What You Need To Know About Migraine Medicine

What You Need To Know About Migraine Medicine

The choice for which migraine medicine can be overwhelming, how do you know which one to take? People with regular mild migraine headaches that are not that bad usually self medicate themselves with a simple over the counter (non-prescription or OTC) pain reliever. There are a wide range of analgesic OTC medicines available. As far as migraine medicine goes OTC analgesics are safe and effective for the short term relief of headache. They are also commonly used for muscle aches, pains, menstrual cramps and fever when used in accordance with their recommended instructions.

OTC analgesics can be divided into two major classes: acetaminophen and non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Migraine medicine like acetaminophen acts on the brain's pain centers to reduce pain and fever. It is usually well tolerated and better for the stomach than NSAIDs. But in high doses or very regular usage over a long time period acetaminophen can result in liver damage. In combination with regular alcohol consumption the use of this migraine medicine can cause serious damage to the liver. In large doses it is also bad for the kidneys. It is very important to adhere to recommendations given and not take it more frequently or in larger doses.

NSAIDS as migraine medicine can be broken into two categories: aspirin and non-aspirin. Non aspirin examples are ibuprofen (which goes under the brand names Advil, Nuprin, Motrin and Medipren) and naproxen. There are NSAIDs that are prescription only. These are usually reserved for arthritis and other inflammatory conditions such as tendinitis and bursitis. The key difference between prescription and non-prescription is the amount of key ingredient contained in each pill. Non prescription will have about half the amount.

Migraine medicine like NSAIDs have the result of decreasing pain by fighting inflammation. These are different from corticosteroids which are also anti inflammatory. The side effects of corticosteroids are very serious especially after long term use, even though they are good at reducing inflammation. Plus they are slower acting than NSAIDs which have less side effects.

Substances like Aspirin, Motrin, Advil and Aleve are all NSAIDs and are similarly effective as migraine medicine. The big difference between aspirin and non-aspirin NSAIDs is their effect on platelets, which cause blood clotting. Aspiring stops blood clotting and can sometimes result in increased bleeding, although this is also used to decrease risk of heart attack and strokes.

Things like acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine are also available in combination in OTC analgesics as part of migraine medicine. These combination analgesics are called Pain aid, Fioricet, Excedrin and Fiorinal.

Choosing the best migraine medicine can be a difficult process because each individual responds in a different way to medication. Selecting something that has been useful in the past is the best starting point. That way you know it will work for you and you can lessen unwanted side effects.

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