Migraine medications. Fast-acting migraine remedies. Migraine prevention, medications and more

A neurological disease in which headaches (regular or episodic) are a common manifestation is called migraine. Excruciating attacks of pain cover one part of the head or the whole, but this is a rare case.

Migraine – hereditary disease, it is not associated with injuries, consequences of stroke, or tumors.

It is important that the disease greatly disrupts a person’s social adaptation and limits his communication with others. The performance of such a person decreases, and sometimes reaches such a level that they are assigned to the disabled group.

The amount of money spent on treatment is equal to the amount spent on cardiovascular diseases. The accuracy of a medical diagnosis is the differentiation of foci of pain during attacks from headaches, as well as the optimal selection of tablets - analgesics, beta-blockers, triptans (details about migraine medications fast acting we talked about in this material, and from this article you will learn about drugs for the prevention of this disease).

Medical supervision helps to adhere to a plan for stopping the next attack for each individual case. The severity of the disease depends on the frequency and intensity of attacks. For example, light form– several times a year, severe – daily (2-8 times a month).

Rating of effective tablets for migraines

Analgesics

Weak and rare attacks are the beginning of the development of the disease. Here you can limit yourself to the method of disposal with conventional analgesics:

Combined products

Combination tablets, caffeine, codeine or phenobarbital, help with frequent attacks. These are medications that reduce the excitability of the cerebral cortex.

Imigran– 100 mg. active substance sumatriptan, migraine, stimulates blood vessels and constricts them, price from 240 rubles;
Rapidmed– also 100 mg., does not affect smooth muscle receptors, relieves spasms from them, constricts blood vessels, cost within 280 rubles;
Sumamigren– 100 mg product, stimulates blood vessels, anti-migraine, cost from 290 rubles;
Zomig– 2.5 mg. active substance, relieves pain, relieves nausea, price from 600 rubles;
Rulpaks– 40 mg, narrows the blood vessels of the brain, cost from 350 rubles.

It is important that some tablets are not sold in our pharmacies. They are issued to order and strictly according to the recipe. There are also contraindications for this line of drugs, Triptans should not be taken in the following cases:

with high blood pressure;
with reverse migraine (when the blood vessels first narrow and then dilate);
if there is incompatibility with other medications (this is indicated in the instructions).

Attention! During severe attacks, you should absolutely not take different triptans.

Now you know about the most effective headache pills.

More detailed lists of migraine remedies and their prices can be found, and see the list of the best vasoconstrictors and homeopathic medicines for a headache you can.

Migraine is a hereditary disease in which the blood vessels of the brain are hypersensitive and become inflamed under the influence of unfavorable external and/or internal factors. Migraine attacks are accompanied by severe pain, photophobia and nausea. There are no permanent degenerative changes in the brain; dilation and inflammation of blood vessels occurs only during an attack and then stops.

Migraine does not pose a health risk; moreover, people suffering from it retain mental clarity and good memory longer. But during painful attacks about positive aspects I don’t want to think about illness. How can you tell if you really have a migraine or if your headaches are of a different nature?

Here's what you need to know about migraines:

Attacks usually have four stages: prodrome, aura, immediate pain and postdormal period;

Prodrome is anxiety and anticipation of an attack, aura is visual, tactile, olfactory and speech disturbances before an attack, migraine pain is always very strong, pulsating and localized in a certain part of the head, and the postdormal period is a feeling of weakness after an attack;

Sometimes migraine without aura occurs, but its absence does not remove the diagnosis;

Severe migraine attacks can be accompanied by vomiting, dizziness, double vision, blurred vision, and even paralysis of the limbs. Recurrent abdominal pain and vomiting of unknown etiology in children can also be a manifestation of migraine.

In girls, migraine first manifests itself at the age of 13-23 years, often its onset is associated with the first birth. Young men suffer from this disease much less often, but they begin to suffer earlier - from 8-10 years old, and it is difficult to predict when the attacks will end. Migraine is diagnosed in only 6% of the entire male population. Among women, every fifth suffers, but in almost all migraines disappear after menopause.

It is impossible to completely cure migraine, nor to explain its causes or prevent its development. But the disease can and should be brought under control. Ideally, you should not have more than two attacks per month, and they should not last more than two hours. For those who are used to writhing in pain and running to the toilet for two or three days, such words seem like an unattainable dream. But do not rush to despair. We will try to teach you to live in such a way that it is not the migraine that controls you, but you control it.

To get your migraine under control, you need to:

Identify triggers and carefully avoid them;

Understand the variety of painkillers, choose the right medicine and take it correctly to quickly relieve pain;

Do everything possible to reduce the frequency of attacks.

We will now examine each of these three points in detail.

Migraine triggers: recognize the enemy by sight

Migraine is not headache as such, but only increased sensitivity of the brain. For pain to begin, provoking factors are needed, which are called migraine triggers. A person may have one or more of these triggers, and sometimes attacks only occur from a specific combination of them.

What does this mean: if there is no reason, then there will be no attacks? Absolutely true, but it’s difficult to completely protect yourself from triggers - they are literally everywhere. Some people are luckier - they suffer from migraines only due to stress, while others suffer from any change in atmospheric pressure.

Don’t rush to conclusions, try keeping a “migraine diary” for one month. Draw a table, mark the dates at the top, and write all possible triggers on the side. If an attack occurs, put pluses in the column opposite those provoking factors that occurred on that particular day. For example: they drank – plus, didn’t get enough sleep – plus, it was raining – plus, quarreled with someone – plus, and so on. Based on the results of this mini-study, it will become clear what triggers (or combinations of triggers) provoke migraine attacks in you.

And to help you spot your enemies, here is a list of all the possible internal and external migraine triggers:

Alcohol. First of all, you should be wary of red wine and champagne. Any alcohol dilates blood vessels and provokes migraines, but red wine also contains flavonoids, and champagne contains carbon dioxide bubbles, so the vasodilating effect of these strong drinks is most pronounced;

Food. Here, in the first place are products containing tyramine - smoked meats, blue cheese, beer. Citrus fruits, bananas and chocolate are somewhat less common triggers. IN Lately There is evidence that migraine attacks can be triggered by the ubiquitous monosodium glutamate, a food additive that enhances the taste of most prepared foods. As for caffeine, its role in triggering the migraine mechanism is ambiguous. On the one hand, coffee and strong tea constrict blood vessels, and on the other, regular consumption of caffeine causes addiction. And a sudden refusal of it entails undesirable changes in vascular tone and, as a result, a migraine attack;

Diet. Essentially, it's not so much what you eat that matters, but how regularly you eat it. A long break between meals provokes a critical drop in blood glucose levels. And who is the most gluttonous in our body? Of course, the brain. And if he is prone to migraines, he will not fail to take revenge on you for the hunger strike with an attack of excruciating pain. Just remember to snack every 3-4 hours;

Allergy. Individual intolerance to food, medications or external factors (dust, pollen) is directly related to the frequency of migraine attacks. This fact was confirmed by a medical study, during which a group of patients were isolated from all allergens they had for three months. In absolutely all subjects, the frequency of attacks decreased, and the pain became less intense and lasting;

Liquid. Any person, and especially those suffering from migraines, need to drink 1.5 liters of clean water per day. This will allow biochemical reactions in the body to proceed correctly, and waste from these reactions will not accumulate in tissues and blood vessels. If you engage in sports or heavy physical labor, be aware of your body's increased need for clean water. Not in tea, coffee or juice, but in plain water;

