Top 200: Muscle Relaxants, Alzheimers & Headaches

80 million Americans are victims of chronic pain

Many patients take muscle relaxant medications to help aid in pain management

Relax striated muscles

• Skeletal muscle relaxants may be used for relief of spasticity in neuromuscular diseases, such as:
• - multiple sclerosis
• - spinal cord injury
• - stroke

Also used for pain relief in minor strain injuries

• Flexeril
• Soma
• Skelaxin
• Zanaflex
• Robaxin

Progressive brain disorder

Most common form of dementia

Destroys brain cells

• Destroys:
• - Memory
• - Ability to learn
• - Reason
• - Judgment
• - Communication skills
• - Ability to carry out normal daily functions

• Alzheimers cannot be cured
• Questionable as to whether it can be prevented

Advances at different rates: ranges from 3-20 years

Eventually complete loss of brain function will occur, eventually causing death

Memory loss is the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease

Early stages: minimal help

Late stages: help with normal daily functions

• Cholinesterase Inhibitors: increase levels of acetylcholine
• - Aricept
• - Exelon
• - Razadyne

• Uncompetitive low-to-moderate affinity N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist
• - Namenda

• Supplement
• - Vitamin E

Medications are usually tritrated after 4 to 6 weeks.

• Eye strain
• Sinusitis
• Tension/stress induced
• Brain tumors
• Idopathic
• Head injury
• Medication induced
• Dehydration
• Caffeine withdrawal
• Food triggers
• Environmental triggers

Migraines may or may not have auras associated with them.

• 
• 

• Vascular (cluster or migraine)
• Muscular (tension)
• Cervicogenic (neck disorder)
• Traction (eye strain)
• Inflammatory (sinusitis)

Lower your body temperature

Chiropractic Care

Preventative therapy

• Medications
• - NSAIDS
• - Triptans
• - BP meds
• - Antidepressants
• - Muscle Relaxers

Triptan Medications

Serotonin receptor agonists (activate 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D)

Triptans are a family of tryptamine-based drugs used as abortive medication in the treatment of migraines and cluster headaches.

According to Wikipedia, Tryptamine is a monoamine alkaloid found in plants, fungi, and animals. It is based around the indole ring structure, and is chemically related to the amino acid tryptophan, from which its name is derived.

Tryptamine is found in trace amounts in the brains of mammals and is believed to play a role as a neuromodulator or neurotransmitter.

Treatment of migraine and cluster headaches.

• Bind to serotonin receptors in the brain.
• Inhibition of pro-inflammatory neuropeptide release.

• Imitrex
• Maxalt
• Amerge
• Zomig
• Axert

Oral: A single dose of 25 mg, 50 mg, or 100 mg (taken with fluids). If a satisfactory response has not been obtained at 2 hours, a second dose may be administered. Results from clinical trials show that initial doses of 50 mg and 100 mg are more effective than doses of 25 mg, and that 100 mg doses do not provide a greater effect than 50 mg and may have increased incidence of side effects. Although doses of up to 300 mg/day have been studied, the total daily dose should not exceed 200 mg.

Intranasal: A single dose of 5 mg, 10 mg, or 20 mg administered in one nostril. A 10 mg dose may be achieved by administering a single 5 mg dose in each nostril. If headache returns, the dose may be repeated once after 2 hours, not to exceed a total daily dose of 40 mg.

• Muscle Relaxants:
• Flexeril
• Soma
• Skelaxin
• Zanaflex
• Robaxin

• Alzheimer's:
• Aricept
• Namenda

• Headache:
• Imitrex