Part Of the Process, or Adverse Event? Considering the Benefits and Potential Risks of Mindfulness-based Interventions for Migraine.

Adverse events in mindfulness-based interventions for migraine are underreported due to a lack of standardized measurement and reporting protocols. Although MBIs are increasingly used for chronic pain, including migraine, patients with migraine may be at elevated risk of experiencing adverse events, such as posttraumatic re-experiencing. The paper reviews benefits and adverse events in MBIs broadly and applies these considerations to migraine populations, highlighting the need for providers to understand which adverse events occur.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This goal of this paper is to identify the need to report adverse events (AEs) in mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for migraine and highlight conceptual issues related to their reporting. This paper reviews the benefits and AEs in MBIs broadly and considers their application to a migraine population. Due to a lack of standardized protocol for measuring and reporting, there is little published information on AEs in MBIs for migraine. Several recent trials have reported individual cases of AEs, including one instance of posttraumatic re-experiencing. The increasing popularity of MBIs in the treatment of chronic pain conditions, including migraine, makes it necessary for providers to understand which AEs occur. Patients with migraine may be at an elevated risk of experiencing AEs in MBIs.