Medicines. Drugs that have a vasodilating effect (for example, Nitroglycerin, Curantyl, etc.) will almost certainly trigger the migraine mechanism and cause an attack, so carefully read the instructions for all medications before taking them;

Dream. An adult needs to sleep from 6 to 8 hours a day, no less. Suppose you change your job, and instead of the usual 8 hours, you now sleep only 5. Adaptation to such a schedule will certainly be accompanied by migraine attacks. The same can happen to a person who goes on vacation and decides to sleep until noon - it is very likely that your sybaritism will result in a terrible headache;

Emotional stress. It's hard to imagine daily life without stress, but you can learn how to properly relax and restore peace of mind. This is especially important for people with migraines. During the stress itself, when the body is focused, there will be no attack - it will overtake you a few hours later, or the next day. Therefore, after a nervous shock or conflict, make every effort to drive away the negativity and free yourself from tension;

Sports and active recreation. A whole day in the garden, your first fitness workout, a long shopping spree – and now you’ve come down with a migraine attack. A familiar picture, isn't it? If you don’t move much in life, don’t rush to overload yourself, but if, on the contrary, you regularly exercise, keep up the good work and never suddenly slow down;

Weather. Changes in atmospheric pressure cannot be called the most popular migraine triggers - these factors only affect people with unstable blood pressure. However, one does not interfere with the other, and it is likely that you are a hypertensive patient suffering from migraines;

Environment. Others can also trigger an attack. external factors: prolonged loud sound (construction site, production workshop, rock concert, football match), strong smell (perfume, paint, varnish, solvent), dirty air (smoky or dusty room);

Hormones. Here is the answer to the question why migraines “love” the fair sex so much. During the life of every woman, serious changes occur in the body under the influence of sex hormones: the girl matures, menstruates, becomes pregnant, gives birth, feeds, and loses fertility. And hormones work at every stage. It’s no wonder that almost all women suffering from migraines experience severe attacks on the eve of menstruation, in the postpartum period and during menopause.

How to get rid of headaches?

Well, we finally got to the most important thing, you say, and list in your mind all the questions that brought you to this page:

Do I need to take painkillers to treat migraines?

How often can you do this?

And how to get rid of nausea?

Are headache pills harmful?

How do they differ from each other, besides the price?

When to take the medicine: during the aura, after the onset of pain, or when it is no longer possible to endure?

Or maybe take a pill just in case, at the first premonition of an attack?

Let's deal with everything in order. Let's start with full list all medications for migraines and headaches, indicating their true composition. It may come as a big surprise to you that for the same substance the pharmacy can charge you an amount that differs by 10 times or more. It is equally important to learn to distinguish tablets that are suitable for the treatment of migraines from those that are completely unsuitable, and also to assess the severity of possible side effects.

Simple painkillers

Official medicine calls such drugs by the short abbreviation NSAIDs - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, that is, they relieve inflammation without the help of hormones. Below we provide detailed list these medications, and even if you don’t find the name of your pills in it, read their composition - they’re probably all familiar terms.

Absolutely all NSAIDs relieve headaches by reducing inflammation in the vascular walls. In other words, these drugs eliminate the very cause of pain, which is very good. However, some tablets contain additional components that have a sedative or antispasmodic effect. We will discuss in detail how relevant this is in the treatment of migraine.

To begin with, let’s divide all medications for headaches into two large groups:

One-component;

Multicomponent.

Single-component analgesics

Simple single-component analgesics include acetylsalicylic acid, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, naproxen, ketorolac, xefocam, lornoxicam and diclofenac.

To date, the following drugs are registered in Russia:

Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin, Upsarin). For the treatment of migraine, a dosage of 500 mg and above is relevant, best option– take two 500 mg tablets at once. Effervescent tablets are much better because they are absorbed faster, which is very important in conditions of nausea. In pharmacies you can find the so-called cardiac aspirin (Trombo ac, Aspirin cardio), which is prescribed for prophylactic purposes to patients at risk of stroke and heart attack, because acetylsalicylic acid reduces blood clotting. Be careful: this aspirin is absolutely not suitable for the treatment of migraines, its dosage is too small;

Acetaminophen (Paracetamol). We are accustomed to considering paracetamol as a cure for high fever in children. By itself, it is safe, but not very effective, so multicomponent analgesics with the addition of paracetamol are more suitable for the treatment of migraines. Pure acetaminophen is also sold under the names Panadol, Tylenol, Efferalgan;

Ibuprofen (Nurofen 200 mg; Nurofen forte 400 mg; Mig 200; Mig 400; Brufen; Advil). It has analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effects. It is well tolerated by patients and quickly relieves headaches. For migraine, a dosage of 500 mg is prescribed;

Metamizole sodium (Analgin 500 mg; Baralgin 500 mg). We did not start the list with this most popular analgesic because it has become greatly discredited over the past few decades. Regular intake of metamizole sodium negatively affects blood composition, liver and kidney functions. In the entire civilized world, they have not produced the pure substance in a dosage of 500 mg for a long time, but only add 100-250 mg to the composition of multicomponent painkillers. In Russia, they still produce cheap Analgin with a horse dose of metamizole, which relieves migraine headaches well, but causes irreparable harm to health with regular use;

Naproxen (Naproxen 250 mg, Nalgesin 275 mg, Nalgesin forte 550 mg). For the treatment of migraines, it is used both independently in a dosage of 500–750 mg, and as part of combination medications for headaches. Also often used to combat period pain in women;

Diclofenac (Voltaren) is an anti-inflammatory substance successfully used for back and joint pain. There are many trade names for diclofenac, and Voltaren is perhaps the most well-known of them. To relieve acute headaches and treat migraines, use diclofenac tablets or Voltaren powder;

Ketorolac (Ketanov, 10 mg);

Lornoxicam (Xefocam, Xefocam Rapid). Ketanov and Xefocam are powerful analgesics with which you can eliminate even pulsating toothache or pain from liver colic. Both drugs are actively used in the treatment of migraines, not only in tablets, but also in injection form.

Multicomponent analgesics

These painkillers may contain one or more main active ingredients (for example, metamizole sodium and paracetamol), as well as one or two additional substances (for example, codeine, caffeine or phenobarbital).

Caffeine is known to have a vasoconstrictor effect, which is very important for migraines. Codeine and phenobarbital are calming nervous system and reduce the excitability of the cerebral cortex. Previously, phenobarbital was used in large doses to treat epilepsy, and this practice exposed its serious side effects and register the addictive effect. Keep in mind that codeine and phenobarbital are addictive, which means that tablets with such additives are not suitable for regular treatment of migraines.

Let's list the most popular combination drugs for headaches:

Citramon (paracetamol 180 mg + caffeine 30 mg + acetylsalicylic acid 240 mg). Askofen has the same composition. These drugs are suitable for the treatment of migraines in patients who do not have problems with high blood pressure and vascular spasms. To stop an attack, you need to take at least 2 tablets at once;

Migrenol, Panadol extra (paracetamol 500 mg + caffeine 65 mg). There you are shining example extracting money from ignorant people suffering from wild headaches. They come to the pharmacy, where they are helpfully offered a special medicine for migraines, which is called Migrenol, and, of course, costs several hundred. In reality, both Migrenol and Panadol Extra are a ten-ruble paper blister of Paracetamol and a cup of coffee. And for migraines, these drugs help worse than Citramon (also, by the way, ten rubles);

Pentalgin. This brand sells 4 drugs, slightly different in composition and purpose. The first three are suitable for relieving pain during rare (no more than 2 times a month) migraine attacks, and the fourth has an antispasmodic effect and is intended to eliminate colic, pain, dental, muscle, joint and menstrual pain:

Pentalgin N (metamizole sodium 300 mg + naproxen 100 mg + caffeine 50 mg + codeine 8 mg + phenobarbital 10 mg);

Pentalgin ICN (metamizole sodium 300 mg + paracetamol 300 mg + caffeine 50 mg + codeine 8 mg + phenobarbital 10 mg). The drugs Sedal M and Sedalgin neo have the same composition;

Pentalgin plus (propyphenazone + paracetamol + caffeine + codeine + phenobarbital);

Pentalgin (paracetamol 300 mg + naproxen 100 mg + caffeine 50 mg + drotaverine 40 mg + pheniramine maleate 10 mg).

