The 6 Most Common Reasons Migraine Treatments Fail

◊ What happens when we have the Right Dose, Right Medication but Wrong Forumlation?  Sometimes nausea and vomiting are a serious problem for Migraineurs during an attack. For some, keeping down oral medications is nearly impossible, I've been there. With over 100 medication options to treat Migraine disease, there are different forumlations of drugs available.  For example triptans, (medications that stop the Migrainous process) such as Imitrex, which also comes in injection and nasal spray forms; Maxalt also comes in a tablet that melts in your mouth; Migranal Nasal - is a nasal spray. There are also suppositories to help with these conditions.  Many times it feels like we have tired them all, but if we take a careful look at the list, I'd bet there are a few left.  Migraine Preventive Medications - Too Many Options To Give Up!   

◊ Delaying Treating is a big problem many Migraineurs. Waiting too long to treat a Migraine attack.  Dr. Newman recommends Migraine attacks be treated within 40 minutes. If a Migraine is not promptly treated with medication it may not stop at all. Or we may take our medication too late and it will only work for a little while, thus never getting rid of the Migraine. Indeed, a new study backs this up. See Taking Triptans During Migraine Aura May Work Better.

◊ Dr. Newman said Overusing Medication is another problem that interfers with our Migraine treatment. Medication overuse headache (MOH) may occur when certain over the counter (OTC) and/or prescription medications are taken for Migraine more than two to three days a week. The only way to stop this pain is to stop taking the offending medication. Medication Overuse Headache - When the Remedy Backfires. As if MOH weren't bad enough, new research shows that if we have MOH, we may be at increased risk for Transformed Migraine too.

Migraine prevention is the way to go. With the help of a good Migraine specialist, education about Migraine disease, and support you can feel better.

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Resources:

Doyle, Jessica Ryen. "6 Reasons Your Headache Treatment Is Failing You." FoxNews.Com. April 22, 2009.

© Nancy Bonk, 2009.

Last updated May 27, 2009.