What Medication Is There For Migraine Headaches? Articles | Headache

If you've ever had a bad migraine, you know that regular pain killers just don't help dull the pain. Luckily, there are medications specifically designed to treat migraines. In fact, there are three different types of medications for people with migraines. There are medications that prevent the onset of these painful vascular headaches, medications that treat migraines after they start and medications that help control symptoms that migraines can cause.

Preventative medications are wonderful when they work. Imagine being able to stop that blinding pain before it even starts. Three popular preventative prescriptions are cataflam, lodine and ansaid.

Abortive medications can help stop a migraine after it has already begun. Some common abortive medications are ibuprofen, ketaprofen, naproxen, ergotamine tartrate, rizatriptan and frovatriptan.

Symptomatic medications have been developed to help control nausea and vomiting that have been caused by migraines. Common symptomatic medications include throazine, compazine, tigran, phenergan and reglan.

Usually, a medication that is prescribed most often is the most effective choice. Triptans are prescribed more frequently than any other type of migraine medication. They work by targeting the blood vessels in your skull to alleviate pressure. With less pressure, the pain is alleviated.

If you need immediate relief for migraines, you may be interested in some of the over the counter (OTC) remedies available. Ibuprofen, Tylenol and aspirin are the most popular OTC choices for treating migraines without a prescription. These drugs can help relieve a bit of the pain associated with a migraine and can also help control nausea and vomiting. However, these medications should only be used for occassional migraines. If you have chronic migraines, be sure you talk to your doctor about additional treatment options.

One new, effective method doctors are using to treat migraines is the nasal spray. When you use a medication that is transmitted through nasal spray, you get the treatment right into your bloodstream, which brings relief much more quickly than oral medications. In addition, nasal sprays help you avoid vomiting from the added upset of oral medication going into an already touchy stomach. Imitrex is one of the most well known nasal migraine sprays.

Even if you prefer to avoid prescription medications, if you have had a migraine that lasted longer than 48 hours or have frequent migraines, you should make an appointment with your doctor to see if he or she recommends that you try a prescription migraine medication to alleviate your symptoms or to lessen the number of migraines you have. In fact, you should also see your doctor even if you are only planning to take OTC medication for your migraine, since you could have an allergy to one of them.