Caffetin (propyphenazone 210 mg + paracetamol 250 mg + caffeine 50 mg + codeine 10 mg) is good because it does not contain analgin, but for permanent treatment migraine is not suitable due to codeine;

Tempalgin (metamizole sodium 500 mg + triacetonamine 4 toluenesulfonate 20 mg). These are the familiar “green pills for the head.” Indeed, they relieve pain well, thanks to a large dose of analgin and a non-narcotic sedative;

Spazmalgon (Spazgan, Bral, metamizole sodium 500 mg + pitofenone 2 mg + fenpiverinium bromide 20 mg). Using this drug to treat migraines on an ongoing basis is a big mistake. It has a completely different purpose. Of course, 500 mg of analgin will dull any pain, but we have already talked about its harm. And the remaining components of Spasmalgon have an antispasmodic effect, which is not relevant for migraines, since the vessels in the brain are dilated and inflamed, and not compressed. Let's debunk the myth to the end: Drotaverine (No-shpa) is also useless for migraines. It has an exclusively antispasmodic and not anti-inflammatory effect, and there are no spasms during a migraine attack;

Andipal (metamizole sodium 250 mg + dibazole 20 mg + papaverine 20 mg + phenobarbital 20 mg). Very effective drug to relieve headaches in people suffering from migraines due to hypertension and increased nervous excitability. However, due to the fact that one tablet of Andipal contains only half a tablet of analgin, to treat migraines you have to take two tablets at once, which is 40 mg of phenobarbital. As a result, addiction is inevitable.

Let us now discuss “firefighters”, injection methods for relieving terrible headaches during a migraine attack. They have to be resorted to when a person took absolutely inappropriate pills that did not help him, and lost precious time, or when he courageously endured pain until he began to climb the wall. Of course, this cannot be done, but if the situation does arise, you will have to give an injection.

For intramuscular injections The following analgesics are most often used at home:

Baralgin – 2500 mg of analgin in 1 ampoule. The equivalent of five analgin tablets immediately enters the bloodstream. At the stage when the headache is unbearable and accompanied by nausea, this is the best way out;

Ketorol – 30 mg of ketorolac in 1 ampoule. Baralgin helps faster and better, causes less harm to health, but costs much more and is never available to emergency doctors. If you have severe migraines, it is better to buy Ketorol at the pharmacy yourself, along with suitable syringes, and keep it on hand.

An effective and painless alternative to injections - rectal suppositories. Since large vessels pass through the rectum, painkillers quickly enter the bloodstream, bypassing the digestive tract, which is engulfed by nausea.

The following suppositories are used to treat migraines:

Voltaren 50 and 100 mg (diclofenac);

Cefekon D (paracetamol);

Indomethacin 50 and 100 mg.

If the nausea is not very severe and is not accompanied by vomiting, it makes sense to take diclofenac powder - Voltaren Rapid sachet. It is absorbed very quickly in the stomach and does not irritate the mucous membrane, so it does not aggravate nausea.

At the end of the conversation about combination painkillers for the treatment of migraines, I would like to dwell in more detail on prescription medications. You cannot buy such tablets at the pharmacy just like that, since they contain unsafe substances that are addictive. For example, Zaldiar (tramadol 37.5 mg + paracetamol 325 mg). We mentioned paracetamol above, and tramadol is a semi-narcotic substance that activates endorphin receptors. In other words, after taking tramadol, a person feels as if there is a lot of the joy hormone in his blood - endorphin. The cause of the pain is not eliminated, but anti-pain mechanisms in the brain are triggered. Zaldiar is used only to treat severe, uncontrolled forms of migraine, and only as directed by a doctor.

Special antimigraine analgesics

As long as migraine has existed, scientists have been trying to find a special medicine to treat this mysterious disease. A significant percentage of patients cannot find a pain reliever at all among the available and popular analgesics - no pills simply do not help them. That's why a scientific breakthrough in the treatment of migraines was only a matter of time, and it recently took place.

In 1989, the German pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline developed the first special drug against migraine – sumatriptan. It constricts dilated vessels, blocks the release of calcitonin bound peptide and substance P from the endings trigeminal nerve, thereby completely stopping a migraine attack. To this day, sumatriptan is considered the “gold standard” in the treatment of migraines - this drug radically improves the quality of life in more than 70% of patients who have tried it on themselves.

Triptans

Sumatriptan was the first member of the family of antimigraine drugs. Over the past 30 years, this family has been expanded with several more effective products. It is important to understand that triptans do not relieve headaches other than those caused by migraines. At the same time, no other type of drug demonstrates such high effectiveness in the treatment of migraine as triptans.

The following triptans are sold in Russian pharmacies:

Sumatriptan and its generics (drugs with the same active ingredient):

Imigran in tablets of 50 and 100 mg and in the form of a spray of 20 mg (one dose);

Amigrenin 50 and 100 mg (Russia);

Sumamigren 50 and 100 mg (Poland);

Rapided 50 and 100 mg (Iceland);

Zolmitriptan (Zomig 2.5 mg);

Eletriptan (Relpax 40 mg);

Naratriptan (Naramig 2.5 mg).

Compared to original drugs, generics are up to four times cheaper, and yet have the same high effectiveness. In our country, Amigrenin (generic Sumatriptan) enjoys well-deserved love among migraine patients, which can be purchased for an average of 150-200 rubles.

The appearance of triptans on the pharmaceutical market has become a salvation for millions of people suffering from painful migraine attacks with nausea and vomiting. But, as often happens in life, every good thing has its downsides. Triptans are no exception. Because they strongly constrict inflamed blood vessels, some people simply cannot take such drugs.

Although triptans have a targeted, selective effect on the blood vessels of the brain, their effect on the cardiac and peripheral vessels cannot be completely discounted. Therefore, doctors do not prescribe triptan treatment for migraine to relatively healthy and young patients who experience stabbing pain in the heart during intense physical activity, or a feeling of leaden heaviness in the legs. Varicose veins and a history of thrombophlebitis are also factors not in favor of triptans.

If you have migraine with aura, it is very important to choose the right time to take a triptan. During an aura, the blood vessels of the brain are narrowed, and the onset of pain signals their expansion and inflammation. This is why you should never take a pill during the aura stage in order to get ahead of the pain. This way you won’t get ahead of her, but will only prolong the aura and intensify your torment during an attack.

It is better to start treating migraines with Sumatriptan or Zomig after consulting a doctor and a basic examination, including a blood test and an electrocardiogram. Of course, the pharmacy will sell you these drugs without a prescription, but do not rush to go there without visiting a doctor. The very fact that triptans are sold in 2 or 3 tablets in one package suggests that their overdose or improper use is fraught with serious negative consequences.

