Navigating Communication Barriers in Migraine Treatment: Bert B. Vargas, MD, FAHS, FAAN

WATCH TIME: 5 minutes

"It's about trying to eliminate as much of the stigma of migraine as possible, meaning that a lot of people sometimes don't realize that it is an actual disease. The more we teach people that it's not just a symptom, it's not just a bad headache, that it's actually a disease...that legitimizes the need to seek care, and to accept treatment."

According to research from a large population-based survey, approximately 50% of patients with migraine (n = 21,000) hesitated to seek treatment because of a variety of research and even fewer had received a diagnosis as well as a prescription needed for their symptoms.¹ In June 2021, Eli Lilly and Company launched the Think Talk Treat Migraine initiative to empower patients who are living with migraine and their primary care providers to have better conversations about the disease in hopes to lead to more accurate diagnosis and improved treatment.²

The program includes resources such as a Talk To Your Healthcare Provider Checklist, a new digital migraine management platform called VEGA, and education about the ID Migraine tool, which helps recognize patients with migraine through 3 questions. These questions include the following: Has a headache limited your activities any day in the last month? Are you nauseated or sick to your stomach when you have a headache? Does light bother you when you have a headache? Research has shown that if a person experiencing headaches answers yes to 2 of these questions, there is a greater than 90% chance they are living with migraine and should speak with their healthcare provider.³

Recently, Bert B. Vargas, MD, FAHS, FAAN, associate vice president of neuroscience, US Medical Affairs, Eli Lilly, sat down in an interview with NeurologyLive® to further discuss the Think Talk Treat Migraine program. In the conversation, he highlighted the complexity of the relationship between healthcare providers and migraine patients. He also talked about the main factors that contribute to the barriers that prevent effective migraine care. In addition, Vargas explained how accurate education about migraine can help improve the willingness of the patient to seek treatment and adhere to their prescribed therapies.

Learn more about the Think Talk Treat Migraine program here.

REFERENCES
1. Ashina S, Nicholson RA, Buse DC, Reed ML, Vargas B, Hutchinson S, Samaan K, Zagar A, Kim Y, Pearlman EM, Lipton RB. Identifying barriers to care-seeking, diagnosis, and preventive medication among those with migraine: results of the OVERCOME study. Headache. 2020;60(S1):127-128.
2. Lilly Launches Think Talk Treat Migraine™ to Help Improve Diagnosis and Treatment of Migraine. News Release. Lilly. Published June 17, 2023. Accessed August 14, 2023. https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lilly-launches-think-talk-treat-migrainetm-help-improve
3. Lipton RB, Dodick D, Sadovsky R, et al. A self-administered screener for migraine in primary care: The ID Migraine validation study. Neurology. 2003;61(3):375-382. doi:10.1212/01.wnl.0000078940.53438.83