Migraine is a problem for many patients. Almost every person experiences pain in the head area at least once in a lifetime. As a rule, they are accompanied by dizziness, nausea, vomiting, as well as numbness, tingling and weakness in the limbs, photo and phonophobia. After an attack, patients complain of increased fatigue, lethargy and drowsiness. Sometimes there are cases when the disease is so neglected that only triptans from a headache can help the patient. It is worth noting that migraine is a disease of women, as they are more susceptible to this pathology than men. About 10-18% of the adult population is diagnosed with migraine.
The headache problem is familiar to everyone.
Most people do not seek qualified help from doctors, but try to cope with the disease on their own, while taking analgesics. It must be said that this approach does not help, but only exacerbates the course of the disease. Uncontrolled use of analgesics can trigger the development of drug-related chronic headache. Therefore, it is not surprising that there are a huge number of questions about which headache pills are the most effective.
It is unrealistic to completely recover from migraines, but you can improve the quality of life with the help of special medications prescribed by a neurologist. To date, there is a huge amount of funds for migraine, which are quite effective both during an attack and in the interictal period. Next, we consider in more detail the preparations for migraine: a list of stopping and interictal therapy. Triptans are proven to be the most effective medications for treating severe headaches. For the preventive purpose, the following groups of drugs are prescribed:
- β-blockers;
- antidepressants;
- antiemetic;
- water soluble B vitamins;
- calcium blockers;
- anticonvulsants.
Acceptance of all the above listed pharmaceuticals should be prescribed by a qualified specialist.
Why does my head hurt?
Before you understand how triptans from headaches work, the price of which depends on the manufacturer, you need to understand the mechanism of the occurrence of pathology. Headache develops due to irritation of the receptors of the meninges and cerebral vessels. With excessive stretching and overfilling of blood vessels, especially veins that are in a hypotonic state, severe pain develops, which can be eliminated only with the help of special pharmaceutical agents. Many researchers who have been looking for drugs for the treatment of migraine for a long time have come to the conclusion that triptans are the best way to eliminate this pathology.
Triptan Properties
The action of drugs is aimed at narrowing the dilated vessels of the brain. Triptan is a medicine that affects the nuclei and receptors of the trigeminal nerve, which, in turn, reduces the sensitivity of the pain threshold. Triptans are modern anti-migraine drugs that have a fairly high selectivity for the blood vessels of the dura mater (dura mater encephali) and insignificant for peripheral and coronary vessels.
The presented medications effectively stop pain at the level of the spinal nucleus of the trigeminal nerve. In addition to all of the above, triptans are drugs that can not only reduce the frequency of relapse of the pathology, but also eliminate its accompanying clinical manifestations (for example, nausea, vomiting, sound and photophobia).
The main advantages of triptans
Their pharmacological properties imply a high speed of obtaining the result. In just half an hour, symptoms of a positive effect of the drug on the patient's body are observed. The therapeutic effect persists throughout the attack of migraine. In the vast majority of patients, headache does not recur.
Nowadays, scientists have proved that when detecting the precursors of an attack, you should immediately take triptans from migraine. Previously, there was a theory that migraine attacks should be treated in stages, starting with taking simple medications.
Migraine Medications: A List of the Most Popular Medicines
The triptans group includes the following drugs:
- "Zomig."
- Amigrenin.
- Sumatriptan.
- "Imigran."
- Relpaks.
- "Trimigrain."
- "Sumamigrain."
- Rapimed.
- "Almotriptan."
- "Naramig."
- "Naratriptan."
- Frovatriptan.
- Zolmitriptan.
The effect of drugs for each patient can be strictly individual, therefore, in order to verify the effectiveness of a particular medicine, doctors recommend trying it for three attacks of migraine. The tryptamine group of drugs is characterized by high bioavailability, they quite easily and quickly overcome the blood-brain barrier, effectively stop migraine attacks even in the pain phase. These medications should be prescribed to patients with moderate and severe disease severity.
Recommendations for use
Quite often, we hear the same question: which pills for headaches are better? Experimental studies have shown that triptans are the most effective way to eliminate the symptoms of migraine . It is best to take triptans from migraine when detecting the first signs of an attack. The maximum analgesic effect is observed two hours after taking the medicine. Before taking the drug, carefully read the instructions and consult your doctor. It is very important to prevent overdose of the medication. Migraine triptans are not recommended for use with antibiotics, antifungal, antiviral agents, and also with antidepressants.
