For the first time, Monica Seles, one of the world’s most accomplished women’s tennis players, is sharing her story about her toughest opponent, migraine headaches, as part of a nationwide educational initiative. The campaign called Acing Migraine Pain, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, is designed to help raise awareness of the condition and encourage those who may be suffering from frequent severe headaches to seek diagnosis for what could actually be migraines, an often debilitating condition.
“I suffered for several years with what I thought were just stress or tension headaches. There were times when I had to miss practices — and even pull out of a couple of tournaments — because the pain and sensitivity to sunlight were unbearable,” said Monica Seles. “There were people who couldn’t understand how a headache could be so disabling and thought I just didn’t want to play tennis that day.”
Although 28 million Americans suffer from migraines, under-diagnosis and misdiagnosis of the condition remains a problem. In fact, it is estimated that as many as 14 million people who have migraines have never been diagnosed by a physician.
About Migraines: Why You May Find Yourself on the Sidelines
Migraine is an often debilitating condition that can lead to missed days at work, lost time with family and friends, and a disrupted daily routine. The disorder is characterized by symptoms including moderate to severe headache pain, throbbing head pain on one side of the head, head pain aggravated by routine activity, nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. Left untreated, migraine attacks can last up to 72 hours.
“Too often, people with migraines mistake their pain for stress or tension headaches or sinus pressure,” said Dr. Jan Lewis Brandes, Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “Because migraine can present itself in various ways, receiving an accurate diagnosis from a healthcare professional and getting appropriate treatment is critical. The good news is, if you’re diagnosed with migraines, there is a class of migraine-specific medications called triptans, like Imitrex® (sumatriptan succinate) that a physician can prescribe, which can offer patients very positive results.
“When I was finally diagnosed with migraines, the doctor prescribed Imitrex. Now, I take my medicine when I feel a migraine coming on and I get the relief I need,” added Seles.
Monica Seles: Acing Migraine Pain
Monica will be making appearances throughout 2004 to share her personal story and to motivate others to ‘ace migraine pain’. “I hope by talking about my struggle with this condition, other people suffering from frequent bad headaches will recognize their symptoms as part of a real medical condition and see a doctor to get the proper diagnosis and treatment,” said Seles.
About Imitrex
Imitrex® tablets are now available in a formulation designed to rapidly dissolve in the stomach*. The new tablets contain the same active ingredient and provide the same proven efficacy and safety profile of the conventional Imitrex tablets with an innovative technology for rapid dissolution of the product in the stomach.
The rapid-release technology of Imitrex tablets works differently from oral disintegrating tablets, also known as oral melts, which dissolve on the tongue. New Imitrex tablets, which replace the old tablets, are swallowed whole with water like conventional tablets, dissolve quickly, and can be taken at the first sign of migraine pain for effective relief.
If the diagnosis is migraine with or without aura, then migraine-specific prescription therapies, like Imitrex, are available for the acute treatment of migraine attacks without drowsiness. Imitrex was the first prescription drug in a class of drugs called triptans to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the acute treatment of migraine in adults. Imitrex has treated more than 646 million migraines over the last decade, equal to treating a migraine headache every second.
Patients should not take Imitrex if they have certain types of heart disease, history of stroke or TIAs, peripheral vascular disease, Raynaud syndrome, or blood pressure that is uncontrolled. Patients with risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or are a smoker, should be evaluated by a doctor before taking Imitrex. Very rarely, certain people, even some without heart disease, have had serious heart related problems. Patients who are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications should talk to their doctor.
About The Sponsor
“Monica Seles: Acing Migraine Pain” is sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline. GlaxoSmithKline, with U.S. operations in Philadelphia and Research Triangle Park, N.C., is one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies. The company is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.
Please consult full prescribing information available at www.Imitrex.com or by calling Robin Gaitens at GlaxoSmithKline at (919) 483-2839.
Relationship between dissolution and efficacy has not been established.