Any migraine sufferer should know that there is hope and
help out there. Not everyone responds
to the same treatments and unfortunately there are some who do not respond well
to any treatment. But for the most part
if you work closely with your doctor you can come up with a plan to lessen the
frequency and intensity of your migraines.
Some people respond well to over the counter pain medications. These are medicines such as Excedrin
Migraine, aspirin, Tylenol and Ibuprofen.
It is important to always read the directions on medicine bottles to
make sure you are taking the medication correctly. There are also prescription drug treatment options for migraine
sufferers.
Triptans are a prescription medicine commonly used to treat
migraines. Some people do need to take
a pain medication when they are suffering a severe migraine. In addition, it is sometimes necessary to
visit your local emergency room to receive medication and IV therapy for your
migraines.
There are also many prescription drugs that are used to help
prevent migraines. These medications
include: NSAIDs, beta-blockers,
anti-convulsants, anti-depression and calcium channel blockers. Your doctor may try one or more these
medications for your treatment plan. If
one combination or medicine does not work, do not despair because there are
many that you can try.
Triggers and Migraines
Aside from taking medications, there are things you can do
to try to treat and limit your migraines.
One step is to try to identify common triggers. You may want to keep a migraine diary. Most migraine diaries include the date of a
migraine attack, the duration, what medications you took that day, what other
treatment you used for your migraine and what you ate that day.
By keeping track of your migraines you can look for
patterns. For example, does it seem
that whenever you are overly tired you have migraines? Did you have a lot of caffeine to drink many
of the days you suffered a migraine?
There are some common migraine triggers. These triggers do not affect everyone. Stress can add to other migraine triggers and result in a
migraine. Having too little or too much
sleep can be a trigger. Other common
triggers include: skipping meals,
changes in the weather, menstruation, chocolate, excessive amount of caffeine
or cigarette smoke. There are many
others as well and everyone is different.
Some of the triggers you cannot avoid while others you can
try to work with. For example, trying
getting enough sleep each night and try not to skip meals. These little things may help to cut down on
the frequency of your migraines.