Migraine Medications Are Numerous

There are several types of migraine headache medications on the market that are designed to do multiple things. Some medications help with pain, others help to prevent the migraine headaches. Some medications can even be found over-the-counter.

Every person’s body responds differently to each type of medication. Finding out which medicine to take can be a long process. The things that doctors look at are how often a patient suffers from a migraine headache, the severity of the migraine headaches, and the degree of disability the migraine headache causes. Doctors may also look at other factors including other medical conditions.

Over-the-counter medications

Over-the-counter medications are typically takes by those who suffer from low to moderate migraine headache pain. These medications do not require a prescription. There are several name brand medications that have come out recently that have both a pain reliever and caffeine.

Acute medications

Acute medications are designed to be taken at the very beginning of a migraine headache. These will not prevent migraine headaches. They are usually ineffective if taken either too early or too late. Acute medications are also referred to as abortive treatment. These medications fall into the pain relief category.

Other medications such as triptans can be helpful to migraine headache sufferers. Triptans are able to relieve the pain, nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. Triptans can cause minimal side effects such as nausea, dizziness and muscle weakness. Common triptans that are used for helping migraine headache sufferers include Imitrex, Maxalt and Axert. Triptans are not suggested for patients who have a high risk for strokes and heart attacks.

Anti-nausea medications are helpful in treating migraine headaches. This type of medication is usually accompanied by another medication because it is only able to help control the nausea. Usually doctors prescribe medicines such as Reglan and Compro.

Ergot is sometimes used to help migraine headaches. Ergotamine and caffeine combination drugs can be effective in treating migraine headaches. They appear to be most effective in those whose pain lasts for more than 48 hours.

Opiates are also commonly used to treat migraine headaches. The opiates that are commonly used are called narcotics. Narcotics can be habit-forming and only used as a last resort. Narcotics are usually prescribed when a patient cannot take either triptans or ergot.

The last pain relief medication that can be used is called Dexamethasone. This is a corticosteroid that is typically used with other medications to improve pain relief. Dexamethasone should not be used frequently because of the risk of steroid toxicity.

Preventative medications

Preventative medications are often taken on a daily basis to reduce the severity or frequency of migraines. Many doctors consider preventative medications if their patient sufferers from two or more migraine headaches each month that are debilitating. Doctors also will consider preventative migraine headache medications if the pain relieving medications aren’t helpful or if the migraine headache include signs and symptoms include a prolonged aura or numbness and weakness.

Preventative medications are said to reduce the frequency, severity and length of migraine headaches. They may also increase the effectiveness of symptom-relieving medicines used during migraine headaches. Some doctors recommend taking preventative medications on a daily basis, while others suggest only taking them when a predictable trigger, like menstruation is approaching.

Contrary to what the name suggests, preventative medications do not eliminate all migraine headaches. Preventative medications can also cause serious side effects. In some cases, with good results or being migraine free for six months or more a doctor may begin to taper a patient off of the medication.

Cardiovascular drugs such as beta blockers are commonly used to reduce the frequency and severity of migraines.  Beta blockers are typically used to treat high blood pressure and coronary artery disease.

Antidepressants can also be used as a preventative medication. Typically doctors will use tricyclic antidepressants such as Pamelor and Vivactil. It is thought that these medications help by affecting the level of serotonin and other brain chemicals.

A third common preventative medication is anti-seizure medication. Commonly doctors use Topamax and Neurontin to help prevent migraine headaches. Doctors are not certain why these medications help, but many people take them and have fewer migraines. In high doses, these medications can cause side effects.

Most doctors have a lot of experience in treating migraine headaches. Only a healthcare professional is able to properly treat and prevent migraine headaches.

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