Typically, triptans are well tolerated, only sometimes patients report a feeling of goosebumps, heaviness in the chest and difficulty concentrating. Thirty years of practice in treating migraines with triptans allows us to speak with confidence about their safety and high effectiveness. Therefore, if you have no contraindications, there is nothing to be afraid of - you can safely begin treatment.

Ergotamine derivatives

There is another, older class of special anti-migraine analgesics - ergotamine derivatives. They, unlike triptans, only constrict blood vessels, and very strongly and quickly, so they can be dangerous, especially in large dosages. In the majority foreign countries These drugs are not prescribed for the treatment of migraines on an ongoing basis. Ergotamine derivatives are considered only as reserve substances for the relief of severe attacks when no other methods work.

For example, the drug Dihydroergotamine in ampoules is present in the arsenal of Western doctors in case of emergency care for a patient with migraine status (that is, suffering from a headache for several days in the absence of effect from conventional analgesics). You cannot buy Dihydroergotamine in a pharmacy without a prescription, but you can buy combined painkillers with a low content of ergotamine.

Three such analgesics are registered in Russia:

Nomigren (ergotamine tartrate 0.75 mg + caffeine 80 mg + propyphenazone 200 mg + camilofine chloride 25 mg + mecloxamine citrate 20 mg). Ergotamine constricts blood vessels, caffeine tones their walls and accelerates the absorption of tablets, propyphenazone has an analgesic effect, and mecloxamine neutralizes nausea;

Syncaptone (ergotamine tartrate 1 mg + caffeine 100 mg + dimenhydrinate 25 mg);

Caffeamine (ergotamine tartrate 1 mg + caffeine 100 mg).

But according to patient reviews, two Nomigren tablets can stop a migraine attack with approximately the same speed and efficiency as one Zomig tablet. However, when comparing these drugs from a safety point of view, triptan is preferable. You also need to take into account that the combined use of ergotamine derivatives and triptans is strictly contraindicated, since it leads to a critical narrowing of the blood vessels in the brain!

Ergotamine derivatives have a fairly wide range of contraindications:

Peripheral diseases blood vessels;

Arterial hypertension;

Angina;

Myocardial infarction;
Glaucoma;

Pregnancy and lactation.

How to deal with nausea during a migraine attack?

A migraine attack is almost always accompanied by nausea and sometimes repeated vomiting. Not only is this very unpleasant, but it also interferes with the timely absorption of the painkillers taken. If you take a pill and then vomit, you can assume that you did not take the medicine at all. Therefore, as soon as you feel nausea approaching, immediately take an antiemetic (Cerucal, Reglan), or directly along with the analgesic.

However, even at the very beginning of a migraine attack, when it is too early to talk about nausea and throbbing pain, the stomach is already functioning incorrectly, not at full capacity, and the food eaten the day before is retained in it. The same fate most likely awaits the painkiller you took. It will lie there and corrode the mucous membrane, further causing nausea. To avoid this, take a Motilium tablet - this is an anti-overeating medicine that contains a complex of gastric enzymes that speed up the digestion process.

How to choose the right drug for migraine?

From the variety of painkillers presented above, it’s easy to get confused: which tablets to choose, and where to start treating migraines? The most correct approach would be a consistent approach - start, so to speak, with the least evil, gradually moving towards the greatest, and only if simple analgesics do not help. It is important to choose an adequate dosage, otherwise you will take 2 more tablets in an hour, two more in a few hours, in the end they will not have that effect, since the moment has been missed, and you will unfairly classify the drug as “ineffective migraine remedies.”

Aspirin is the best NSAID to relieve migraine headaches. Timely taken 1000 mg of aspirin is comparable in effectiveness to triptans, but is much more affordable. However, do not forget about the corrosive effect that acetylsalicylic acid has on the stomach. Because of this disadvantage, treatment of migraine with aspirin is contraindicated in patients with gastritis and peptic ulcers.

As we mentioned above, in Europe, real persecution has been announced against combined analgesics due to harmful additives, addictive(codeine, phenobarbital). Therefore, there, if you have a severe headache, you have to be content with regular aspirin.

Enterprising people have come up with a special “anti-migraine cocktail” consisting of simple and affordable ingredients:

A glass of water with 1000 mg of effervescent aspirin dissolved;

A cup of freshly brewed sweet black coffee or a can of cola;

Motilium tablet.

How it works? First, you take a large dose of aspirin in a rapidly absorbed form. Secondly, you provide the body with fluid and glucose, which fills the stomach and calms the brain. Thirdly, you receive a portion of gastric enzymes that will help digest the contents of the stomach as quickly as possible and move it into the intestines, where aspirin will be absorbed. This “cocktail” really works! Try it, and if you have ulcers or gastritis, replace aspirin with nalgesin or naproxen at a dosage of 500-750 mg.

Triptans are your first line drugs if you have a stomach ulcer or duodenum, as well as in case of exacerbation of gastritis or provided that the effect of Aspirin does not occur 45 minutes after administration. In this case, start taking triptans immediately, at the very beginning of the next attacks. Let us remind you once again: to treat migraines with triptans you need to get permission from your doctor!

Single-component analgesics (ibuprofen, analgin, paracetamol, diclofenac) should not be used in pure form, especially analgin. Try testing the effects of ibuprofen (600-800 mg) or ketorolac (20 mg) on yourself; perhaps this will be enough to quickly and completely get rid of headaches during an attack. But paracetamol and diclofenac are unlikely to compare with aspirin in effectiveness in treating migraines. Although, as you know, each person is individual.

Combined analgesics (Citramon, Pentalgin) are much more often used to relieve migraine attacks, and they work better, but do not forget what we said about harmful additives and addiction. Drugs containing codeine and phenobarbital can only be used to treat mild migraines with 2-3 attacks per month.

It completely relieves headaches no later than 4 hours after administration;

During the first 2 hours, nausea and photophobia disappear, and the pain goes from throbbing to dull and gradually subsides;

It helps you stop an attack always or almost always;

The headache does not return the next day;

You do not have to repeat taking this drug or add another one during an attack.

How to take painkillers for migraines correctly?

No, we are not talking about strictly following the instructions, not chewing tablets not intended for this purpose and washing them down with enough water. This goes without saying. When treating migraines, perhaps the most important thing is the time of taking the medicine, and not its composition. Any analgesic, simple or combined, regular or special, can relieve severe headaches, no matter what the cause. However, with a migraine, you only have minutes to give him this opportunity.

Dilatation and inflammation of the blood vessels in the brain is the only cause of headache only during the first 40-120 minutes from the onset of the attack (depending on how quickly the pain increases). Thus, if you managed to take a painkiller within the first two hours, you have a chance to stop the attack. Otherwise the chance is lost.

When a throbbing headache is accompanied by nausea, fear of bright light and intolerance to loud sounds, this indicates that pain impulses have already passed along the fibers of the trigeminal nerve and reached the cerebral cortex. Pain mechanisms have been activated, which are very difficult for analgesics to stop, especially considering the pointlessness of oral administration.

Combination analgesics are more likely to help you when the optimal time of administration has been missed, but this is only because the sedative additives they contain dull the sensitivity of the cerebral cortex and no longer fight the cause, but the effect. Since the concentration of codeine and phenobarbital in such drugs is minute, success is not guaranteed. But uncontrolled treatment of migraine with combined analgesics will definitely lead to dependence on them. It is recommended to take medications containing phenobarbital or codeine no more than twice a month.

