Treatment FAQ

what is emergenxy room treatment protocol for migraines

by Jermaine Cole Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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For a patient’s first visit to the ER

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during a migraine attack, the experts who created the guidelines recommend an Imitrex (sumatriptan) injection and Reglan (metoclopramide) and Compazine (prochlorperazine) by IV. Patients should also be given a prescription for dexamethasone, a steroid, to take at home to prevent the migraine from recurring.

If you have an intractable migraine, or status migrainosus: Your ER doctor may give you a drug called dihydroergotamine (DHE-45) as an injection or through an IV, along with metoclopramide. They may also give you valproate in an IV. You may need to check into the hospital for a few days of these treatments.Feb 16, 2022

Full Answer

What are the treatment options for migraine in the emergency department?

Acute migraine is a common presentation in the emergency department (ED). Opioids are, at best, a second-line treatment for acute migraine in the ED. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antiemetic medications, diphenhydramine, dexamethasone, and intravenous fluids all have shown benefit for treating acute migraine in the ED.

Why do people go to the emergency room for migraines?

Chlorpromazine. There are placebo-controlled 18, 38 and head-to-head trials 5, 7, 8, 17, 19 supporting the efficacy of chlorpromazine in acute migraine. In the emergency room setting, it is typically administered either IV 5, 17 – 19 or via intramuscular (IM) injection, 38 but oral formulations are also available.

What is the second line treatment for migraine in the Ed?

Feb 13, 2017 · ER doctors are not specialists in headache and Migraine, and their goals are to make sure there is no serious, life-threatening problem and help reduce suffering. Different ER doctors have different ways to treat acute headaches and Migraine: there is no universal protocol for emergency treatment of headache disorders.

Is it safe to manage an acute migraine in the ER?

For a patient’s first visit to the ER during a migraine attack, the experts who created the guidelines recommend an Imitrex (sumatriptan) injection and Reglan (metoclopramide) and Compazine (prochlorperazine) by IV. Patients should also be given a prescription for dexamethasone, a steroid, to take at home to prevent the migraine from recurring.

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How are migraines treated in the ER?

Opioids are, at best, a second-line treatment for acute migraine in the ED. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antiemetic medications, diphenhydramine, dexamethasone, and intravenous fluids all have shown benefit for treating acute migraine in the ED.

What is the ER migraine cocktail?

A migraine cocktail is a combination of medications that's given to treat severe migraine symptoms. The exact medications used in a migraine cocktail can vary, but it typically includes triptans, NSAIDs, and antiemetics. A migraine cocktail is also available in OTC medication.May 26, 2020

What is the protocol for migraine?

Combination analgesics containing aspirin, caffeine, and acetaminophen are an effective first-line abortive treatment for migraine. Ibuprofen at standard doses is effective for acute migraine treatment. Intravenous metoclopramide (Reglan) is effective for acute migraine treatment.Feb 1, 2011

When should you go to the emergency room for a migraine?

Go to the ER if you are experiencing severe migraine symptoms, or symptoms such as confusion, fever and vision changes, neck stiffness, trouble speaking or numbness or weakness, even if other symptoms of migraine are present (e.g. light sensitivity, nausea).Jul 12, 2018

Does Zofran work for migraines?

Other anti-nausea and vomiting medicines, known as antiemetics, are available with a prescription from your doctor and do treat migraine nausea (as well as general nausea): Metoclopramide (generic Reglan®) Ondansetron (generic Zofran®)

Is Zofran good for migraines?

Conclusion: Ondansetron may be a useful medication in the treatment regimen of migraine patients in the pediatric emergency department. Preliminary data suggest that ondansetron is comparable to antidopaminergic agents.

What do neurologists prescribe for migraines?

Triptans. Prescription drugs such as sumatriptan (Imitrex, Tosymra) and rizatriptan (Maxalt, Maxalt-MLT) are used to treat migraine because they block pain pathways in the brain. Taken as pills, shots or nasal sprays, they can relieve many symptoms of migraine.Jul 2, 2021

What is the safest migraine medicine?

In general, drugs containing ergotamine (also called ergots) are effective second-line therapy for migraines. They were the first anti-migraine drugs available, but they have many side effects, and at most, should be used only 2 days per week. Dihydroergotamine (DHE) is the safest ergot derivative.Jun 15, 2017

Which drug is used as a first line therapy for severe migraines?

Triptans are a first-line treatment for moderate to severe migraine. Several triptans are available with different pharmacokinetics and routes of administration.Feb 15, 2018

How long is too long for a migraine?

