Chronic migraines are intense recurring headaches that often strengthen with physical activity. Chronic migraines occur more than three to four times a month. Extreme sensitivity to auditory and visual stimuli, including sunlight, means that migraines have a pronounced impact on typical functions, including social relationships and work. Consult a physician to determine the best treatment plan to minimize your migraines. (The Headache Test found in the resource section could serve as an aid.)
Significance
Neurologist Lawrence Goldberg, Ph.D., estimates that migraine headaches costs approximately $13 to $17 billion annually in the United States alone. Medications, both abortive and preventative, emergency room visits, maintenance, lab tests and diagnostics account for most of the direct medical costs for migraines. The loss of work productivity and an inability to fulfill social obligations contributes an incalculable amount to the indirect costs of migraines. According to the National Headache Foundation, migraines affect over 30 million people in the U.S. The Association estimates that migraines have increased by 60 percent from 1998 to 2008.
Home Remedies
There are many preventative and abortive home treatments to test. Preventative treatments include maintaining consistent blood glucose levels and adequate hydration. Limiting caffeine will help prevent excessive caffeine from triggering rebound migraines. Since caffeine is in many over-the-counter pain medications, carefully reading product labels is important to limiting your caffeine intake. Abortive home treatments include isolating yourself in a dark, quiet room. Soaking your hands in feet in warm water will help draw the blood away from your throbbing headache and towards your extremities. This will decrease the pressure and, subsequently, the pain in your head. Placing a cool cloth over your eyes and under your neck should provide a relaxing atmosphere to help lower the stress and anxiety associated with migraines.
Beta-blockers
Migraines can be treated with some beta-blockers, like propranolol. Beta-blocks reduce the vasodilation and artery pressure in the entire body by reducing the heart’s requirement for blood and oxygen. Beta-blockers are usually given to control blood pressure but can also change the body's nerve impulse response. However, anyone with heart or lung disease should not take this type of medication.
Antiseizure Medications
Several anti-epileptic medications have shown to successfully prevent migraines. Depakene, Depakote and Topomax, for example, are 50 percent effective at stopping migraines; they also promote weight loss. These medications, unfortunately, are expensive and may cause a sense of fatigue or numbness and loss of concentration and coordination.
Antidepressant Medications
Only a few antidepressants can help stop migraines from starting. For example, amitriptyline regulates serotonin levels and other brain chemicals to prevent pain receptors from responding so dramatically to pressure stimuli. Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have a limited ability to stop migraines. Effexor, a new SNRI, has shown some success in preventing migraines. Effectiveness and side-effects vary from medicine to medicine and patient to patient.
