The Link Between Triptans and Migraines

For those who do not suffer from migraine headaches or have never had one, understanding the agony sufferers bear is not possible. No amount of description can adequately explain the pain, dizziness, lack of focus, even delirium that migraines can cause. For migraine sufferers, finding a guaranteed cure other than excruciatingly waiting it out has proven elusive.

This is because scientists and doctors still do not have a fail-safe hold on what causes migraines. Initially, it was thought that migraines were figments of imagination even mental illness was suspected as a cause. With time, the medical community came to believe that they were cause just by swollen blood vessels pressing nerves.

The drugs used to beat these types of migraines caused the dilated blood vessels to constrict. This removed pressure from the nerves and stopped the pain. Unfortunately, they were not always successful and often did not create a permanent cure leading scientists to look for a more encompassing cause of migraines and to search to treat the pain at its source.

What the scientists found surprised them. Instead of just one cause (swollen blood vessels pushing on nerves), they found that migraines are caused by a cornucopia of reasons including chemical and electrical reactions affecting blood vessels as well flow of powerful neurochemicals. According to researchers, the neurotransmitter serotonin was a main component of the subjects migraines. As such, the pharmacologists created a drug that interacted with serotonin and hindered the migraine chemistry (example sumatriptan or brand name Imitrex).

Future generations of this class of drugs evolved and eventually auxiliary symptoms of migraines were included in the medical mix, including nauseasness, vomiting, and sensitivity to light. The result was a newer class of drugs, released in the mid-nineties called Triptans. The initial side effects of Triptans included , tingling, a warm sensation, and a light feeling of pressure in the chest.

Are Triptans effective? That depends on who you ask. With some, they are a God-send. With others, they help, but not completely. Still with others, they have no affect at all.

Additionally, because of the chest pressure existing in some patients, Triptans are not normally prescribed for individuals with heart conditions or a higher risk of stroke. As noted, Triptans do not always work with every migraine sufferer. This has led scientists to look into migraines even more and new discoveries have begun to yield new hope to sufferers who have the thorniest types of headaches.

One benefit of Triptans is that they come in pill form when usual treatments of migraines were primarily injections. Since sumatriptan was developed, other more advanced varieties of triptans have followed suit. For instance, naratriptan (Amerge), Zolmitriptan (Zomig), and rizatriptan (Maxalt) are prime examples.

Triptans do not work for everyone. For those who do, Triptans are truly a miracle drug. Working with your physician if you suffer from migraines will allow you to determine if Triptans are right for you and if they are the type of treatment you need.

Dont live with frequent headaches any longer! Learn about more treatment options for curing frequent headaches at http://www.frequent-headaches.com

Finding The Elusive Migraines Cure
Most doctors say that there is little information available for migraines cure. Treating migraines is often centered on the management of the symptoms. The treatment of migraines is dependent on the severity of the attacks encountered and how often t...

Migraines - How Detoxification Of Your Body Also Removes Migraine Headaches
My cousin really had some bad migraine attacks recently. He felt dizzy, was sensitive to light and noise. He had always suffered from headaches before but it became worse in the last months. He said the headaches come in periods of about two to three...

Do You Suffer From Irritable Bowel Syndrome Migraine Pain?
There have been a number of studies carried out about the impact of IBS symptoms, including irritable bowel syndrome migraine problems. These studies have shown that people who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome are at an increased risk for suffer...

How to Deal with Migraines
A migraine is a whole lot more than just a simple headache. Everyone who has suffered from a migraine at one point or the other in their lives knows how terrible it can be. In the United States almost 10% or more of the entire population suffer from ...

A Blinding Flash With Extreme Pain
Migraine sufferers often turn to pain killers as the only way to give a little relief until the episode wears off; sometimes taking many hours. The feeling like your head is going to implode is scary to say the least but when going through such an in...

How To Get Rid Of A Migraine
If you are a migraine headache sufferer you know how important it is to get pain relief fast. A migraine can be so severe that it can put a stop to your whole day. Many people who have migraines may have two or more each month. This article will exam...

Nausea and Your Headache
Headaches can be such a nagging problem. As a symptom, it can be a cause of some serious ailments. Headaches that come with vomiting and nausea can be signs of migraine. The headache nausea that usually accompanies migraine can be effectively treated...

Vitamins For Headache Prevention
Studies show the link between an increased risk to getting chronic headaches when you are deficient in certain vitamins and minerals. If you eat a balanced health diet, then you would find that this can hardly be the case. As it is, most of us do no...

Natural Migraine Pain Relief Options Such As Peppermint Can Help Millions Of Sufferers
More and more migraine sufferers are turning to natural methods of migraine relief to replace or complement prescribed medication. There are three major categories of natural migraine treatments:1. Abortive treatments - help to reduce the symptoms o...

Botox Injection Treatments for Migraines
Migraines are serious medical conditions for many people and although there are a variety of treatments for migraine pain, few are considered desirable treatments by patients. Botox injections are a relatively new treatment available, and migraine su...