Many of us would definitely had experienced migraine attacks and for sure we're not aware of the reason why anytime of the day it would occur. We don't want others to call us "Migraine Boy" and "Migraine Girl", do you? Well, from the data I had gathered from the internet and reference medical books, I had presented informations about migraine that I hope could help everyone. Basically, it focused on the drugs of treatment.

"What is Migraine?"

        The term migraine stems from Galen's usage of  hemicrania to describe a periodic disorder consisting of paroxysmal blinding hemicranial pain, vomiting, photophobia, recurrence at regular intervals, and relief by dark surroundings and sleep. Hemicrania was later corrupted into low Latin as " hemigranea" and " migranea"; eventually the French cognate, Migraine, gained acceptance in the 18th century and has prevailed ever since. A working definition of migraine is benign recurring headache or neurologic dysfunction usually attended by pain-free interludes and often provoked by stereotyped stimuli. (Harrison)

"Classification of Migraine"

        According to the International Headache Society, the following are the classification:

·          Migraine without aura
Migraine with aura
Migraine with typical aura
Migraine with prolonged aura
Familial hemiplegic migraine
Basilar migraine
Migraine aura without headache
Migraine with acute onset aura
Opthalmoplegic migraine
Retinal migraine
Childhood periodic syndromes
Benign paroxysmal vertigo
Alternating hemiplegia
Complications of migraine
Status migrainosus
Migrainous infarction
Migrainous disorder not fulfilling above criteria

"Symptoms of Migraine"

        Most obviously, headache, beginning as a dull ache of head or neck, and building to extreme, throbbing pain. Pain is usually, but not always, confined to one side of the head, and persists at least several hours. After the pain subsides, the migraine sufferer is commonly left being tired or drained and occasionally elated. Other symptoms are the following: constipation, irritability, nausea, sensitivity to light/noise/odors, tender scalp, visible enlargement of blood vessels, shoulder pain and stiffness, extremity pain, numbness. Aura which usually preceding pain in classic migraines would have the following:  visual disturbance, blind spots, tunnel vision, zigzag patterns, ringing in ears, speech disturbance, visual hallucinations and olfactory hallucinations.

TREATMENT OF MIGRAINE

Preventive or Prophylactic

        First, preventive, or prophylactic, medications are prescribed to prevent or reduced the number of attacks in patients who experience frequent migraines, typically two or more per month. In general, these medications act over time to prevent blood-vessel swelling; however, they do not treat the Migraine-associated symptoms are non- selective. Many sufferers using preventive treatments will still have to take attack-aborting medications to relieve pain and other symptoms.

        Beta-blockers are the most commonly prescribed prophylactic treatment for migraine and are considered to be an effective preventive treatment, medications includes propranolol.

        Anti-depressants are believed to have possible effect on serotonin or possible analgesic effects.

        Calcium channel blockers are also used to decrease the frequency of migraine attacks. It is thought that calcium channel blockers play a role in vessel constriction.

        Methysergide is thought to block the inflammatory and vessel-constricting effects of serotonin. Because of potential side effects, Methysergide is generally used only on select patients. These medication also requires a four to six weeks drug hiatus every six months.

        Divalproex Sodium is probably the most promising of the preventive regiments currently available for migraine. This drug was originally developed for epilepsy.

Non-Drug Alternatives

        Feverfew leaf is a good non-drug preventitive treatment for migraines and athritis. This herb continues to undergo extensive scientific investigation of the Parthenolide content, and how it normalizes the function of platelets in the blood system by inhibiting platelet aggregation, reducing serotonin release from platelet and blocking the formation of pro-inflammatory mediators.

        Vitamin B2 supplements is another non-drug treatment.

Attack-Aborting

        These medications are used to relieve the severity and/or duration of migraine and associated symptoms and should be taken as early as possible in an attack. Certain cerebral vasoconstrictor abortive agents are designed specifically for migraine. They may be administered by subcutaneous, oral, rectal, or intramuscularly. These medications include Ergotamine tartrate, Dihydroergotamine, Sumatriptan, Naratriptan, Rizatriptan, Zolmitripan, Electriptan, and Isometheptene mucate.

        An excellent non-vasoconstrictive abortive agent is Batorphanol tartrate offered in patient administered injection and now a nasal spray.

General Pain Management

        It may include the prescription of narcotics analgesics which act on the central nervous system and alter the patient's perception of pain. These drugs generally relieve pain. However, because they are narcotic, they maybe addictive, and such usage should be done in an appropriate manner to return a reasonable quality of life for the intractable migraine sufferer. These medications include Fiorinal with codiene, Percodan, Demerol,  Tylox or Methadone.

        There are some strong non-narcotic analgesics that are very effective too, such as Midrin or Fiorinal.

       NSAID's (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) acts by inhibiting blood vessels inflammation. They are not specific, do not treat associated migraine symptoms and can cause gastro-intestinal disturbances. These medications includes Naproxen, Ibuprofen and Ketorolac.

      Simple analgesics are generally used for mild pain. They relieve pain by acting on peripheral pain receptors. Though readily available, they are not strong enough to relieve migraine pain and overuse may cause rebound headaches. These medications includes Acetaminophen and Aspirin.

CONCLUSION

      Based on what I have researched, the following reviews were presented about Migraine; According to Dr. Ken Holroyd, a psychologist from the University of Ohio in Athens, alternatives therapies to treating migraine such as acupuncture, visits to a chiropractor and some herbal remedies deserve further study.  He stated that alternative practitioners are often consulted by American with higher education and income but use of chiropractors, acupuncturist and herbalists is not limited to one particular group. He said that it is difficult to judge how well these methods work since much of the publication research is not in English, and methods of diagnosis in the field of alternative medicine are entirely different than that of traditional Western medicine. Studies should be conducted that compare alternative treatment methods with standard treatment or with placebo so that the technique can be adequately evaluated. He also said that, several acupuncture studies have been conducted in this manner and in two of three studies, there was 30% to 40% reduction in migraine frequency. One herbal remedy, the feverfew leaf, may have some efficacy in reducing migraine attacks and recommended further trials of this approach.