Suffer from a bad migraine? Treat it with aspirin, suggest a new study. This form of headache is a very common experience across the globe. Close to one in seven people are reportedly affected by it. Migraines can also increase the risk of stroke in some cases.
While many types of medication are available to treat acute migraine headaches, not many people seek treatment for it for various reasons. Some effective medications for the condition can be expensive and many are unable to afford.
However, Florida Atlantic University's Schmidt College of Medicine researchers believe aspirin could be a cost-friendly option for patients with migraine. The team came to this conclusion after reviewing data from 13 randomized trials of the treatment of migraine that included4,222 patients. The study's findings were originally published in the American Journal of Medicine.
The results reveal aspirin can safely treat acute migraine headaches if given in doses from 900 to 1,300 milligrams when symptoms of the condition begin to occur. Some triasl even suggest taking the drug daily in doses from 81 to 325 milligrams could help treat and prevent migraine headaches from reoccurring.
"Our review supports the use of high dose aspirin to treat acute migraine as well as low dose daily aspirin to prevent recurrent attacks," Charles H. Hennekens, a senior academic advisor in FAU's Schmidt College of Medicine, told a news portal. Adding, "Moreover, the relatively favourable side effect profile of aspirin and extremely low costs compared with other prescription drug therapies may provide additional clinical options for primary health care providers treating acute as well as recurrent migraine headaches."
A migraine can last for four hours or even 72 hours. Some patients with a severe case of it can experience it several times a week. "Migraine headaches are among the most common and potentially debilitating disorders encountered by primary health care providers," Bianca Biglione, first author and a second-year medical student in FAU's Schmidt College of Medicine, told a news portal. Adding, "In fact, about 1 in 10 primary care patients present with headache and three out of four are migraines. Aspirin is readily available without a prescription, is inexpensive, and based on our review, was shown to be effective in many migraine patients when compared with alternative more expensive therapies."
Another study claims, cancer patients who take aspirin daily have a higher chance of surviving daily. "Our results suggest that the use of NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) could significantly improve outcomes for not only head and neck cancer patients, but also patients with other cancers that contained the PIK3CA mutation," senior study author Jennifer R. Grandis, a UCSF professor of otolaryngology, told a news portal. Adding, "The magnitude of the apparent advantage is strong, and could potentially have a positive impact on human health."
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