Prevent Measures in Headache Treatment Rockford IL
Taking daily preventive measures is a
practical approach to headache treatment Rockford IL. You may avoid known
triggers or make lifestyle changes like avoiding caffeine. Yet, caution is
wise. Overuse of short-term relief medicine increases risks for a stroke or
brain scarring, among other medical conditions. Seeing a doctor who specializes
in headache causes turns the focus to long-term solutions.
Your treatment plan depends on your medical
history with headaches and the type of headache you have. Your headache
specialist may prescribe medicine or suggest over-the-counter medicine to
reduce the onset of symptoms or stop a headache in progress.
The need for psychological counseling
and treatment
Evaluation of opportunities for
psychological counseling and treatment is a vital step when developing a
treatment plan for headache and migraine management. This is an important step
that we take in headache treatment Rockford IL. This is because we know that if
we let stress or other psychological disorders, which are common among the
headache and migraine population, such as depression, anxiety, panic disorder
and bipolar disorder, go untreated, then the medications that are available for
treatment will likely be ineffective. The program has a dedicated pain
psychologist, who sees all patients for their initial consult, and then for
follow-up if deemed appropriate for the following services: biofeedback, cognitive
behavioral training, development of coping skills, relaxation training, therapy
sessions, medication treatment.
There are two groups of medications that
are highly important to discuss when developing a medication treatment plan.
These are called preventive and acute medications.
A preventive medication is intended to
reduce the frequency, severity and duration of the headache you experience over
a long period of time. The average trial period for a preventive medication is
three to six months to successfully determine the effectiveness of the medication.
When preventive medications are successful, they also improve your body’s
response to acute medications. A preventive medication is given in the absence
of a headache and should be taken regularly as prescribed by your physician.
Rescue therapies are necessary
There are additional rescue therapies that
are potentially available within the headache treatment Rockford IL, if deemed
appropriate by the provider. Rescue therapies are intended to be used as a last
resort. It is important to focus on any opportunities for lifestyle
modifications and psychological treatment first. If we have made the
appropriate changes and completed the appropriate treatment, and our preventive
and acute medications are still ineffective, then it might be time to discuss the
possibility of rescue therapy. Rescue medications are intended to break up the
acute pain cycle you are in to allow the preventive medications to be
effective. Some rescue therapies include nerve blocks, trigger point
injections, outpatient infusions and planned hospital admissions.
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