Avoiding The Mishaps Of Medication When It Comes To Migraine Treatment

Migraine treatment can be very confusing because of the many different options that are available to the individual who suffers from migraine headaches and their symptoms. Many times migraine sufferers will just take the word of the physician treating them and go with the first form of migraine treatment that is suggested because all the migraine sufferer wants is relief. Often times the form of migraine treatment that physicians will recommend include prescription medications that are either considered to fall into two categories, either abortive or preventive migraine treatment medicines. Some of these commonly prescribed medications include Triptans, Ergots, Opiates, Dexamethasone, Prophylactic Medications, as well as Anti-nausea medications to help treat the autonomic symptoms of a migraine. While there are exceptions to any rule where these medications are a needed thing, for the majority of patients these medications can cause negative side effects or become habit forming. All the migraine sufferer really wants is to find a form of migraine treatment that will provide them relief and prevention of future attacks without any of the negative “extras” that might come along with the commonly prescribed medications.

A Few of the Commonly Used Medications
• Triptans – are probably the most commonly used form of prescription migraine treatment. The main goal of using Triptans for migraine treatment is to reduce the pressure that is related to migraines by compressing the blood vessels and helping to upset the process which leads to the migraine by interrupting the system of chemicals that can cause pain or irritation to the nerves which cause migraine in the first place. Triptans are a collection of tryptamine-based medicines that go by common names such as Sumatriptan, Rixatriptan, Zolmitriptan, Electriptan, Elmotriptan, Naratriptan, Avitriptan, as well as Frovatriptan. The negative side effects that are common among Triptan users is drowsiness, fatigue, facial reddening, tightening in the throat, tightening in the chest, and even dizziness. Additionally, because Triptans work to achieve migraine treatment by narrowing the blood vessels this form of medications can be very dangerous for individuals with coronary narrowing to take because Triptans narrow all blood vessels, not just those in the brain and head.
• Ergots – are used similarly as Triptans for the use of migraine treatment because they also constrict blood vessels. The difference is that Ergot’s are much more likely than Triptans to constrict the blood vessels in the the heart and other parts of the body making them much less safe for the use of migraine treatment. Negative side effects of Ergots present as vomiting, nausea, as well as contractions in the uterus (which makes them extremely unsafe for pregnant women).
• Opiates – are medications for migraine treatment that contain narcotics, specifically codeine, which are used commonly when migraine sufferers cannot use Triptans or Ergots for treatment. However because of the narcotics Opiates can be extremely habit forming and are usually only used as a last resort.
• Dexamethasone – less commonly used for migraine treatment, Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid that can be combined with other medications to improve pain relief. However, there is a risk of steroid toxicity when Dexamethasone is used and should not be used frequently.
• Prophylactic Medications – these medications used for migraine treatment can be somewhat helpful in reducing migraine occurrences and are considered “preventative” forms of migraine treatment. The most commonly used Prophylactic medications for migraine treatment include the use of Beta Blockers, Calcium Channel Blockers, Antisertonin Agents, Anticonvulsants, and Tricyclic Antidepressants.
• Anti-Nausea Medications – commonly used anti-nausea medications for migraine treatment include the use of metoclopramide (also known as Reglan) or prochlorperazine (also known as Compro), these specific medications treat the nausea that commonly occurs as a symptom of migraines.

Alternative Options
Reading some of the commonly used prescription medications that are used for migraine treatment as well as some of the side effects and habit forming tendencies that they can cause can be nearly depressing to the chronic migraine sufferer. However, migraine sufferers who are seeking to find migraine treatment should be aware of the many other options for providing relief that are out there. Some of the options for migraine treatment that should be explored are the use of supplemental therapy, chiropractic care, massage therapy, physical therapy, biofeedback, occupational therapy, and even acupuncture.

Tags: Acupuncture, Alternative treatment, chiropractic care, herbal supplemetns, migraine treatment, Migraines, natural alternative, therapy