Natural Home Remedies for Migraines Headache at Headaches-Migraine-Relief.com

Migraine is a common complaint affecting thousands of Americans, especially women. It presents as severe headache coupled with nausea and discomfort. The sufferer is quite unable to do any useful activity during a bout of migraine. Episodes come unannounced and for no apparent reason. Pain could subside on its own or by taking migraine medicine. Thus, it is not possible to predict onset of migraine and hence, migraine episodes interfere with his or her routine activities. Hence, those who suffer migraine usually follow certain remedies that include medication as well.

The exact cause or origin of migraine is not yet clear. Therefore, treatment strategies focus on relieving symptoms as and when they arise. Relief from migraine depends on the severity and duration of attack. For moderate intensity and short duration, one could rest lying down preferably in a dark room. If lucky to get sleep, the pain would pass on waking up. This is not however an ideal solution for it could eat away time from other tasks lined up. Hence, patients turn to migraine medicine.

There are three types of medicine that are effective in relieving migraine pain. The first group includes pain relievers or anti-inflammatory drugs. Examples are acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen. Acetaminophen is a popular over-the-counter drug that is suitable for mild attacks of migraine. For frequent moderate to intense episodes, you could use a combination of acetaminophen and ibuprofen after consulting your doctor. Although these are safe, non-steroidal drugs, it is better to check for adverse effects in long-term use of migraine medicine. Always use according to directions on the package. A possible home remedy is to drink black coffee after taking the pill.

The other categories of drugs used as migraine medicine are triptans and prophylactics. Both are prescription medication and adequate medical supervision is necessary while taking them. Your doctor would suggest them in the case of severe attacks depending on the timing of seeking advice.

Triptan that is available commercially as Imitrex can reduce or eliminate symptoms when you know a headache is imminent. If you delay, oral medication may not work because of the changes resulting from progression of the migraine.

Prophylactic migraine medicine includes beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers and anti-depressants. These work best as preventive drugs and are used on a daily basis as maintenance treatment. Appropriate medical evaluation is necessary and doctors prescribe them for those who have frequent attacks or are prone to injure themselves in migraine episodes.

Almost 99% of the world’s population suffers from headaches. 90% of these people get more than one headache per year. Fewer individuals have more severe headaches called migraines. Only 17% of people worldwide suffer from migraines. But it still represents a significant number; about 20 million a day. So, what causes migraines and what are the best migraine treatments?

Most sufferers report that a specific event usually brings on an attack. The weather is what causes migraines for most people. About 21% of all sufferers claim that their headaches are associated with a change in the weather. This is the most prevalent reasons of what causes migraines.

The second most common reason of what causes migraines is missing a meal. Almost 18% report that they have an attack if they miss a meal. (It would seem one of the best migraine treatments for these people is to eat meals at regular intervals – but, then, I’m not a doctor!)

Next, on our list of what causes migraines is stress. Nearly 17% of sufferers claim that their migraines are brought on by stressful situations. And in today’s society, stress is a major concern. We are much more stressed today than in years past, particular in light of the awful economy.

Alcohol is the next item on our list of what causes migraines. About 16% report alcohol as a contributing factor. (And again, it would appear that one of the best migraine treatments for these people is to eliminate alcohol from their diet.)

Food also plays a major roll in the list of what causes migraines. It is reported by 15% of individuals. Again, if you are among this group, one of the best migraine treatments for you is to keep a food diary. Keep track of the food you eat and how it affects you. If you have an attack after eating certain food, eliminate that item from your diet.

And finally, we come to the end of our list of what causes migraines. About 13% of women claim that their menstrual cycle is a major factor in what causes migraines for them.       

If you suffer from severe migraines, there are migraine treatments that can totally eliminate migraine pain in as little as 30 seconds. And if you’ve ever had a severe migraine headache, you know how important a quick cure can be.

So, if you suffer from severe migraines, check out this amazingly simple 30 second cure. It is one of the best migraine treatments available. For more information, get all the details on this simple <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://WorksBest.org/HeadacheCure”>Migraine Headache Cure.</a

Migraine headaches are a destructive part of life for nearly 11 out of 100 people. During migraine episodes, they can barely function. They curtail daily activities, and all of life seems distorted. Between episodes, they may feel anxious about the next one, and wish for some form of migraine prevention.

Although guaranteed migraine prevention seems to be more a promise than a reality as of the writing of this article, you do have options for treating symptoms, and, better yet, options for possible migraine prevention.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Although migraines seem to run in families, migraine prevention does not always run in the same course. For some migraineurs, prevention is as simple as changing a few habits. For others, migraine prevention seems to require strong medication.

What are the best migraine prevention medicines for you? The ultimate answer must be decided by you and your physician. We offer here a number of medicines for consideration.

Common Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medicines

This is the first line of migraine prevention – beginning at the minimal strength, minimal dosage to see if it will be a solution. Among these migraine prevention medicines are the following.

1. Aspirin in a regimen dose, i.e., tiny 81 mg tablets, commonly called “baby aspirin”. For migraine prevention, these would be taken daily, just as they are to reduce risks of heart disease.

2. Ibuprofen such as Motrin, Nuprin, or Advil may be taken occasionally. Your physician will advise as to how often you should take ibuprofen for migraine prevention. People with active stomach ulcers or sensitive stomachs will not want to use ibuprofen, since it has aspirin-like effects. If you take ibuprofen, take it with food to minimize the effect. You should also be aware that ibuprofen has a blood thinning effect that can reduce the effectiveness of some blood pressure medicines and diuretics.

3. Naproxen may be effective for you, under its more common name, Aleve. This medicine may reduce the number of your migraines, but is not likely to give total migraine prevention.

4. A fourth OTC pain reliever you may want to try at the first sign of a migraine is Excedrin Migraine.

Ask your doctor before taking any of these regularly for migraine prevention.

Common Prescription Medicines

If OTC medicines fail to provide the degree of migraine prevention you seek, you may want to try a prescription medicine. Prescription strength pain relievers have been found to reduce the number of migraine episodes for more than half of all migraineurs. A few of the many prescription medicines available to you are listed here.

1. Ponstel, Anaprox, Naprosyn, Naprelan, and Topamax. Topamax claims to be the U.S. #1 prescribed brand for migraine prevention. Prescription strength Naproxen (Naprosyn, Anaprox, Naprelan) thins the blood, so your physician may not choose this as a fit for you if you are taking oral blood thinners or anticoagulants. Naproxen can have adverse gastrointestinal side effects also, so you should not use it if you have an active ulcer or sensitive stomach. Most doctors believe it is better to use medicines of this type continuously over a period of time to build up the effectiveness and provide ongoing migraine prevention rather than just pain relief.

2. Another class of prescription medicines that may give migraine prevention is Beta-blockers. These drugs, more often used to reduce high blood pressure, are sometimes helpful in cutting down on the number of migraine episodes. Of those that may give effective migraine prevention are inderal, Lopressor, metoprolol, nadolol, and timolol.

3. Physicians are gradually learning that antidepressants also provide migraine prevention for some patients. It is believed that this is due to the medicines’ effects on serotonin, the brain’s chemical messenger that influences migraine.

Which Size Is Right for You?

There are many other medicines, both prescription and non-prescription that are thought to provide a measure of migraine prevention. Like shopping for a new pair of dress shoes, you may have to try several before you find the one or two that work for you. Be sure to do your migraine prevention “shopping” with a health care provider, as he or she will know the possible side effects or interactions with medication you are already taking.