Pain Relief from Migraines

What causes the pain associated with a migraine headache is that too little blood is delivered to the brain via the vessels. The problem in dealing with migraines is that the cause of this lapsed delivery of blood is not known. What is known is that migraines have a trigger mechanism and that trigger varies from person to person, although there are certain triggers that are more common than others.

Complexity

• When treating the pain of migraines the first thing that must be understood is that migraines not simple headaches. Migraines are actually a complex condition and the headache is just the most manifest symptom; others can include visual and auditory hallucinations, nausea, stomach pains and extreme sensitivity to light and odors. Adding to the complexity is people can experience migraines in a variety of ways, making treatment difficult even when there are shared symptoms.

Migraine Diary

• Since migraines are so complex, it really does not hurt to seek professional treatment. However, before you make that appointment, give yourself about a month, if you can stand it, and keep a migraine diary. Keep track of every time you have a headache and any associated symptoms. Also keep track of potential migraine triggers like any food you ate, weather conditions, locations that you visited and any other information that could be useful in treating your case.

Medication

• The most popular medication for treating migraines are the class known as triptans. Triptans are a group of drugs that increase the level of serotonin in the brain. In addition, triptans serve to constrict blood vessels. Triptans are versatile and can be taken through injection, orally or inhaled. Although proven quite effective, the leading medication treatment for migraines is not useful for those with heart problems, due to the construction of the blood vessels. Other side effects include neck pain and tightness in the jaw.

Triggers

• Many things can act as triggers for migraine headaches--everything from a drop in the barometric pressure to food to different kinds of artificial lighting. While it can be difficult to determine what actually is triggering your migraine, the effort can be worthwhile. For instance, if caffeine is the trigger, then reduce the caffeine in your diet. On the other hand, if climate conditions are triggering the headache it may be substantially more difficult to get away from the pain.

Aspartame

• One of the newest and most common migraine triggers to arrive in the past few decades has been aspartame. The exceptional popularity of diet sodas made with aspartame under the brand name Equal has worsened life for many migraine sufferers. Many people are not aware that aspartame may be a migraine trigger. Making matters more difficult is that people who enjoy diet sodas made with aspartame may not like the taste of other artificial sweeteners and therefore are presented with the choice between drinking low-calorie soda and soda sweetened with sugar or corn syrup.