Varieties of Migraine Treatment
Migraine treatment has come to mean many different things in recent years. Of course in the long run it means trying to eliminate the illness altogether if possible, by finding its causes and somehow getting rid of them. But for most people, it means something along the lines of migraine management, which involves not just the taking of drugs when a headache arrives, but also finding the things that might trigger one’s own migraines, and trying to avoid them.
But when the headache strikes, steps need to be taken to bring relief, which is where some migraine drugs enter the picture. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, can help to some degree, though they work only with mild migraines. A group of drugs known as triptans have a better effect as a treatment for migraines, although they too have some limitations and may not work as well with extreme headaches. When heavy duty treatment is needed, doctors may combine medications, such as barbiturates, acetylsalicylic acid (i.e. Aspirin) and caffeine. A Sumatriptan/Naproxen Sodium combination has recently been shown to be very effective.
Effective migraine treatment can sometimes come from unexpected things. For example, even though caffeine is supposed to be avoided as a potential trigger before the headache arrives, it is then often taken to try to remove the worst effects of the headache once it’s finally on the scene. Oddly enough, it actually helps the stomach process medications more quickly. And who knew that botox injections in the scalp might help with migraines as well? It’s not well known, but a tension headache can sometimes turn into a migraine, so whatever can help reduce that tension might work against the migraine.
Migraine specialists often tend to think in terms of medical solutions alone, but many people also swear by herbal migraine remedies, such as feverfew or Coenzyme Q10 supplements. The latter has been acknowledged, even by strictly medical practitioners, as something that has been shown to help. The person who is afflicted with a migraine might not particularly care where their migraine treatment comes from, just so long as it does something to ease their condition. Medical or herbal, wherever a cure or effective treatment can be found, it’s all good.
Beth Kaminski is a leading expert in the anxiety or panic attacks and has been publishing lots of information on the best anxiety attack medications for years now.
Tags: Health, nutrition, exercise
