Migraines Research Paper

Migraines Migraines are a very common disease all over the world. There are more than three million cases reported in the US each year. Migraines have many cause and effects that come with it. Although, migraines are treatable and you can try to prevent them they are still very serious and can cause major problems when they occur. There are four stages in a migraine; prodromal, aura, attack, and postdromal. The first stage, prodromal, is the “early warning” it happens one to two days before the attack. The side effects of this stage include: constipation, mood changes, food cravings, neck stiffness, increased thirst and urination, frequent yawning. The second stage, aura, is before or during “pre- migraine”. Vision loss, weakness or numbness, …show more content…
Keep in consideration that taking these medications for too long or too often may cause ulcers, GI bleeding, or medication- overuse headaches. To treat migraines themselves you can take a variety of different medications prescribed by the doctor, such as Triptans. Triptans make blood vessels constrict and block the pain pathways in the brain. Axert, Amerge, Zomig, Frova and Relpax are examples of triptans. These medications are available in pill, nasal spray, and injection forms. Ergots are another drug class used to treat migraines. Erotamine and caffeine combination drugs are less effective than triptans. Use ergots if pain lasts for more than 48 hours and you want to take them as soon as migraines symptoms occur. Anti- nausea medications like chlorpromazine, Reglan or Compro can help migraines. Opioid medications are used when a patient can’t take triptans or ergots or no other treatments have provided relief because opioids are habit forming drugs. Last but not least, Glucocorticoids (prednisone, dexathasone) works if taken with other medications to provide even greater pain relief. Although, those drugs should not be used frequently so you can avoid the side effects that come along with