Taking a painkiller at the wrong time usually causes a person to suffer from a terrible headache all day, and, in the end, calls an ambulance. Doctors inject him intramuscularly with Baralgin, Diphenhydramine, and sometimes even Relanium, as a result of which the exhausted patient quickly falls asleep. Try to never bring yourself to this state: firstly, it is dangerous to your health, and secondly, it leads to more frequent migraine attacks in the future.

Of course, you can do nothing at all and just endure: the brain has protective anti-pain mechanisms that turn off pain when it ceases to be an alarm for you, as the owner of the body, and becomes a threat to the body itself. After a maximum of 72 hours, a huge concentration of the hormone serotonin will accumulate in the blood, and the pain syndrome will be relieved.

However, the brain's reserves are not infinite - it cannot produce serotonin constantly in wild quantities, and the rise will inevitably be followed by a decline. And a low level of this hormone in the blood causes a person to experience severe pain for any reason, even the most insignificant. In other words, the pain threshold decreases, and in migraine conditions this is a disaster.

Painkillers: help or harm?

Absolutely all analgesics for relieving pain and inflammation interfere with the synthesis of the enzyme cyclooxygenase. But this enzyme is not only involved in the development of inflammation, but is also present in the mucous membrane of a healthy stomach. Cyclooxygenase deficiency leads to thinning and ulceration of the mucosa, so abuse of NSAIDs is fraught with the development of gastritis and ulcers. These drugs also have a bad effect on the functioning of the liver and kidneys, since they are eliminated from the body through one of these organs, or even both.

The second negative point is physiological addiction. The body gets used to the fact that as soon as something hurts, a “good pill” appears out of nowhere and eliminates the inflammation. He wants to do less and less himself, and get more and more of these pills. As a result, if previously you could get rid of migraines with 500 mg of aspirin, now only 1500 mg helps. The number of medications increases, therefore, side effects increase. Arises vicious circle, getting out of which is sometimes as difficult as giving up drugs.

In medicine, there is a special term for drug-induced headache - abuse (from the English “abuse” - abuse). As soon as a person with such a problem decreases the concentration of analgesics in the blood, pain occurs, simply as a reaction to the fact that he did not take the pill on time. He follows his addiction and continues to increase his intake of painkillers until he is hospitalized with a diagnosis of acute drug poisoning.

Almost all people who have long and regularly resorted to treating migraines with analgesics also develop a persistent psychological dependence on the pills. They are always afraid of an attack, carry a bunch of boxes and blisters with them, spend a significant part of their income on medications, and take pills just like that, “to prevent pain.” Do you recognize yourself in this description? Please try to stop!

You can take painkillers no more than twice a week. During a migraine attack, this must be done on time and strictly in a therapeutic (not underestimated!) dose. You cannot repeat the dose earlier than indicated in the instructions, take more tablets per day than recommended, or take other tablets instead, based on the fact that you have not exceeded the dosage of each individual drug. They will poison you all together, but they will not relieve the pain if they could not do it right away.

This is all, of course, wonderful, you say, but what to do if it hurts?! And nothing helps? And the attacks are only becoming more frequent? We will try to answer these questions in the next chapter.

How to reduce the frequency of migraine attacks?

Successfully resolving this issue depends equally on yourself and on your doctor. What can you do personally to make migraine attacks less frequent and less painful? At the very beginning of our conversation, we discussed triggers - external and internal factors that provoke the occurrence of attacks. It’s a shame, but neurologists note that almost none of the migraine patients keep a diary on their advice or try to identify their triggers. Everyone says things like, “I have seizures when I'm nervous,” or “I just didn't get enough sleep,” but do nothing to protect themselves from these risks!

Try to stop reasoning according to the principle “we are not like this, life is like this.” You are quite capable of organizing the correct work and rest schedule, learning to relax after stress, and instilling in yourself a love of light, healthy food, sports and an active lifestyle. If attacks are provoked by external factors (prolonged loud sounds, polluted air, allergens), just eliminate them from your life. Well, if even the most careful attitude towards yourself still does not allow you to reduce the frequency of migraine attacks, it’s time to see a doctor for serious treatment.

After the examination, you will be prescribed a course of special medications aimed at reducing the sensitivity of the blood vessels in the brain. They do not relieve headaches, but prevent their occurrence. Any person with severe migraine is recommended to undergo such preventive courses of treatment once every 2-3 years, which usually last 3-6 months.

Be sure to see a doctor if:

Every month you have 3 or more severe migraine attacks, and in between them you are tormented by a background, pressing headache;

To reduce the frequency of migraine attacks, medications of various classes are used:

Antiepileptic drugs – Topamax in a dosage of up to 100 mg, valproic acid(Depakine), gabapentin (Neurontin, Tebantin). These drugs reduce the excitability of the brain, so triggers do not cause a migraine attack as easily or quickly;

Antidepressants are drugs that increase the concentration of the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine in the blood, for example, venlafaxine (Velafax, Efevelon, Venlaxin), paroxetine (Paxil, Rexetine, Cipramil) and the tricyclic antidepressant Amitriptyline. All of them are aimed at strengthening the pain protection of the brain. Used in minimal therapeutic doses;

Beta blockers – Propranolol, Anaprilin, Obzidan, used to lower blood pressure. Such drugs also slow down the heart rate, so they are prescribed for the treatment of migraines only to those whose blood pressure almost always remains at 120/80 and whose pulse is stable;

Calcium channel blockers - Verapamil and nimodipine (Nimotop) are used for migraines. To lower blood pressure, fairly high doses of these drugs are required, but in general they stabilize vascular tone well;

Drugs that improve cerebral circulation - for example, Vasobral in drops and tablets. In the treatment of migraines, it is moderately effective, but is completely safe and suitable for almost everyone;

Magnesium preparations - to strengthen blood vessels and support the heart.

The attack begins: what to do?

Let's summarize our conversation about migraine treatment, put together the entire arsenal and draw up a clear plan of action so as not to lose a single precious minute when an attack hits you again.

So, if a headache starts:

Go home immediately, take time off from work;

Accept warm shower, use aromatic oils that help you cope with pain (lavender, patchouli, bergamot);

Make a cup of sweet tea or coffee, dissolve in a glass 2 effervescent tablets aspirin, eat something light, if you haven’t eaten for a long time, take a Motilium tablet, and if you feel nauseous, then Cerucal;

Close yourself in the room, close the curtains, lie down under the blanket, relax and try to sleep;

If after 45-60 minutes the pain has not begun to subside, use a temperature contrast: place a cold wet towel on your forehead or under your neck, and lower your legs into a basin with hot water. Ask someone close to you to give you a massage, or resort to acupressure yourself, diagrams of which are easy to find on the Internet;

After 2 hours, if the pain is still not relieved, take a triptan or a combination analgesic with a sedative component;

If even after 2 hours the attack has not stopped, vomiting has begun, do not take any more pills - call an ambulance or inject Baralgin/Ketorolac at home, if possible.

When to call an ambulance?

There are situations when an ambulance must be called. Although migraine is not a dangerous disease, in very rare cases it takes on dangerous forms and can lead to serious complications. Read the following list carefully: Even if you are used to dealing with attacks on your own, some deviations from the usual scenario should make you immediately grab the phone.

