| Drugs: Effects, Effectiveness, and Side Effects reprinted from Headache Relief with permission of Dr. Fred Sheftell What's Wrong With Drugs -- And What's Right With Them We always use great caution and care in prescribing medications for our patients. On the one hand, we know that medications may have side effects, and in rare cases may even make headaches worse. On the other hand, we know that medications may offer a patient the first relief from headache he or she has had for a long time. In some cases, medication may offer the breathing space to make other changes in headache patterns, or may offer a safety net to reassure a patient that there is a last-ditch defense against the pain. In other cases, especially for patients with chronic headache problems, medication is the cornerstone of our treatment. Basically, medication has four major types of effect. It may elevate the pain threshold; that is, physical processes remain the same, but the person's experience of pain is blocked. It may modify muscle tone, causing tight muscles to relax or preventing them from contracting in certain ways. It may decrease inflammation of the brain, nerves and blood vessels, encouraging them to constrict or dilate. It can also increase the availability of certain neurotransmitters and stimulate certain nerves to react, counteracting the usual biochemical processes that produce headaches. All of these effects may be accomplished to some extent by drug-free
methods...(such as) biofeedback, psychological approaches and relaxation
techniques, exercise and massage, and diet. In general, the "side
effects" of these techniques are overwhelmingly positive, while the side
effects of most medication are at best only slightly annoying, though
they can usually be dealt with by a change in dose or medication. |
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Published on the Help For Headaches Web Site |