How long is too long? If a migraine headache lasts longer than 72 hours without responding to regular migraine medication, the person may need additional treatment. Anyone who has experienced this pain for longer than 3 days should speak with a doctor as soon as they can.Sep 2, 2021

Which type of headache is considered a medical emergency?

Worst Headache of Your Life

Symptoms such as a headache with fever and a stiff neck, a headache that starts with a thunderclap, a headache following a head injury, a headache with loss of vision or numbness of the arms or legs, or a headache with a fever (not caused by the flu) are emergent medical conditions.

What is the fastest way to get rid of a migraine?

Hot packs and heating pads can relax tense muscles. Warm showers or baths may have a similar effect. Drink a caffeinated beverage. In small amounts, caffeine alone can relieve migraine pain in the early stages or enhance the pain-reducing effects of acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) and aspirin.

Recommended medications for the first ER visit

For a patient’s first visit to the ER during a migraine attack, the experts who created the guidelines recommend an Imitrex (sumatriptan) injection and Reglan (metoclopramide) and Compazine (prochlorperazine) by IV. Patients should also be given a prescription for dexamethasone, a steroid, to take at home to prevent the migraine from recurring.

Alternate list of drug options

The expert panel is aware that those drugs may not be effective for every patient or that patients may have already reached their maximum number of triptans for the day. For these patients, the guidelines include alternate lists of drugs. Which medications an ER chooses to use depends on each patient’s needs.

Strong research to support drug efficacy

The medications included in the guidelines were chosen after a comprehensive review of emergency migraine treatment. Experts looked at 68 studies that used 28 different injectable medications. Five of the studies also assessed steroids for preventing migraine recurrence after a patient leaves the ER.

Am I Supposed To Exercise If It's a Migraine Trigger?

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Migraine.com team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

Community Poll

When it comes to planning vacations or other events where travel is required, how much does migraine factor into your decision-making?

How to avoid ED visits for migraine?

There are two main components to trying to avoid migraines: 1. Using preventive strategies and 2. Navigating triggers.

How to get rid of migraines?

Stay well hydrated. Research has shown that dehydration can trigger migraines and that staying well hydrated may improve quality of life in individuals with migraine. This becomes particularly difficult if you experience nausea and vomiting with your headache.

How long does migraine last?

Many clinical trials suggest that when a person presents to the ED, on average, the headache has been going on for about 24 to 72 hours.

Can you have a migraine if you have a migraine?

It is important to recognize that, even if you have a diagnosis of migraine, it is possible for you to experience other headaches. If your headache is different from your migraines, then it is usually best to bring the new headache to medical attention.

Can you sit in an ED with a headache?

No one likes to spend hours of their day sitting in an emergency department (ED) with a throbbing headache. Yet, when a headache is severe and nothing that you’ve tried at home works, sometimes the ED is the last resort available. Headaches are one of the most common reasons for visiting the ED. In a United. States-based study, headache was the ...

Why do people go to the ED?

Headaches are one of the most common reasons for visiting the ED. In a United. States-based study, headache was the first listed diagnosis in 2.4% of ED visits, and 34.6% of headache visits were accounted for by migraine. That’s a significant number of visits for migraine patients.

Can dehydration cause migraines?

Research has shown that dehydration can trigger migra ines and that staying well hydrated may improve quality of life in individuals with migraine. This becomes particularly difficult if you experience nausea and vomiting with your headache. Try to rest in a quiet, dark room away from loud noises and bright lights.

Can migraines be treated at home?

1 Most individuals with migraine are able to treat their attacks at home, but this treatment is not always successful.

How long does migraine last?

Migraine causes acute headaches, which typically last 4 hours to 3 days if untreated and which frequently require bed rest, pain medications, and time off from work and other activities. Although most patients with migraine function normally between attacks, for many, migraine is a pervasive disorder that interferes with work, family, and social life. 1 Most individuals with migraine are able to treat their attacks at home, but this treatment is not always successful. Furthermore, when the initial oral acute treatment fails, subsequent attempts are likely to fail as well. Of Americans with migraine, 7 percent reported using an ED or urgent care center for treatment of severe headache within the previous 12 months. 8 In a representative sample of adult ED visits in the United States, headaches accounted for 2.2 percent of visits or 2.1 million ED visits per year. 9 In fact, a 5-month study in an American health maintenance organization found that migraine sufferers accounted for more ambulatory ED visits than patients with asthma (1.9 vs. 1.0 percent). 10 In addition, migraine sufferers were more often found to have multiple ED visits. 11

What is migraine pain?