Call an ambulance if:

The attack lasts more than three days, that is, you have the so-called “migraine status”, the result of which, especially in adulthood, can be a stroke;

You have repeated vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration;

Migraine aura lasts more than 1 hour;

Impairments in vision, speech, touch and smell persist throughout the entire attack, and not just precede it;

Previously, your migraine was never accompanied by an aura, but now it suddenly appears;

You experience severe dizziness, darkening of your vision, distortion of the outlines of objects, total blindness, loss of consciousness, disorientation in space;

The course of the migraine changed dramatically, and after last week you are having your second or third attack;

You are over 55 years old, have had migraines for a long time, and suddenly you again have a severe headache similar to a migraine.

We hope today we were able to answer all your questions about migraine, help you find hope and suggest ways to take control of this insidious and mysterious disease. Take care of yourself and be healthy!

Migraine is a very unpleasant neurological disease that causes very severe pain in the head. Migraine pain can be localized in the forehead, back of the head and temples.

This article will look at the best quick-acting migraine medications. We will talk about which pills are best for relieving the pain that occurs with this disease.

We will also look at which medicine does not help provide effective treatment.

A few words about this disease

Doctors classify migraine as a neurological disease. The pain that occurs during this condition is unilateral.

According to the data medical research, migraines affect about 10% of the world's population.

Therefore, the problem of headaches is not new to the world. As you know, Pontius Pilate also suffered from this disease.

It is worth noting that women are more susceptible to migraines. The frequency of headache attacks that occurs with this disease varies. Discomfort may occur daily or several times a month.

In any case, a painful attack is the cause of real suffering for the patient. When a migraine affects a person, he loses the ability to think normally.

His condition causes the inability to focus visual attention on one point for more than a few seconds.

It's all about the severe discomfort of a migraine, due to which the patient not only feels significantly worse, but also completely loses his ability to work.

Based on this, there is a need to use effective anti-migraine medications.

Today in pharmacies you can find various fast-acting painkillers that can be used to relieve a pain attack.

These medications help not only relieve pain, but also eliminate the cause of its occurrence. However, tablets and other forms of medication for migraines must be taken correctly.

Symptoms

Before taking any measures to combat this problem, you should determine exactly what migraine is bothering a person.

To do this, you should know the main symptoms that accompany it.

There are two types of this disease:

with an aura;
without aura.

What is an aura? It is a specific harbinger of a painful attack that is about to occur.

Usually, the aura appears 10-15 minutes before the attack. During the aura period, the patient may experience darkening in the eyes, flickering, many patients describe the appearance of “floaters” before the eyes, there may also be sound sensitivity, photophobia and, in rare cases, hallucinations.

Also during this period, many patients experience deteriorating vision and loss of sensitivity. In medicine, migraine with aura is considered classic.

So, the main symptoms of this disease:

Sharp pain piercing the head, usually on one side. Discomfort with this disease is localized in the temples. Some patients feel it only in one temple.
Constant pulsation. This symptom is the cause of real suffering for the patient.
Sound and light intolerance. A person suffering from this disease loses the ability to interact with external stimuli such as loud sound and bright light. When the patient is in a room that is illuminated by bright rays and in which people speak loudly, this can intensify his pain attack.
Nausea. In some cases it is accompanied by vomiting. With this disease, vomiting does not bring the patient the desired relief.
Drowsiness. The feeling of drowsiness does not leave the patient even if he has slept well.
Weakness and malaise. The person does not even have the strength to get out of bed. It is difficult for him to move around the room independently, so he needs outside help.
Deterioration of vision. It is worth noting that one of the most dangerous complications What may occur during the course of this disease is blindness. Loss of vision does not threaten a person if he promptly stops the occurrence of a painful attack.

The intensity of these symptoms increases within 1 minute. That is why there is a need for timely adoption of therapeutic measures. The painful attack does not last more than 1 hour.

It must be said that in the absence of this attack, a patient prone to this disease is not much different from an absolutely healthy person.

As for the symptoms that appear with ordinary migraine, not accompanied by an aura, they are as follows:

Sensation of pulsation in the head. The pulsation may be felt in only one temple. It lasts from several hours to 4 days. Maybe even in the absence of headache discomfort.
Decline physical activity. This symptom is explained by the patient’s weakness and malaise.
Increased pain during physical activity. During a painful attack, it is difficult for a person to even turn his head. He feels severe discomfort when walking.
Nausea, vomiting.

Unfortunately, today there is no universal method for treating this disease. All that remains for patients is to stop the pain attack.

At-risk groups

Migraine can be triggered by a number of factors, including health problems, stress, non-compliance with rules healthy eating etc. There are 5 main risk groups:

People living in big cities. Why are they considered a risk group? The whole point is that a person living in big city more susceptible to stress. And, as you know, when you find yourself in a stressful situation, a person becomes vulnerable. Other breakdowns put his health at risk. People living in rural areas lead a measured lifestyle, so they are less susceptible to stress and psycho-emotional tension. Among rural residents there are practically no people who have ever experienced a painful attack that occurs during this disease.
Typical patients who experience migraine. It may be trivial to include this category in the risk group, but, nevertheless, if a person has this disease, then there is a high probability of its recurrence. Who is the typical migraine sufferer? This is a very purposeful and ambitious person who puts a lot of effort into moving up the career ladder.
People prone to depression. If a man long time is in psycho-emotional tension, he becomes vulnerable. Such people often experience headaches.
People with bad habits. First of all, this applies to smokers.
Patients suffering diabetes mellitus, as well as those who take estrogens in large quantities.
Children of parents with this pathological condition.

Drug treatment

It is advisable that quick-acting drugs be prescribed to a patient suffering from this disease by a doctor. It is better to follow the advice of doctors to follow effective treatment measures.

So, what groups of medications should you take for severe pain that occurs with migraines? Here is a list containing such medications (the name is indicated).

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory tablets

What tablets exactly? The most famous non-steroidal painkillers are Analgin and Paracetamol.

They have in a fast way action, so Analgin and Paracetamol help with headache discomfort already on the first day.

However, these migraine drugs cannot be called potent. Analgin and Paracetamol are used against moderate but prolonged pain.

As for this disease, taking these medications is practically ineffective.

However, Analgin and Paracetamol can be taken together with other medications that provide treatment for headaches. Which anti-migraine pills are best to combine with these?

Analgin and Paracetamol should be taken together with Tramadol. In some cases, doctors prescribe tablets such as Analgin and Paracetamol to be taken along with analgesics that contain a narcotic active substance.

These are effective painkillers; a list of them is available in medical institutions. The patient can take Paracetamol together with narcotic medications only under the supervision of doctors.

Antidepressants

These migraine pills help get rid of headaches caused by nervousness.

If the cause of migraine is severe psycho-emotional shock, the patient should be prescribed potent sedatives or antidepressants. The list of antidepressants used in psychiatry even includes tranquilizers.

A potent antidepressant helps provide the patient with quality treatment by influencing specific brain substances, or rather neurotransmitters.

These substances are involved in the formation of feelings of discomfort, as well as in the regulation of vascular tone in the brain.

Only a doctor knows the list of such medications for discomfort arising in the head area. Strong antidepressants are best taken after consultation with a qualified specialist.

Antiemetic tablets

Antiemetic headache medications should only be taken if the migraine is accompanied by vomiting. Without this symptom, you must stop taking these medications.

Dehydroergotamine

This medicine is on the list of the most effective remedies for treating headaches. It has been used in medicine for a long time. How does dehydroergotamine help treat migraines?

These drugs help relieve pain by narrowing the blood vessels in the brain. After contraction of the cerebral vessels, the pain localized in the head area recedes.

Many people believe that dehydroergotamine is the best medicine for severe headaches. However, these medications do not help prevent recurrence of discomfort.

