How to Reduce & Relieve Headaches : How to Do Scalp Calisthenics for Headache Relief

Here is another way of relieving headaches. There are different types of treatments for the different types of headaches. Know them and see what fits you well.

Effective Migraine Headache Remedies

Migraine headache causes intense throbbing or pulsing in one area of your head and is usually accompanied by other symptoms like extreme sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and vomiting. Most migraine headache attacks can cause severe pain for several hours to days. People who suffer from this excruciating condition continuously look for migraine headache remedies that can effectively work to relieve its pain and symptoms and prevent its frequent attacks.

There is a wide variety of migraine headache remedies that are specifically designed to combat migraine. Generally, it can be treated using two broad approaches: pain-relieving medications and preventive medications. The first approach is also known as abortive treatment, wherein the drugs are taken when the migraine headache attacks and are designed to stop the symptoms that have already begun. The second approach uses drugs which are taken regularly, and are aimed to reduce the frequency or severity of migraine headache.

Below are the lists of medicines used for each type of category.

A.    Pain-relieving medications

1.    Triptans

For most people who are frequently attacked by migraine headache, triptans are the best choice. These drugs are very effective in relieving the pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and nausea. Rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex), naratriptan (Amerge), almotriptan (Axert), frovatriptan (Frova) zolmitriptan (Zomig), and eletriptan (Relpax) are some of those triptans medicines.

2.    Pain relievers

These migraine headache remedies include drugs such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and other drugs, such as a combination of aspirin, acetaminophen and caffeine (Excedrin Migraine) which help relieve mild to moderate migraine headache.

3.    Ergot

Caffeine combination drugs such as Cafergot and Migergot and ergotamine are relatively inexpensive but are also less effective compare with other types of medications. Dihydroergotamine which is available in nasal spray and in injection form is an ergot derivative is more effective and has fewer side effects than ergotamine.

4.    Dexamethasone

This medication is a corticosteroid type and may be used in combination with other drugs to relieve the pain brought by the migraine headache. However, it is not recommended to use regularly due to the risk of steroid toxicity.

5.    Opiates

Sometimes, medicines containing narcotics specifically codeine, are used to treat migraine headache when a person is unable to take triptans or ergot. But, these drugs are habit-forming and should be taken only as a last resort.

B.    Preventive medications

1.    Anti-depressants

Some of these medicines are considered as an effective migraine headache remedies. Tricyclic antidepressants, such as nortriptyline (Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil) and amitriptyline, are usually prescribed by the doctor. These drugs reduce migraine by affecting the level of serotonin and other brain chemicals.

2.    Cardiovascular drugs

These medicines which are commonly used to treat coronary artery disease and high blood pressure can also reduce the severity and frequency of migraine headache. Beta blocker such as propranolol (Innopran XL, Inderal La) has been proven effective for preventing migraine attacks. Calcium channel blockers such as verapamil (Verelan, Calan), is also helpful in preventing migraines and relieving symptoms from aura.

3.    Botulinum toxin type A (Botox)

This procedure is also effective in treating chronic migraine headache in adults wherein injections are made in muscles of the forehead and neck. The treatment, when proven effective to a particular person, is repeated every 12 weeks.

4.    Cyproheptadine

This antihistamine medication targets serotonin activity and is usually prescribed by doctors to the children as a preventive measure.

5.    Anti-seizure drugs

Certain types of these drugs including topiramate (Topamax), gabapentin (Neurontin), and valproate (Depacon) are effective to reduce the frequency of migraine headache. If you have migraine with aura, Lamotrigine (Lamictal) may be helpful as well.

Choosing the best strategy to manage your migraine usually depends on the frequency and severity of your headache, the degree of disability your headache cause as well as your other medical conditions. Although medications can significantly help reduce migraine headache attacks, it is also important that you combine it with changes in your lifestyle and other complementary migraine headache remedies.