triptans Archives - The National Headache Foundation

16 Nov Menstrual Migraine: Literature Review Indicates Most Effective Treatment

Posted at 14:05h in News to Know by headache

Many women suffer from menstrual migraine attacks, which are often more debilitating, longer, more likely to recur, and less responsive to treatment than migraines not related to the menstrual cycle.

20 Jul Migraineurs Frequently Forgo Using Triptans

Posted at 14:44h in News to Know by headache

Triptans are first-line medications to treat acute migraine, but new research shows patients do not take them in more than 40% of their migraine attacks.

25 Mar Reader’s Mail: How Can I Prevent Menstrual Headaches?

Posted at 17:25h in News to Know by headache

Q. I have been dealing with migraines that I inherited from my mother, who got them from her mother, for almost 20 years now. I lose a week of my life every month when I get my menstrual cycle. I've been looking for a way to prevent this without the use of birth control pills because they only seem to aggravate my condition. When I was pregnant with my son, the second half of my pregnancy was incredible. I had no headaches and never felt better. I should also add that once my mother and grandmother went through menopause, their headaches disappeared. Is there anything that you could recommend? I seem to do pretty well the rest of the month due to some dietary changes I've made over the past year.

24 Feb Study Determines Most Effective Migraine Medications

Posted at 16:09h in News to Know by headache

Several medications were recently deemed the most effective for treating acute migraine, including triptans, dihydroergotamine (DHE), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), butorphanol nasal spray, and the combination medication of sumatriptan/naproxen and acetaminophen/aspirin/caffein). Several other migraine medications were considered "probably effective" or "possibly effective."

22 Jan Reader's Mail: Postherpetic Pain Requires Skilled Medical Care

Posted at 20:17h in News to Know, Reader's Mail by headache

Q. I'm starting to notice a couple of changes with my migraines and wonder if these are common. One is that I am getting mini-cluster headaches once or twice a day, 2 or 3 days before a big migraine attack, and the other is nausea with no migraine pain. I typically get the nausea after the migraine pain has begun, but is it possible it can switch?

15 Nov Asking Three Questions May Improve Migraine Care

Posted at 20:33h in News to Know by headache

According to a recent study, using a screening tool that asks if a patient experiences headache disability, nausea, and sensitivity to light can help diagnose migraine and decrease opiate prescriptions.

15 Aug Reader's Mail: Treating Chronic Daily Headache, Fibromyalgia and More

Posted at 18:15h in News to Know, Reader's Mail by headache

Q. I have had chronic daily headaches and migraines with aura for years. I also have fibromyalgia, TMJ (temporomandibular joint syndrome) disorder and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). All of these involve chronic pain. I take Relpax® for the migraines, which helps a lot with the aura and works okay for the headache. I also take Cymbalta® for depression, but haven't noticed any pain relief from it. The only other medication I seem to tolerate is Advil®. Since I have a headache “24-7”, with no beginning or ending, I never really know what causes it. How many pain relievers (like Advil) do you have to take to get a rebound headache? I never take more than two a day, but I wonder if taking them for several days makes my headache worse. I want to do anything I can to prevent an already difficult situation from getting worse.

15 Mar Reader's Mail: Headache Treatment Requires Individualized Approach

Posted at 21:30h in News to Know by headache

Q. I get three to four migraines per month, sometimes with aura, sometimes without. I find that my biggest triggers are my menstrual cycle and stress. Given this, which medication is more effective for migraine prevention: beta blockers or calcium channel blockers?

15 Feb Blood Pressure Medication Provides Migraine Relief

Posted at 19:28h in News to Know by headache

The high blood pressure medication candesartan (Atacand) appears to be as effective as the more commonly prescribed medication propranolol (Inderal) in preventing migraine attacks. Many doctors already prescribe candesartan for migraine prevention, but researchers from St. Olav’s Hospital in Trondheim, Norway, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology recently conducted a study to provide proof that the medication works.

15 Aug Throbbing Pain: Pulsations Arise from the Head, not the Heart

Posted at 21:37h in News to Know by headache

The throbbing quality of migraine pain many not result from changes in blood vessels as previously thought, but rather from brain waves. Experts have long believed that the throbbing quality of pain is related to arterial pulsations and the rhythm of the heart. However, a team of researchers has shed new light on the “vascular” idea, which dates back to the days of Aristotle.