Menstrual migraine or menstrual migraine can feel like a dual problem. Not only do you experience excruciating pain on a monthly basis, but as the days go by and your period approaches, you live with the fear and anxiety of an impending migraine attack.
There are several types of migraines, and a subset of migraines is the menstrual migraine, and it is simply mentioned when a person has migraine attacks only during menstruation. There is also the migraine related to the menstrual cycle, which means that although you will definitely have migraines in your monthly cycle, you will also experience migraine attacks at other times of the month. Many women who experience migraine attacks during their menstrual period have migraines related to menstruation. Menstrual cycles will definitely be a trigger.
What is enough for menstrual migraine? 7 Optimal Solution
Menstrual and menstrual migraine treatment can be the most troublesome type of migraine. It can be quite severe, last for days, and be quite debilitating. Even if your migraine attacks are only during your period, for many women, this can still mean five days a month or more. In this case, you should talk to your doctor about daily migraine preventive treatment options.
In general, he says, there are many treatment options for migraine and menstrual migraine prevention. Here is a list of the best medications and lifestyle changes that can help reduce the frequency and severity of migraine and menstrual attacks.
Triptans may play a preventive role in migraine
According to the American Migraine Foundation, triptans are acute medications that are typically taken when a person feels a migraine attack coming on. There are reasonable types of triptans that last longer and can help prevent or make a migraine attack less severe.
Its shorter-acting triptans, such as Imitrex (sumatriptan) and Maxalt (rizatriptan), generally have half-lives of about four hours. The half-life of a drug is the time it takes for its concentration in the body to drop to half the initial dose. There are also triptans with a longer half-life.
For example, Frova (frovatriptan) has a half-life of 26 hours and Amerge (naratriptan) has a half-life of 6 to 8 hours. These longer-acting ones can often be used as a “mini prophylaxis” during your menstrual period.
If you know your period is a major trigger for a migraine attack, you can start taking one of these long-acting triptans a few days before your menstrual day, every day or twice a day, depending on a schedule. depending on the drug. This can help prevent a migraine attack from becoming as severe.
The American Headache Association specifically recommends Frova “for the short-term preventative treatment of menstrual migraine.”
Attention:Please do not use it without consulting your doctor.
NSAIDs are another precautionary option
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs such as Aleve (naproxen) can be used strategically for menstrual migraine as prophylaxis in a similar strategy to triptans.
According to Vincent T. Martin, MD, a headache specialist writing for the American Headache Association, taking 550 milligrams of Aleve twice a day from six days before to seven days after has been shown to be effective in preventing menstrual migraines.
A meta-analysis published in Neurology looked at 15 studies looking at nonclassical therapies, NSAIDs, and other complementary therapies and concluded that NSAID use is “possibly effective” in reducing the frequency and severity of migraine attacks. However, its use to prevent menstrual migraine has not been discussed.
If you think you might want to try taking an NSAID to prevent menstrual migraine attacks, be sure to discuss this plan with your healthcare professional. including an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, gastrointestinal bleeding, and ulcers Potential risks of taking NSAIDs has.
Definitely consult your doctor.
Oral contraceptives can reduce the frequency of menstrual migraines
There is some evidence to suggest that certain oral contraceptives may actually reduce the incidence of menstrual migraine and menstrual migraine.
This does not apply to all types of oral contraceptives, so you should talk to your gynecologist, doctor, or neurologist about which ones you want to consider. Definitely consult your doctor!
contraceptive methodIf you are considering taking oral contraceptives (also known as pills) or to improve your migraine symptoms, tell your doctor. of your migraine historymention it.
While several headache experts agree that many women with migraines believe in oral contraception, there are situations in which it can increase the risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease, or deep vein thrombosis (blood clot), according to the American Migraine Foundation.
Self-care makes a difference in migraine frequency
If you have a menstrual migraine, it is especially valuable to take care of yourself and try to reduce tension during your period.
Follow a regular sleep schedule, which means waking up and going to bed around the same time each day. Don’t skip meals, try to eat protein with every meal, and get 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every day. Making these habits a priority will help you reduce the frequency and severity of your migraine attacks.
Daily magnesium has a preventive effect
You should take magnesium as a natural supplement every day to help prevent menstrual migraines. Do not take without consulting your doctor. There is evidence to support the use of magnesium, but the system of action or the “why” behind how it improves migraines is not fully understood.
It could be to stabilize cells or to reduce overexcitability or neuronal firing, but it’s all theory at this point.
A study published in Cephalalgia found that people who took magnesium for 12 weeks had 41.6% fewer migraine attacks, compared to 15.8% fewer attacks in the placebo group. Font
According to the American Migraine Foundation, daily oral magnesium supplementation has been shown to be effective in preventing menstrual migraine, especially in women with premenstrual migraine.
Attention:Remember that talking to your doctor about supplements is always a good idea.
Regular training can help prevent menstrual migraines
When considering all the strategies to prevent migraine attacks, people should choose to make lifestyle changes that can make a real difference. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that regular aerobic training itself can work as preventative medicine, and there’s some research to suggest that yoga and high-intensity interval training may also be beneficial.
A study published in Cephalalgia found that people who did aerobic exercise at least three times a week had a reduction in the frequency of migraine attacks equal to those taking the drug Topamax (topiramate).
They concluded that training may be an option in the preventive treatment of migraine in individuals who do not benefit from or do not want to take daily medications.
Not only does regular training help prevent migraine attacks in some people, but if the headache was mild at the time, a short workout can ease the headache. On the other hand, overexerting yourself can trigger migraines, especially if you already have a migraine attack.
One of the key definitions and characteristics of a migraine is that everyday activity can make you feel worse. In fact, if you’re in the midst of a severe migraine attack, moving around a lot will only make things worse for you. It’s probably not the best time to go for a run or do aerobic activity.
Beta blocker drugs for the prevention of migraine attacks
Beta blockers are the best known medications for treating high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems. It can be used to prevent migraine attacks in general, not just menstrual migraines specifically. Consult your doctor before using these medications.
Beta blockers, such as propranolol, are widely used as daily migraine pain relievers. There is ample evidence that they can reduce migraine severity and frequency.
neurotherapy Exactly how beta blockers prevent migraine attacks is unknown, according to a review in the journal Healthcare. Basically, it can have the effect of blocking the action of the hormones epinephrine (also called adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), which slows down the heart and relaxes the blood vessels.
It may also have to do with certain beta blockers that shut down sensitive serotonin receptors in the brain and other parts of the body. Changes in serotonin levels in the brain have been associated with migraine attacks. But beta blockers have many other effects on the body, and these are just one of two possibilities for their therapeutic effect on migraine.
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The American Headache Society’s beta-blockers Lopressor (metoprolol), propranolol, and timolol “show efficacy and should be recommended for migraine prevention,” and the beta-blockers Tenormin (atenolol) and Corgard (nadolol) are likely to be effective and should be recommended. be considered for migraine prevention. ” Font
