A migraine is more than just a bad headache. It is a very
debilitating pain. The sufferer usually cannot function and
has to lie in a dark quiet place. It has particular symptoms,
but there is a lot of variation in the intensity and duration
of the symptoms in different people, and not all of them
appear in every sufferer.
Migraines are usually an intense pounding headache,
frequently only on one side of the head or around the eyes.
People often describe the feeling that their eyes are being
pushed out of their sockets from the inside. Migraine is
commonly accompanied by nausea, with or without vomiting, and
sensitivity to light and noise. The pain is made worse with
movement.
Some people experience a 'warning sign' of some sort of
visual disturbance called an "aura." Auras can be blind
spots, sparkling flashes or dazzling zigzag lines across the
field of vision. There are other rarer warning signs such as
"pins and needles" or weakness in speech or language. Even
without auras, there may be other warning signs within a day
of the onset of the migraine that a person may come to
recognize himself, such as, for example, cravings,
depression, extra energy, thirst or drowsiness.
Many people notice that certain things set off a migraine.
These are called 'triggers.' Common triggers are cheese,
caffeine, pickled foods, chocolate, nuts, heat, stress or
missing meals or fasting. There are many others, and a person
should try to note what he eats and drinks to see if he can
find a link of cause and effect in his bout of migraine.
There may be a time lapse between the trigger and the onset
of the migraine; a 'headache diary.' in which sufferers log
what they eat and do and when they have their migraines, can
be a useful tool to discover triggers. Migraines usually last
a number of hours, but can last up to a couple of days.
People can get migraines once or twice a year, or several
times a month. Bad sufferers can get them even more often
than that.
Migraines are caused by the swelling of certain vessels in
the brain, and this is caused by some chemical changes in the
brain. Why these changes occur, and how the triggers work to
cause the change is not clear.
Normal headache medicines such as paracetamol or Tylanol can
help reduce the pain but are not very good at stopping these
types of headaches. However, there is a whole new generation
of medicines that can stop migraines in their tracks by
affecting the chemical changes in the brain that cause them
in the first place. If taken as soon as the first symptoms
are felt, such as an aura, these medicines can stop the pain
completely, although sufferers can still feel unwell or
nauseous. If these medicines are given for a headache that is
not caused by a migraine, they will not work. Sometimes
giving the medicine and seeing if it works is the only way to
be sure that the headache is, in fact, a migraine.
If there are clear triggers, then it is obviously wise to
avoid them. It is also important to try to detect early
warning signs, like the aura, or some other change, so that
medicine can be taken right away to prevent the pain. If a
person is a very frequent sufferer, then he may be prescribed
a regular daily medication. Beware; some of these medicines
may cause an increase in appetite, causing an increase in
weight. Any medicine can cause side effects and this must be
carefully considered in helping this extremely painful and
debilitating condition.
Children can have migraines as young as the age of one year,
but they are obviously very difficult to diagnose in this age
group. There are children who suffer from "abdominal
migraines," which is a strange condition in which the same
change in the brain occurs, causing nausea, vomiting,
sensitivity to light, sound and movement, but the pain comes
from the stomach. These migraines can also be treated by
regular migraine medications. Again, this is a particularly
difficult condition to diagnose.
A P.S. is in order here: some of the symptoms of Migraine are
the same as other serious and even life threatening
conditions. Meningitis causes very severe pain made worse by
movement, and strokes can cause confusion or language
difficulties. A sudden severe headache that occurs for the
first time should always be taken seriously and medical
advice should be sought immediately. Migraines are diagnosed
only after other possibilities are eliminated.
