Are you ready...to treat headaches and migraines?

Eraxion/Dreamstime Headaches and migraines are among the more common afflictions treated by pharmacists.

Besides using traditional anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medications, community pharmacists can help patients identify the type of headache they are experiencing, any possible triggers and recommend the best treatment options.

Featured article

Knock migraine pain on the head: what you and your staff need to know

PJ Online archives

How sumatriptan transformed the lives of millions of migraine sufferers

Triptans and selective serotonin/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors — is there an interaction?

Guidelines for community pharmacists on the management of headache

Ask the expert question: Contraception and migraine

Other resources

You and your customers can find useful information on the following websites:

Headache (NHS Choices)

Migraine (NHS Choices)

Migraine Action

The Migraine Trust

Practice guidance published on the over-the-counter supply of sumatriptan (Imigran)

Ask the pharmacist: migraines and amitriptyline

Advice on medication overuse headache provided in latest Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin

Choosing analgesics

Choosing over-the-counter analgesics

Personalising OTC analgesia

News from the PJ Online library

Combination treatment works in migraine

High-dose aspirin effective at reducing migraine pain

Advice deemed as effective as drugs for patients with medicines overuse headache

Oxcarbazepine ineffective as prophylaxis for migraine

Commercial websites

There is a large range of over-the-counter products available for the treatment of headaches and migraines. The following websites include resources that might be useful for you and your customers:

The Imigran Recovery site allows patients to identify triggers for their migraines and manage their attacks.
The Anadin site contains information on different types of headache.
Information on both headache and migraine can be found on the Nurofen site.
4head product information and information on different types of headache can be found on the 4head website.
Tips on how to deal with migraines and a trigger diary are available on the Migraleve website.
Boots WebMD gives patients information on different types of headache and how to live with headache/migraine attacks.

And for something a little different…

Do you think you know all the possible triggers of migraine? Test yourself with the Ouch! hangman game

Go to the Are you ready...? homepage