migraine questions in the next New Zealand Health Survey
A year ago in June 2022, Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand applied to the Ministry of Health to add questions about migraine to the New Zealand Health Survey, a national survey of over 13,000 adults. This month we received the positive news that questions we asked for have been included in the 2023/24 survey, and will […]
Anti-seizure medications and migraine
Even though they were developed to treat seizure disorders, anti-seizure medicines are commonly used for migraine prevention. However, they only work about half of the time and they are not easy to take, having multiple and often unpleasant side effects. Anti-seizure medicines that can be recommended for migraine prevention include topiramate (Topamax), sodium valproate (Epilim), […]
Feeling judged or misunderstood by your partner because of migraine
It’s bad enough living with a chronic neurological condition that causes unpredictable attacks of pain, nausea, fatigue and brain dysfunction for no apparent reason. It’s even worse when the people you love and live with are not supportive when these attacks happen. Migraine is one of those diseases that is commonly misunderstood, with people believing […]
New Zealand health survey data – a decade to be released
Have you ever been told by a doctor you have migraines [sic]? This is what people were asked in the 2013/14 New Zealand Health Survey, the last time the Ministry of Health collected data on the prevalence of migraine in Aotearoa New Zealand. There are some obvious problems with this question. What if you have […]
