Prescription Drugs versus Alternative Treatments for Migraine Relief - Literature review Example

What is Migraine? Migraine is a very painful and recurring headache which is often accompanied by vomiting, visual disturbances, and various sensorywarning signs like increased sensitivity to sound, blind spots and nausea. Migraine is a neurological condition and affects people of all ages. Smith (2010) asserts that “migraines affect both sexes and all ages, even infants”. This headache usually lasts from 4 hours to even 3 days. Studies have shown that almost 25 million of the American citizens suffer from migraine headache from which most of the sufferers are women. Migraine headache is more common in women than in men as two-thirds of the migraine sufferers are women. Figure 1: Percentage: Male Sufferers = 35%, Female Sufferers = 65% (Approximate figures) The main causes of migraine attack include allergies, bright lights, emotional stress, anxiety, loud noises, smoking, sleep disorders, use of alcohol, various tensions, fasting, and skipping meals. The signs of migraine attack start to occur a day or two before the actual migraine headache starts. These signs often include hyperactivity, yawning, tiredness, and cravings for those types of foods which are sweet in taste. Various symptoms of migraine attack include nausea, increased pain, vomiting, and increased sensitivity to sound and light. Diagnosis of migraine is done through various special tests which include electroencephalography and computed tomography. Figure 2: How Migraine is caused Drugs Used for Migraine Treatment Migraine headache is a very painful headache but there are many useful drugs available for the effective treatment of migraine attack. Drug therapy for migraine treatment has undergone a wonderful change during the last 7 to 8 years. Such drugs have been introduced in the market by the medical researchers which have proved to be successful in the treatment of migraine attack. Two common drug based approaches through which migraine patients can be effectively treated include abortive approach and preventive approach. Abortive Approach to Migraine Treatment If we talk about the role of abortive approach in dealing with migraine headache, we can say that this approach is very beneficial because it not only prevents the migraine attack but also helps in reducing the headache. The medications which are prescribed in abortive approach to migraine treatment stop the headache in the prodrome stage. Abortive approach to migraine treatment is much more useful than preventive approach because a lot of migraine patients who make use of preventive treatment still need to take those medications which are related to abortive approach in order to get rid of severe pain and other problems. The drugs which are used in the abortive approach include imitrex, zomig, amerge, frova and maxalt. Preventive Approach to Migraine Treatment Preventive approach is used to prevent the migraine attacks in those patients in which the attack is quite frequent. If two or more migraine attacks occur on a patient in a single month, then preventive approach can be used to either prevent the blood vessel swelling or at least reduce the consequences of the attack on the patient. Some common preventive treatments include beta-blockers, antidepressants, calcium channel blockers, methysergide, and divalproex sodium. But it can not be said that preventive approach can be very effective for treatment of those symptoms which are associated with migraine. That is why abortive approach is comparatively more helpful in migraine treatment. Some common medications used for the purpose of migraine treatment include imitrex, midrin, orudis, acular opht, and anaprox. Imitrex For the treatment of migraines, sumatriptan is used because it really helps to relieve the patients from severe headaches. Sumatriptan is a widely used treatment for the migraine patients because it not helps in preventing headaches but also problems like nausea and vomiting can also be treated effectively by the use of imitrex. The treatment makes the patient get back to his normal routine. Midrin Midrin is a combination medicine of three components; acetaminophen, dichloralphenazone and isometheptene. In order to get a relief from migraine headaches, acetaminophen is used which not only helps in getting rid of the tensions but also helps in reducing the headache. Dichloralphenazone is used in the medicine because it helps in relaxing the body of the patient. Headache pain is usually caused due to widening of blood vessels in the head which are narrowed down by isometheptene which is a combination component of midrin. Orudis If a person is feeling various kinds of pains, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug is used which is known as ketoprofen. The production of various natural substances from a body is blocked which helps in reducing the swellings and other kind of inflammations. Ketoprofen is not only used for reducing the swelling but also it is used to reduce pain and fever. Alternative Treatments for Migraine Relief Apart from drug treatment for migraine relief, there are a lot of alternative treatments available which can be used for the effective treatment of migraine relief. Morton (2010) asserts that “many people dont like to rely on medication and fortunately for them there are many alternatives”. These alternatives include butterbur root, feverfew leaf, magnesium, vitamin B2, and 5-HTP. Non-drug treatments also include some types of behavioral treatments which help in stress reduction. Behavioral treatments include bio feedback therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy and relaxation techniques. Acupuncture is also one of the non-drug treatments in which thin needles are used in order to stimulate those points of the body which are aligned with energy pathways. Changes in the lifestyle are also very beneficial in effective reduction of the migraine attack. These changes include avoiding food triggers, eating regularly, staying physically active, and limiting those medications which contain estrogen. Detox diets are also helpful in migraine treatment. Langtry (2010) stated in his article that “using a detox diet to relieve headaches and migraines has been one of the most successful methods”. Butterbur Root Butterbur root is a non-drug treatment. Butterbur is actually a shrub like plant whose extracts are used for the treatment of allergies, asthma, and various migraine attacks. Butterbur is not advised to be used by pregnant women, children, nursing women because there are some side effects of butterbur root which include digestion complaints, diarrhea, and vomiting. Feverfew Leaf Feverfew leaf is one of the most effective non-drug treatments of migraine attacks and arthritis. Migraine attacks either become very rare or less painful as compared to pain which comes from an actual migraine attack. The working of feverfew leaf includes normalization of the platelets’ function in the blood system. This is done by inhibiting the aggregation of the platelets and blocking the stopping the development of pro-inflammatory mediators. Magnesium Magnesium can also be used as a non-drug treatment for migraine relief. It is found in various foods like vegetables, grains, nutritional supplements, and nuts. According to Cohen (2004), magnesium helps in regulating the level of sugar in the blood and relaxing the blood vessels. It is also used in proper functioning of the immune system, normal functioning of nerves and muscles, and strengthening the bones. A lot of studies have been done regarding the usefulness of magnesium in migraine relief and the results proved it to be very beneficial and effective for the migraine treatment. Vitamin B2 Vitamin B2 is also very helpful in the reduction of migraine attacks. Researches reveal that those people who take people 400 milligrams of vitamin B2 daily get one-third fewer migraine attacks as compared to those people who take a placebo. Use of vitamin B2 is considered very safe but high dose should never be taken because it results in diarrhea. So these were some of the very useful non-drug treatments for migraine relief but it is extremely important to consult a physician regarding proper and required use of these herbs because excess of dosage results in various problems instead of treatment. References Cohen, J. (2004). The Magnesium Solution for Migraine Headaches: How to Use Magnesium to Prevent and Relief Migraine & Cluster Headaches Naturally. New York, NY: Square One Publishers. Langtry, R. (2010, January 29). How Detox Diets Can Help Relieve Headaches And Migraines. Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/how-detox-diets-can-help-relieve-headaches-and-migraines-1798505.html Morton, J. (2010, March 9). How to Stop Migraine Pain. Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://ezinearticles.com/?How-­to-­Stop-­Migraine-­Pain&id=3899192 Smith, D. (2010, April 13). What Causes Migraines - Dispel These Migraine Myths and Get Effective Migraine Headaches Treatments. Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://ezinearticles.com/?What-­Causes-­Migraines-­-­-­Dispel-­These-­Migraine-­Myths-­and-­Get-­Effective-­Migraine-­Headaches-­Treatments&id=4105086 Read More