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MEDIZIN
of gender. ”However, inventing excuses or
hiding the disease definitely does not lead to
anything, except for stress and tension. That
alone can lead to migraine attacks – so it is
not a solution. Nevertheless, Mehmet also
knows that it takes a lot of courage to do
this. As such, he wants to encourage other
men to be open about their migraines.
What does the
neurologist say?
NEW THERAPY BROUGHT RELIEF
In the summer of 2019, his neurologist
started a new treatment for him, the so-called
migraine injection, an antibody therapy.
A real life changer! “The change was really
phenomenal and I'm not exaggerating. Already
after the first injections I started to see
improvements,” says Mehmet. The first five
injections of the antibody therapy were given
to him in the neurological practice, after
which he was able to inject the drug himself
– similar to diabetes.
With this therapy, his pain has decreased
significantly. The pressure and stinging in the
neck as well as the speech disorders are still
there, but the unbearable pain is contained.
The number of days on which he has attacks
has also decreased significantly. Now he
only gets around six to eight attacks a
month. "That is a clear relief for me," he says.
DO MEN NOT SUFFER?
There is a common misconception that one
can’t complain about migraines as to get
through this extreme pain you have to be
"a tough guy", regardless of gender.
“I'm generally a very open person
and personally have no problems
talking about it. I stand by the
migraines,” says Mehmet. “I also
advise other people affected to
deal openly with the disease.
After all, migraines are serious
illnesses that should be
recognized. Men are also allowed
to accept help and proactively
ask for support. Every step
you take forward can be the right
one." (red,mb)
Dr. med. Astrid Gendolla,
specialist in neurology with
an additional qualification
in special pain therapy and
psychotherapy with her
own practice in Essen.
www.praxis-gendolla.de
Does migraine appear differently in
men than in women?
„No. In general, the symptoms (such
as headache worsening depending
on movement) and optionally the
accompanying symptoms are the
same in men and women.“
Are men more likely to shy away
from seeking medical help for
migraines?
“There are gender-specific differences
in the extent to which doctors
are consulted. In general, migraines
are still perceived as a “women‘s”
disease – the gender ratio here is 1:3.
Epidemiological data also support
this thesis. In families, mothers
have migraines more often, so the
family ascription is more aimed at
women... When men wake up on Saturdays
with a headache, they first
think of the previous evening as the
cause and less of a „real“ migraine.
But vice versa, some doctors certainly
do not think of the diagnosis
„migraines“ when a man introduces
himself to them as a patient with a
headache.“
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