The document discusses a potential quick fix for migraines using over-the-counter aspirin. It begins by providing background on migraines, describing the symptoms which include throbbing headaches as well as possible aura, nausea, vomiting, and light/sound sensitivity. It then summarizes a Cochrane study finding that a single 1000mg dose of aspirin provided similar relief as prescription medications, though it may take longer to kick in with fewer side effects. It recommends discussing any new treatment with a doctor first, as 1000mg is a high dose, but suggests aspirin as an option if unsure whether the headache warrants prescription medication.

1. scie nce aint so bad.co m
http://scienceaintso bad.co m/2013/11/19/quick-fix-fo r-migraines/
A Fix For Migraines
MISTER Science Ain't So Bad
AN EASY
INEXPENSIVE FIX (I
HOPE) FOR
MIGRAINES
Neitzche, Monet, Van
Gaugh, Julius Ceasar,
T homas Jef f erson,
Napoleon. T hey got
migraines.
Well I thought I would
name f amous people
who also got migraines.
Maybe it’ll cheer you
up. Not that it will. So
let’s get on with it.
Straig htfo rward s o lutio n fo r mig raine
I have something but,
f irst, let get caught up on migraines, okay?
MIGRAINES
Migraine headaches are throbbing one sided (usually) headaches that have additional stuf f going on. Some
start with an “aura” which, if that’s all there was to a migraine, could be kind of interesting. Flickering or glowing
lights, sounds, smells, tingling. T here are all sorts of auras – a subject in itself .
Well that’s not the whole deal. I wish it was.
Af ter the aura, the headache comes. Once the headache hits, the world goes away. T here’s just you and the
headache. Sometimes just the headache. If it’s bad, the headache takes over. You ride it out. T here’s no
choice. A “classic migraine” can make it hard to talk or move. Even think.
To add to your pleasure, you may also experience nausea, vomiting, or heightened sensitivity to light, sounds,
or other stuf f . When the headache f inally does let go, you’re too messed up to do anything. It takes time to
recover. T hat’s the “postdrom”. I love medical science. If you can’t f ix it, name it.
From the 19th century on, it was thought that migraines occurred when arteries in the head dilated. It does
seem there’s something going on with the arteries but the latest thinking is that the actual migraine is a
“neurological spreading depression” across the surf ace of part of the brain. Nerve activity is depressed over
the cortex. When the attack is over this stuf f stops and the brain starts to f unction normally again.
Several medicines can be prescribed f or migraines. T he trick is timing. If you catch the thing early enough, you
have your best chance.
But those pills aren’t cheap. You think “Is that really a migraine? Maybe it’s sinus. Maybe I’m imagining it. I don’t
think I should waste a pill.”

2. If you hesitate, all is lost. T he horse is out of the barn. You’re in f or it!!!
A dilemma, right?
T hat’s what I have f or you. A way out of this dilemma.
WHAT I’VE GOT
A study f rom the Cochrane Foundation f ound that taking a single dose of 1000 mg of aspirin – maybe with an
antiemetic f or the nausea – had roughly the same ef f ect as the prescription meds. It takes a little longer to
kick in. But less side ef f ects. T his inf o, by the way, is f rom Cochrane Summaries and the article is by Kirthi V,
Derry S, and Moore R.
Nobody’s saying you shouldn’t f ollow doctor’s orders. But if you’re not sure? And you’re thinking “It’ll pass?”
According to this study, you could chug some aspirin. T hat way, you won’t delay. And that’s important, right?
Even though it’s just one dose, 1000 mg is a big dose. Some people take zantac with aspirin products to make
sure they don’t have stomach problems.
-–-–-T he cartoon? T hat’s mine.
Note: MISTER ScienceAintSoBad is a good guy. He cares about your well being. But he isn’t a doctor. At best,
he’s a biomedical engineer. Don’t rely on me when it comes to medicine. I’m not giving advice and I hope you
won’t take it that way. Do your own research and do check with your doctor.