Talk:Migraine headache

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I think we may have to discuss this; it was a bit much to remove without discussion.

General-purpose analgesics, from acetylsalicylic acid and acetaminophen, to NSAIDs to opioids, may be useful in attacks, but there are some potential problems with overuse. Caffeine may improve their effectiveness. When the diagnosis is confirmed, much more specific drugs may be useful.

Since the pain comes significantly from dilated blood vessels, drugs that contract the painful vessels, with due care for vascular disease that may increase risk, are disease-modifying. In the past, ergotamine was the standard, but it has significant risks although it is still used. The triptan class of specific vasoconstrictors is now the standard. There are some agents that desensitize the receptor involved the vasodilation.

I agree it may need elaboration, and the first paragraph could use some specifics on overuse of opioids. Nevertheless, I become a little concerned with readability when articles become little more than summaries and pointers to journals. Some interpretive text is appropriate. I won't be able to get to this until later today, but, for example, from memory, I'm thinking of some of the contextualization from Melzack & Wall's Textbook of Pain. Howard C. Berkowitz 13:22, 2 May 2010 (UTC)