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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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How Can Chronic Migraines Be Treated?

My wife is 45 years old and suffers from acute/chronic migraines. She is on daily medications to help control them. They usually get worse and more frequent when she is pre-menstrual which she is now. She came home from work early yesterday w/migraine and throwing up. She is still in bed and saying it feels different than usual because it is behind her eyes and pain is more intense.
Wed, 2 Nov 2016
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Anesthesiologist 's  Response
Hello,

I understand your concern. Migraines can be difficult to deal with and quite disruptive to your daily life.
The good news is, migraine doesn't have to be like that. There is a long list of medications that work very effectively. Migraine medication consists of two categories: preventive and abortive.
The first category are drugs that are to be taken before a migraine bout starts. However, this category is for people who have frequent (at least once a week) episodes and severe symptoms.
Some of these are medications that are used to treat high blood pressure (such as propranolol, metaprolol, verapamil), antidepressants (amytriptiline, nortryptiline), anti-seizure medications (gabapentin, valproic acid) and also botox has proven to be quite effective in the prevention of migraine bouts.

The second category are used for when the headache has already started or is showing the warning signs. The can be taken by mouth, self-injection, nasal spray or skin patch. These drugs work quickly and very effectively. The Triptans are very effective, also drugs such as Cafergot and Midrin, as well as over the counter medicine such as Advil Migraine, Motrin and Exedrin can be quite effective.
In case of migraine headache accompanied by nausea and vomiting, Reglan, Compro or Thorazine work very well.
Since your wife's migraine is worse prior to menstruation, I suggest she talks to her doctor about a prescription of a preventive drug to take around that time of the month.
Ultimately, it is up to her to decide what drugs work best for her.

Wishing you both good health and all the best.
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How Can Chronic Migraines Be Treated?

Hello, I understand your concern. Migraines can be difficult to deal with and quite disruptive to your daily life. The good news is, migraine doesn t have to be like that. There is a long list of medications that work very effectively. Migraine medication consists of two categories: preventive and abortive. The first category are drugs that are to be taken before a migraine bout starts. However, this category is for people who have frequent (at least once a week) episodes and severe symptoms. Some of these are medications that are used to treat high blood pressure (such as propranolol, metaprolol, verapamil), antidepressants (amytriptiline, nortryptiline), anti-seizure medications (gabapentin, valproic acid) and also botox has proven to be quite effective in the prevention of migraine bouts. The second category are used for when the headache has already started or is showing the warning signs. The can be taken by mouth, self-injection, nasal spray or skin patch. These drugs work quickly and very effectively. The Triptans are very effective, also drugs such as Cafergot and Midrin, as well as over the counter medicine such as Advil Migraine, Motrin and Exedrin can be quite effective. In case of migraine headache accompanied by nausea and vomiting, Reglan, Compro or Thorazine work very well. Since your wife s migraine is worse prior to menstruation, I suggest she talks to her doctor about a prescription of a preventive drug to take around that time of the month. Ultimately, it is up to her to decide what drugs work best for her. Wishing you both good health and all the best.