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Stress and Headache Treatment

Stress and Headache Treatment

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The modern world is stressful, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. You will likely experience some level of stress from the moment your alarm clock wakes you up until you’re done for the day. Stress may take the form of anxiety or other psychological pressures, or physical stress, such as eye and neck strain from sitting at a computer for long periods. Stress is tolerable in small amounts, but too much can harm your health.

How Can Stress Cause Headaches?

Anxiety and stress

Everyday stress can bring on headaches in a variety of ways because stress causes us to change our behavior without even realizing it.

  • Lots of people clench their jaws and grind their teeth when they’re stressed, both of which can trigger headaches all on their own.
  • When people are stressed, they frequently tighten their necks and shoulders. Tense muscles in the back of the neck and even on the scalp can cause compression several people use to describe stress-related headaches.
  • Anxiety and stress are common culprits of restless nights, and insomnia is a risk factor for tension headaches and migraines alike.
  • Our bodies react to stressful events with a fight or flight response. This involves the release of certain chemicals that can cause physical changes. This, in turn, can bring on tension headaches.
  • Stress can trigger changes in your appetite, which affect the way you eat and drink. Many people may find themselves eating less and even skipping meals when they’re stressed. This can throw blood sugar levels off balance, potentially causing tension headaches and migraines. 
  • Physical stress can also cause tension headaches.

Stress and Headache Prevention 

Regular exercise and relaxation techniques can help reduce stress. 

  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy – this is a talk therapy that may help you learn to manage stress and may help lessen the occurrence and severity of your headaches.
  • Biofeedback training – a technique that teaches you to control certain body responses that help reduce pain. You will learn how to reduce muscle tension and slow your heart rate and breathe yourself.
  • Other relaxation techniques – anything that helps you relax, including yoga, deep breathing, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation, may help your headaches. 
Drink plenty of water

Additionally, living a healthy lifestyle may help prevent headaches:

  • Drink plenty of water
  • Limit alcohol, caffeine, and sugar
  • Get enough, but not too much, sleep
  • Don’t smoke
  • Exercise regularly
  • Eat regular, balanced meals

Treatment for Stress and Headache 

Using medications along with stress management techniques may be more effective than either treatment alone in lessening your headaches.

Medications used may include:

These medications help you to relieve headaches. Your doctor may prescribe medicines to lessen the frequency and severity of attacks, especially if you have frequent or chronic headaches that aren’t relieved by pain medication and other therapies.

Headaches

Severe and Recurrent Headaches

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At some point in our lives, we’ve all felt the symptoms of a headache. Usually, they are a minor annoyance that can be relieved using over-the-counter pain medication. Headaches can be more complicated than most people realize. Different kinds can have their own set of symptoms, happen for unique reasons, and need different treatments.

Once you know the type of headache you have, you and your doctor can find the treatment that’s most likely to help and even try to prevent them.

Symptoms of Headaches

  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Throbbing pain or pressure-like pain
  • Sensitivity to light, sound, and smells
  • Pain on one or both sides of the head 
  • Head pain that is moderate to severe in intensity, worsened by physical activity/movement 
migraine with aura

Causes of Headaches

The pain you feel if you have a headache comes from a mix of signals between your brain, blood vessels, and nearby nerves. Certain nerves in your blood vessels and head muscles switch on and send pain signals to your brain. 

Common causes of headaches:

  • Your environment includes strong smells from household chemicals or perfumes, secondhand tobacco smoke, allergens, and certain foods. 
  • Illness may include colds, infections, and fevers. Headaches are also common with conditions like sinusitis, a throat infection, or an ear infection. In some cases, headaches can result from a blow to the head or a sign of a more serious medical problem.
  • Emotional stress and depression as well as alcohol use, skipping meals, changes in sleep patterns, and taking too much medication can also cause headaches. 
  • Genetics. Headaches, especially migraine headaches, tend to run in families. 

Diagnosis of Headaches

You can start an appropriate treatment plan for your symptoms if your headache were diagnosed correctly. The first step is to talk to your doctor about your headaches. They’ll give you a physical exam and ask you about the symptoms you have and how often they happen. It’s important to be as complete as possible with these descriptions. Give your doctor a list of things that cause your headaches, things that make them worse, and what helps you feel better. 

Most people don’t need special diagnostic tests. But sometimes, doctors suggest a CT scan or MRI look for problems inside your brain that might cause your headaches. An EEG (electroencephalogram) is also unnecessary unless you’ve passed out when you had a headache. If your headache symptoms get worse or happen more often despite treatment, ask your doctor to refer you to a headache specialist.

