Migraine headaches fall into distinct categories. Defining which type you have determines the treatment course. "Abortive" therapy gets rid of headaches after they start. These treatments differ from "preventive" or "prophylactic" measures, which require medication all the time to prevent migraines. According to "Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment," 2010, abortive measures fall into three categories: drug therapy, biofeedback therapy and acupuncture therapy. Note that while biofeedback and acupuncture carry little or no side effects, medications taken in any form carry some side effects. Ask your healthcare provider about these risks.
Drug Therapy
Medications used to treat migraines treat acute attacks for short periods and aim at aborting the symptoms. Simple analgesics fall on the milder end of the spectrum. This class consists of aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen. To avoid side effects from these medicines, avoid taking them for more than 15 days.
Ergot Drug Therapy
Stronger, more complex drugs treat more severe or recurrent migraines that do not respond to simple analgesics.One longstanding headache drug, ergotamine, works by itself or in combination with other medicines. Cafergot contains ergotamine and caffeine. A selection of this and other ergotamine-based prescription drugs prove useful in migraine treatment. Their recommended use excludes pregnant women.
Triptan Drug Therapy
Sumatriptan, a drug administered by muscular injection, works rapidly. Other "triptans" that effectively abort migraines, available by prescription, come in either nasal spray or oral medication. Certain populations can not take the triptans because they cause nausea and vomiting. Pregnant women and patients at risk for stroke belong in this group.
Other Drug Therapy
Neuroleptics, once used as antipsychotics but replaced with newer versions, now treat some cases of migraines. Droperidol, a prescription drug, can abort the migraine effectively.
Metoclopramide, an intravenously administered drug used to treat nausea, remains under study.
For those who cannot take simple analgesics because of allergy to or side effects from them, opioid analgesics become the drug of choice. This option includes meripidine by injection, butorphanol by nasal spray or propofol by intravenous in small doses.
Biofeedback Therapy
"Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 31st ed." says that biofeedback furnishes patients with tools that enable them to gain some control over their heart rate, blood pressure or skin temperature. With training, patients become attuned to these body functions and learn to relax peacefully when in the throes of a migraine. Along with this, monitoring breathing rate, volume and rhythm provides patients with cues to their physical state as they learn to affect their breathing. Many variations of biofeedback exist today.
Acupuncture Therapy
According to "Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment, 2010," multiple studies on over 6,000 people reveal acupuncture's effectiveness in the treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with migraines, although not the pain of the headache itself. A bonus shows this non-medication treatment covers pregnant women safely.
References
- "Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment"; Stephen J. McPhee and Maxine A. Papadakis; 2010
- "Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 31st ed."; Sanders Elsevier, publisher; 2007
