Migraine Headache
Description
A migraine is a headache that often affects one side of the head and can be extremely painful, throbbing, or pulsating. It frequently comes with high sensitivity to light and sound as well as nausea and vomiting. The pain from a migraine attack can be so intense that it interferes with your regular activities and can persist for hours or even days. Workouts, lights, loud noises, or strong smells will probably make your migraine worse. A migraine is a primary headache, which means it isn't caused by another illness. Around 1 in 5 women and 1 in 15 men suffer from migraines, making it a common health problem. Early adulthood is typically when they start. Typically, migraines run in families. Up to four out of every five migraine sufferers have a family history of the condition. A child has a 50% probability of developing migraines if one parent has a history of them. The risk increases to 75% if both parents have a history of migraines. Once more, up to 80% of migraine sufferers have a first-degree relative who also has the condition.
Symptoms
Migraine symptoms depend on the stage; migraine has four stages but not everyone with a migraine experience all stages.
Prodrome (pre-headache) stage: the initial stage can last a few hours or days. It might not occur every time, so you might or might not experience it. Symptoms may include:
- Fatigue
- Food craving
- Bloating
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Severe thirst
- Mood changes
- Increased urination
- Sensitivity to sound and light
Aura stage: Auras can happen before or during migraines for certain people. Auras are temporary nervous system symptoms. Most of them are visual, but they can also involve other disruptions. Each symptom often starts out mildly, intensifies over a few minutes, and lasts for up to 60 minutes. Symptoms may include:
- Seeing black dots, wavy lines, various shapes, or flashes of light
- Temporary vision loss
- Pins and needles sensations in an arm or leg
- Weakness or numbness in the face or one side of the body
- Difficulty speaking
- Have a heavy feeling in your arms and legs
- Have ringing in the ears
- Changes in smell, or taste
Attack stage: while severe migraines can last up to three days, the average migraine headache lasts about four hours. In some people, a month usually includes two to four headaches. While some only experience them once or twice a year, some people experience migraine headaches every few days. Symptoms may include:
- Pain usually on one side of your head
- Sensitivity to light, sound, and sometimes smell and touch
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Feeling tired
Post-drome stage: this stage may last up to 1 day after the headache. Symptoms may include:
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Inability to concentrate or understand things
If you experience any of these symptoms, visit a General Practitioner (General Practice doctor), who might refer you to a Neurologist (Brain and Nerves doctor), for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Recommended Doctors
View MoreCauses
The exact cause of migraine is unknown. However, it is possible that a particular trigger, determined by your genes, increases your risk of developing migraines.
Migraine triggers may include:
- Female hormonal changes as many women seem to experience headaches when their estrogen levels fluctuate, such as before or during menstrual periods, during pregnancy, or throughout menopause. Also, hormonal medications may worsen the migraine.
- Emotional triggers like stress, anxiety, depression, excitement
- Delayed or missing meal
- Caffeine: taking too much caffeine or caffeine withdrawal may cause migraine
- Getting too much sleep or missing sleep
- Intense physical activity
- A change of weather
- Some types of food and food additives
- Smoking
- Exposure to perfumes or smoke
- Daily use of painkillers
Diagnostics
Your general practitioner may perform a physical examination during your initial visit and assess your eyesight, coordination, reflexes, and sensations; these will assist in eliminating some additional potential underlying causes of your problems.
If you have headaches, your doctor may ask about your headaches if they:
- On one side of your head
- Cause pulsating pain that interferes with daily activities
- Made worse by movement or exercise
- Cause nausea or vomiting
- Come with sensitivity to light and noise
It may be helpful to keep a record of your migraine attacks for a few weeks to aid in the diagnosis. It may include the date and time, symptoms, duration of the attack, and medicines you use.
You may be referred to a neurologist for further assessment.
Treatment
- Pain killers (acetaminophen, aspirin, caffeine, ibuprofen)
- Medication to balance the brain chemicals (almotriptan, eletriptan, sumatriptan, rizatriptan, zolmitriptan, ergotamine)
- Medication to reduce nausea, sensitivity to light, and pain (lasmiditan)
- Medication to prevent migraine headache in case of severe cases (atogepant, eptinezumab, erenumab, fremanezumab, galcanezumab)
You can prevent migraine headaches by:
- Identifying and avoiding the triggers
- Managing stress by meditation techniques like yoga
- Maintaining a regular schedule for eating
- Drinking a lot of fluids
- Regular moderate exercising with healthy weight
- Getting enough sleep
- Taking your medicines as prescribed
