Using a Headache Registry to Tailor Treatment Decisions, Long-Term Goals of Patients: Andrea Synowiec, DO

WATCH TIME: 5 minutes

"We have all these new attack medicines now, and now we have even more preventatives. What does it look like when we overlay these therapies together? Are we sure that we’re being helpful? Are there certain combinations that could work better than others?”

In 2018, the explosion of a brand-new migraine medication class, calcitonin-gene related peptide monoclonal antibodies, changed the treatment landscape for headache specialists. While it was a testament to how much the field had advanced, it left clinicians with several questions on how to optimally use and prescribe these medications, especially when used concomitantly. To gather information on treatment outcomes, along with several other quality of life measures, Allegheny Health Network’s Headache Center created a Headache Registry.

In the short time since its creation, it has helped clinicians make more rational treatment decisions, which has led to fewer long-term detrimental effects and wastes of cost. Andrea Synowiec, DO, assistant director of the center, believes this type of widespread data collection is pivotal for the field during a time in which experts continue to become more familiar with newer therapeutics.

In an interview with NeurologyLive®, Synowiec discussed why having a bank of data, along with personal experience, can help change the way clinicians view and treat patients with migraine. She also provided insight on the most notable discussions taking place among experts, and the questions that remain with these new therapeutics.