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If you suffer from migraines then you’re well aware of its devastating effects. Some people think that it’s just another headache, but you know better. When a migraine hits, your life comes to a dead stop as you try to survive its symptoms. Symptoms like throbbing pain, sensitivity to light, smell, sound and debilitating nausea or worse all seem to hit you at once overwhelming you. To make matters worse, many of the recommended prescription remedies for migraine headaches, just don’t work. Here’s a look at some examples of what’s available as a treatment for migraines:

Physicians often prescribe a range of drugs for migraine from prescriptions like Imitrex to over the counter drugs like Advil but as I mentioned before these don’t work for everyone, may have side effects and can interact with other medications, which is the reason so many, myself included, search for a natural remedy to overcome our migraines.

Now before I get started on natural remedies that are out there I have an area of concern that I would like to mention first. There are many fellow sufferers who have been recommended the drug Topamax as a preventative treatment for migraine, but the reason I personally have chosen not to use it. Now to be fair, it has helped some people decrease their migraine frequency but my main concern is the sheer number of side-effects associated with it. For instance according to FDA warnings being sent out to physicians, it increases the risk of glaucoma and acute myopia. There are also a bunch of other side-effects associated with it that can make it as much of a problem my migraines ever were. What’s even worse is that you often see cheap generic Topomax sold on the internet. You have to be aware that when you buy from these websites you are buying medications from another country and they can be substandard, so you have to be very careful.

Being skeptical of natural cures for migraines is perfectly reasonable, then there is no major cause for concern since many medications originate from plants and their extracts. For example, Native Americans used willow bark to treat pain long before the drug companies purified it and turned it into aspirin, and the drug dihydroergotamine AKA DHE, which is used to treat acute migraine headaches originated from a fungus that grows on damp rye grain.

These days natural herbal migraine prevention is very common and vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements are used to treat various health conditions including migrane. Please keep in mind however that not all herbs and vitamins and minerals treat migraine consistently that’s why its important to do your research to know what migraine remedies really work.

This short-list will get you started. Supplement your Magnesium. One easy way to do this include eating bran cereal into diet each day. Bran is high in magnesium. Magnesium is an essential mineral that occurs naturally in foods such as nuts and whole grains and magnesium levels are often found to be low in the blood of migraine headache sufferers. Research has shown that making sure to get a daily intake of 600mg of magnesium each day can naturally prevent your migraines attacks by up to forty two percent and its severity by thirty four percent.

Riboflavin also known as Vitamin B2 is also effective in preventing migraine headaches. You’ll often find it with the herb Feverfew in proprietary herbal remedies.

Other studies have shown that taking a 50mg supplement of Butterbur root extract of twice a day for three months lessens the incidence of migraines by up to forty two percent.

Here are some other natural migraine remedies that work. Peppermint Oil, Co-Enzyme Q10, 5HTP and Melatonin. Although herbs are natural it is important to remember that this doesn’t mean that they can’t have side effects, so it is wise to discuss this with your health practitioner before you start taking anything as well as do you own research.

Health and Personal Care Disclaimer: The content in this article is for reference purposes and is not intended to substitute for advice given by a physician, pharmacist or other health care professional. You should not use this information for self diagnosis or for treating a health problem or disease. Information and statements concerning dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent and disease or health condition.