Changing Your Mind About Migraine Treatments

Whenever you have been diagnosed with a chronic condition like migraine headaches, you have to make certain lifestyle changes in order to maintain a level of balance which will help your environment to be conducive to healing from the condition. Some activities that you used to participate in might now cause you pain and agony. For example, hang gliding might be good for you if you are triggered by bright sunny days. Also other environments, not activities, might need to be adjusted as well like not passing through the perfume section at the department store. Another change is a mental change of accepting change because change is going to happen whether you want it to or not. Be flexible with you migraine treatment plan; don’t have your heels dug in as you search for the right migraine treatment option that will give you the best results.

Triptan On Drugs

Triptans are a collection of tryptamine-based drugs. Tryptamine is a monoamine alkaloid that can be found in certain vegetation such as plants, fungi and animals. Triptans are used as a tool to prevent migraines from being successful in completely immobilizing an individual. Because of triptans unique ability to attach to the serotonin receptors on the blood vessels and the surrounding nerves, they can help reduce and in some cases completely stop migraine headaches from occurring. Ergots are similar to triptans in that they too constrict blood vessels, the difference is that triptans tend to constrict blood vessels in the brain whereas ergots are known to restrict blood vessels more in the heart and other parts of the body making them not nearly as safe of a treatment as triptans.

If you are being encouraged to use a prescription medication as the main source of migraine treatment, be sure you know all the adverse side effects and remain under the care and supervision of a medical professional. Triptans work at relieving migraine pain by restricting the blood vessels or by narrowing them to prevent them from enlarging and creating migraine pain. Though narrowing is part of their job, it can also have a reverse effect by not only narrowing the arteries in the head but also create a narrowing of the arteries in the heart. This becomes increasingly dangerous for those individuals that have already experienced some form of coronary narrowing. The narrowing caused by the triptans could lead to further thinning initiating a heart attack or stroke.

Throughout The Process

Migraine headaches are not really headaches but are in fact a neurological condition that develops in the brain. When a migraine is in the early stages, the blood vessels in the brain begin to enlarge and or expand causing intense pain in the head that resembles a pounding or throbbing. The pain of a migraine is felt unilaterally which means it is felt on one side of the head right above the eye. As the blood vessels in the brain expand, they begin to release a harmful chemical into the brain; the released chemical then attacks with fierceness the brain’s arteries creating a whole slew of migraine symptoms to unleash and inflict misery on the migraine patient. The symptoms build and build until the blood vessels return to their original size and the arteries are no longer affected by the attacking chemical.

Supplements And Other Therapies

Alternate therapies for migraine treatment include massage therapy, biofeedback, and acupuncture as well as chiropractic manipulation. These therapies have been proven in many clinical trials to be highly successful as migraine treatment options for both the prevention of and often times the complete elimination of migraine attacks all together. Another important therapy is the use of supplements to combat the migraine symptoms. Some of the most commonly used supplements for the prevention and treatment of migraines are Magnesium, Vitamin B, Coenzyme Q10, as well as 5-Hydroxytryptophan. Supplements have come a long way in the last decade and there are many clinical studies proving that they are highly successful and beneficial as alternative migraine treatments. Vitamin B2 is an excellent preventative for migraine treatment and studies have shown that it can actually reduce the frequency and severity of a migraine. Coenzyme Q10 has been shown to have beneficial effects for migraine sufferers. 5-hydroxytryptophan is an amino acid, which is made by the body from tryptophan; it is then converted into serotonin which is an important brain chemical. Serotonin has been proven to reduce the frequency as well as the severity of a migraine attack by decreasing the constriction and dilation of blood vessels in the brain which can lead to migraines.

Tags: herbal supplements, Migraine Medications, Migraine Support Formula, Prescription medication, side effects, Triptans