Red Alert, Red Alert

 Have you ever watched one of those movies where a crisis develops and everyone starts shouting red alert, red alert? Red alert is a warning phrase that either causes on to halt what they are doing or rushes into action to prevent the crisis from worsening.  Anytime there is cause for concern one should take a step back and consider if the direction he or she is heading in is the correct one or is there a safer one to be considered.

Migraine headaches affect millions of people all across the globe and those who have been diagnosed with them often find his or her self facing the decision concerning which treatment approach he or she is going to take. Migraines if chronic in nature must be treated because if a migraine is left to run ramped the migraine sufferer could find his or herself facing three days of misery full of limitations and possible immobility. How can a migraine have such a strong effect on a person’s functionality?

The Limitations That Migraines Bring

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.  A migraine can lasts up to three days making it ever so important for migraine relief to be found.

When looking for a migraine treatment one must proceed with caution. Not every treatment prescribed for the suffering migraine patient is a safe one to delve into. Take for instance the use of triptans in treating migraine headaches.

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. Triptans consist of:

• Sumatriptan (Imitrex,      Imigran, Cinie, Illument, Migriptan)
• Rizatriptan (Maxalt),
• Naratriptan (Amerge,      Naramig)
• Zolmitriptan (Zomig)
• Eletriptan (Relpax)
• Elmotriptan (Axert,      Almogran)
• Frovatriptan (Frova,      Migard, Frovamig)
• Avitriptan

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. The most commonly used triptan and the one with the longest use history would be Sumatriptan. Sumatriptan can be taken orally, by injection or through inhalation.

Doctors do not go around prescribing triptans for everyone complaining that they suffer from migraines. Triptans are typically only prescribed to migraine sufferers that experience moderate to severe migraine pain and even then other forms of migraine treatment will be discussed and ruled out before a doctor will recommend or suggest a triptan.  If used correctly, Triptans will reduce the amount of pain felt and increase in its effectiveness. Triptans should be administered when the early signs and symptoms of a migraine begin to be felt. Taking one after the pain has settled in will reduce the effectiveness and increase the chances for side effects as well as a migraine relapse.

The Down Side

Triptans have been useful in the treatment of migraine pain, however there are a few risks involved that those considering treating their migraines with triptans ought to be aware of. The most common side effects associated with triptans are but not limited to:

• Drowsiness
• Facial Reddening
• Fatigue
• Tightening In The Chest
• Tightening In The Throat
• Dizziness

The role Triptans play in releasing migraine pain is due to the affect triptans have on the restriction of blood vessels or the narrowing of 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 narrowing resulting in a heart attack or stroke.

Even if you consider yourself a healthy individual, be aware that if your doctor is considering prescribing triptans to help with your migraine pain he or she might prescribe a full body evaluation first in order to insure that everything is ok physically before he or she gives a green light on using triptans.

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