Migraine is a neurovascular disorder characterized by dysfunction of the central and peripheral nervous systems and intracranial vasculature. 1 Acute exacerbations of episodic and chronic migraine cause severe and disabling pain that often results in visits to an emergency department (ED) and decreased productivity and missed time from work, school, and other activities. 2 In the United States, migraine and related medical issues result in costs of more than $13 billion per year due to lost productivity. In Canada, this cost has been estimated at $3,025/patient due to medical and indirect costs. 3

What is EPC review?

For all EPC reviews, key questions were reviewed and refined as needed by the EPC with input from Key Informants and the Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to assure that the questions are specific and explicit about what information is being reviewed. In addition, for Comparative Effectiveness reviews, the key questions were posted for public comment and finalized by the EPC after review of the comments.

What are key informants?

Key Informants. Key Informants represent a variety of stakeholder groups that are the end users of research, including patients and caregivers, practicing clinicians, relevant professional and consumer organizations, purchasers of health care, and others with experience in making health care decisions.

What is technical expert?

Technical Experts comprise a multi-disciplinary group of clinical, content, and methodological experts who provide input in defining populations, interventions, comparisons, or outcomes as well as identifying particular studies or databases to search. They are selected to provide broad expertise and perspectives specific to the topic under development. Divergent and conflicted opinions are common and perceived as healthy scientific discourse that results in a thoughtful, relevant systematic review. Therefore study questions, design and/or methodological approaches do not necessarily represent the views of individual technical and content experts. Technical Experts provide information to the EPC to identify literature search strategies and recommend approaches to specific issues as requested by the EPC. Technical Experts do not do analysis of any kind nor contribute to the writing of the report and have not reviewed the report, except as given the opportunity to do so through the public review mechanism.

What are the characteristics of included studies?

The tables will include information on author, date of publication, study design, setting, treatment groups, inclusion/exclusion criteria, sample size, study quality, and outcomes with effect sizes. We will also develop tables that provide a summary of the evidence and a statement about the strength of evidence.

How many ER visits are there for migraines?

For some, the pain may be so severe that they have to go to the emergency room (ER). In fact, migraine prompts about 1.2 million ER visits in the United States per year. If you have a diagnosis of migraine, it’s important to be aware of serious signs that may require emergency medical treatment. Here are the signs that you should consider ...

What is the best medicine for migraines?

sumatriptan, which provides urgent migraine relief. valproic acid, an anti-seizure medication used for headache relief. Sometimes, an ER doctor may prescribe you opioids, but this is rare. This is because of potential side effects and risk of dependence.

What are the symptoms of migraines?

Seek immediate medical attention if your migraine is accompanied by the following: 1 sudden onset headache or a sudden change in baseline headache 2 neck stiffness 3 a high fever 4 muscle weakness 5 changes to speech or vision 6 numbness or tingling sensation 7 convulsions 8 confusion or changes in awareness

What is the best medication for headaches?

Headache medications can be given intravenously or intramuscularly. These include: 1 antiemetics to help relieve nausea and pain 2 dihydroergotamine, which is specifically used for prolonged migraine treatment 3 nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and steroids to reduce inflammation and pain 4 sumatriptan, which provides urgent migraine relief 5 valproic acid, an anti-seizure medication used for headache relief

How do you know if you have migraines?

Signs of an emergency. Treatment at the ER. Takeaway. Migraine can be an intense disease that causes pain, sensitivities to light and sound, and nausea and vomiting . This can impact your quality of life, leading to missed work, school days, and important life events. For some, the pain may be so severe that they have to go to the emergency room ...

Can migraines cause nausea?

Migraine can be an intense disease that causes pain, sensitivities to light and sound, and nausea and vomiting. This can impact your quality of life, leading to missed work, school days, and important life events. For some, the pain may be so severe that they have to go to the emergency room (ER).

What does it mean when you have a headache?

a high fever. muscle weakness. changes to speech or vision. numbness or tingling sensation. convuls ions. confusion or changes in awareness. A migraine headache that comes on within seconds, particularly if you’re over the age of 50. Trusted Source. , is a sign that you need to get emergency medical help.

First: Is there a dangerous cause?

Is the headache similar to their prior headaches in character, location, magnitude, timing, associated symptoms? Are there concerning features (exertional, vomiting, personal or family history of aneurysms)? Was it maximal at onset (or sudden/severe)? I find it helpful to ask: “what were you doing when it started?”; “how bad was it when it started?”; “when was it the worst?”; and only after listening for a while, I backdoor into whether it is typical for them (e.g.

Second: Symptom management

Even migraines without frank photophobia often feel better in a darker room. I usually turn off the lights as soon as I walk in. No reason to wait.

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