Why Women Are More Likely to Suffer Migraines

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

German scientists may have finally proven a link between hormones and migraines, and why women suffer migraines at triple the rate that men do. In studies on animals and humans, researchers found that calcitonin gene-related peptides (CGRPs) increase in females during menstruation.

CGRP is a protein that binds to nerve receptors and dilates blood vessels in the brain, causing migraine pain. Several medications are now on the market that inhibit CGRP, one of the biggest innovations in migraine treatment in decades.

“This elevated level of CGRP following hormonal fluctuations could help to explain why migraine attacks are more likely during menstruation and why migraine attacks gradually decline after menopause,” says Bianca Raffaelli, MD, of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany. “These results need to be confirmed with larger studies, but we’re hopeful that they will help us better understand the migraine process.”

Raffaelli and her colleagues measured CGRP levels in the blood and tear fluid of 180 women during their menstrual cycles, and found that those who suffer from episodic migraines had significantly higher concentrations of CGRP during menstruation, when estrogen levels are low.

“This means that when estrogen levels drop immediately before the start of a menstrual period, migraine patients release more CGRP,” said Raffaelli, lead author of a study published in the journal Neurology. “This could explain why these patients suffer more migraine attacks just before and during their monthly period.”

In women who take oral contraceptives, there were hardly any fluctuations in their estrogen or CGRP levels. The same was true for postmenopausal women.

“Taking birth control pills and the end of menopause do in fact bring relief for some female migraine patients. But as our study also shows, there are women who suffer from migraine even without any hormonal fluctuations. We suspect that other processes in the body play a role in triggering attacks in those patients. After all, CGRP isn’t the only inflammatory peptide that can cause a migraine attack,” said Raffaelli.

The study also suggests that measuring CGRP levels in tear fluid is feasible and warrants further investigation, because accurately measuring CGRP in the blood is challenging due to its short half-life.

The research team now plans to study how other physical processes are influenced by the menstrual cycle, such as blood vessels and brain function. They also plan to take a closer look at CGRP levels in men of varying age groups.

Migraine affects more than 37 million people in the United States, according to the American Migraine Foundation. In addition to headache pain, migraine can cause nausea, blurriness or visual disturbances, and sensitivity to light and sound.

Cannabis-Based Drugs Risky for Older Patients with COPD

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

While many senior citizens are discovering the benefits of medical cannabis in relieving pain and other health problems, a large new study suggests caution is warranted for those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto say older adults with COPD who take prescription drugs made with synthetic cannabinoids were 64% more likely to die. The odds are even worse for elderly patients with COPD who take high-dose cannabinoids for the first time. New users had a 178% higher risk of being hospitalized for COPD or pneumonia and a 231% increased risk of death.

"Cannabinoid drugs are being increasingly used by older adults with COPD, so it is important for patients and physicians to have a clear understanding of the side-effect profile of these drugs," says lead author Nicholas Vozoris, MD, a respiratory specialist at St. Michael's and assistant professor at the University of Toronto.

"Our study results do not mean that cannabinoid drugs should be never used among older adults with COPD. Rather, our findings should be incorporated by patients and physicians into prescribing decision-making. Our results also highlight the importance of favouring lower over higher cannabinoid doses, when these drugs actually do need to be used."

The study analyzed the health data of over 4,000 older adults diagnosed with COPD who took either nabilone or dronabinol, two medications made with synthetic cannabinoids that are used to treat nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite.

The findings, published in the journal Thorax, suggest that nabilone and dronabinol may cause sedation and suppress breathing in patients whose health is already compromised by COPD, a progressive lung disease that causes difficulty breathing and chronic coughing.

"Older adults with COPD represent a group that would likely be more susceptible to cannabinoid-related respiratory side-effects, since older adults less efficiently break down drugs and hence, drug effects can linger in the body for longer,” said Vozoris.

“Cannabinoids may not be any safer to use among older adults with COPD than opioids, which are also associated with a heightened risk of respiratory- related morbidity and mortality. While further research is needed to confirm the safety profile of cannabinoid drugs among older adults with COPD, our findings should be taken into consideration in prescribing decision making in this population.”

Cannabis and Menopause

While high doses of cannabinoids may not be appropriate for older patients with COPD, many middle-aged women are using cannabis to treat symptoms of menopause.

According to a small study being presented at the annual meeting of The North American Menopause Society, over one in four women have either used or are currently using cannabis to manage menopause symptoms.

