Monday, November 23, 2009
Best Migraine Prevention Medicines
Although guaranteed migraine prevention seems to be more a promise than a reality as of the writing of this article, you do have options for treating symptoms, and, better yet, options for possible migraine prevention.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Although migraines seem to run in families, migraine prevention does not always run in the same course. For some migraineurs, prevention is as simple as changing a few habits. For others, migraine prevention seems to require strong medication.
What are the best migraine prevention medicines for you? The ultimate answer must be decided by you and your physician. We offer here a number of medicines for consideration.
Common Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medicines
This is the first line of migraine prevention - beginning at the minimal strength, minimal dosage to see if it will be a solution. Among these migraine prevention medicines are the following.
1. Aspirin in a regimen dose, i.e., tiny 81 mg tablets, commonly called "baby aspirin". For migraine prevention, these would be taken daily, just as they are to reduce risks of heart disease.
2. Ibuprofen such as Motrin, Nuprin, or Advil may be taken occasionally. Your physician will advise as to how often you should take ibuprofen for migraine prevention. People with active stomach ulcers or sensitive stomachs will not want to use ibuprofen, since it has aspirin-like effects. If you take ibuprofen, take it with food to minimize the effect. You should also be aware that ibuprofen has a blood thinning effect that can reduce the effectiveness of some blood pressure medicines and diuretics.
3. Naproxen may be effective for you, under its more common name, Aleve. This medicine may reduce the number of your migraines, but is not likely to give total migraine prevention.
4. A fourth OTC pain reliever you may want to try at the first sign of a migraine is Excedrin Migraine.
Ask your doctor before taking any of these regularly for migraine prevention.
Common Prescription Medicines
If OTC medicines fail to provide the degree of migraine prevention you seek, you may want to try a prescription medicine. Prescription strength pain relievers have been found to reduce the number of migraine episodes for more than half of all migraineurs. A few of the many prescription medicines available to you are listed here.
1. Ponstel, Anaprox, Naprosyn, Naprelan, and Topamax. Topamax claims to be the U.S. #1 prescribed brand for migraine prevention. Prescription strength Naproxen (Naprosyn, Anaprox, Naprelan) thins the blood, so your physician may not choose this as a fit for you if you are taking oral blood thinners or anticoagulants. Naproxen can have adverse gastrointestinal side effects also, so you should not use it if you have an active ulcer or sensitive stomach. Most doctors believe it is better to use medicines of this type continuously over a period of time to build up the effectiveness and provide ongoing migraine prevention rather than just pain relief.
2. Another class of prescription medicines that may give migraine prevention is Beta-blockers. These drugs, more often used to reduce high blood pressure, are sometimes helpful in cutting down on the number of migraine episodes. Of those that may give effective migraine prevention are inderal, Lopressor, metoprolol, nadolol, and timolol.
3. Physicians are gradually learning that antidepressants also provide migraine prevention for some patients. It is believed that this is due to the medicines' effects on serotonin, the brain's chemical messenger that influences migraine.
Which Size Is Right for You?
There are many other Medicines, both prescription and non-prescription that are thought to provide a measure of migraine prevention. Like shopping for a new pair of dress shoes, you may have to try several before you find the one or two that work for you. Be sure to do your migraine prevention "shopping" with a health care provider, as he or she will know the possible side effects or interactions with medication you are already taking.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Do You Know Serious Drug Interaction With Birth Control Pills?
Yasmin and Yaz are two most popular brands of birth control pills in U.S.A. Both are combined oral contraceptive pills, which contain special progestin hormone called drospirenone, which is not found in other combined pills. Both the pills contain two main hormones: drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol, which protect against pregnancy up to 99% if taken as directed.
In a recent report published in the well-known contraception journal, physicians have stressed that some of the medicines that used to raise potassium may interact with birth control pills containing drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol, which very much present in Yasmin and Yaz. It is so because both these pills may increase potassium level and interaction with medicines, which are also responsible for raising potassium level, may cause highest potassium level at the alarming level. Potassium retention is found in the medicines that are recommended for high blood pressure, treatment for heart problems, anti-inflammatory medicines (like Ibuprofen). Similarly, this level could also be found in "water retention" types of pills like diuretics.
Now, both Yasmin and Yaz birth control pills come with product label instruction for physicians and healthcare providers recommending these products to monitor the serum potassium levels in the first month for those patients who are also under treatment with other potassium retention drugs.
It has been found that 18% of women were taking Yasmin birth control pills along with other potassium retaining drug, surprisingly, this 30% of such cases happened in the first month of the Yasmin birth control pills dosage. Family practice or physicians or OB/GYN prescribes almost 18% of women who are taking Yasmin with other potassium retaining medicines at the same time.
What drug(s) may interact with drospirenone; ethinyl estradiol?
