Triptans To Treat Migarines!

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The Use Of Triptans To Treat Migraines

More than twenty-eight million Americans suffer from migraines nowadays and, until recently, there has been no truly effective treatment for the intense pain which can strike at any time with these highly debilitating headaches.

Nowadays however we have a class of drugs called triptans which can be really effective for a lot of sufferers. Triptans are chemically very similar to a natural neurotransmitter created in the body which is known as serotonin and which it's now believed plays a key role in numerous headaches, including migraines.

Triptans are designed to sit on the very same receptors where serotonin would ordinarily be found but are also designed to act somewhat differently to normal serotonin and to relieve the symptoms of a headache.

Like most drugs of course their effect varies from one person to the next but they are by and large effective and are especially so in people who lack skin sensitivity. This said, they can also be of value for people who do experience skin sensitivity during an attack but, in this case, they need to be taken as soon as an attack starts.

Triptans were first introduced in the 1990s under an assortment of different names such as sumatriptan but have now been superseded by a second generation of triptans, such as zolmitriptan and rizatriptan, which are a great deal more effective than the original drugs.

First and foremost these second generation of triptans can block a migraine in its tracks before it evolves into an intensely painful and throbbing headache and do not need to be taken at the onset of symptoms. They also incline to work for a a great deal longer time period, which is crucial for those sufferers whose migraines may continue for a considerable length of time. Triptans are also really helpful in alleviating some of the symptom which commonly come with migraine headaches such as nausea and vomiting.

One additional real significant factor with a lot of the modern triptans is that they now come in a variety of forms including a wafer which just dissolves on the tongue and as a nasal spray. In both cases this means that the drug can be absorbed very fast into the bloodstream and work much faster than established pills.

Naturally as with any form of migraine headache medication triptans do carry some side effects and you should of course confer with your doctor before taking any medication for a migraine.