Abortive Headache Medications

Abortive headache medications? What are those? Well, that is any medication that you take to stop a headache.

And at this point you have probably taken many!

Opioids are discussed on another page, so I will not go into them here.

I would like to review, however, the most commonly used abortive headache medications used for headaches and migraines.

Triptans

This class contains the drugs Imitrex, Axert, Amerge, Maxalt, Relpax, Zomig and Frova.

All are available in pills and a couple are in nasal sprays also. Only Imitrex offers an injectable for truly severe headaches.

So how to choose? Well, some are fast acting and are best for those severe "fast take off" headaches and migraines. Those are Imitrex, Maxalt and Zomig.

Imitrex injectable is great for those of you with cluster headaches, as they have a very fast onset and are short lived.
A new medication Treximet has been approved by the FDA and should be available to US patients by summer of 2008.

Treximet is a combination of Imitrex and naprosyn (prescribtion level Aleve) and if taken at the onset of a migraine has been shown in studies to get rid of the headache faster than either medication alone.

For migraine headache symptoms this is good news, because hey..we will go for anything that gets rid of a headache faster right?

Until Treximet is available, try combining your Imitrex (oral or injectable) with Naprosyn and see if it works for you.

For menstrual migraines the best and most promising drug in this class is Frova. This is because this is the only drug in this class that is truly long acting.

When fighting the effects hormones for up to a week, abortive headache medications need to last long enough to prevent a recurring headache.

A few doses of Frova at the onset of the migraine just might carry you through the week. This could prevent the return of a headache that sometimes happens with the shorter acting drugs.

The remaining drugs are all excellent and if one does not work for your migraines, ask your doctor to try another until you get the right "brain/drug" combo that stops your headache dead in its' tracks. If your migraines don't respond to triptans, then your headaches might be so severe that you require a short course of daily medication to settle things down. You may then find that the triptans will start working again as an abortive headache medication.

NOTE: You cannot take the triptans if you have coronary artery disease, UNcontrolled high blood pressure, or are pregnant. You cannot take these if you are on an MAOI type of anti-depressant. You also can't use it within 24 hours of taking Migranol Nasal spray.

Common side effects: flushing, tingling, a mild feeling of anxiety, dizziness.

Ergots

This is an older class of drug and one of the first used to treat active migraine attacks.

OK..who is old enough to remember Elvis Presley? Well he suffered from daily headaches and migraines and use extensive amounts of a drug called Cafergot.

Unfortunately, this drug has numerous side effects and if over used for a long time can cause heart problems.

Read about how Elvis was affected by his migraines.

However, there is good news for those of you who need another option for migraine.

Migranol Nasal Spray is a kinder, gentler form of Cafergot. Unlike Cafergot, there is no caffeine in this product and it has less side effects. It also has a fast onset as it is a nasal spray and can be an excellent drug for menstrual migraine.

NOTE: You cannot take these medications if you have any of the following: UNcontrolled hypertension, kidney or liver disease, are pregnant, have peripheral vascular disease, are over 60 years old, have diabetes for over 10 years or are nursing.

Common side effects: leg and abdominal pain, dizziness, nasal stuffiness (with the nasal spray), sometimes a fast or a slower heart rate.

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