A migraine headache is not something people want to endure often, though persons with chronic migraine headaches used to do just that. Now the person with a migraine has choices and medication for migraine need not just consist of a cold cloth and lavender oil or an aspirin.
Chronic migraine headaches can be debilitating and for some people – very frequent. Narcotics were an inadequate answer for a person with a migraine headache since the whole idea was to function and be pain free and any narcotic can be addictive if used in excess. This brought about a completely new line in research and new medication for migraines and new choices for those with chronic migraine headaches.
A migraine headache often shows up in adolescence and continues until around age 60 for those with chronic migraines. Most persons with migraine headaches would only have the choice of aspirin or a trip to the hospital and strong narcotics as recently as 30 years ago.
This has changed immensely though and now the thrust is toward preventing the full-blown migraine headache by avoiding triggers and using interrupting or abortive medication designed to kill the pain and stop the cycle.
Medication for migraine headaches is becoming increasingly more sophisticated and directed to the problems associated with migraine headaches.
Serotonin appears to be low in some people with chronic migraines so some abortive types of (interrupts the migraine before it grows too large) medication for migraines are Triptans, which work on the serotonin level.
This is not a narcotic nor is it an effective painkiller for other types of pain other than headache but is proving to be effective as a medication that works for migraines. Other medications used to interrupt the migraine headache are acetaminophen-isometheptene-dichloralphenazone, dihydroergotamine and ergotamine tartrate.
Sometimes a migraine will progress too far to be interrupted and in that case, palliative medications are used to help relieve the symptoms. The most obvious of course is the headache pain but nausea is another uncomfortable migraine headache symptom that is addressed by specific medication.
A prophylactic (preventative) approach to migraine headaches is taken when the migraine episodes are several times a month and interfere with the individual’s quality of life and vocation or schooling.
The migraine prevention is often a drug that has been used for another purpose but is effective in preventing chronic migraines. It is important if preventative medication is prescribed that it be taken only as directed by the physician and exactly as directed to be safe and effective.
Though options have grown immensely in what medication for headaches is available one of the most effective treatments at this time for migraine headaches is the identification and avoidance of migraine headache triggers.
With some relatively simple lifestyle changes, regular sleep patterns, moderate exercise and a proper diet many persons who experience migraines can greatly reduce the occurrence without excessive need for medication.
In more severe cases or when a migraine episode gains too much of a foothold the newer medication for migraine headaches are injectable or inhalable which increases their efficiency immensely and control the pain much more quickly.
The days when the only medication for migraine pain was aspirin and a dark room are long past and now a person who experiences migraine headaches can look forward to pain free days.
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Chronic migraine headaches are estimated to affect some 11% of the US population, and they follow a pattern with symptoms that are moderate to severe in nature. Saying there is a migraine cure, puts forth the idea that medical science understands what causes migraines precisely, and why one person is disposed to chronic migraine headaches and another is not.
Though research is progressing slowly, those facts are beyond medicine at present. There is no migraine cure, there are however treatments and preventions that can control or avoid migraine headache episodes or relieve the intensity of the migraine headache.
A migraine headache is a throbbing pain in the head that can be and often is unilateral (one sided) and it can be extremely painful as well as long lasting. The migraine headache progresses in stages with not all persons experiencing all of the stages.
The first stage is a prodome stage and the symptoms are often a change in energy level, in mood, in bowel habits, urination frequency, and sometimes sensitivity to light or sound. This is a broad spectrum of symptoms but a person with chronic migraine headaches learns to recognize this stage.
Only one in five persons with chronic migraines experiences the next stage, which is the aura. Often visual distortions, lights, black splotches or colors are present. Sometimes sounds, tastes or smells are distorted or present. Though often heard of it is not as common a symptom.
The migraine headache stage is what most persons with chronic migraine headaches experience. Only one in twenty persons who have chronic migraines avoids the pain stage. This stage is often characterized by nausea, possibly dizziness, sensitivity to light and sound in addition to the migraine headache pain.
