Poise in the Face of Migraine, Q+A with TV Reporter Ali Warshavsky
Nov 17, 2023
It seems TV reporter Ali Warshavsky never stops… delivering live TV reports, coaching sports, and making time for the VIPs in her life! Plus, see that smile that screams authentic. It is. This is starting to sound like a LinkedIn reference, haha. I’ve known Ali for years, and those awesome posts you see on her Instagram and Facebook are legit. She’s doing all that and looking awesome.
YOU MIGHT NEVER KNOW THERE ARE DAYS WHEN HER HEAD PAIN IS OFF THE CHARTS.
We asked Ali to answer a few questions…
Q. You’re a reporter, a tennis coach AND A MIGRAINEUR… that’s a lot to handle. Do you feel like a demanding schedule contributes to migraine? Are there any aspects of your personality or lifestyle that you think make you more prone to migraines?
A. It is a lot to handle! I have seen multiple neurologists and they all have said waking up in the middle of the night to go to work is not good for migraine sufferers. Unfortunately, I am a traffic reporter so those hours aren’t going to change. I also coach tennis at night and on weekends so I probably am not getting as much sleep as I should and drinking way to much caffeine some days! I get stressed easily and hold that tension in my neck and shoulders. After writing all of this, it’s no wonder I get so many migraines
Q. I remember when we first realized we have migraines in common, we also realized we were both taking Maxalt (now gone generic as Rizatriptan). Is that still your go-to antidote? What works for you these days? Is there ever a time when Rizitriptan doesn’t touch your migraine? What do you do then?
A. I was relying on triptans so much my doctors said it was unhealthy and I was most likely experiencing rebound headaches. We tried taking blood pressure medicine and gabapentin daily to reduce the amount of migraines per week. After that didn’t help, my doctor recommended we try to get approved for Botox. It wasn’t the easiest process, I had to file for an appeal with my insurance company and prove I had tried at least three other treatment options before it finally was approved. It is also costly depending on your insurance. My neurologist told me it takes a few treatments for migraines to stop and he was right. As long as I get the injections every 12 weeks, I get 75 percent less migraines. When I get a migraine now, I take the triptan and it usually works right away. There are times where I will still get a killer migraine that lasts for days where nothing seems to work. My doctor prescribed dexamethasone for those attacks. If I take 2-4 of the strong steroid plus ketorolac and a triptan, it usually kills the migraine.
There have been times where an attack has lasted so long and was so so bad, I’ve gone to the hospital to get a cocktail of these migraine drugs intravenously.
Q. I saw you commented on our earlier blog about CGRP injections. Do you see the treatment as a good possible option for you?
A. When I moved to Raleigh my neurologist there told me to look out for this treatment. My current neurologist said it might be a good option in the future too depending on Botox cost. Luckily, Botox has worked so well for me, I am hoping that this is the treatment I stick with. Overtime, I was told I would need less treatments per year. I also plan to look into acupuncture. I like a more holistic approach.