As any chronic migraineur knows, a migraine can strike any time and anywhere. If you suffer from migraines, it is important that you are well prepared before the migraine strikes, so that you can deal with better.
Migraine Diary
Keep a migraine diary – if you keep a detailed migraine diary and note down when the pain strikes, what you feel before, during and after, what you were doing when it occurred, how long it lasted and are able to identify trigger factors from it, you will have taken the first step towards preparedness. Often there are specific triggers like stress, food, season, time of the month, and time of the day that can all act as migraine causes.
Preventive Migraine Medications
Preventive medicines – many medicines have come into use as a preventive for chronic migraines. However, if your doctor prescribes a drug that you have to take daily, you must take it according to directions. Many people simply do not take the medicines. Among the medicines that can prevent migraines are anti-seizure drugs, calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, ergots, triptan drugs and anti-depressants as well as an herbal medicine called butterbur. Your doctor may try drugs in varied dosages to see which one works best for you. You should be aware that many of these medicines have side effects or are contraindicated in some medical conditions.
Always Be Ready
Carry your medicines with you – you may not be home when a migraine attack strikes. You may be at work, traveling or doing anything else away from home. In such a situation, you should carry medicines along with water that you know will help you in an emergency.
Have someone’s number on speed dial that will drive you home at any time of the day or night if you have a migraine. If you suffer from nausea, dizziness or experience auras or smell odors prior to a migraine, you may have time to call someone in time to reach home.
All these steps are important so that you are well informed about your particular migraine attacks, how you react to them and which treatment is effective for you. If you know what triggers the attacks, you can take steps to avoid the triggers as far in advance as possible.
For migraine sufferers who have tried many remedies and don’t get relief, there is hope on the horizon as medical research is ongoing to find the migraine remedy that will stop migraines from occurring and also afford pain relief quickly.
Unfortunately migraines are very individual and their diagnoses and treatment plans also need to be customized for greater efficacy. Migraines can be debilitating and affect the quality of life. It is extremely important to be prepared for migraine attacks, particularly if you suffer from chronic migraines to that you can maximize your quaility of life.
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