If you are a migraine
sufferer, then you are going to need some sort of migraine
medicine whether it is over the counter migraine medicines,
prescription migraine medicines, natural treatments
or alternative remedies. You are not going to be able
to treat your
migraine
headaches without some help. The goal of migraine
medicines is to reduce the frequency, severity and duration
of your migraine headaches. Whether you choose a preventative
strategy or a
pain-relieving
migraine strategy depends on the frequency and severity
of your migraine headaches as well as how much disability
such headaches cause and if you have any other medical
conditions.
Medicine for migraines – what are available?
In a minority of migraine sufferers, it is possible
to reduce the migraines through diet changes so as
to avoid the foods and beverages that may be triggering
migraine outbreaks. There are many such foods
and beverages that could be affecting you and you
need to keep a diary so that you can monitor what
you eat and when migraine outbreaks occur. With a
bit of detective work, you can soon ascertain where
the problem lies and make the necessary adjustment
to your diet.
While other sufferers may also find it helpful to
discover what triggers their migraine attacks, they
will still need migraine
treatment to either prevent the migraines in the
first place or to treat them immediately they start.
Sometimes external factors such as the weather or
the environment are the triggers which cause the migraine
attacks and you might not have any control over such
factors. Other triggers such as stress, lack of sleep,
fluctuations in hormonal levels or allergies are not
always easy to address.
NSAIDs are helpful for early and mild migraine headaches.
NSAIDs include the drugs such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen,
naproxen and others. A recent study has concluded
that a combination of acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine
can effectively relieve the symptoms of many migraine
patients. There is an over-the-counter migraine medicine
which includes these ingredients known as Exedrin
Migraine.
The more severe or unresponsive migraine headaches
and other migraine
symptoms may need to be treated with drugs that
act on serotonin receptors in the smooth muscle surrounding
the cranial blood vessels. Serotonin will constrict
these vessels thereby relieving the migraine pain.
So drugs that can mimic serotonin will have the same
effect. Improved versions of these drugs with fewer
side effects have recently come on to the market.
They are even available in nasal sprays, injections
and rectal suppositories. These are useful for those
migraine sufferers who have vomiting as a strong symptom
and who cannot therefore take medication by mouth.
However, prescription drugs for migraines are strong
and can have side effects. They need to be carefully
monitored by your doctor to ensure you get the minimum
dosage necessary for the maximum results and the least
side effects. If you have very frequent migraines,
then your doctor will also look at prescribing preventative
medicines for migraines.
Apart from over the counter migraine medicines and
prescription migraine medicines, there are also many
natural and alternative remedies for migraines. These
are well worth investigating as many sufferers have
found them to be helpful and successful. They can
often be used as additional therapy to the migraine
medicines described earlier in this article or as
stand alone migraine treatments. It all depends on
what you find will work for you.
Migraine headaches are a primary headache disorder
with a genetic base. Those with migraines can describe
their symptoms with ease and these include hallucinations,
partial obstruction of the visual field, numbness
or tingling, vomiting, a feeling of heaviness and
of courses the migraine headaches. As there are no
diagnostic tests for migraine, your doctor will rely
solely on your description of your symptoms to diagnose
your condition. This is why keeping a diary can be
so helpful when you go to your doctor for diagnosis,
advice and migraine
relief medicine.
Go
to our Migraine and Headache Treatment page
