A migraine is one of the most commonly known types of headaches. Migraines cause severe pain in some parts of the head while the attacks are accompanied by nausea, light flashes and vomiting in most cases.
People who suffer from migraines usually become extremely sensitive to bright light and loud sounds and crave for a quiet and dark place during migraine attacks.
Migraine attacks can’t be stopped completely even after diagnosis and treatment usually focuses on reducing the pain during the attack, as well as cutting down on the frequency and length of the attacks. The following treatments work best in this regard.
Instant Pain Relief Medications
During a migraine attack, the first thing any person wants is for the pain to go away. The pain combines with other migraine additives like nausea and vomiting to form a deadly combination that leaves the person incapable of doing anything for the time being.
So, to make the pain manageable or to end it for the time being, one of the treatments is the use of instant pain relief medications. There are many pain relievers that are considered helpful in this regard, though the severity of the pain usually decides which pain reliever would work best.
For people who suffer from a moderate headache, the use of aspirin, Tylenol, Excedrin Migraine and other NSAIDs like ibuprofen help in pain relief. However, people who suffer from extreme pain, these medications won’t work at all and they would have to use Triptans or ergots for instant pain relief.
Anti-nausea medications remain a sound option, too so as to tackle the nausea that always accompanies a migraine attack. It is important to remember that close to daily use of these medications isn’t really an option as they can cause complications with regular use and thus, taking them only in extreme cases where the pain becomes intolerable is recommended.
In order to make sure that one doesn’t have to consistently use pain relieving medications, an important part of migraine treatment is the preventive measures that can be taken. These measures ensure that the frequency of the attacks is reduced.
Cardiovascular drugs like beta blockers remain one of the proven drugs that help with migraines and lessen the duration and frequency of the attacks. Similarly, anti depressants, especially tricyclic anti depressants offer relief for migraine patients as these medications don’t only work for people who suffer from depression. Anti-seizure drugs are also helpful in some cases in reducing the frequency of migraine attacks.
Probably the best way to control a migraine is by changing your lifestyle so as to make sure that you don’t indulge in any activity that triggers a migraine attack. Migraines usually require a trigger and if that trigger is identified and avoided, migraines can be effectively managed by individuals.
First, one should try to maintain a diary enlisting all the daily activities done so as to identify which activities trigger a migraine attack or are at least synonymous with it. Second, try to make sure that you sleep at a particular time and wake up after getting a sound eight hours sleep. Migraine attacks are common amongst people who don’t really get adequate sleep and rest.
Occipital nerve blocks are an outpatient procedure that may help relieve the severity and frequency of migraine headaches. The occipital nerves are located on both sides of the scalp and are easily accessible via superficial injection.
The injection may consist of numbing medicine and maybe some cortisone. Over half of the time, the injections have been shown to be beneficial for migraines, possibly for weeks to months.
The California Pain Network offers pain management doctors in Los Angeles and OC at over 20 locations with Board Certified treatments that span both medication management and interventional procedures. Over 50 insurances are accepted, and appointments are quickly available at these pain clinics in Los Angeles.
Call (310) 626-1526 for more information and scheduling today!