Your doctor can assist in finding the most effective medications and therapies to address your migraines.
Maintain a headache diary to better understand your triggers for headaches. Some common examples may include lack of sleep, certain smells (e.g. perfume or gasoline), changes in barometric pressure or certain foods or food additives that trigger them.
Over-the-Counter Medications
Migraine medications provide relief from pain and other symptoms associated with migraine attacks, including light and sound sensitivity. There are acute remedies (used during an attack) as well as preventive ones (taken to reduce or stop future attacks).
Triptans, which narrow blood vessels in the brain to block pain signals and stop transmission, are among the most effective medications to manage migraine attacks. Examples include sumatriptan (Imitrex), nizatidine and dihydroergotamine (Migranal, Trudhesa), while nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs such as aspirin or ibuprofen) also help but don’t reduce their frequency.
Anti-emetics provide relief for nausea, a common migraine symptom. You can either take orally or take injections as necessary. Some herbs and vitamins, like feverfew and butterbur, have also been thought to prevent migraine. Riboflavin and coenzyme Q10 supplements may also be helpful. Greater occipital nerve blocks have shown promise as possible treatments; however these are still experimental and not widely available.
Complementary and Alternative Therapies
There are a range of natural treatments that may help alleviate headaches, including acupuncture, herbal therapies, massage therapy, yoga and diet changes. While research on some methods remains limited, preliminary data does indicate some promise.
Many migraines are brought on by stress; therefore, alternative treatments that aim to lower it such as meditation and biofeedback could help ease headaches. You may find help from the psychology, psychiatry or integrative medicine departments of most medical centers for learning these relaxation techniques.
Some complementary and alternative medicine therapies may not be appropriate for all individuals, so it’s always a good idea to consult your physician before trying anything new. A recent study concluded that acupuncture was effective; however, high velocity chiropractic manipulation techniques can increase cervical dissection risk, so should be avoided by migraineurs with neck pain. Furthermore, daith piercings carry some risk of infection; more research needs to be conducted before these can be recommended to migraine sufferers.
Lifestyle Changes
An active lifestyle can significantly decrease migraine attacks. Your doctor can suggest activities which could aid your condition. Examples may include:
Maintaining a regular sleep and exercise schedule and limiting exposure to caffeine-containing products, can all help mitigate or lessen migraine episodes. Recording headaches using a diary may also prove helpful.
Staying hydrated by drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day may also help prevent migraines; skipping meals may trigger migraines; so strive to eat six small meals and healthy snacks such as sliced fruit, almonds or roasted chickpeas throughout the day and have healthy snacks like these handy. Furthermore, limit alcohol consumption since this too can act as a trigger.
Talk to Your Doctor
Migraines can be excruciatingly painful. To manage them effectively, many find the best approach is working closely with a doctor in order to prevent attacks and decrease duration and severity.
Doctors understand the precise cause of migraine is unknown, though genetic and abnormal brain activity play a part in its formation. Migraines typically come on after lack of sleep, caffeine intake or stress as well as flashing lights, smells or certain foods which could trigger it; alcohol use, weather changes or low barometric pressure may also increase risk.
Migraines can be prevented and treated with medication. A doctor may recommend nerve stabilizers like gabapentin or topiramate, or calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors which block headache-causing chemicals in the brain. Migraine patients frequently find relief in taking preventive medications regularly – keeping track of symptoms using a diary can help advocate for themselves and find care they require.
