pain and headache management Flashcards
what is a tension head ache
Non-throbbing, band-like pain
Mild to moderate pain
what is the treatment for tension headaches?
OTC medication
are cluster headaches more common in med or women
men
what is the treatment for cluster headaches?
Verapamil
predisone
lithium
what are the characteristics of migraine headaches?
Pounding, throbbing, severe pain, unilateral
Auras
Nausea
Photosensitivity
Generated by neural events that trigger vasodilatation
what are medication overuse headaches (MOH)?
they are headaches caused by abortive HA drugs
how do you treat a MOH?
discontinue the medication
how do you reduce the risk of getting a MOH?
limit medication use
alternate med
use the lowest effective dose
what supresses migraine headaches?
5-hydrotryptamine
are migraine headaches more common in men or women?
women
what does an abortive drug do for migraine headaches?
it stops the migraine
what does a preventative drug do for migraine headaches?
it keeps the migraine from appearing in the first place
give 4 examples of abortive drugs
NSAIDs: ibuprofen
opioid analgesics:
ergot alkaloids: hehydroergotamine -(DHE)
triptans: sumatriptan
what abortive drugs should you not take when pregnant?
ergot alkaloids
triptans
what major effects can triptans have?
they can cause birth defects and/or fetal demise
what are the 4 preventative migraine medications with examples?
beta blockers: propanolol
TCAs: amitryptyline
Antepileptic drugs: divalproex
calcium channel blockers: veramapil
how do we measure pain?
on a scale from 1-10
what is the first step on the WHO ladder?
non opioid
examples:
- aspirin
- ibuprofen
- acetaminophen
what are 4 classifications of pain?
nociceptive
neuropathic
acute
chronic
what is nociceptive pain?
caused by tissue damage
what is neuropathic pain
caused by nerve damage
is nociceptive pain acute or chronic?
usually acute
is neuropathic pain acute or chronic?
chronic
what kind of drugs does nociceptive pain respond well to?
opioids
