Hudson Valley Health

Overwhelmed with headache pain?
The Headache Clinic at Middletown Medical can help! It is the first in Orange County and the surrounding area. Approximately 3.2 million people in the U.S. have chronic migraines, though some 80 percent of them have never been diagnosed as having the disease. The World Health Organization ranks migraine as the 19th most disabling disease. Women are three times as likely as men to suffer from migraines, which may also be linked to depression and anxiety.

Uri Napchan, MD, is the Director and joins Middletown Medical from Montefiore Medical Center’s Headache Clinic, the first of its kind in the world. He is board certified in both neurology and pain medicine. He is also certified in headache medicine. He has been a guest lecturer on topics in headache medicine and has published numerous articles and studies. “I look forward to helping those with chronic, severe headaches and migraines find relief. I approach every patient individually and tailor a specific plan to help alleviate their pain.”, states Dr. Napchan.

For optimal headache management, a Headache Clinic is the best option. Through his specialized training and experience, Dr. Napchan is able to help individuals determine what types of headaches they are having and use that information to reduce the burden and effects of their headaches. He can help identify potential causes or ‘triggers’ to significantly reduce the number of headaches and possibly the severity. The goal is to improve an individual’s quality of life through medication management, lifestyle changes and preventative measures.
There are treatments available that help many people. One option is medications either for acute use, such as triptans specifically used for the treatment of headaches, intravenous medications or preventative medications to avoid future pain. There are also nerve blocks and trigger point injections to alleviate the pain and help prevent it from recurring on a temporary basis. A relatively new treatment is Botox injections for chronic migraines. Recently, federal health officials approved the wrinkle-smoothing injection Botox for the treatment and prevention of chronic migraine headaches in adults.

A headache clinic is not for everyone. If you have a new type or a change in your headache then this may be an emergency situation and a visit to the emergency department is warranted.