Local Anesthetic in Neck to Help Migraines?

Injection of a local anesthetic into active trigger points in the lower part of the neck and the cervical spine can improve migraine symptoms, according to Italian investigators report. Apparently by injecting the pain-killer bupivacaine at key trigger points on days 3, 10, 30, and 60 have reduced the number and intensity of a person's migraine's. Hopefully to reduce the amount of "acute triptan" medications an individual has to take. Which is interesting because I frequently notice when I have a migraine or begin to feel the early signs of one, my lower neck hurts and the tenses up. This may be the beginning of something good for all migraine suffers, with this and preventable medicines, the percentage of migraine sufferers my be less and less, it does appear that Migraines Are Preventable.

Are There Different Kinds of Migraines?

Yes. The most common are classic migraine and common migraine.

Classic migraines start with a warning sign, called an aura. The aura often involves changes in the way you see. You may see flashing lights and colors. You may temporarily lose some of your vision, such as your side vision.

You may also feel a strange prickly or burning sensation, or have muscle weakness on one side of your body. You may have trouble communicating. You may also feel depressed, irritable and restless.

Auras last about 15 to 30 minutes. Auras may occur before or after your head pain, and sometimes the pain and aura overlap, or the pain never occurs. The head pain of classic migraines may occur on one side of your head or on both sides.

Common migraines don't start with an aura. Common migraines may start more slowly than classic migraines, last longer and interfere more with daily activities. The pain of common migraines may be on only one side of your head. Familydoctor.org

Had Celebrities had Migraines? Myth Vs. Reality

Celebrities and historical figures with the Migraine disease include, among many, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Virginia Wolfe, Lewis Carroll, Mary Todd Lincoln, Elvis Presley, Loretta Lynn, and beloved American President John F. Kennedy just to name a few.
It is important to arm yourself with the real facts and mechanics of this disease to improve your quality of life.

For a great article on Migraines: Myth Vs. Reality visit: http://www.migraines.org/myth/mythreal.htm

Migraine Medications/Prevent your Migraines

Examples of migraine medications currently available, include: propranolol (brand name: Inderal), timolol (brand name: Blocadren), divalproex (brand name: Depakote) and some antidepressants. Other prescription drugs approved specifically for migraine include ergotamine tartrate (Cafergot, Wigraine, Ergostat), isometheptene mucate combinations (Midrin, Isocom), and dihydroergotamine (DHE-45).Drugs to prevent migraine are sometimes recommended for those whose migraines are especially frequent or debilitating. Two of the many drugs that are tried for migraine prevention and are approved by FDA for use: Inderal (propranolol) and Depakote (divalproex sodium).It's important to have as many drug options as possible for migraine, because different people respond differently to medications, and what works for one patient may not help the other.Various other medicines are sometimes tried when all else fails. These include: pizotifen, methysergide, gabapentin, calcium channel blockers, lisinopril, and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs).The migraine medicines have become essential to fight migraine symptoms as the severe headache makes a person restless. Migraine triggers can also be treated with the help of natural headache relief methods. The field of headache research is growing fast to find cure for different type of headaches.

Mail Order Medicines

Have you ever thought about using a mail order medicine program? I suggest you check it out. I currently use www.medco.com, although it may depend on what insurance company you have. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield. It has substantially decreased the amount of money I was spending on medicine. I am now saving about $35.oo on the Depakote that I take for my migraines. Also I'm saving about $40.00 on Hydroclorothiazide (for blood pressure). The best thing about it all is that it is mailed to your house and is a 90 day supply. If you are taking a preventive medicine for your migraines, you never want to run out. Most of these types of medicine's may need to be tapered off of. Call your insurance company and talk with your doctor about getting your medicines through the mail.

Controlling Migraines around the Holidays

Now that Christmas is two days away, most of us migraine suffers worry about getting the big headache during our family and friend functions. You can eliminate a migraine by following some easy steps. First, make sure you take your preventive medicine as prescribed. Next, always carry your "acute" migraine medicine with you at all times and take it at the first sign that you are getting one. I know we are all busy but try to get adequate sleep, but remember don't over sleep. Lastly, try to reduce your stress, I know, easier said than done. If during the hustle and bustle you start to get one, find a place to get away for a while, like a dark room. Make sure someone watches the kids and relax, take your acute medicine until it goes away or subsides some. Do whatever it takes to enjoy this Christmas because I believe migraines are preventable.

Healthy Choice

Working in the health care field for eighteen years, and particularly in the emergency room only for six years straight, I have seen a lot a patients come in because of a headache, probably a migraine. Mostly they would have to lay around in the ER waiting room for hours before they were seen! Some with blankets to cover up from the light, others vomiting in the restroom. Then when they were seen, they would be given a narcotic, which half of the time it would let them fall asleep in a dark ER room. But, the fact is that migraines won't be relieved by narcotics. It may knock you out, but a true migraine can only be relieved by a "triptan", explained in my first post. Now, I have had some people tell me that they work, but if it does, is it really a migraine? Nevertheless, narcotics are not a good way to go anyhow. They can be addicting (bringing you back to the ER the next time), and the constipation they cause isn't pleasant. I have a co-worker that says Toradol helps her migraines. Toradol is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, you can think of it as IV liquid Motrin. I do know everyone is different, but I have found that when I take a triptan drug, designed for a migraine headache, I get real relieve. It doesn't put me asleep, I can still function through the day and even work. It is not addicting and I won't get constipated! All of this said, the fact remains, the best treatment from my opinion would be a preventable drug that you can tolerate. Please pick a healthier choice than a narcotic.

Medical Disclaimer: This information is in no way medical advice. Only my opinion from my own experience(s).