Treatment and Medications for Headaches

Medications for Migraine

Your doctor may recommend different types of treatment to try. They also might suggest more testing or refer you to a headache specialist.

The type of headache treatment you need depends on a lot of things, such as:

  • The type of headache you get
  • How often do you get a headache
  • The cause of your headache

Some people don’t need medical help at all. But those who do might get medications, counseling, electronic medical devices, stress management, and biofeedback. Your doctor will make a treatment plan to meet your specific needs.

Medications can be used for headaches:

Migraine without Aura

Migraine without Aura

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Migraine without Aura is the most common type of migraine. Aura is a warning sign of a migraine. It is most commonly a symptom that affects your sight. If you have a migraine without aura, you won’t get a warning sign that a migraine attack is about to start. 

Migraine without Aura attack usually lasts between four hours and three days especially if the treatment is not effective. The frequency of these attacks varies. They could happen every few years or several times a week. 

Causes of Migraine without Aura

There is no clear reason why some people are prone to migraines while others are not, but there is a genetic component to the illness. Some factors can trigger migraines such as stress, lack of sleep, changes in routine, caffeine, certain foods, the environment, computer screens, and others. There are many patients, however, for whom a clear trigger is unknown.

Symptoms of migraine withourtaura

Symptoms of Migraine without Aura

  • Being sensitive to light, sound, or smells
  • Feeling sick or being sick (vomiting)
  • A headache that is usually on one side of your head. This is often a throbbing pain. It will worsen when you move, such as if you walk or climb the stairs. It is so severe that it means you can’t do your normal daily activities.

Diagnosis for Migraine without Aura

Migraine without aura is a clinical diagnosis. While there is no surefire test for detecting the presence of migraine, there are several symptoms and factors that doctors can point to so they can make a diagnosis. 

The diagnosis is reached by reviewing the patient’s and family’s medical history, studying symptoms, and conducting an assessment. Usually, the doctors do not diagnose migraine or any other type of headache based on imaging. If there are any atypical features or red flags in a patient’s history or examination, further testing may be warranted. 

Treatment and Medications for Migraine without Aura

Medications for Migraine

There are currently a variety of treatments that people with migraine without aura can try, but fortunately, it is a debilitating neurological disorder. Treatment plans for migraine without aura include:

  • Acute medications for use at the onset of a headache attack to try to break it
  • Non-medication preventive treatments such as biofeedback and cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Preventive medication to help reduce the frequency and severity of headache attacks
  • Addressing risk factors such as anxiety, depression, obesity, and snoring.

Medication classes shown to help prevent migraine include:

A migraine without aura can be disabling, preventing you from working or attending social events, and making it difficult to care for your loved ones. There are numerous online and in-person support groups available for migraine sufferers, their families, and caregivers. Your healthcare provider can assist you in finding support groups.

Migraine

Migraine with Aura

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Migraine with Aura is also called classic migraine which is a recurring headache that occurs after or at the same time as sensory disturbances called an aura. The disturbances include blond spots, flashes of light, and other vision changes or tingling in your face or hand. 

What causes Migraine with Aura?

Researchers have found that it may be caused by a slow wave of altered brain activity called cortical spreading depression. Temporary changes in the brain’s chemicals, nerves, and blood flow result from this, affecting how the brain works and possibly causing pain.

The discovery of new drugs that could prevent migraine attacks will be made easier by better understanding how these changes in the brain contribute to headaches.

migraine with aura

What are the symptoms of Migraine with Aura?

The symptoms of migraine with aura include temporary visual disturbances that usually strike before other migraine symptoms such as nausea, intense head pain, and sensitivity to sound and light. 

This condition usually occurs within an hour before head pain begins and usually lasts less than 60 minutes. Sometimes migraine with aura occurs without headache. 

Visual signs and symptoms:

  • Changes in vision or vision loss
  • Flashes of light
  • Zigzag lines that gradually float across your field of vision
  • Shimmering spots or stars
  • Blind spots which are sometimes outlined by simple geometric designs

Other temporary disturbances sometimes associated with migraine aura include:

  • Speech or language difficulty
  • Muscle weakness
  • Numbness, typically felt as tingling in one hand or on one side of your face that may spread slowly along a limb

Triggers for Migraine with Aura

Triggers for migraine with aura include:

