Many people need medications to help manage their migraine attacks. Even when sleep, nutrition, exercise, and stress are at their best, you can still experience migraines.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for migraine, however, it can be controlled to minimize the impact on your function and quality of life.
There are two categories of medications used to treat migraine.
1. Acute Medication. This is the medication you take at the beginning or during a migraine attack. The goal of this treatment is to kick in quickly to stop or significantly lessen your attack. If you find this only “takes the edge off” and you are still unable to work or function, then you may need this medication changed. If you use your acute medication more than 2 times per week, you are at risk of developing a medication overuse headache (also known as a rebound headache). Overuse of acute medications can make your headaches worse.
2. Preventative Medication. This is a medication that is used on a regular basis (often daily) to decrease the frequency, severity, and duration of migraine attacks. It may be needed if you continue to have migraine attacks more than 4 days each month after you have optimized all the non-medication strategies to managing migraine. There are several medications that have been used for decades to preventative treat migraines and some newer options that have become available in recent years.
Headaches should not be limiting to function or impact quality of life. However, many people live without having their headaches clearly diagnosed or effectively managed.
A few facts:
- Migraine is underdiagnosed and undertreated resulting in unnecessary disability
- Migraine is commonly misdiagnosed as sinus and tension headache
- Many people do not know they have migraine
- Women are affected 3 times more than men, and 1 in 4 women in their 40s experience migraine attacks
Our amazing Nurse Practitioner, Christie Tait, is offering a comprehensive headache and migraine care program. Christie is able to clarify your headache diagnosis, rule out any other concerns, and develop a comprehensive treatment plan. For some individuals, medication and treatment is necessary to improve control over headaches. Christie can prescribe appropriate treatments based on your needs and personal goals. Additionally, the plan will include evidence-based guidance on lifestyle factors, nutrition, manual therapies, acupuncture, stress reduction, and sleep optimization as the foundation of care.
Botox for Migraine
Botox has been an approved treatment for Chronic Migraine since 2011. Interestingly, the effects on migraine were first noted in the 80s on women who were having cosmetic Botox treatments.
We now understand that in chronic migraine sensory nerves become hypersensitive and inflamed. This leads to increasing frequency of migraine attacks that are more easily triggered. Botox works by preventing the release of pain transmitters from the sensory nerves and can start to decrease the severity and frequency of migraine attacks. These injections are performed every 3 months and at least 3 treatments are needed to determine effectiveness. Botox is well established as a safe and effective treatment for chronic migraine.
If you’d like to speak with Christie and see if Botox Injection Therapy is a good fit for you, she offers a Complimentary Info Session for Botox Therapy to see if you’d be a good candidate. Feel free to check out her page and reach out to her, she’s always happy to help! https://structureclinic.janeapp.com/
