Migraine treatment has come to mean many different things in recent years. Of course in the long run it means trying to eliminate the illness altogether if possible, by finding its causes and somehow getting rid of them. But for most people, it means something along the lines of migraine management, which involves not just the taking of drugs when a headache arrives, but also finding the things that might trigger one’s own migraines, and trying to avoid them.
But when the headache strikes, steps need to be taken to bring relief, which is where some migraine drugs enter the picture. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, can help to some degree, though they work only with mild migraines. A group of drugs known as triptans have a better effect as a treatment for migraines, although they too have some limitations and may not work as well with extreme headaches. When heavy duty treatment is needed, doctors may combine medications, such as barbiturates, acetylsalicylic acid (i.e. Aspirin) and caffeine. A Sumatriptan/Naproxen Sodium combination has recently been shown to be very effective.
Migraine treatment is sometimes rather an odd process, perhaps because so many of the symptoms themselves are unusual. No one, for example, would normally expect caffeine to be both a trigger for the headaches and then a potential relief for them. Yet that appears to be the actual case. While caffeine can worsen the widening of blood vessels in the brain that is part of the headache, it can then turn around once the headache is there, and help the stomach absorb medication more quickly. Meanwhile, another odd treatment is botox injections in the scalp. This doesn’t eliminate the causes of the migraine, but prevents tension in the scalp from contributing to the severe headache.
Migraine specialists often tend to think in terms of medical solutions alone, but many people also swear by herbal migraine remedies, such as feverfew or Coenzyme Q10 supplements. The latter has been acknowledged, even by strictly medical practitioners, as something that has been shown to help. The person who is afflicted with a migraine might not particularly care where their migraine treatment comes from, just so long as it does something to ease their condition. Medical or herbal, wherever a cure or effective treatment can be found, it’s all good.
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Diseases, Conditions and Treatments • November 13th, 2009 •