The World Health Organization ranks migraines as the 19th most prevalent cause of disability. "Headache disorders impose recognizable burden on sufferers, including sometimes substantial personal suffering, impaired quality of life and financial cost. Repeated headache attacks, and often the constant fear of the next one, damage family life, social life and employment. Social activity and work capacity are reduced in almost all migraine sufferers." Acetaminophen is the most common over-the-counter pain reliever used to treat pain associated with migraines.
Identification
Four general phases describe migraines, which include the onset of symptoms, auras, headache and recovery. Migraines can consist of all four phases or only a few. All phases vary from person to person. The predrome or onset of symptoms phase may consist of slight head pain or light sensitivity. Auras are visual distortions that can manifest as blurry vision, blindness or zigzag lines in the vision. The headache phase is intense, often debilitating head pain. The prodrome or recovery period often includes a sense of nausea and sleep since sleep is one of the most effective abortive treatments for a migraine.
Types of Migraines
The National Headache Foundation lists several types of migraines. Two primary migraines are migraine without aura and migraine with aura. These primary types have many subtypes that often describe the principle symptom experienced by the sufferer. For instance, hemiplegic migraines are identified by partial temporary paralysis, and ophthalmoplegic migraines usually exhibit intense eye pain that may last several months. Silent migraines lack the headache phase, while retinal, basilar artery, and abdominal migraines are named after the primary localization of pain during the migraine.
Acetaminophen
The National Migraine Association indicates that acetaminophen's exact mode of action is still unknown; however, acetaminophen is thought to inhibit prostaglandin synthesis, which directly regulates the pain threshold through inhibition of pain receptors. Acetaminophen, unlike aspirin, does not affect platelet aggregation, which can cause clots or stop the inflammatory pathway that is necessary to stop infections. This allows acetaminophen to be prescribed as a pain reliever to patients who may have other factors that compromise the circulatory pathway.
Benefits
Acetaminophen is offered as an over-the-counter pain medication in Tylenol or in combination with many other drugs. Acetaminophen is often preferred over aspirin as a pain reliever for adolescents and children because aspirin has been associated with Reye's syndrome, a sudden swelling of organs that leads to a fast death, in people under the age of 18.
Side Effects
Typical side effects of acetaminophen include nausea or vomiting and abdominal pain. Overuse can trigger severe rebound migraines, and kidney or liver toxicity. Rare side effects many lead to irregular bleeding or anemia. If any migraine requires regular use of over-the-counter pain medication, contact a physician about more appropriate preventive migraine treatments instead of the abortive treatment of acetaminophen.
