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Headaches: Treating and preventing
migraine and other headaches
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Headache is one of the most common types of
pain. In any given year, almost 90% of men and
95% of women have at least one headache.
In most cases, the pain probably isn’t
an omen of some terrible disease, but instead
a response to the realities of modern life: stress,
fatigue, and lack of sleep. Of course, that doesn’t
make your headaches any less painful. But there
are effective strategies for treating and even
preventing them.
This report discusses a wide range of available
medications and headache-management techniques.
It also offers in-depth information on the most
common kinds of headaches (tension, sinus, and
migraine) and the treatment strategies that work
best for each. Although some form of head pain
will occasionally visit most people, no one should
have to live with it.
(updated: 2006)
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Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Headache basics
- What type of
headache do you have?
- Headache caused
by a medication or illness
- Evaluating your headache
- When to see your
doctor
- The office visit
- Diagnostic tests
- First steps in treatment
- Over-the-counter
medications
- Working with
your doctor
- Tension headache
- Triggers and
aggravators
- Treating tension
headache
- Preventing tension
headache
- Sinus headache
- How sinus headache
develops
- Treating sinus
headache
- Preventing sinus
headache
- Migraine headache
- Migraine triggers
- Treating migraine
headache
- Preventing migraine
headache
- Migraine treatments
under investigation
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- Cluster headache
- Treating cluster
headache
- Preventing cluster
headache
- Chronic daily headache
- Treating chronic
daily headache
- Preventing chronic
daily headache
- Further options
- Other tactics for
coping with headaches
- Avoiding triggers
- Physical therapy
- Mind-body techniques
- Exercise
- Acupuncture
- Psychotherapy
- Herbal remedies
and dietary supplements
- Headache diary
- Glossary
- Resources
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Here's an
Excerpt from this Headache Special Health Report
Migraine pain has been called indescribable,
yet 35 million Americans know it all too well.
Migraine is the French derivation of the Greek
word hemikrania, meaning “half
a head,” referring to the typical pattern
of migraine distress—pain only on one side
of the head, most often at the temple. The affected
side can vary from one attack to the next or
during a single episode.
When migraine headaches are not particularly
intense, you may want to try some home remedies
before seeing a doctor. For some folks, strong,
caffeinated black coffee is a simple and safe
solution. Caffeine acts as a vasoconstrictor,
meaning it causes blood vessels to narrow (see
Figure 7). A migraine headache may also respond
to an OTC analgesic (see “Over-the-counter
medications,” page XX), if it’s taken
when the pain is still mild. The prescription
medication isometheptene (Midrin), which is a
mild vasoconstrictor, may also be helpful. Even
then, this treatment is likely to only lessen,
not eliminate, the pain.
Most people with migraine headaches turn to
their doctors for prescription medications, and
the sooner the better. A crucial principle in
treating migraine headache is that it’s
much easier to nip it in the bud than to end
an entrenched attack. It takes a quick-acting
medication to squelch migraine pain. Most physicians
start by prescribing a class of drugs called
selective serotoninagonists, or triptans. If
this initial strategy doesn’t work, other
options are available.
When migraine headache attacks are particularly
severe, do not respond to treatment, or occur
more than three to four times a month, it’s
wise to investigate preventive strategies. Generally,
preventive therapy involves taking a course of
medication daily, gradually tapering the dose,
and ideally eventually discontinuing it altogether.
Beta blockers, used to treat high blood pressure
and angina, and tricyclic antidepressants can
reduce the frequency of migraine headaches by
50%–60%. They can also reduce the intensity
and duration of the headaches. Calcium-channel
blockers, also used to treat high blood pressure
and angina, don’t have the track record
of the beta blockers, but they show promise.
Anticonvulsant medications may also help.
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