What helps make life possible for many people who suffer from persistent agony is medications for migraines.
Did you know that every 10 seconds, someone goes to the emergency room for a migraine? With 90% of all of these being debilitating and seriously affecting work, it is no wonder that organizations that help to increase awareness of these types of ailments are keen on getting the word out.
Let’s take a moment to review the over-the-counter (OTC) as well as the prescribed treatments to see how their approaches differ in terms of care.
Medications For Migraines: Over-The-Counter (OTC)
Typically, OTC options treat the symptoms as opposed to the direct causes of this often intense form of discomfort.
However, that being said, there are many pain relief options that are specifically tailored towards the particular kind of pain many people with experience. As we all know, this can include everything from photosensitivity to aching and throbbing pain, as well as nausea.
While not the best for this particular kind of pain, OTC treatments like ibuprofen can help. In addition to what you can buy in a drug store, you may also want to consider home natural remedies.
While less effective in general than what you can buy over the counter, they include a range of possible solutions that do not involve taking drugs and can be made from things around the house.
Overall, it really depends on the type of pain you experience and how often. Perhaps some people experience such severe agony that only strong pharmaceuticals will help. On the other hand, if the the pain is manageable, certain natural remedies could be very effective.
Of course, it also all depends on what is causing the pain to happen in the first place too.
Prescribed Medicine
As we alluded to above, treating the symptom of pain is crucial, but it’s also very important to address the root cause of the issue, to prevent it from becoming a recurring issue.
Thankfully, there are several targeted therapies that treat the underlying cause. For example, individuals who are suffering from seizures and having resulting migraines from those are given anticonvulsant drugs like Gabapentin, topiramate, and valproic acid.
Stress
If yours are stress-related, prescribed treatment for symptoms caused by muscle tension issues can be approached with drugs like baclofen and tizanidine. If depression is a potential cause (also stress or anxiety related), then medications for migraines include a wide range of SSRIs(1) like fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, and paroxetine.
Other Headaches
There are a few other situations where medications for migraines exist through prescriptions. One of them is for those who suffer from a Cervicogenic Headache. This type of headache is named after the region in the spine where the pain originates from.
Since this type of pain is sometimes associated with a lesion in the back area of the neck that may need to be removed, medication for this is designed to aid in the pre and post operation recovery.
Allergies
On the other hand, individuals who suffer from pain caused by allergies will often get specific medication that helps to target the underlying cause.
As you can see, treatment really all depends on what the specific symptoms and causes are. So, if you’re struggling with this kind discomfort, especially on a regular basis, it’s important to get an in-depth understanding of what is going on.
Putting It All Together
As you can see above, treatments can be highly specific and directed towards solving the underlying cause, or they are general and be used to treat the symptoms themselves.
Typically, people combine therapies for both the cause and the symptoms to help provide the greatest relief from the pain. Every year, the number of available pharmaceuticals continues to increase, as drug companies continue to work on new treatment types.
It’s important to note that the cost can be highly variable and depends a lot more on the provider and whether or not a generic version of the medication is available yet.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding what is right for you, then consider seeing your doctor. Their professional experience will help diagnose and find the right medications for migraines that you are facing.
Conclusion
If you’re one of the many people who suffer from intense head pain from time to time, or frequently, it’s important that you go and get yourself checked out by a medical professional to properly assess the situation.
While you can easily handle the symptoms if they happen to you once in a blue moon, if they are severe, you might need to look into various treatment options.
This is because this kind of pain, like headaches, are complex and not straightforward. What works for one person might not work for another.
Therefore, it is important to take all factors into consideration when choosing medications for migraines, including your lifestyle and what other medicine you are taking at the same time. This is important because some pharmaceuticals can clash with others, or make them less effective.
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