When Should I Consider Preventive Treatment for My Migraines?

Headache disorders affect millions of people globally, with one in 20 adults coping with some form of headache pain nearly every day. Virtually everyone gets a headache once in a while, but with the chronic problems associated with headache disorders, people struggle with pain that can sometimes be disabling. 

A common neurological problem that presents with a unique type of headache is migraine disorder, which affects one in seven people worldwide. There are many responsive treatment options for migraine attacks, but what can you do to reduce the amount of attacks you have? 

If you live in the Sugar Land, Texas area and you’re dealing with recurrent migraine headaches, Dr. Irfan Lalani and our team at Irfan Lalani, MD, PA, can help you get relief. Here, we examine how migraine attacks happen, and discuss your preventive treatment options.

Understanding migraine attacks

Migraine presents in phases, with only one part bringing pain:

• Prodrome: This phase can happen up to a day before an attack, and usually comes with moodiness and problems concentrating or sleeping
• Aura: This is the warning sign that a migraine attack is coming, and has symptoms like vision changes, tinnitus (ear ringing), and muscle weakness
• Attack: This is the pain phase of a migraine, which also causes nausea and sensitivity to light and sound for up to three days
• Postdrome: The final phase of a migraine episode comes with signs similar to a hangover, including fatigue, neck stiffness, and problems focusing

Not everyone deals with all four phases of migraine, and another cycle can start right after one ends. You can go through all four phases in anywhere from eight hours to three days.

Preventive treatment options for migraine

Many people who suffer from periodic migraines simply treat themselves to lessen symptoms before and during the attack phase, but there are preventive treatment options that can keep your migraine headaches from reaching that point:

Medications with other uses that help prevent migraine attacks

Several medications that treat other conditions — like angiotensin II blockers (used for hypertension), anticonvulsants (used for epilepsy), anti-serotonergic drugs (treats depression), beta blockers (also for hypertension), and tricyclic antidepressants (for depression) — can work to reduce the frequency migraine attacks.   

Medication designed for preventing migraine attacks

Calcitonin gene-related antibody (CGRP) medication is a monoclonal antibody (MAB) drug specially formulated as a preventive migraine treatment. 

CGRP is a protein your body makes to perform a wide range of body functions; it helps expand blood vessels, regulate blood pressure, and reduce heart problems, for example. It also plays a role in migraine attacks, so the drug was developed to bind to CGRPs and block their signal to help reduce migraine attacks.

Other preventive migraine treatment options include calcium channel blockers, which block your brain’s dopamine receptors, neuromodulation devices, and Botox® injections.

Am I a good candidate for preventive migraine treatment?

You should consider trying these if you have four or more migraine attacks in a month. When you’re ready to consider these or other options to reduce the pain of migraine headaches, call or click online to make an appointment with Dr. Lalani and our team at Irfan Lalani MD, PA, in Sugar Land, Texas.