Stress Testing

Stress testing refers to a cardiac test regimen where a person's heart rate is measured by an electrocardiogram to measure arterial blood flow to the heart during physical exercise. The results are compared to the heart rate of a person who is at rest and is used to detect any anomalies and imbalances in blood flow to the heart's left ventricular muscle, the part of the heart that does the most pumping of blood throughout the circulatory system. This test can determine the stresses of exercise that are placed on the heart.

There are many reasons to perform a stress test. One of the main reasons is to see how much stress the heart can handle and measure if there is any weakness in the heart muscle. It is also a good way to determine how healthy the circulatory system is. Stress testing is often used to determine what kinds of medication regimens patients will be put on for an assortment of illnesses. Many medications will affect the heart, so it's important to know the health of the heart muscle before placing people on medications for many ailments.

One ailment that stress testing is recommended for is migraine headaches. While the exact cause of migraines is unknown, there are many medications that are available to treat migraines. Some of these medications affect the heart and the circulatory system. There is one class of migraine medications in particular that a stress test may be called for. Triptans are a common migraine treatment that is used by patients to control migraine headaches and other migraine symptoms such as photophobia Fatigue and nausea.

While triptans are the drug of choice for many migraine sufferers, there are side effects, particularly of the cardiovascular nature that the patient and the doctor should be aware of. Side effects of triptans include nausea, weakness, and sometimes stroke and heart attack. Stress testing before prescribing triptans for a patient with migraines may be a smart idea to rule out any cardiovascular risk factors.

Stress testing is important to gain an overall picture of cardiovascular health. It is especially important if medications are being considered for conditions such as migraines where certain classes of medications may present a risk to cardiovascular health. Stress Management is important, and it's important to get a clear picture of how the heart is functioning and whether medications such as triptans can cause further damage and risks as opposed to the benefits they have for treating migraines.