The Combination Principle
Your migraine attacks just won’t break with one medication? Try two! Some migraine attacks are difficult to treat. The migraine attack is a chemical and electrical storm in the brain that leads to pain and a wide variety of accompanying symptoms (See this post). The key options…
The Treating Early Principle
My doctor prescribed me medications to treat my migraine attacks…but they don’t work! Sounds familiar? You may be treating your attacks too late. I have been told to wait until my pain is severe to take my meds. Isn’t that the right thing to do? No, it’s…
Opioids and migraine: AVOID!
What are opioids? Opioids are painkillers. They act on natural morphine receptors in the brain. Opium, extracted from the poppy plant, is a natural opioid. There are many different synthetic opioids. Name Brand Equivalent of morphine dose Morphine Statex 1 Codeine Empracet (with acetaminophen) 0.15 Oxycodone…
Medication Overuse Headache: tips to organize a successful withdrawal
Addressing medication overuse is one of the most important decisions on your headache journey. Managing medication-overuse headache is not easy, but if there is a suspicion that overuse plays a role in the chronic headache problem, it must be done. Here are a few facts…
Medication-overuse headache: what is it and why is it happening?
If you have frequent migraine attacks, you will want to treat them frequently with acute meds. That makes sense. The problem is that this regular use of acute medication will provide short-term relief but can make your brain even more prone to headaches in the…
List of acute treatments
The medications discussed here are the migraine medications which are used to treat individual migraine attacks (See this post). They can be divided into broad categories: Analgesics, NSAIDs, Triptans, ergot derivatives, Gepants, Anti-emetics, Cannabinoids and Opioids. ** We included cannabinoids since people are interested in them, but…
How to use acute treatments for migraine attacks
What are acute treatments for migraine? Acute treatments are medications to help you to break a migraine attack, not to prevent one. These medications are taken as needed when a migraine starts. They are different from preventive treatments, taken regularly to decrease the frequency of migraines (See…
I have severe attacks, and sometimes I throw up…what can I do?
Many migraine patients will have nausea with at least some attacks, and some will vomit. Vomiting, especially if it occurs early in the migraine attack, can be a problem because if the patient throws up their medication before it is absorbed into the body, it obviously will…
Vestibular migraine in children
What is vestibular migraine? Vestibular migraine is the second most common cause of vertigo in children occurring between 6 and 12 years of age more frequently in girls .Children with this syndrome complain of attacks of “vestibular” symptoms including false sensation of self-motion, false sensation…
Alternating hemiplegia of childhood
What is alternating hemiplegia of childhood? Alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) is a rare condition with repeated bouts of weakness or paralysis that may affect one side of the body or the other or both sides of the body at once lasting for minutes to…
Benign Paroxysmal Vertigo
What is benign paroxysmal vertigo? Benign paroxysmal vertigo (BPV) typically starts between ages 2 and 5. Children with BPT present with repeated attacks of a spinning sensation (vertigo) or dizziness. Parents may observe unsteadiness as young children are unable to describe how they feel. A…
Canadian Migraine Tracker – Questions and Answers
Hello to all the Migraine Canada™ followers! Recently, the Canadian Headache Society launched an App for migraine monitoring: the Canadian Migraine Tracker. Using a headache diary is a good way to keep track of the situation and observe the results of treatments. Many options are…