The final migraine headache stage is recovery or Postdrome. The person may be disoriented with scalp tenderness or pain even though the headache is gone. Visual disturbances may linger and weakness or lack of coordination may continue during this stage.
A migraine headache can progress rapidly through all these stages in a matter of 3 – 4 hours or can linger for several days. It is no wonder a migraine cure is sought so avidly by those who experience migraines.
The exact reasons why a person has chronic migraines and others do not is unknown, there is ongoing research into genetic links, and research into how the trigeminal nerve in the face functions but the real answer is still out there. No one has a migraine cure, but there are treatments and means to help identify and prevent migraine headache episodes.
The most effective means thus far and the closest to a migraine cure are prophylactic medications, identification, and avoidance of migraine headache triggers. Just as the stages and symptoms of a migraine headache vary from individual to individual there are some common triggers that can help the person avoid them. As time progresses the person with chronic migraine headaches can identify more of their individual triggers.
Though not a migraine cure, acupuncture and relaxation therapy have helped some persons with chronic migraine headaches manage the symptoms and avoid triggers such as stress.
With a chronic disorder as painful and potentially disruptive as migraine headaches, the temptation to reach for the fiction of a complete migraine cure is understandable. There is no magic pill that is a cure, but there are prescription medications that can act as preventatives or help lessen the severity of an episode.
With proper attention to diet, lifestyle and with the right medication the person who experiences chronic migraine headaches can have fewer headaches and lead a fuller and more comfortable life and this is the closest thing available right now to a migraine cure.
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Although the common migraine headache is well known, it is certainly possible to have a migraine without headache and these are often called silent migraines or ocular migraines. The headache symptoms are absent in these silent migraines but other symptoms such as visual disturbance, nausea, dizziness, and visual disturbances, such as spots, waves or blotches are usually present.
Though a migraine that occurs with no headache might seem a boon to some sufferers, the symptoms that occur with a migraine and no headache can be just as debilitating as the migraine headache pain. Only about 5% of the persons who experience chronic migraines regularly have a migraine without headache. However, some 20% of migraine sufferers experience a migraine with no headache occasionally.
A simple fact is that a migraine episode is not just a headache that is medicated or suffered through and it is over, the effects are multitudinous and most migraine sufferers spend hours or even days recovering after a severe migraine whether it is with a headache or without.
The various stages of a migraine are as follows:
The prodome stage (before the headache) where many migraine patients even those who do not experience an aura recognize this stage in muscle stiffness, food cravings, irritability, or increased urination.
The next stage is called the aura for those who experience auras. Only some 20% of patients with migraines experience auras and they can manifest in visual disturbances such as spots, flashing lights or zigzags. Other types of auras might be tastes, tingling, or buzzing in the ears. Patients who have migraine headaches and those who experience migraines but without a headache can go through the aura.
The migraine headache pain is absent in those few who have migraine without headache and its attendant dizziness nausea and other side effects however the visual disturbances, aura and prodome stages can be disruptive. Instead, the migraine manifests in visual disturbances most often with dots in front of the eyes or zigzags or flashes and sometimes tingling or numbness.
If a migraine without headache is infrequent and mild then not much need be done however, it is critical that medical advice be sought before dismissing the symptoms, a migraine without headache can be difficult to diagnose for even professionals. The symptoms of a migraine without headache also can be significant of some other neurological or medical disorder and professional advice is important to distinguish a migraine from another condition.
If the migraine without headache is chronic and begins to interfere with daily life on a regular basis then sometimes the same prophylactic medications that are used for the traditional migraine headaches work for the sufferer. There are a number of medications available to help alleviate the frequency and severity of migraines. Occasionally the migraine without headache episodes is so infrequent and mild that patients with that type do not need medication.
Because the migraine without headache does not include headache pain, the patient may delay seeking medical advice or even believe the symptoms are a sign of a mental disturbance if the migraines are of sudden onset. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth and headaches are only one manifestation of a migraine.
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