Exploring Available Migraine Medications

Migraine research has made massive strides in learning what makes these headaches tick, but also in how to prevent and treat them. While many preventive measures are possible, most especially when sufferers can find and eliminate things that trigger the headaches, thus far they can't be avoided altogether. One of the most important results of all this research is that many excellent migraine medications have been developed. There are over-the-counter drugs for milder forms of the illness, and other heavy-duty forms for the extreme cases.

The first types of medications generally given for migraines are the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDS. These are more familiar to people as acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen. They are generally over-the-counter drugs, so people whose migraines tend to be mild can self-prescribe, and sometimes nip the headaches in the bud. Occasionally, when combined with caffeine, these can bring not just migraine relief but also relief from the nausea that tends to accompany this condition.

But when those milder drugs don't work, that's when the heavy duty prescription migraine medications are brought in. A type known as triptans, with Sumatriptan being the most common, helps work on the severity of mid-line headaches, and also eases the nausea and light sensitivity that may accompany them. This drug is marketed under names like Imitrex or Imigran. Opiates can be used as migraine drugs too, in very severe or unusual cases, but they are saved for almost a last resort, since they can become addictive. Even certain clinical depression medications can have an effect, though no one yet knows why.

Other treatments involve combining different drugs as medication for migraines, so a drug like Fioricet would have butalbital (a barbiturate) with aspirin, paracetamol (acetaminophen) and caffeine. Severe headaches that don't respond to drug treatments, called refractory migraines, are sometimes treated intravenously with drugs like Decadron, Phergan, Keppra, and so on. Intravenous treatment aims at rebalancing the internal fluids and electrolytes as well as easing the pain.

Migraine relief is something that is devoutly sought by both patients and doctors alike. While the researchers continue exploring and discovering what makes this illness tick and how it can be prevented from happening at all, migraine medications are still a big part of dealing with the condition. It's fortunate for those who experience these headaches with all their symptoms that the latest medications work so well. Though the illness is not yet defeated, this at least is a feather in the cap of the dedicated researchers.

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