Migraines can be disabling, making daily tasks impossible. However, there are chronic migraine solutions you can employ to lessen both frequency and severity of headaches.
NSAIDs (over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin) can be effective at relieving pain. Triptans such as sumatriptan (Imitrex(r) and Onzetra(r) have been found to shorten migraine attacks while helping prevent future attacks.
1. Trigger-Related Therapy
Maintaining a diary of triggers can help identify and minimize what causes migraines. Common triggers include caffeine, alcohol and bright lights (known as photophobia). People may have specific foods or beverages they know trigger their migraines – it is wise to keep a record in your diary.
Preventive medicine can help decrease both how often and the severity of headaches. Your GP can prescribe four main preventive treatments: amitriptyline, antidepressants, calcium channel blockers and Candesartan for blood pressure relief.
Treat both head pain and the cause of migraine with equal importance, including discussing stress management techniques with your GP. Successful treatments may help some chronic migraine sufferers go into remission; others will continue living with the condition throughout their lives; it is important not to lose sight of how chronic migraine can be managed and its serious impact.
2. Relaxation Techniques
Relaxation techniques can help to soothe your nervous system when activated by external or internal stimuli, like hormone fluctuations, lack of sleep or experiencing stressful situations. Doing so may prevent migraines and make them less frequent.
Mindful meditation and deep breathing exercises can be effective ways to reduce stress and promote feelings of calm. A meditation app may be an easy way to begin practicing these techniques or consult your healthcare provider.
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is an exercise designed to systematically tense and then relax your muscles, with the intention of relieving tension in different parts of your body, from feet up. Begin with feet before progressing up through calves, thighs, abdomen, arms and face focusing on breathing while paying attention to how relaxed each muscle feels versus tight as you do so – practicing daily will build up resistance against stress; you may even try balance retraining for dizziness which may reduce migraine symptoms.
3. Avoiding Triggers
Migraine headache pain can significantly hinder work, household tasks and activities, social gatherings and recreational hobbies – particularly as this form of headache targets your brain directly.
Tracking your headache triggers and keeping a diary can help you better understand what’s triggering or worsening your headaches. Consider food or drinks which could be triggers as well as stressors such as weather change, barometric pressure fluctuations and sleep deprivation as potential sources.
Avoid scents that could trigger headaches, like perfume and strong food scents, to keep the environment cool; overheating can exacerbate headaches further. Also be wary of caffeinated beverages; too much caffeine consumption may trigger migraine attacks. Drink plenty of water throughout the day as well as try going to bed and waking up at a set time each day while also limiting screen usage prior to sleeping, taking naps when possible and practising good sleep hygiene practices.
4. Medication
Migraines can be very disruptive to everyday activities and can hinder people from fulfilling daily tasks, chores, recreation or socializing as planned. Migraines also lead to other health concerns and increase the risk of life-threatening conditions like stroke.
Medication may be an effective solution to chronic migraines for many individuals. Medication can either act preventively and help avoid migraine attacks altogether or act as rescue medications once migraine attacks do occur, relieving their severity. Preventive measures could include pain relievers (like aspirin and ibuprofen) or prescription drugs specifically targeted against headaches like the oral calcitonin gene-related peptide antagonists ubrogepant and rimegepant.
If migraines are disabling and impairing your quality of life, speaking with your GP about preventive treatment options may help. They provide four main drug classes as preventive remedies; beta-blockers, tricyclic antidepressants, anti-epilepsy medicines and the blood pressure tablet Candesartan may all provide assistance.