To achieve the desired result, patients must adhere to the following recommendations for taking triptans:
- for mild to moderate headaches, take 1 tablet (or one dose of spray);
- the second dose of the drug is taken no earlier than 2 hours;
- during the day should not take more than two doses;
- triptans do not recommend taking more than two days a week.
During the treatment period, tyramine-containing products should be excluded from your diet:
- cocoa;
- chocolate;
- Beans
- eggs
- celery;
- citrus;
- nutritional supplements;
- Cheeses
- Tomatoes
- nuts
- alcoholic drinks.
Cold foods should also not be eaten.
If migraine occurs, tryptan, the price of which will be indicated below, can be used with other medicines, such as domperidone or metoclopramide.
Side effects
With an overdose of the drug, patients face the following problems:
- dizziness;
- anaphylactic shock;
- feeling of stiffness;
- nausea;
- feeling of warmth;
- heart attack of the spleen, intestines;
- vomiting
- dry mouth
- myalgia;
- abdominal pain;
- drowsiness;
- burning sensation on the skin;
- Quincke's edema;
- tachycardia;
- hives;
- polyuria;
- muscle weakness;
- decreased attention;
- sensitivity disorders;
- hemorrhagic diarrhea;
- frequent urination
- coronary spasm.
Despite all this, migraine triptans are a quick-acting medicine. Subject to dosage and frequency of administration of drugs, the risk of side effects is minimal. In general, all triptans are normally carried by the body. Side effects, if they occur, are moderate and pass spontaneously without medical intervention. The main disadvantage of triptans is their cost. Unfortunately, not all patients can afford such a medication.
Contraindications
Migraine triptans are not recommended for use in the following cases:
- stroke;
- angiospastic angina pectoris;
- pregnancy;
- cerebrovascular accident;
- the period of breastfeeding;
- coagulopathy (bleeding disorders);
- adolescence;
- pathology of the cardiovascular system;
- hypersensitivity to the bioactive substances of the drug;
- uncontrolled arterial hypertension;
- arrhythmias;
- liver and kidney diseases;
- atherosclerosis.
Before prescribing certain triptans, the attending physician must identify risk factors for developing atherosclerosis. These factors include the following:
- diabetes;
- the period after menopause in women;
- smoking;
- hypertension;
- obesity;
- high levels of pathological cholesterol in the blood;
- over 40 years old in men;
- genetic predisposition to heart attack.
Some patients who are at risk should receive their first doses of tryptamine under the supervision of a specialist and under the supervision of an ECG.
Migraine Treatment Scheme
There are general therapeutic principles for treating a disease that justify themselves in most cases:
- it is necessary to start treatment with the use of analgesics or their combination (including with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs);
- if the use of an analgesic did not give a positive result, then after 45 minutes a triptan should be taken;
- if triptan was ineffective, then in the next attack you need to use another drug from the triptan group;
- with an atypical headache attack, it is necessary to use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
The use of modern triptan-based migraine treatments that help make life easier for many patients. Do not forget that you can take these medications as prescribed by a doctor and only with a diagnosis. There are situations when triptans and other non-specific analgesics do not give the desired result and do not eliminate the pain syndrome. In this case, doctors, as a rule, prescribe complex therapy using anticonvulsant drugs, as well as beta-blockers. These drugs include the following drugs:
- Penbutolol
- "Nadolol."
- Betaxolol.
- Topiramat.
- Neurontin.
- "Phenobarbital."
- Timolol.
- "Propranolol".
- Labetanol.
- Bellataminal.
- "Metoprolol."
- Topamax.
- "Acebutalol."
How to reduce the incidence of seizures?
To reduce the frequency of migraine attacks, patients must adhere to the following rules:
- eat regularly;
- exclude foods and drinks that provoke seizures from your diet (beer, chocolate, cheeses, champagne, citrus fruits, red wine);
- quit smoking;
- stay outdoors for as long as possible;
- avoid stress;
- go in for sports (ideal option is swimming);
- Avoid long trips by bus, boat, car.
Triptans for headache: price
Triptans are available in different dosage forms: injection solutions, nasal spray, tablets, rectal suppositories. The cost of the drug is affected by the form of release, dosage, number of tablets in the package. As a result, the price of these drugs varies in a wide range - 150-1500 rubles per package.