Exploring Available Migraine Medications
Chronic migraines, as with all illnesses, need to continually be researched so better treatments and cures can be found. Yet migraine prevention is also a key in dealing with this condition. A great deal has been learned in recent years about the sorts of things that trigger these headaches, and how those triggers can be eliminated to prevent the headaches from coming. But sometimes it’s just not possible to stave them off, so it’s also been important to develop effective migraine medications. Fortunately, great strides have occurred in that area as well.
The first types of medications generally given for migraines are the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDS. These are more familiar to people as acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen. They are generally over-the-counter drugs, so people whose migraines tend to be mild can self-prescribe, and sometimes nip the headaches in the bud. Occasionally, when combined with caffeine, these can bring not just migraine relief but also relief from the nausea that tends to accompany this condition.
The next step in migraine medications is taken when more powerful drugs are needed for stronger headaches. One of the effective types of medications for mid-line headaches is the triptans. These don’t just work on the headache, but help the accompanying nausea and over-sensitivities as well. The main version of this sort of drug is Sumatriptan. Another line of migraine defense for really severe headaches can be opiates, but doctors prefer not to prescribe these if they can avoid it, to prevent potential addiction.
Other treatments involve combining different drugs as medication for migraines, so a drug like Fioricet would have butalbital (a barbiturate) with aspirin, paracetamol (acetaminophen) and caffeine. Severe headaches that don’t respond to drug treatments, called refractory migraines, are sometimes treated intravenously with drugs like Decadron, Phergan, Keppra, and so on. Intravenous treatment aims at rebalancing the internal fluids and electrolytes as well as easing the pain.
In many ways, the common migraine is not common at all, and even after years of research its origins and mechanism remain at least partly mysterious. For this reason, treatment can be somewhat hit-and-miss, and it’s not always easy for doctors to tell which migraine medications are going to have an effect on any individual’s headache. But research continues to be done, and many strides have been made. And now at least there are several available choices of treatments to try, with the hope of greater relief.
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