Best Medicine for Headache and Migraine in the Philippines

Headache: Its Causes and Effects

• Tension: Stress, anxiety, and muscle strain.
• Dehydration: Lack of sufficient water intake.
• Poor Posture: Long hours at a desk or improper sleeping positions.
• Dietary Triggers: Certain foods, caffeine, or alcohol.
• Environmental Factors: Bright lights, loud noises, or strong smells.

• Reduced productivity and concentration.
• Irritability and mood swings.
• Physical discomfort and fatigue.
• Impact on social and professional life.

Best Medicines for Headache in the Philippines

Migraine: Its Causes and Effects

• Genetics: Family history of migraines.
• Hormonal Changes: Fluctuations in estrogen levels.
• Dietary Triggers: Specific foods and drinks, such as aged cheeses and alcohol.
• Environmental Factors: Weather changes and barometric pressure.
• Sensory Stimuli: Bright lights, loud noises, or strong smells.

• Severe pain, often localized to one side of the head.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Visual disturbances, such as auras or flashing lights.
• Extreme sensitivity to light and sound.
• Impaired daily functioning and quality of life.

Different Types of Migraine

• Throbbing pain on one side of the head.
• Can last from 4 to 72 hours if untreated.
• Overuse of medication can worsen symptoms.

• Preceded by neurological disturbances (aura) up to 30 minutes before the headache.
• Aura may include visual disturbances like flashing lights or zig-zag patterns.
• Can occur with or without a headache and may involve nausea and sensitivity to light or sound.

• Migraine with Brainstem Aura (Basilar Migraine): May cause dizziness, impaired coordination, and ringing in the ears. Headache typically at the back of the head on both sides.
• Abdominal Migraine: Primarily in children, causes nausea, vomiting, or dizziness without headache.
• Menstrual Migraine: Linked to hormonal changes before menstruation.
• Chronic Migraine or Transformed Migraine: Occurs frequently (15 or more days per month), affects one side, worsened by physical activity.
• Retinal or Ocular Migraine: Rare, with visual disturbances preceding headache, sometimes accompanied by nausea and sound sensitivity.
• Hemiplegic Migraine: Rare, causes temporary paralysis or stroke-like symptoms on one side of the body.
• Status Migrainosus: Severe migraine lasting up to 72 hours, may require hospitalization due to intense symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and vision changes.

Best Medicines for Migraine in the Philippines

Rizatriptan (Maxalt)
Availability: Prescription
Features: Quick-dissolving tablets, fast-acting, effective for severe migraines.
 
Zolmitriptan (Zomig)
Availability: Prescription
Features: Rapid relief, can be taken as a nasal spray, reduces migraine symptoms.
 
Naratriptan (Amerge)
Availability: Prescription
Features: Long-lasting effects, fewer side effects, suitable for recurring migraines.
 
Ergotamine (Cafergot)
Availability: Prescription
Features: Effective for acute migraines, vasoconstrictor, reduces migraine duration.
 
Dihydroergotamine (Migranal)
Availability: Prescription
Features: Nasal spray for quick relief, effective for severe migraines, reduces nausea.

Home Remedies for Headache and Migraine

• Staying hydrated
• Getting enough rest
• Using a warm compress
• Applying essential oils like peppermint or lavender, and:
• Gentle massages

• Resting in a dark
• Quiet room
• Applying a cold compress to the forehead or neck
• Staying hydrated
• Consuming a small amount of caffeine, and:
• Drinking ginger tea for nausea and pain relief

• Headache: Headaches can be caused by various things like stress, not drinking enough water, sinus congestion, or side effects from medicine. They're usually a sign of something else going on rather than a condition by themselves.
• Migraine: Migraines, on the other hand, are a neurological issue where the brain goes through complex changes. They're thought to be linked to genetics, the environment, and hormones, leading to unusual brain activity that triggers pain and other symptoms.

• Headache: Often feels like a dull, steady ache that might change in strength. It can affect one or both sides of the head and might come with sensitivity to light or noise.
• Migraine: Typically involves intense throbbing pain, often on just one side of the head. Migraines often bring other symptoms such as feeling sick, throwing up, sensitivity to light (photophobia), noise (phonophobia), and sometimes seeing strange things (auras).

• Headache: Headaches can happen now and then (episodic) or stick around a lot (chronic).
• Migraine: Migraines tend to come back and can last from a few hours to several days. They don't happen as often as tension headaches but can really slow you down when they do.

• Headache: Triggers for headaches are all over the place and might include stress, bad posture, not enough water, or certain foods.
• Migraine: Triggers for migraines are more specific and could involve changes in hormones (especially in women), some foods or drinks (like alcohol or caffeine), not sleeping enough, stress, strong smells, and shifts in the weather.

• Headache: Treating headaches usually means using pain relievers you can get without a prescription (like acetaminophen or ibuprofen) and fixing whatever's causing them, such as stress or not drinking enough water.
• Migraine: Treating migraines might mean using special medicines just for them (like triptans or ergotamines), taking meds to stop them if they happen a lot, making changes in how you live, and finding and avoiding things that set them off.

If Symptoms Persist, What Should You Do?

• Having headaches or migraines more than 15 days a month.
• Severe pain that doesn't get better with over-the-counter medicines.
• Symptoms such as changes in vision, weakness, or difficulty speaking.
• Headaches that get worse over time or change in how they usually happen.

FAQS

1. Paracetamol (Biogesic): It's an over-the-counter medication used for mild to moderate pain relief, including headaches. It's considered safe and effective when used as directed.
2. Ibuprofen (Advil): Another over-the-counter medication that relieves pain and reduces inflammation, including headaches. Pregnant women, especially in the third trimester, should avoid it due to potential risks.
3. Mefenamic Acid (Ponstan): This is a prescription NSAID used primarily for menstrual pain but also effective for headaches.
4. Naproxen (Flanax): An over-the-counter NSAID used in the Philippines to relieve pain and inflammation, including headaches.
5. Aspirin (Bayer Aspirin): An NSAID that reduces pain and inflammation. It's generally not recommended for pregnant women, particularly in the third trimester, due to potential risks to the baby.

• Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) and Phenylephrine are examples.
• They work by constricting blood vessels in nasal passages to reduce congestion.

• Like Ocean Nasal Spray and Sterimar Nasal Spray.
• They moisturize and clear nasal passages, relieving congestion and sinus pressure. 

• Over-the-counter options such as paracetamol and ibuprofen.
• Used to alleviate headache pain often associated with sinus congestion.

• Used if allergies contribute to sinus congestion.
• Includes Loratadine (Claritin), Cetirizine (Zyrtec), and Diphenhydramine (Benadryl).

• Medications like Fluticasone (Flonase), Mometasone (Nasonex), and Beclometasone (Beconase).
• These reduce inflammation in nasal passages, relieving congestion and sinus pressure.

• These combine decongestants with antihistamines or pain relievers.
• Includes Phenylephrine + Paracetamol (Sinutab) and Phenylephrine + Loratadine (Clarinase).