Migraine is a severe, throbbing headache characterized by pain on one side of the head, nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine is a vascular condition, caused by dilation of blood vessels that press against the trigeminal nerve, causing intense pain. Untreated migraines may last from 3 hours to 4 days and are often debilitating.
Instructions
1. Lie down in a quiet, darkened room with a cold compress over your eyes and forehead. Fatigue often accompanies the pain of a migraine and sleep can help relieve the symptoms. Some people find relief by applying pressure against their temple.
2. Try using Excedrin, which is a combination of acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine. Caffeine enhances the action of acetaminophen and aspirin in relieving pain and is an effective therapy for migraine treatment.
3. Speak with your physician about prescription medication. Triptans are a family of drugs that act on the source of the migraine pain by causing the dilated blood vessels to constrict, relieving pressure on the nerve. When taken at the start of an attack, triptans effectively relieve pain and shorten the duration of the migraine.
4. Consider daily migraine-preventive medication. If you have frequent migraines, that is, more than 3 a month, daily treatment may be recommended. Low-dose amitriptyline, an antidepressant, reduces the incidence of migraine. Other medications used daily for migraine prevention include beta blockers, anticonvulsants, serotonin antagonists or monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors.
5. Actively try to prevent migraine attacks. Migraines are triggered by allergies, certain foods (such as processed foods, chocolate, wine or cheese), lack of sleep, waiting too long to eat or stress. Keep a headache diary of the foods you ate and your activities and schedule before each migraine. Once you identify your personal migraine triggers, you can try to avoid them as much as possible to minimize attacks.
Tags: acetaminophen aspirin, blood vessels