Migraine is not just about headaches and occurrences of nausea and vomiting.
It is an extremely weakening condition that causes a lot of sufferers to lose their ability to function normally.
Migraine plays a serious role in the sufferers' lives, for it affects a lot of aspects of their everyday living.
Aiming to improve the sufferer's quality of life, experts found different ways of treating migraines.
However, migraine is very hard to deal with.
Aside from disabling the sufferers, not all treatments can work for every migraine patient.
At times, the right approach can be really hard to find.
It can therefore be said that coping with migraine requires a lot of patience, discipline, and determination.
Main Stages of Migraine Treatment There are three major phases in treating migraines.
They are as follows: Preventive Treatment It is also known as prophylactic treatment.
Its main objective is to stop attacks from happening.
Giving preventive medication depends on how often you have a headache and how it affects your life.
For those who are having severe headaches, different medications are given.
Studies have shown that migraine preventives stop the occurrence of attacks.
Moreover, it is suggested that a huge improvement in the sufferer's life is obtained when this treatment is taken for three to 18 months.
The frequency and severity of headaches are lessened.
When this happens, the doctor starts to decide on the next phase of treatment.
Here are the commonly prescribed drugs during the preventive treatment: anti-inflammatory drug, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, antihistamine, and beta-blocker.
Acute Treatment It is also called abortive treatment.
It aims to stop an attack the moment it happens.
The approaches in this treatment vary from taking analgesics to taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Acute treatment is believed to work better if given at the beginning of a migraine attack.
Also, large single doses are reported to be more effective than a series of small doses.
Patients undergoing this treatment are advised to do their part in observing proper migraine management.
They should also avoid overuse of medications, especially if attacks happen frequently.
Rescue Medication This approach is done when acute treatment does not work.
The commonly prescribed medicines during this phase of treatment are anti-inflammatory drugs and anti-nausea medicines.
Frequent usage of rescue medication indicates that your abortive treatment should be changed.
Side Effects Using drugs can lead to some side effects.
Hence, it is important to listen carefully as your doctor discusses the possible side effects of your medication.
Also, your doctor needs to know if you feel anything that might be a side effect of the medicines that you're taking.
Records of potential side effects will determine if your medication should be changed.
Lifestyle Changes Aside from the prescribed medications, it is also important to watch your lifestyle.
There are times when migraine attacks are triggered by your daily activities, and so it is important to avoid possible lifestyle habits that can trigger migraines.
It is advisable to take note of your activities that may be contributing to your attacks.
Migraines are truly hard to deal with.
And just like what was mentioned above, it takes a lot of persistence, discipline, and willpower to cope with and conquer this debilitating condition.
Your doctor will surely help you, but at the end of the day, everything will lie on your hands.