A migraine can strike at any time and the time is never just right, because regardless of what you are doing your pain will take you away from participating and enjoying those things. With so many medications available for this chronic and painful form of headache, could your answer be something as simple as an over-the-counter drug store pick-up?
Take Some Tylenol
If you suffer from migraine headaches, you know that they are completely different than a common headache. The pain is excruciating and often debilitating. You may even need to organize your life around your pain. While your doctor can provide help, you may also try to secure some essential relief for yourself and take some preventative measures to ward off or at least lessen the severity of future attacks.
With so many different treatment options available for your migraine pain, the old favorite pain reliever, acetaminophen (Tylenol) has taken a back seat to the more powerful prescription-strength medications. A recent study looked at the effectiveness and safety of using acetaminophen for treating migraine pain; the results were pretty impressive for this old favorite. The study concluded that in adults with acute migraines, their discomfort was relieved at the same rate as those taking a prescription-strength pain reliever often used in this form of treatment. More than 50% of the participants reported being pain-free at two hours following a 100mg dose of acetaminophen. Though it is available over-the-counter, Tylenol still packs a mean “punch” in your treatment of migraine pain.
Another important comparison was that acetaminophen is relatively free of side effects and does not result in gastrointestinal bleeding that can occur when using aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Tylenol is broken down in the liver, not the kidney, and is safe to take up to 4,000 mg a day. Doctors recommend taking a 1,000mg dose at the first signs of a migraine. Should you have no relief at the two hour mark, you may need to consider your doctor prescribed medication. Acetaminophen and caffeine are active ingredients in one migraine pain reliever, so some people have found relief by simply taking their 1,000mg dose of Tylenol and sipping on a cup of coffee. Whatever route you choose, known that the risks of using acetaminophen in your migraine treatment are far less than those involved with other medications.
Tags: Acetaminophen (a.k.a. Tylenol), migraine pain, migraine relief, Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), over the counter medication, treating migraines
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