Can we treat migraines?

Because migraines are such a debilitating and enduring problem, it’s hardly surprising that there is a great deal of interest in anything that could cure or treat them, or even just provide some relief from the symptoms. As a result, there are a wide range of potential treatments and interventions for migraines. Although some seem rather more credible than others…

Everyday painkillers

The most typical means of tackling a migraine are common over-the-counter analgesics like aspirin, ibuprofen and paracetamol. These can often provide some modicum of relief from migraine symptoms, albeit to a rather limited extent. Interestingly, exactly how they work on migraines remains unclear. But then, we’re still not sure exactly how paracetamol works either. We just know that it does.

Triptans

Triptans are an increasingly common go-to for treating migraines. They do not prevent migraines; they are taken once symptoms start. They work on the serotonin neurons (which we now know are key to the migraine process) and block pain pathways in the brain, therefore neutralising the painful migraine headache. They have many potential side effects, and don’t do much for the nausea, fatigue, or sensory aspects. But it’s better than nothing.

Botox

Unless your migraine is caused by stress over how many wrinkles you’ve got, most wouldn’t consider Botox a potential migraine treatment. But evidence suggests otherwise. Botox is a substance that paralyses nerves, and when administered for migraines, it’s injected under the skin or into the muscles around the forehead, ears and neck. Not the most orthodox solution maybe, but something that could bring a smile back to your face.

Surgery

As a last resort, surgery can be used to ease migraines. Nerve decompression surgery, a technique pioneered by plastic surgeons, surgically alters, or relieves pressure on, the nerves responsible for migraine pain in certain patients, thus treating the condition.

As ever, there are risks with any surgery, so it depends on whether the migraine is so bad that submitting to a procedure which involves ‘nerves’ and ‘scalpels’ seems like the better option.

Migraine relieving hand clips

Every part of the body is connected to the other via our nervous system, so I would never say that migraine-relieving hand clips are just small bits of inert plastic that have no feasible mechanism of dealing with a migraine. But I’m thinking it pretty hard.

Migraine relief cap

The premise of migraine relief caps seems to be that putting something on the head, maybe something that covers the eyes to reduce sensory input, will make a migraine better. If nothing else, the embarrassment of being seen wearing one may distract from painful migraine symptoms.