1. anastrozole
2. antibiotics or medicines for infections, especially rifampin, rifabutin, rifapentine, and griseofulvin 3. aprepitant, a medicine used for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
4. barbiturate medicines for producing sleep or treating seizures (convulsions)
5. bosentan
6. carbamazepine
7. caffeine
8. clofibrate
9. cyclosporine
10. dantrolene
11. doxercalciferol
12. exemestane
13. grapefruit juice
14. hydrocortisone
15. letrozole
16. medicines for anxiety or sleeping problems, such as diazepam or temazepam
17. medicines for mental depression
18. medicines for diabetes, including troglitazone and pioglitazone
19. mineral oil
20. modafinil
21. mycophenolate
22. nefazodone
23. oxcarbazepine
24. phenytoin
25. prednisolone
26. ritonavir or other medicines for HIV infection or AIDS
27. selegiline
28. soy isoflavones supplements
29. St. John's wort
30. tamoxifen or raloxifene
31. testolactone
32. theophylline
33. topiramate
34. warfarin
Drugs that can increase your potassium level include:
- certain medications for high blood pressure or heart conditions (examples include ACE-inhibitors like Altace®, Capoten®, Lotensin®, Mavik®, Monopril®, Prinivil®, Univasc®, Vasotec®, Zestril®, and also Angiotensin-II receptor blockers like Atacand®, Avapro®, Cozaar®, Diovan®, Micardis®), as well as Eplerenone (Inspra™)
- dietary salt substitutes (these may contain potassium)
- heparin
- NSAIDs (antiinflammatory drugs which include Advil®, Aleve®, Ansaid®, Cataflam®, Clinoril®, Daypro®, Feldene®, Indocin®, Lodine®, Naprosyn®, Orudis®, Motrin®, Voltaren®, and others) if they are taken long-term and daily, like for arthritis
- potassium supplements
- some 'water pills' (diuretics like spironolactone or Aldactone®, Dyazide®, Midamor®, Moduretic®, and others)
Since the Yasmin and YAZ are two popular brands among women and if you are planning to go for either of them for your contraception needs, please inform your physician or healthcare provider if you were on any other type of medicine, specially those described above potassium raising drugs.
High quality Naprosyn pills online
Cheap Naprosyn online HERE! We provide cheap Naprosyn - no prescription needed!
We offer high quality Naprosyn pills. Order Naprosyn online.
Order Naprosyn without a prescription now! Lowest prices on Naprosyn in our discount drugstore.
Buy Naprosyn, Order Cheap Naprosyn (Naproxen), Naprosyn Online. Save your money and time.
Save buying best price Naprosyn Tablets on line!
What is naproxen?
Naproxen is in a group of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Naproxen works by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body.
Naproxen is used to treat pain or inflammation caused by conditions such as arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, tendinitis, bursitis, gout, or menstrual cramps.
Naproxen may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What is the most important information I should know about naproxen?
This medicine can increase your risk of life-threatening heart or circulation problems, including heart attack or stroke. This risk will increase the longer you use naproxen. Do not use this medicine just before or after having heart bypass surgery (also called coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG).
Seek emergency medical help if you have symptoms of heart or circulation problems, such as chest pain, weakness, shortness of breath, slurred speech, or problems with vision or balance.
This medicine can also increase your risk of serious effects on the stomach or intestines, including bleeding or perforation (forming of a hole). These conditions can be fatal and gastrointestinal effects can occur without warning at any time while you are taking naproxen. Older adults may have an even greater risk of these serious gastrointestinal side effects.
Call your doctor at once if you have symptoms of bleeding in your stomach or intestines. This includes black, bloody, or tarry stools, or coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.
Do not use any other over-the-counter cold, allergy, or pain medication without first asking your doctor or pharmacist. Many medicines available over the counter contain aspirin or other medicines similar to naproxen (such as ibuprofen or ketoprofen). If you take certain products together you may accidentally take too much of this type of medication. Read the label of any other medicine you are using to see if it contains aspirin, ibuprofen, or ketoprofen. Do not drink alcohol while taking naproxen. Alcohol can increase the risk of stomach bleeding caused by naproxen. Avoid exposure to sunlight or artificial UV rays (sunlamps or tanning beds). Naproxen can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight and sunburn may result.
What is naproxen?
Naproxen is in a group of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Naproxen works by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body.
Naproxen is used to treat pain or inflammation caused by conditions such as arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, tendinitis, bursitis, gout, or menstrual cramps.
Naproxen may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What is the most important information I should know about naproxen?
This medicine can increase your risk of life-threatening heart or circulation problems, including heart attack or stroke. This risk will increase the longer you use naproxen. Do not use this medicine just before or after having heart bypass surgery (also called coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG).
Seek emergency medical help if you have symptoms of heart or circulation problems, such as chest pain, weakness, shortness of breath, slurred speech, or problems with vision or balance.
This medicine can also increase your risk of serious effects on the stomach or intestines, including bleeding or perforation (forming of a hole). These conditions can be fatal and gastrointestinal effects can occur without warning at any time while you are taking naproxen. Older adults may have an even greater risk of these serious gastrointestinal side effects.
Call your doctor at once if you have symptoms of bleeding in your stomach or intestines. This includes black, bloody, or tarry stools, or coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.
Do not use any other over-the-counter cold, allergy, or pain medication without first asking your doctor or pharmacist. Many medicines available over the counter contain aspirin or other medicines similar to naproxen (such as ibuprofen or ketoprofen). If you take certain products together you may accidentally take too much of this type of medication. Read the label of any other medicine you are using to see if it contains aspirin, ibuprofen, or ketoprofen. Do not drink alcohol while taking naproxen. Alcohol can increase the risk of stomach bleeding caused by naproxen. Avoid exposure to sunlight or artificial UV rays (sunlamps or tanning beds). Naproxen can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight and sunburn may result.