Not So Miniscule

Minor aches and pains are an everyday occurrence but there are those aches and pains that are not so minuscule and the pain can knock a person off his or her feet for several days. Those individuals that suffer from intense chronic migraines know firsthand how monumental a migraine attack can be. For those that have never experienced such an intense headache such as a migraine, it is difficult to imagine just how painful one can be. A migraine headache is more than just an excuse to get out of responsibilities for a day, migraine headaches are in truth a chronic neurological disorder. A migraine headache is caused by an enlargement of blood vessels that creates a series of chemicals to be released and attack arteries in the brain. Once the chemicals have been released to wreak their havoc, the enlarging of the arteries begins to send painful symptoms that only magnifies until the arteries have stopped expanding or migraine relief has been found.

Blinding Pain
The pain associated with a migraine headache is so intense that a person becomes increasingly sensitive to light and sound which in return leaves them unable to function in an environment where light and noise are common occurrences. The increased sensitivity to light and sound makes it a challenge for one suffering from a migraine headache to function in their workplace effectively, when all they desire is a nice quiet dark place to lie down until the throbbing stops and sanity returns. The development of a migraine has multiple effects on a person and his or her productivity.
A persons need to escape to a dark and quiet place while being inflicted with a migraine headache could be due to the sympathetic nervous system in the body being activated. The desires, feelings that come naturally to humans as part of their natural way of dealing or coping with stress and pain is often associated with one’s sympathetic nervous system. Once the sympathetic nervous system has been activated, symptoms begin to develop that hinder one’s functionality at home and work.

Treatment Solutions To Consider
Migraine treatments are the answer to migraine relief. Without a known cure, migraine treatment is the only source of relief that a migraine sufferer could experience so it is crucial that the migraine patient be made aware of what treatments are available for his or her choosing. Below are just a few treatment options that the migraine sufferer can discuss with his or her medical professional in order to help narrow down the treatment options.

• Over The Counter Medicines
o Acetaminophen (a.k.a. Tylenol)
o Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• Prescription Medications
o Antidepressants
o Antiseizure Medicine
o Blood Pressure Pills
o Triptans
o Ergots
• Natural Treatments
o Chiropractic Care
o Acupuncture
o Massage Therapy
o Herbal Supplements

Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen is often taken to help reduce mild pain such as: headaches, backaches, muscle aches toothaches and even mild cold symptoms. Acetaminophen is a pain reliever that relieves pain by changing the way the body feels pain by lowering the body temperature. Caution needs to be had when taking Acetaminophen, if taken in large doses over a long period of time damage can be caused to the liver and the kidneys.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID)
NSAID is typically used in conditions where chronic pain is felt. The purpose of NSAID is to relieve pain where inflammation has occurred. There are two forms of NSAID:

1. Aspirin – examples of over the counter medication that have aspirin would be:
a. Aleve
b. Motrin
c. Advil
2. Non-aspirin – examples of non-aspirin over the counter pills would include:
a. Ibuprofen
b. Motrin IB

Prescription Medication
It is important that migraines sufferers realize that medication prescribed for migraine relief is not a cure for migraine headaches themselves but are used for one of two purposes:

1. Relieve Symptoms
2. Prevent Attacks

Keep in mind that no prescription medication can prevent a migraine 100% but there are those prescription medications available that can help reduce the number of migraine attacks experienced as well as lessen the level of pain felt by the migraine sufferer. Prescription medication should be one of the last treatments tried in helping relieve migraine headaches; however, until recent years, migraine sufferers had very few options in relieving their migraine pain.

Tags: Acetaminophen (a.k.a. Tylenol), migraine pain, migraine relief, Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), over the counter medication, treating migraines