Preventing Migraine Attacks
Headaches can be major hazard in your day to day life. Severe headache takes a toll on your judgment. However, headache remedies in the form of headache medicine and natural headache relief methods come to our aid to fight and prevent migraine.
 
Lifestyle measures and non-drug approaches, such as biofeedback, should be tried first for preventing migraine attacks.
In general, patients should consider using medications for prevention of migraines if, any of the following condition is present:
    * When migraines interfere with essential activities
    * If you have severe and disabling attacks
    * If drugs are ineffective for migraine attack
    * If drugs are overused
    * If side effects are severe
    * If attacks are frequent
    * If the migraines are rare forms. It is crucial to determine the migraine type as the standard drugs for migraines, like triptans, are ineffective for basilar and hemiplegic migraines.

Migraine Medications Commonly Used for Prevention:
*Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil), and naproxen (Anaprox, Aleve)
*COX-2 inhibitors
*Antidepressants (tricyclics, SSRIs)
*Beta-blockers (propranolol)
*Valproate (Depakote), gabapentin (Neurontin), topiramate (Topamax) or other anticonvulsant agents
*Calcium-Channel blockers (diltiazem, nimodipine, verapamil, flunarizine)
   
Develop a personal action plan for migraines to stop recurring by maintaining a headache diary and following the guidelines set up by your headache specialist.




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