The release form of dehydroergotamine drugs is a nasal spray. Treatment of migraines using this remedy is considered very effective.

Triptans

This remedy is considered relatively new in medicine. Many doctors believe that migraines can be cured with triptans in a few days. However, this remedy must be taken with caution.

Self-prescribing triptans is not recommended. How do these drugs work? They influence the metabolism of the neurotransmitter seratonin.

The use of these drugs helps not only to relieve headaches, but also to prevent its occurrence.

Yes, triptan treatment is very effective. However, to ensure the effectiveness of treating headache discomfort with these remedies, the patient will have to pay a large sum of money.

These drugs are quite expensive. Before taking such a remedy, the patient must consult a doctor.

Now let's discuss such a thing as migraine pills; a list of effective remedies for this disease will be presented below.

Nonsteroidal medications and analgesics

Most people begin migraine treatment with these medications.

Their popularity is explained by the fact that they allow you to relieve not only the pain that occurs during this disease, but also other symptoms that accompany migraine.

So, most effective tablets this group:

Askofen-P.
Sedalgien-neo.
Naproxen.
Diclofenac.
Ibuprofen.
Pentalgin.
Solpadeine.

To ensure the effectiveness of treatment with these medications, you must first consult with your doctor. All these products are available in almost every home medicine cabinet.

And this is absolutely correct, because a headache can strike a person suddenly. In this case, non-steroidal analgesic tablets will come to the rescue.

It is enough to take this medicine once, and the headache, even a very severe one, will go away.

It is worth noting that the abuse of such tablets poses a danger not only to the patient’s health, but also to his life.

With prolonged use of analgesics, the patient may experience so-called abuse pain. The treatment of such discomfort is quite complex and ineffective.

The maximum number of days during which a person diagnosed with migraine can take analgesics is 15.

Patients who have an individual intolerance to any of the active ingredients included in the analgesic are contraindicated to take these tablets.

Ergot medicines

The effectiveness of treating migraines with ergot is explained by the fact that it helps tone the blood vessels in the brain, as a result of which pain disappears.

These tablets have antiserotonin activity, so migraines can be quickly cured with their help.

As for headaches that were provoked by other diseases, drugs in this group will not bring any positive effect during treatment with them.

Ergot remedy helps get rid of headaches only for those patients who have been diagnosed with migraine.

Which ergot tablets will provide quality treatment:

Clavigrenin.
Caffeamine.
Nomigren.
Dihydergoth.
Cafergot, etc.

Patients suffering coronary disease heart disease, should not use these drugs to treat migraines.

Also, their use is contraindicated for patients with kidney failure, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.

Triptans

Migraine treatment with triptans is very effective. The mechanism of action of these medications:

These drugs contribute to the rapid narrowing of cerebral blood vessels, as a result of which the pain recedes.
These tablets block the occurrence of headache discomfort at the level of trigeminal nerve receptors. This is why triptans are used to prevent migraine attacks.
This medicine helps relieve other migraine symptoms such as photophobia, nausea, vomiting, etc.

Due to its complex effect on the human body, this remedy helps to quickly and effectively eliminate migraines. Tablets are not the only form of triptans available. There are also sprays and candles.

What drugs in this group should be taken for migraine:

Imigran.
Zomig.
Sumamigrain.
Noramig.
Rapided, etc.

These tablets have their contraindications. They should not be drunk by minors or people over 65 years of age.

Also, taking triptans is contraindicated in patients who have any problems related to heart function.

How to start treatment

To eliminate migraines, you need to follow this plan:

It is recommended to begin the fight against this disease by taking an analgesic. IN in this case, the analgesic can be combined with another, more effective drug. That is, non-steroidal medications are the first medications that a patient should take during a migraine.
Next, the patient must wait. If the migraine does not subside within an hour, he may use a triptan.
What to do if even the triptan is ineffective? The main thing is not to give up. A person suffering from this disease should choose another triptan. For example, if for the first time he drank Zomig, and this did not bring the desired improvement in well-being, then this time he should take Imigran or Rapided.
A triptan should only be taken if three migraine attacks cannot be stopped with an analgesic.

You should not resort to the use of potent drugs if the occurrence of headache discomfort is atypical.

That is, if the patient doubts that his headache discomfort is associated with migraine, it is better for him to take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.

Useful video

Headaches are an extremely unpleasant condition that makes people literally climb up the wall. It is not surprising that many people want to get rid of unpleasant symptoms as soon as possible and are looking for safe and effective migraine pills.

Migraine is also called hemicrania - painful sensations in half of the head. The word “migraine” itself is of French origin. This is a neurological pathology consisting of periodically recurring attacks of headache. They may occur regularly or occasionally. Hemicrania can affect one half of the head or both.

However, it should not be confused with unpleasant sensations due to:

tumors of the brain or skull bones;
traumatic brain injuries;
condition due to insomnia or fatigue;
hypertension (high blood pressure);
and pre-stroke condition.

This condition (not a disease) is characterized by headaches of a vascular nature. Usually the unpleasant sensations are pulsating. Moreover, they are in no way associated with hypotension or the development of glaucoma, as well as increased intracranial pressure.

From famous people Tatyana Nikolaevna Lappa, the first wife of the writer Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov, suffered from migraine (hemicrania). That is why in the novel “The Master and Margarita” the author so skillfully described the headache that tormented Pontius Pilate. After all, he more than once witnessed the suffering of his own wife.

At that time, medicine was less developed than in the 21st century. Therefore, Tasya, as her relatives called her, had to save herself with ether - it relieved pain attacks.

Causes and pathogenesis of migraine

IN medical science It is customary to study the influence of various factors using pairs of identical twins as an example. In this way, doctors find out whether pathological process genetic nature. In the case of migraine, it was discovered that heredity is an important factor in the development of headache attacks. This is especially true for migraine with aura.

Hemicrania without aura is less associated with genetic factors. Scientists have also been able to identify genes and gene alleles that increase the likelihood of developing this disease.

However, heredity is not the only risk factor for migraine. The patient’s poor lifestyle contributes to the exacerbation of the disease. This is especially true for nutrition.

Nutritional Features

Men and women prone to severe headaches should not overuse:

fish dishes. It is better to replace fish with chicken or beef;
chocolates;
cheese, despite the familiarity and prevalence of this product throughout the world;
nuts. This applies to walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts and even pine nuts and cashews;
alcoholic drinks. People prone to migraine attacks should avoid red wine, champagne and beer.

Scientists also noticed that women who take hormonal contraceptives. Each tablet like this prevents unwanted pregnancy, but increases the risk of headaches.

Other risk factors

Other risk factors for migraine:

lack of sleep or excessive sleep;
change in weather or climate zone;
constant stress is a problem for most residents of modern cities;
overstrain of physical strength, excessive mental stress.

Some hypotheses

However, clinical studies have not allowed us to establish the pathophysiology of the disease. Although doctors have put forward several hypotheses for the appearance of the disease:

the patient's arterioles narrow and the blood supply to the brain decreases;
vessels dilate unevenly because their reactivity to carbon dioxide is reduced;
neurovascular disorders of the central nervous system - it is believed that they also contribute to disruption of vasomotor regulation processes;
systemic metabolic disorders - in this case, attacks are secondary to internal changes blood vessels and disorders of serotonin metabolism;
heredity - if a person’s relatives or ancestors suffered arterial hypertension, he has an increased risk of developing hemicrania.

