Tips for Handling Migraines At Work

A HarrisInteractive poll conducted for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals in 2002 showed that 15 million men and women in the United States have either gone to work with a Migraine or gotten a Migraine at work. Two-thirds of those Migraineurs "struggled through" to stay at work. Dr. Jan Lewis Brandes, a headache and Migraine specialist at Vanderbilt University, says, "Many people struggle through the debilitating pain of migraine to get the job done and because they do not want to let down their co-workers."

Although more people in the U.S. suffer from Migraine than from asthma and diabetes combined, Migraine remains one of the most underdiagnosed, misunderstood, and undertreated of diseases.

Even Migraineurs don't understand the disease and realize how much help is available. The Harris poll also indicated that 61% of the respondents took over-the-counter medications or nothing at all for Migraines. Dr. Brandes emphasizes, "Migraine is a real disease, just like diabetes or high blood pressure. It is possible to keep migraine under control, and the best way to do that is to see a doctor and get effective treatment.

Doctor Brandes shared some tips she offers her patients for handling Migraine in the workplace:

• Understand that Migraine is a real disease - not just a bad headache. Migraine sufferers sometimes tend to minimize their Migraines as "just headaches," not a disease with a range of symptoms that are as debilitating as the pain itself...

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