  • Strong smells such as perfume, smoke, or gasoline
  • Weather changes or barometric pressure changes
  • Medications, such as the use of oral contraceptives or vasodilators for high blood pressure
  • Stress
  • Intense physical activity or overexertion
  • Lack of sleep or too much sleep
  • Food and food additives 
  • Hormonal fluctuations in females 
  • Caffeine consumption
  • Exposure to bright lights or strong sun
  • Alcohol consumption

Diagnosis of Migraine with Aura

Diagnosis of Migraine with Aura

A migraine with aura may be diagnosed based on your signs, symptoms, medical and family history, and a physical exam. Depending on whether your aura is accompanied by head pain, your doctor may recommend tests to rule out more serious conditions, such as a transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Assessments might include:

  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • Head computerized tomography (CT) scan
  • An eye examination

Treatment and Medications for Migraine with Aura

For migraine with aura, just as with migraine alone, treatment is aimed at relieving migraine pain.

Medications for relief:

Ask your doctor if these medications are appropriate for you. Some of these medications are not safe to take during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant, don’t use any of these medications without first talking with your doctor.  

Treating Migraines and Cluster Headaches

Treating Migraines and Cluster Headaches

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Sumatriptan is a generic drug sold under brand names Imitrex, Imigran and treximet. It treats migraine and cluster headaches. Prompt treatment help one to return to normal routine. Migraine effects 1 in 8 person, in women and in the age of 30 to 50 years.

HISTORY                                                                                                                                     

Search for new anti-migraine drug started at Gla

xo in 1972. In 1960 studies showed that constriction of vessel could reduce migraine attack. 5-HT drug showed many side effects. Scientist started to discover specific agonist for 5-HT receptors. AH25086 was a compound developed. It showed constriction of vessels. Though it wasn’t released due to low fraction of unchanged drug that reaches the systemic circulation. Studies lead to the discovery of the first triptan drug. Sumatriptan had both criteria. It was first launched in the Netherlands in 1991 and became available in USA in 1993.

MECHANISM

It is a medicine used in migraine and headache. It stimulates the 5-HT1B receptors on the smooth muscle cells of blood vessels. This narrows blood vessels all over the brain. It reduces the vascular inflammation due to migraine. It work by making those vessels normal by narrowing them. This reduces symptoms of migraine.

DOSAGES

It available in four types: 1. Oral, 2. Injection- under the skin, 3. Nasal spray, 4. Rectal. It is available in following strength.

  1. Oral tablets- 25 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg
  2. Injection- 4 mg/0.5 ml, 6 mg/0.5 ml, 3 mg/0.5 ml
  3. Other method-20 mg/ in h, 5 mg/ in h, 6.5 mg/ 4 hr

The subcutaneous route provide best relief from pain. If case of no effect or no improvement, give a second dose. Difference between two doses should be 2 hour. Maximum recommended dose is 200 mg.

ADVANTAGES

  • It is useful to treat migraine
  • It relieves headache
  • It helps reduces pain
  • It treats other migraine symptoms like nausea, vomiting etc
  • Helps to return to normal routine due to prompt treatment
  • It effects certain natural substance that cause narrowing of blood vessels in the brain
  • Effective and tolerable
  • Adverse events are mild and moderate
  • Adverse effects last for short duration
  • Safety records and evidence based prescription instruction

SIDE EFFECTS

Some of the common side effects are;

Major side effects are rare cases. But it is necessary to look for a doctor for any of these symptoms.

  • Nerve pain
  • Severe numbness on one side of the face or body
  • Severe or continuing pain stomach
  • Unusual bleeding
  • Trouble speaking or swallowing
  • Vomiting of blood or material that looks like coffee grounds

PRECAUTIONS

It is necessary to Inform doctor in certain cases as given below:

  1. Allergy to the ingredient in Sumatriptan
  2. History of heart disease, or other blood vessels disease
  3. Uncontrolled high blood pressure or severe liver problem
  4. If one have used certain other migraine medicines in past 24 hours.
  5. History of kidney problem or seizures
  6. Women in past menopause
  7. Man who is older than 40 years
  8. One is overweight

Inform doctor as some medicines can interact with Sumatriptan

COST OF GENERIC VS BRAND DRUG

The cost per pill of Imitrex in USA pharmacy is $5.63 while the generic Sumatriptan is $2.92 that’s almost half the price. This shows that the difference in cost between the Imitrex and Sumatriptan but both provide the same effect.

Buy Sumatriptan

Treating Migraine and Headaches

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Sumatriptan is an inexpensive prescription medication used in treating migraines. It helps relieve pain, headache, and other migraine symptoms including vomiting, nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. Many people who take Sumatriptan finds that their headache goes away completely. Others find that their headache is much less painful and is able to go back to normal activities.

