3 Solutions for Migraines You Might Want to Explore

Every day you wake up and wonder whether you’ll have to deal with a debilitating and painful migraine, and you’re tired of living under this constant threat. Unfortunately, you’re not alone in this — migraines affect more than 10% of the global population.

Given the very high prevalence of migraines, the good news is that researchers around the world are working vigilantly to come up with new solutions for migraines.

Here at Gill Neuroscience, board-certified adult neurologist and psychiatrist Dr. Paul Gill stays abreast of the headache research so he’s better able to help our patients manage chronic migraines. 

While there’s still no cure for migraines, there are several ways we can help you break free from the prison that migraines can create, starting with these three approaches.

When a migraine attacks

Our first effort is to ensure that you have the tools you need for when a migraine strikes. This is called abortive therapy. We figure out which medications work best to remedy your symptoms before they worsen and take hold. These symptoms typically include head pain, nausea, and vomiting.

The medications we turn to in abortive therapy include:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications
• Acetaminophen
• Triptans
• Ditans
• Calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists

These medications work in different ways. Some address the pain in a general sense while others address areas in your brain that are related to the pain. 

For example, triptans target blood vessels in your brain that may be painfully dilated during a migraine. The medication helps them to contract again.

Preventive treatments

After we make sure that you have the right medications for better weathering a migraine attack, our next goal is an even better one — prevent the headaches in the first place.

There are several medications therapies that work well for people in preventing migraines, and they include:

• Botox® injections
• Antidepressants
• Anticonvulsants
• Beta blockers
• Calcium-channel blockers
• CGRP inhibitors

We don’t have the space here to get into the science behind how each of these medications works, but each has its merits in preventing migraines from developing. Of course, we go over any medications we recommend to you in detail before prescribing them.

It also may take a little time to figure out which one works best for you in terms of migraine prevention and side effects, but we work tirelessly until we find the right solution for your needs.

Managing your triggers

Another preventive tool is knowing what triggers your migraines. We ask new patients to keep a headache diary so they can note the conditions surrounding each migraine. For example: Was it a stressful day? Did you drink some red wine? Were you under a great deal of stress?

Understanding your triggers can help you offset these precipitating conditions to prevent migraines from developing. A solid trigger management plan should be a part of every migraine sufferer’s toolkit.

As you can see, you aren’t without solutions when it comes to managing your migraines. To figure out which solution is best for you, please call our office in Houston, Texas, at 832-912-7777 or use our online request form to set up an appointment.