Different Options for Migraine Treatment

If you suffer from migraine headaches, you know how debilitating they can be. As such, you may benefit a great deal from knowing the various migraine treatment options available these days. Although you can use drugs to alleviate your pain, there are also many natural options.

Try Drug Treatments for Migraines

There are many different options that you can choose in terms of medications for migraines. Talk to your doctor to decide which one may be right for you; you will need to consider other drugs that you are taking, side effects that you are willing to tolerate, and potential effects on any other medical conditions that you may have. Options include antihypertensives, anticonvulsants, and even antidepressants. If you are willing to take medications, either requiring prescriptions or over the counter, this is typically the easiest option. Read on to learn about some non-pharmacologic options.

Change your Lifestyle

It may seem simplistic, but sometimes unhealthy lifestyle choices can exacerbate migraines. In order to make the improvements that you can in this area, make sure to eat healthy foods and stick to a regular routine with your meals. Avoid caffeine and alcohol as much as possible. Also, make sure to exercise and get adequate amounts of sleep. Try to manage stress as well as possible.

Give Acupuncture a Chance

Acupuncture has proven to be effective in treating many ailments, and migraine treatment is no exception. You may find that you do not experience the headaches as much once you try this. It is not known that the effect is anything more than a placebo effect, but even if it is nothing more than this, it is still potentially helpful.

Take Vitamins and Supplements

There are many different supplements that have shown themselves to be capable of alleviating the pain of migraines. Particularly important are butterbur, riboflavin, magnesium, and melatonin. If you are not comfortable taking pharmacological drugs, this is definitely something that you should try in your attempt to reduce migraines.

Consider Botox

This option is a little riskier, considering that it involves a neurotoxin. However, you may want to give it a try. Although it is better known to remove wrinkles, it has been shown to have some effectiveness in reducing the incidence of migraines as well. Typically, it will need to be injected in many sites on the head and neck. The effect will likely not be too extreme; most people will still experience migraines, just with a slightly reduced frequency. However, you may find this to be worth it.

Try the Occipital Nerve Block

If you are not okay with trying botox to treat migraines, you may want to try this similar procedure instead. It entails injection of anesthetic agents close to nerves that are located in the back of your head and neck. Electrical wires will be implanted in the neck; this technique is particularly effective for those who have serious neck pain and have not experienced relief in any other way.

Consider Cefaly

This is a device that you wear on your head. It is now approved for use in the United States and Canada. It is a Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) unit. It has been shown in studies to cut down the frequency and intensity of migraine headaches. No side effects are known to occur at this point.

As you can see, there is a variety of options available for migraine relief. You can try one or a combination of these. If you are hesitant about any of them, talk to your doctor to see which options are feasible in your particular situation. If you suffer from migraines at least four times per month, you could benefit a great deal from one or more of these methods used to treat migraines.