Sumatriptan is approved by the Food and Drug Administration in treating moderate to severe migraines since 1991. In some instances, in treating cluster headaches that interfere with one’s ability to perform the daily task. It’s one of the most prescribed medications in the US with more than eight million prescriptions.

What condition does Sumatriptan treat?

Sumatriptan is effective in relieving cluster headaches and migraine attacks with or without aura in adults. It is one of the triptans group of medication indicated for acute migraine attacks.

How do Sumatriptan works?

  • Sumatriptan belongs to the family of drugs known as triptans. Triptans are a family of drugs developed to treat acute migraine attacks. Triptans are selective serotonin receptor agonist that works by stimulating the serotonin.
  • The exact cause of migraine attack is not known but it is thought to involve changes in the serotonin levels in the brain. The throbbing pain that one feels is the result of the widening or swelling of the blood vessels in the brain.
  • This drug acts on the serotonin receptors or 5HT found on the blood vessels in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter found in the brain. It has a wide variety of functions in the body. One function of serotonin is to reduce inflammation in the blood vessels. Another function of serotonin is to prevent the blood vessels from constricting.
  • It works like serotonin that helps quiet down the overactive pain nerves.
  • It often relieves other symptoms that come together with migraines such as vomiting, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound.

What is the dosage of Sumatriptan?

  • This drug comes in 50mg or 100mg tablets. The recommended starting dose is 50mg at the first sign of migraine headaches. If you feel much better after your first dose but your headache comes back, take another dose but you have to wait at least 2 hours before you take another dose.
  • Do not take more than 200 mg within 24 hours.

How to take Sumatriptan?

  • Sumatriptan is effective in reducing the symptoms of a migraine attack. It is generally well-tolerated. It is intended to be taken only as needed with some restrictions. Before you take this medication, make sure you review the dose your doctor gave to you.
  • Take Sumatriptan at the first sign of migraine headaches. Do not take it even when you start getting warning signals or aura. You should wait for the headache to starts. Remember that this medicine will not prevent migraine attacks.
  • Take it with or without as directed by your doctor. Swallow the tablet whole with water.
  • Do not take more or less than what is prescribed to you by your doctor.

What are the precautions in taking Sumatriptan?

  • This drug is not an ordinary pain reliever that you can take whenever you want. It will not relieve pain other than headaches due to migraines.
  • Do not use this in preventing migraine attacks nor in preventing cluster headaches. This should only be used if other medications like pain reliever, aspirin and acetaminophen do not help relieve the throbbing pain due to migraine.
  • Do not use this in combination with ergotamine. In some cases, with monoamine oxidase inhibitors in treating migraine attacks.
  • This medicine is suitable for adults only. It is not recommended for use in children or elderly people. It’s not also suitable for people with:
    • Very high or uncontrolled high blood pressure
    • Severe liver problems
    • Who have had a heart attack, irregular heartbeat or angina pectoris
    • Who have had stroke or mini-stroke
    • Poor blood circulation in the legs and arms
    • Who suffers from ophthalmoplegic migraine ( a type of migraines associated with paralysis of the eye muscles)
    • Who suffers from basilar migraine ( a type of migraine where the aura may involve speech problems, dizziness, ringing in the ears or unsteadiness)
    • Who suffers from hemiplegic migraine ( a type of migraines characterized by temporary paralysis of one side of the body)
  • Lower dose and extra monitoring are needed for people with:
    • History of seizures such as epilepsy
    • Kidney or liver problems
    • Raised blood pressure
    • Who are allergic to any of its ingredients
    • Risk factors for heart diseases such as high cholesterol level, smoking, obesity, diabetes, women who passed the menopausal period, a man over 40 years of age.
  • Sumatriptan can cause serious side effects among those who have heart or blood vessel disease. Discuss with your doctor the risk of using this medication as well as the benefits it can give before taking this medication..
  • Do not use this medicine if you are using MAO inhibitors within the past two weeks. Do not also use this if you are taking other triptans for your migraine within the past 24 hours.
  • If you are experiencing chest discomfort, neck or jaw tightness after using Sumatriptan call your doctor.
  • Do not use Sumatriptan longer than 10 days within a month as this can worsen your headache.

Costs of Generic Sumatriptan vs Imitrex

Sumatriptan is a generic pill and is cheaper compared with the brand name Imitrex. Sumatriptan 50 mg cost $2.71 per unit price or $65 for 20 tabs. While the brand name Imitrex cost $341.6 for 20 tabs or $17.08 per unit price.

