Behavioral treatment for migraines a cost-effective alternative to meds

July 5, 2011

Science Daily/University of Mississippi Medical Center

A cost analysis of migraine treatments comparing pharmaceuticals to well-documented behavioral approaches such as relaxation training, hypnosis and biofeedback found behavioral treatments often come out cheaper, particularly after a year or more.

The most expensive behavioral treatment method -- individual sessions with a psychologist in clinic -- cost more than pharmacologic treatment with $6-a-day drugs in the first months. But at about five months, individual sessions become competitive. After a year, they are cheaper than all methods except treatment with drugs costing 50 cents or less a day.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110705123623.htm