A migraine headache can come at just about any time and the pain that it brings is often more than enough to disrupt the daily life of the victim. Deep throbbing pain in the head, sensitivity to light and noise, as well as nausea and anxiety are among the symptoms of a migraine that can make work insufferable and driving dangerous. Migraines are a serious problem for many people, particularly women.
There is no long-term cure for migraine headaches. People who experience migraine headaches have two choices for treatment – alleviating the pain when it occurs and doing what they can to prevent future headaches. Anyone suffering from migraine headaches should consult with a physician for guidance.
Medications for Migraine Treatment
The most distressing symptom of the migraine is the pain. Migraine pain usually appears in one part of the head and is characterized by its throbbing and intensity. Unlike a common tension headache, the pain from a migraine headache can easily be strong enough to make normal daily activities impossible.
In order to alleviate the migraine pain, the sufferer may be prescribed a pain reliever. The most common pain reliever prescribed for migraine treatment is the Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory. There are a wide variety of these pain killers, and some of them such as ibuprofen are available over the counter. Long-term use of NSAIDs have been known to cause intestinal problems in some patients, so if the sufferer experiences any sort of stomach or digestive problems he should consult his doctor immediately.
For more severe and frequent migraine attacks, the patient may be prescribed a class of drugs known as triptans. These drugs not only relieve the pain associated with a migraine headache, they also address nausea and sensitivity to light and noise. There are several different types of triptans available by prescription as well as a combination medicine known as Treximet which is a combination of sumatriptan and naproxen sodium.
Other medications that are prescribed to relieve migraine symptoms include anti-nausea drugs, mild sedatives, and combination drugs that combine the medicines found in any of the above listed medications. Any medicine can produce side effects that may be worse than the condition they are used to prevent, therefore a migraine sufferer should only take medicines as prescribed by a physician.
Medications for Migraine Prevention
For frequent sufferers of migraine headaches, the doctor may use medications in an attempt to reduce the frequency and severity of the headaches. Because migraine triggers are different for each individual, and what causes one person to have a migraine is difficult to determine, several different types of medication may be tried.
Medicines that are used to treat coronary artery disease and high blood pressure conditions are often used to help prevent migraine attacks. These medications are known to have side effects such as dizziness and nausea. These medications help reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches, but do not eliminate the problem completely.
Some anti-depressants may be used in migraine treatment. The anti-depressants used for migraine treatment are known as tricyclics and do not include the well known anti-depressants such as Prozan or Zoloft. These tricyclics help reduce the levels of serotonin present in the brain which has been shown to be an effective migraine treatment. However, tricyclics have more possible side effects such as drowsiness, blurred vision, weight gain and many others.
Less commonly prescribed drugs for migraine treatments include anti-seizure drugs such as Topamax, the anti-histamine Cyproheptadine, and Botox. Most of these drugs are used in special cases and are not considered front line migraine treatment medications.
Responsible Drug Use
Because of the prevalence of prescription drugs in today's society, particularly in regards to prescription pain killers and anti-depressants, a migraine sufferer may be tempted to medicate herself. However using a prescribed drug to treat a condition it was not specifically prescribed for is not only dangerous but in many cases illegal. A migraine sufferer should only take medications prescribed by a physician as part of her migraine treatment program.
Article sources:
Mayo Clinic. "Migraine Treatment and Drugs" (accessed August 5, 2010).
National Library of Medicine. "Migraine" (accessed August 5, 2010).
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. "Migraine Information Page" (accessed August 5, 2010).
Eric Summers - Eric Summers is a freelance writer and software quality assurance analyst from Southern Indiana. Summers has been writing for over 20 ...