Research in the medical literature suggests that attention needs to be paid to fat peroxidation. It also plays an important role in the development of migraine attacks. After all, fat peroxidation is activated in order to quickly adapt the human body to the upcoming stress caused by pain. Another “secondary” link in the formation of the disease is incorrect energy metabolism in the cells of the patient's body.

Exists International classification headaches. It was proposed by the International Headache Society. The second revision identifies the following types of hemicrania:

migraine without aura;
migraine with aura;
characteristic aura with migraine headache;
characteristic aura with headache of non-migraine nature;
characteristic aura without headaches;
hereditary hemileptic hemicrania;
sporadic migraine of hemileptic type;
basilar migraine;
periodic syndromes characteristic of children are precursors of hemicrania;
vomiting of a cyclic nature;
hemicrania of abdominal type;
children's paroxysmal dizziness of a benign type;
retinal hemicrania;
complications of the disease;
chronic migraine;
hemicranic status;
a persistent aura not accompanied by a heart attack;
heart attack caused by migraine;
hemicrania associated with epileptic seizures;
probable hemicrania;
probable hemicrania with aura;
probable hemicrania without aura;
probable chronic hemicrania.

In most cases, patients experience migraine attacks that are not accompanied by an aura. Moreover, they sometimes occur if the patient usually has migraine with aura.

Clinical picture

Attacks of hemicrania are characterized by a number of symptoms accompanied by headaches.

Photophobia (photophobia). The patient is sensitive to bright lighting.
Sound phobia (hyperacusis).
Violation of spatial orientation.
Aversion to certain scents. This phenomenon is called hyperosmia.
Depression or excessive irritability of the patient. He is lethargic and often drowsy.
Operational disruptions digestive tract. In humans, gastric peristalsis slows down. As a result, the patient feels sick and vomits. The therapeutic effect of migraine medications is also reduced. After all, medications are less well absorbed in the intestines. This explains the difficulty of treating the disease.

Unpleasant sensations, as a rule, affect one of the halves of the head. However, sometimes the pain affects the entire head. A person also begins to get sick:

both or one eye;
upper jaw.

The pain is constant. It pulsates and becomes stronger even with the slightest irritating factors. These include smells, light and loud noises. Severe attacks of the disease can drag on for 2-5 days. This phenomenon is called status migraine.

Hemicrania without aura

This type of disease consists of regular attacks of severe headaches. They last from four hours to three days. In this case, the patient only has pain in one half of his head. This is called unilateral headache.

Character discomfort– pulsating. If a person experiences significant mental or physical stress, the malaise gets worse. Nausea and vomiting occur. The patient gets worse when turning on bright lights or noise.

Diagnosis of migraine without aura

The following symptoms can help identify this form of pathology.

The patient had at least five headache attacks.
Each attack of hemicrania lasts from four hours to three days if adequate treatment is not carried out.
The pain is throbbing and usually affects only half of the head. Usually the sensations are strong. Sometimes there is moderate, tolerable pain.
The discomfort is aggravated when the patient walks or engages in other types of habitual physical activity.
The patient feels nauseous and vomits.
The malaise intensifies when exposed to sharp sounds and excessively bright lighting.
The patient does not suffer from any other diseases.

This form of migraine also has some peculiarities. It is accompanied by neurological signs. This is the aura - harbingers of exacerbation. From them the patient and his relatives guess that an attack is approaching. Before the onset of a severe headache, the patient develops:

hallucinations - tactile, gustatory, visual and even auditory and olfactory;
decreased concentration;
incoherent speech;
state of numbness;
dizziness;
“hazyness” before the eyes – some blurred vision.

How to determine the development of migraine with aura

A doctor will diagnose migraine with aura if a person has had two or more attacks with aura. Let's name the main criteria of the aura.

When the aura ends, the visual symptoms go away. The light no longer flickers, the lines and dots disappear. Vision becomes clearer.
Cessation of tactile signs when the aura ends. Normal sensitivity returns to the limbs and skin.
When the aura ends, speech disturbances disappear.
Visual symptoms are always identical, and tactile signs affect only one half of the body.
One of the aura signs should develop slowly. There is a gradual increase clinical picture- for five minutes. Sometimes it happens that different symptoms appear at the same intervals.
Each symptom lasts from 5 minutes to one hour.
Sometimes the headache and aura begin at the same time. The disease resembles a migraine without an aura. The attack begins no later than an hour after the warning signs appear.
The clinical picture has no connection with other diseases.

Migraines must be treated - for this, doctors recommend taking special medications. These include:

non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
antidepressants;
triptans;
antiemetic drugs.

However, it is important to remember that migraine pills should only be prescribed by a doctor. Self-medication can significantly worsen the patient's condition. In addition, sometimes hemicrania occurs in children and pregnant women - they need to be prescribed therapy with extreme caution.

NSAIDs

This abbreviation is commonly referred to as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. For hemicrania, doctors recommend:

Diclofenac;
migraine drugs of the diclofenac group;
Ketoprofen and Ibuprofen;
Citramon is a favorite remedy for headaches.

All these drugs relieve spasms and calm tense blood vessels in the head and brain. The only condition is the absence of allergies to their components and coordination of therapy with the treating doctor.

Antidepressants

When buying medicine for migraines of this group, you should first consult with your doctor. However, antidepressants are included in the classical treatment regimen for hemicrania. The reason for their effectiveness has not yet been established, but it is known that this is an effective way to combat chronic pain syndromes.

Amitriptyline;
Protriptyline;
Nortriptyline;
Doxylin;
Venlafaxine.

Their dose is usually reduced compared to the amount needed to treat depression. But antidepressants can cause serious side effects. Let's list them:

sensation and unpleasant taste;
violation of excretory functions - constipation and urinary retention;
confusion;
increased heart rate (in other words, tachycardia);
blurry vision;
the occurrence of excess weight;
lethargy and drowsiness (sedative effect);
reducing the threshold for seizures;
increase in QT interval;
orthostatic decrease in blood pressure.

Antiemetics

Nausea and vomiting are common in all types of migraines. The easiest way to deal with them is to eat a piece of lemon. However, this remedy is not able to help all patients. Therefore, it is necessary to use industrial preparations:

based on dopamine - these are antipsychotics and metoclopramide;
serotonins – Ondansetron;
antigolinergic medications;
antihistamines - these include Promethazine and Cyclizine.

Triptans

Medicine also uses serotonin-based drugs – triptans – to combat hemicrania. They have been known to mankind since the end of the nineteenth century. They act on the receptors and nucleus of the trigeminal nerve. As a result, the pain decreases.

This group of drugs includes:

Zomig;
Noramig;
Relpax;
Sumatriptan;
Rapimig;
Sumamigren;
Trimigraine.

Migraine prevention

It is always easier to prevent a disease than to treat it later. This also applies to attacks of hemicrania. To reduce their frequency, it is important to lead a healthy lifestyle:

reduce the amount of cheese, alcoholic beverages and chocolate, as well as fish in the diet;
avoid mental and physical overload;
monitor your daily routine and sleep enough, but not excessive, hours;
if the doctor recommends, take Pizotifen when warning signs of an attack appear;
eat at the same time - often and in small portions, eat to your fill, but do not overeat.

Some doctors consider it possible to use 5-HT2 receptor antagonists. However, this tactic is not advisable due to large quantity side effects.

Conclusion

Migraine is an unpleasant condition that can ruin the life of the person suffering from it. However, the patient's well-being can be improved. For this purpose, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory tablets are taken, as well as antidepressants and medications containing serotonin.

It is only important that the drug and dosage be selected by a specialist. Self-medication can lead to undesirable consequences.