Use Triptans for Migraine Treatment. While no miracle cure triptans are among the most effective class of drugs available for treating that intense throbbing migraine pain …
Using Triptans for Migraine Treatment
It took many years for migraine headache sufferers to obtain an effective migraine treatment and over 28 million sufferers have long wished for something like triptans.
While no miracle cure, triptans are among the most effective class of drugs available for treating that intense, throbbing migraine pain that can strike any time.
Triptans are a class of drugs that are chemically similar to the neurotransmitter serotonin, believed to play a role in migraines. In many drug treatments, the compound is chemically similar to some naturally occuring compounds, allowing it to substitute at a critical point.
Triptans are of this type and they sit on receptors where the natural bio-chemical compounds are usually found, but they exhibit behavior just different enough to alleviate the condition and be an effective migraine treatment. These are in a technical class called 5-HT1B/1D agonists.
Some studies suggest that triptans are more effective as a migraine treatment among sufferers who lack skin sensitivity. For those who experience the sensitivity during an attack, triptans can still be helpful but are best used when taken within 20 minutes of the onset of a migraine headache.
Many migraine sufferers experience a so-called ‘aura’, allowing them to know when to dose. The term ‘aura’, in this case has nothing to do with alleged fields around the body, but is a cluster of pre-cursor symptoms, such as seeing light flashes.
Triptans for migraine treatment were introduced in the 1990s
They come in a variety of commercial types and names, such as sumatriptan (Imitrex) and others.
Second generation triptans are now on the market, which are even more effective for the treatment of migraine pain, than the original drugs. Among these are zolmitriptan (Zomig) and rizatriptan (Maxalt).
These are so called ‘aborters’ or ‘interrupters’ – they help stop the migraine before it ramps up to the intense, pulsating pain familiar to migraine sufferers.
The second generation triptans are more effective in that, among other things, they don’t have to be taken at the precise onset of migraine pain and they also last longer, which is very important to migraine sufferers who have symptoms that last for days.
Many of the common accompanying migraine symptoms are also relieved by triptans.
Nausea and vomiting are common among migraine sufferers and triptans can help reduce and often eliminate these effects entirely.
Migraine Treatment Delivery systems have also changed over the years. Once available in pill form only, many now come in nasal sprays and other forms.
- Rizatriptan (Maxalt) is available in the form of a wafer that dissolves rapidly on the tongue, making it unnecessary to have a glass of water nearby.
- Nasal sprays are very effective, since they provide a method of introducing the drug very rapidly into the bloodstream through the thin nasal membranes.
But any drug for migraine treatment carries risk and has potential side effects. Trade-offs between migraine pain relief and the potentially harmful side effects may need to be made.
What are the Triptans in Migraine treatment?
Triptans are a family of tryptamine-based drugs used as abortive medication in migraine treatment and for cluster headaches. While effective at treating individual headaches, they are not a preventative treatment and are not considered a cure.
Migraine treatment with triptans is highly effective, reducing the symptoms or aborting the attack within 30 to 90 minutes in 70 to 80 percent of patients.
Many sufferers have a recurrent migraine later in the day, but one recurrence can be treated with a second dose of a triptan. Always make sure you consult your physician before taking any new medication.