The study involved 232 female military veterans (average age of 56) living in Northern California. Over half reported hot flashes and night sweats regularly. Twenty-seven percent said they had used marijuana to help battle menopause symptoms, while another 10% said they were interested in trying cannabis.

“While the therapeutic use of cannabis by veterans is not altogether uncommon, this study is among the first to highlight veterans’ use of marijuana for this particular condition. Given cannabis’ relatively high rate of use among the women in this cohort, scientists and others would be well-advised to further explore its safety, efficacy, and prevalence among women experiencing menopause,” said Paul Armentano, Deputy Director of NORML, a marijuana advocacy group.

A 2018 survey of over 2,700 elderly patients in Israel found that medical marijuana significantly reduced their chronic pain without adverse effects. Nearly one in five patients stopped using opioid medication or reduced their dose.

Menopause Linked to Chronic Pain

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

It’s no secret that middle-aged women are far more likely than men to have chronic pain and to feel its effects more severely. A large new study tells us some of the reasons why.

VA researchers analyzed the health data of over 200,000 female veterans between the ages of 45 and 64 and found that women with menopause symptoms were nearly twice as likely to have chronic pain and multiple chronic pain diagnoses.

"Changing levels of hormones around menopause have complex interactions with pain modulation and pain sensitivity, which may be associated with vulnerability to either the development or exacerbation of pain conditions," says JoAnn Pinkerton, MD, Executive Director of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS). "This study suggests that menopause symptom burden may also be related to chronic pain experience."

Hormonal change alone wasn’t the only thing many of the women had in common. Those who were overweight, obese or had a mental health diagnosis were also more likely to have chronic pain. Eighteen percent of the female veterans had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 13 percent suffered from depression and 15 percent had anxiety.

Common changes related to menopause and aging include weight gain, decreased physical activity, impaired sleep and negative mood, which can contribute to chronic pain and are also known to affect pain sensitivity and tolerance.

“Both chronic pain and menopause symptoms are strongly and consistently associated with psychosocial factors and health risk behaviors prevalent in and after the menopause transition,” said lead author Carolyn Gibson, PhD, San Francisco VA Health Care System. “Consideration should be given to integrated approaches to comprehensive care for midlife and older women with chronic pain, such as targeted cognitive behavioral therapy coordinated with interdisciplinary care providers.”    

The study findings are published in the journal Menopause.

A large 2018 study also found a strong association between menopause and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center found that post-menopausal women with RA had a significant increase in functional physical decline. Menopause was also associated with worsening progression of the disease.  

Why Does Menopause Worsen Rheumatoid Arthritis?

By Pat Anson, Editor

A large new study is confirming what many women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) already know – menopause and hormonal changes can significantly worsen their pain and other symptoms. But it's not clear why that happens.

Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center enrolled over 8,000 women with RA – both young and old -- in their observational study. They found that post-menopausal women with RA had a significant increase in the level and rate of functional physical decline. Menopause was also associated with a worsening progression of the disease.

RA is a chronic and disabling autoimmune disease in which the body’s own defenses attack joint tissues, causing pain, inflammation and joint erosion. Women experience RA at a rate three times greater than men, have more severe symptoms and increased disability.

Previous studies have shown that women with RA experience changes in their disease during reproductive and hormonal changes. During pregnancy, women are less likely to develop RA, yet the disease is more likely to progress and flare during the post-partum period. Similarly, women who experience early menopause are more likely to develop RA compared to those who experience normal or late menopause.

Hormone levels of estrogen increase during pregnancy and decline during menopause – but the association with RA is not fully understood.

"Further study is needed as to why women with rheumatoid arthritis are suffering a greater decline in function after menopause," said the study's lead author, Elizabeth Mollard, PhD, an assistant professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

"Not only is this decline causing suffering for women, it is costly to both individuals and the healthcare system as a whole. Research is specifically needed on the mechanism connecting these variables with the eventual goal of identifying interventions that can maintain or improve function in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis."

The study is published in the journal Rheumatology.

RA affects about 1.3 million Americans and about one percent of the global population. Until the late 1990s, one in three RA patients were permanently disabled within five years of disease onset.

Although there are still no cures for RA, in recent years there has been significant improvement in treatment, with disease control now possible for many patients who receive biologic drugs. Those treatments are expensive, with some biologic therapies costing $25,000 a year.