You should never go without treatment for your migraine headaches. They can cause excruciating pain, light sensitivity, vision problems, and vomiting. Migraine pain can even raise your blood pressure and heart rate, which can be especially dangerous if you have cardiovascular disease. Accessing health care services in Griffin, GA, for your migraines is necessary to help manage your symptoms. Here are some migraine treatment options your physician may suggest for managing your pain.
Ice Therapy
Your doctor may recommend ice therapy for your migraine pain. When you have a migraine, the blood vessels in your head dilate. This puts pressure on the nerves, bones, and muscles in your head, leading to severe pain.
Applying ice packs to the areas of pain helps constrict the blood vessels so that pressure is relieved on the surrounding structures. While a hot compress may seem like a soothing treatment option, it can actually dilate your blood vessels even more, increasing your pain.
Strong Coffee
Narcotic pain relievers are sometimes prescribed for migraine headaches. While effective in treating severe pain, they can cause serious side effects and raise the risk of drug dependence. Instead, your doctor may recommend that you take an over-the-counter analgesic such as ibuprofen or aspirin with a strong cup of coffee.
The caffeine in the coffee will augment the pain-relieving effects of the ibuprofen or aspirin. Also, caffeine constricts swollen blood vessels so that pressure is relieved from the muscles and nerves in your head. When you need health care services in Griffin, GA, consider a doctor who not only can recommend various medication options but who can also suggest effective alternative migraine treatments.
To make an appointment with an internal medicine physician, call Internal Medicine of Griffin or visit the website at .
