migraines medication
Migraines Medication
Many people prefer to fight the pain of their headaches and migraines with over-the-counter medications. This is understandable as prescription medications are more expensive and known for having undesirable side effects. If used only periodically, over-the-counter medications should work well for mild migraines and headaches.
The most common over-the-counter migraine medications are ibuprofen (Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) and Motrin. These days its easy to find formulations that target migraines specifically. Be sure to note that these formulations cost MORE but contain the same amount of active ingredients as regular or generic formulas. Don’t be fooled by slick marketing campaigns – save your money!
Migraines medication – the benefits of OTC medications
Most OTC pain relief medications are inexpensive and easy to get at the local pharmacy or grocery store.
The immediate side effects of most OTC pills are minimal and will not impede your ability to stay awake, drive, or otherwise function.
When taken when the first sensations of pain is felt, OTC medications can provide mild to moderate pain relief.
Migraines medication – the negative side of OTC medications
Most OTC pills are not going to treat the cause of your migraine and thus are not going to prevent, stop, or relieve a migraine attack.
Likewise, most OTC pills will not be strong enough to relieve moderate to severe levels of pain.
More is not better. Many headache and migraine sufferers fall into the trap of taking even MORE pills when the first dose is not effective. Believe it or not, but OTC pills can be toxic and even fatal when taken in high doses. Every year many people die unintentionally from acetaminophen overdoses. Do not let this happen to you. If the first dose doesn’t work, the next one isn’t likely to either.
When taken in excess, anti-inflammatory medications like Advil and Aleve can cause stomach irritation. Over the long term this can actually result in physical damage to your digestive system.
Pain killers like Excedrin also contain caffeine. Caffeine may disrupt your sleep, cause jitters, and when taken regularly – cause withdrawal headaches when you stop taking the medication.
When taken more than twice a week, OTC pain relieves can begin to cause additional problems for the migraine and headache sufferer. Regular consumption of virtually ALL OTC headache and migraine medication can cause rebound headaches when you cease to take an expected doses. This is your body’s way of trying to trick you into providing a medication on demand to which it has become dependent.
Lastly, even though many people assume all OTC headache and migraine medications are perfectly safe, these medication can cause birth defects when consumed by pregnant women. If you are currently pregnant, be sure to choose Tylenol, which is the only “safe” pain medication. In studies, Advil has been shown to cause lung defects in developing fetuses.
