The pandemic is a headache and for some people, it’s causing migraines

The pandemic is a headache and for some people, it’s causing migraines

The familiar, all-consuming pain hit Kate Sosin in early May: a migraine.

As a chronic migraine sufferer who typically experienced full-blown attacks a couple of times a month, Sosin simply thought: “Here we go again.”

But the intense migraine attacks started coming more frequently, and are “eating me alive,” said Sosin, a 35-year-old reporter for the 19th, an online news organization. The Los Angeles resident, who uses they/them pronouns, now has three to four bad days a week — despite an increase in medication and regular treatment through a headache clinic.

“Since May, I’ve gotten a few small breaks, but I haven’t been able to get it under control,” they said.

Sosin isn’t alone. Headache specialists say many of their patients have reported new or worsening symptoms this year — an increase that is believed to be largely triggered by the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on stress, daily routines and access to care. Headaches are also the most common neurological symptom of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

“If you think of a pressure cooker, it’s adding more steam to the pot,” said Akhil Chhatre, an assistant professor of physical medicine, rehabilitation and neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Chhatre added that he has seen a “dramatic uptick” in both new patients and people with a history of headache disorders who say they are suffering more.

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The pandemic is a headache and for some people, it’s causing migraines

Taking care of yourself during the pandemic, from head to toe.

At the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., Amaal Starling, a headache specialist, said she has had to adjust treatment regimens for at least 50 percent of her patients who have had “significant worsening” of their symptoms.

(Some people, Starling noted, have said they are doing better given the flexibility of working or learning from home. “But that’s probably a minority of patients,” she said.)

Although there hasn’t been sufficient research into how people with headache and migraine conditions are faring during the pandemic, “it seems like the anecdotal data is telling us a story that certainly some people are suffering more,” said Linda Porter, director of the Office of Pain Policy and Planning at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

This year has been the worst year for Sosin since they began receiving treatment at a headache clinic in 2013. “Before the pandemic started, I had really hit a point where I was doing pretty well,” Sosin said. Now, though, “I’m just really, really sick all of the time.” Sosin added that their partner also has started having migraines.