Teetering On The Edge

Migraine headaches are a common ailment that affects millions of individuals. When a migraine attacks it has the power to leave someone incapacitated for several days. Studies have shown that migraine prone individuals could experience migraine like symptoms for twelve days out of the month. Migraine symptoms can cause a person to teeter on the edge of misery and depression. If a migraine sufferer were to find a treatment plan and implement it he or she could see positive results bringing him or her back down from the ledge they were teetering on.

What does one do for migraine relief?

When Your Treatment Option No Longer Works

Over-the-counter medicine has its place and works wonderfully at treating some common ailments, but when it comes to severe intense migraine headaches, let’s face it there are times when over the counter medicine does not even come close to scratching the surface. When medicines such as: Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, Aleve and Ibuprofen no longer has any positive effect on the intense migraine pain being felt the need for prescription medication might be.

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

A relief of migraine symptoms can be found by the use of one of the over the counter medicines we have already mentioned earlier in this book and was briefly touched on in the paragraph above. 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 one of those medications would be the use of a prescription medication known as triptans.

What Are Triptans?

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.

Doctors will 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.

How Triptans Can Help

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 Not So Glamorous World Of Triptans

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: headaches, migraine attacks, migraine treatment, Migraines, side effects, symptoms, treating migraines, vascular headachce