Monday, August 25, 2008

Menstrual Migraines and Headaches

Menstrual migraine is a particular type of migraine headache that attacks many women every month before they get their periods. This can continue during the days of menstruation. This is somewhat different from the normal migraine pain even if it is occurring to the same woman.

The duration and intensity of pain differs from the general migraine attacks. Menstrual migraines are at least three times severe than that general one. Among the total number of female patients of migraine around 70% report that this is because of the menstruation.

Almost 14% women get affected by this and this happens on the second day of menstruation and can continue till the 3rd day. This is another true fact that the migraine pains that occur during those particular days of the month fetch more attention of a woman than the other times.

But at the times the other physical problems like menstrual pain and cramps reduce the intensity of the pain. Women who are already prone to migraine attacks get menstrual migraines because of the misbalance of estrogen hormone in those days.

Conventional treatment of menstrual migraines

There are various drugs that are prescribed to treat the menstrual migraines. The commonest one is taking Triptan for 6 days starting from two days prior to the date of the menstrual cycle till the cycle ends.

This is a part of the Prophylactic treatment. The constituents of this medicine are eletriptan (Relpax), rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex), naratriptan (Amerge), lmotriptan (Axert), frovatriptan (Frova) and zolmitriptan (Zomig).

Then there are non-steroidal drugs which are basically anti-inflammatory medicines that are used as a treatment method of menstrual migraines. A nasal spray that can also be used to reduce the menstrual migraine pains is Dihydroergotamine (DHE).

Home remedies of menstrual migraines

You need to eat a balanced diet regularly and at a scheduled time. Never ever skip meals as this can give rise to low blood sugar level and excessive hunger which often create the menstrual migraines.

Sweets intake and diet rich in carbohydrates are another two reasons of getting menstrual migraines. Dehydration is one of the reasons which can cause migration and this is the reason why you need to take a lot of fluids regularly. Tight sleep for at least 7 hours a day is mandatory for those who suffer from menstrual migraines.

Beverages like alcohol, wine, beer and foods like chocolates, cheese etc are strict no-no for you. Regular exercise will not only keep you fit but also control your menstrual migraine problems. Take less stress and use some relaxation techniques to keep yourself away from this trouble.

If you are one of the sufferers of menstrual migraine then this is advisable to take the home remedies and not going for the drugs for a more effective reduction of menstrual migraines.

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