Menstrual Migraine Treatment Options

Before you begin considering ways of menstrual migraine treatment, it is necessary that you are sure that what you are suffering from is a menstrual migraine headache and not general migraine triggered by some other factors. Rather than trying to analyze the cause of your headaches yourself, it is better to consult a doctor who will be able to more accurately diagnose whether it is actually a migraine, if it is a menstrual migraine and finally, prescribe some menstrual migraine treatment. But before you even consult a doctor, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself so that you can discuss you problem with your doctor more coherently.

Ask Yourself Three Questions About Your Headache

Does the headache develop just before, during or after your period?
Does it make you feel nauseous and sick?
Does it make you sensitive to light?
If you have answered yes to these questions, you most likely need menstrual migraine treatment.

The Menstrual Migraine Treatments You Can Try

The most drastic menstrual migraine treatment is hysterectomy. This should be resorted to only as a last resort since surgical options are best avoided and also because success is never guaranteed.

Many doctors recommend hormone therapy as an effective menstrual migraine treatment. While this does seem to offer relief, no detailed data has been collected to show how effective it really is. Another menstrual migraine treatment option is to use birth control pills to stretch the time between periods. This has been found to be effective in a large number of cases but should be used only under a doctor’s supervision, since using oral contraceptives as a menstrual migraine treatment can have unintended side effects of various kinds. Having a doctor available to spot any incipient problems and change the treatment before any side effects become a major issue is important.

Many women use standard Over the counter medications for menstrual migraine treatment. These are called Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and include such common pain killers as Ibuprofen. These are safe to try, but if they do not produce results, stop and try some other form of menstrual migraine treatment. Another menstrual migraine treatment that many women favor is the use of Triptan drugs. These are popular both as a treatment and as a preventive which is taken at the time of their period to prevent an attack. Once again, talk to your doctor before trying this form of menstrual migraine treatment. There are many brands available, all with different formulations, so it is wise the try out a few to see which produces the best results.