Buy Sumatriptan

Read Before Buying Sumatriptan

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Sumatriptan is a prescription medication. It comes in an oral tablet, nasal spray, nasal powder and an injection solution. It is approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration or FDA for the treatment of migraines in adults with and without an aura. It is also indicated for the treatment of acute cluster headache. It helps relieve the symptoms of migraine such as vomiting, nausea, sensitivity to light and pain. It may be used as part of combination therapy. That means to say you can take it with other medications in treating migraine and acute cluster headache.

Sumatriptan belongs to the group of drug known as serotonin-1 receptor agonists. It works by affecting the serotonin (5-HT), natural substances in the brain that causes narrowing of the blood vessels. It helps bring the blood vessels back to their normal size. It also helps prevent the body from releasing serotonin.

Why Buy Sumatriptan?

Sumatriptan is an effective and cheap anti-migraine medication. Both the generic and brand names have the same mechanism of actions and drug interactions. However, the generic Sumatriptan is cheaper than the brand names.

The different forms of Sumatriptan offer practical options to help you manage your migraines. You can choose other alternative routes of this medication that will allow your body to absorb the medicine easily for severe migraines. The injection form, in particular, works faster than the pill. It also provides more rapid relief of migraine symptoms.

How to Take Sumatriptan?

Take Sumatriptan as needed. Before taking this drug, review the dose given by your physician. Take it exactly as directed.

Pill

The pill form is available in various dosages. The starting dose is 50mg to 100mg. If the migraine is not relieved within the first two hours, you may take the second dose. The maximum dose is 200mg a day.

Nasal Powder

Use 11mg of Sumatriptan nose powder on each nostril. If migraine symptoms persist within two hours, you may repeat the treatment once. The maximum dose must not exceed 44 mg a day.

Nasal Spray

Sumatriptan nasal spray comes in a single dose of 5mg, 10mg and 20 mg. Use 5 mg dose on each nostril. The maximum daily dose must not exceed 40 mg a day.

Injection

The initial dose is 3 mg and can be repeated 3 times. The maximum daily dose is 12 mg.

Things to Remember

  • Use Sumatriptan with caution if you have:
    • Serious heart problems
    • Stroke
    • Poor blood circulation
    • Serious bowel disorders
    • Uncontrolled blood pressure
    • Seizure
    • Liver problems
  • Pregnant women or are planning to get pregnant must talk with their doctor first before using this drug.
  • Sumatriptan is not suitable for children.
  • In case of serious side effects like a heart attack, vision problems and changes in mental health, contact your physician right away.
Migraine

Migraine

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Everyone gets headaches. Headache can occur once in a while. Sometimes, it can happen almost every day. But a migraine is worse than a regular headache.  The pain is throbbing. It is usually on one side of the head. The pain is disabling. Migraine attacks last from hours to days if untreated. It usually occurs one to four times a month.

A migraine attack varies from person to person. During a migraine, you may experience:

  • Pain on one side or both sides of your head
  • Vomiting
  • Nausea
  • Throbbing pain
  • Lightheadedness
  • Fainting
  • Sensitivity to touch, sound, light and smells

Taking a medicine can lessen the pain and can prevent migraines. Talk to your doctor for the right medicines in treating migraines.

What are the causes of migraines?

The narrowing of some blood vessels in the brain causes migraine. When blood vessels narrow, blood and oxygen level that flows into the brain decreases. At the same time other blood vessels expand and become inflamed causing a throbbing pain.

Migraine Triggers

A number of factors may trigger migraine attack, such as:

  • Menstruation (having a period)
  • Drinks- Drinks with caffeine may trigger migraines.
  • Foods- Salty foods, processed foods, food additive like MSG and yogurt may trigger migraines. You can also get migraines when you skip your meals.
  • Too little or too much sleep
  • Stress
  • Changes in the weather

Doctors think that migraines are genetic. If a member of you family get migraines, chances are you’ll also get them. But no one is really sure why people get migraines.

What are the risk factors?

Factors that make a person susceptible to migraines are:

  • Hormonal changes

Migraines begin just before the start of menstruation. Migraines often improve after menopause.

  • Age

Migraines can start at any age.

  • Family history

Your chance of having a migraine is high if you have a family member with migraines too.

  • Gender

Women are more likely to have migraines than men.

What are the Treatments?

It’s annoying to get migraine. Your doctor may recommend a medicine such as Sumatriptan (Imitrex) to help ease the pain and other migraine symptoms.