Treating Migraine Headaches

Treating Migraine Headaches

The debilitating pain of a migraine headache can stop you in your tracks. You can try every over-the-counter product available and still find yourself dealing with that throbbing, stabbing, extremely painful headache that never seems to go away. You may find yourself sensitive to light, known as photosensitivity, and you may even find yourself nauseous.

What kind of migraine pain relief can you rely on? Are there different medications for migraine sufferers that work better than others? And what about having a cluster headache, do migraine treatments work for that? Here are a few migraine treatment options that may work to help rid you of your migraine pain:

1. The dark room approach
This is a tried and true, old school approach for dealing with migraines or cluster headache problems. The trick is to sequester yourself in a dark room where there is little to no light, especially if you’re dealing with photosensitivity. Make sure you have a soft surface to lay on and put an ice pack at the back of your neck. This helps to send the blood rushing from the head to the neck in order to warm the neck up, which helps relieve the pulsing pain of a migraine. Silence is usually best for this option but if you need noise a white noise machine or some very soft music can help. Do not bring a cell phone or tablet into the room and keep the television off.

2. Acupuncture
There is a large portion of the population that believes that acupuncture is the best approach to fix a wide array of ailments and there have definitely been people who have found relief from their migraines through using acupuncture treatment. Make sure you find an acupuncturist who is well-known and has good reviews.

3. Medications
When it comes to medications for migraine sufferers you have a few different options. You can go over-the-counter, with medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen which may help depending on your personal physiology. Some over-the-counter treatments include ingredients like caffeine which can also help to stop a migraine.

4. Prescribed Migraine medications
If you are someone who regularly suffers from migraines and has found no migraine pain relief in over-the-counter medications, a trip to your physician may help. Not only can the physician prescribe medications that can help stop a migraine once it’s started, they may also be able to prescribe a medication that can prevent the migraine from even occurring.

5. Botox
Botox has been found to be extremely helpful for people who are dealing with migraine pain. While it may seem strange to use a product known for cosmetic procedures to help prevent and stop migraines, the truth is that Botox has been known to help chronic migraine sufferers. The Botox actually reduces some of the pathways in the brain that involve the nerves and sensory which helps to stop the migraine.