Health Articles

The exact cause of migraines is still unknown. So far, all we have are theories as to why this condition occurs. Only one thing is for sure when it comes to migraines and that is women are three times more prone to suffer from migraines than men. Many women migraine sufferers will admit that their headaches often coincide with the period just before their menstrual period.

It is estimated that around 60% of female migraine sufferers suffer from an attack during their period and during the rest of the month. Only 14% suffer from an attack during their period. Of all female migraine sufferers, 74% associate their period with their headaches. Medical science does not deny the connection but the reason is still unknown.

Many women who suffer from migraine later on in life reported that their pre-menstrual syndrome or PMS have become much more acute since the headache started. In the January 2006 issue of Headache, a study was featured confirming the apocryphal evidence. Women who participated in the studies reported experiencing more severe bloating, breast tenderness, weight gain, mood swings, abdominal cramps and back pain.

In the study, the women were given medication to induce temporary artificial menopause by stopping the action of the ovaries. The subjects still reported worsened PMS symptoms during the migraine attacks even in the absence of the hormonal ups and downs of regular periods.

Menstrual migraines is the term used to describe the headaches felt by the 14% of women who only suffer from migraines during their periods. There is hope for these women. For some of them, taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines or NSAIDs such as ibuprofen several days before their period as well as the first few days of it can prevent menstrual migraine. If you would like to try this course of action, discuss it with your doctor first.
There are no guarantees that your migraines will leave forever.

One of the most unpleasant side effect of some headache medications is, ironically, headache. This kind of headache, which can be blindingly painful, is called a rebound headache and it affects those who tend to overuse these headache medications.

How does one get rebound headaches? Some people just try a little too hard to find relief from their migraine pain that they end up worse than before they took the medication. Here is how it often occurs: A sufferer feels pain and takes some medication. He still feels some pain after wards and takes some more medication.

Medication overuse is the main cause of rebound headaches. It is distinguished from migraine or other forms of headache because it stems after taking medications. It is basically the original headache that has worsened. The pain is felt when the body is finally clear of all the medication.

The intensity of the rebound migraine differs. Sometimes the pain is just like the original headache. In other cases, the pain can be more intense. While rebound headaches can be very painful, it does not come with other symptoms of migraine such as nausea and photo-sensitivity.

Any drug can cause rebound headaches but two of the most notorious from bringing it about are aspirin and acetaminophen. Other substances that can cause rebound headache include caffeine, opiates, prescription combination medications like midrin, codeine, ergotamine titrate, and drugs that contain barbiturates.
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Following are some of the indications that you could be suffering from rebound headaches.

* Experiencing headaches daily or every other day.

* Medications do not anymore provide relief the way they used to.
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* Use of prophylactic medication.

You can break the cycle of these headaches with the help of your doctor. But you must realize that you may not find a cure but merely suppression of the condition. There is a lot of on-line help available… find details below.

A migraine attack can be divided into four phases:

A ‘premonitory’ phase occurs in up to half of people with migraine. You may feel irritable, depressed, tired, have food cravings, or ‘just know’ that a migraine is going to occur. You may have these feelings for hours or even days before the onset of the headache.

The aura phase (if it occurs).

The headache phase.

The resolution phase when the headache gradually fades. During this time you may feel tired, irritable, depressed, and may have difficulty concentrating.

Less common types of migraine

There are various other types of migraine which are uncommon, and some more types which are rare. These include:

Menstrual migraine. The symptoms of each attack are the same as for common migraine or migraine with aura. However, the migraine attacks are associated with periods. There are two types of patterns. Pure menstrual migraine is when migraine occurs only around periods, and not at other times. This occurs in about 1 in 7 women who have migraine. Menstrual-associated migraine is when migraines occur around periods, and also at other times of the month too. About 6 in 10 women who have migraine have this type of pattern. Treatment of each migraine attack is the same as for any other type of migraine. However, there are treatments that may prevent menstrual migraines from occurring. See separate leaflet called ‘Migraine Triggered by Periods’ for more detail.
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Abdominal migraine. This mainly occurs in children. Instead of headaches, the child has attacks of abdominal (tummy) pain which last several hours. Typically, during each attack there is no headache, or only a mild headache. There may be associated nausea (feeling sick), vomiting or aura symptoms. Commonly, children who have abdominal migraine switch to develop common migraine in their teenage years.

Ocular migraine. This is sometimes called retinal migraine, ophthalmic migraine or eye migraine. It causes temporary loss of all or part of the vision in one eye. This may be with or without a headache. Each attack usually occurs in the same eye. There are no abnormalities in the eye itself and vision returns to normal.

Hemiplegic migraine. This is rare. In addition to a severe headache, symptoms include weakness (like a temporary paralysis) of one side of the body. This may last up to several hours, or even days, before resolving. Therefore, it is sometimes confused with a stroke. You may also have other temporary symptoms of vertigo (severe dizziness), double vision, visual problems, hearing problems and difficulty speaking or swallowing.

Basilar-type migraine. This is rare. The basilar artery is in the back of your head. It used to be thought that this type of migraine originated due to a problem with the basilar artery. It is now thought that this is not the case, but the exact cause is not known. Symptoms typically include headache at the back of the head (rather than one sided as in common migraine). They also tend to include strange aura symptoms such as temporary blindness, double vision, vertigo, ringing in the ears, jerky eye movements, trouble hearing, slurred speech, dizziness. Unlike hemiplegic migraine, basilar-type migraine does not cause weakness. There is an increased risk of having a stroke with this type of migraine.

Do I need any tests?

Usually not. There is no test to confirm migraine. A doctor can be confident that you have migraine if you have the typical symptoms. However, some people with migraine have non-typical headaches. Sometimes tests are done to rule out other causes of headaches. Remember, if you have migraine, you do not have symptoms between attacks. A headache that does not go, or other symptoms that do not go, are not due to migraine.

Tension headaches are sometimes confused with migraine. These are the common headaches that most people have from time too time. Note: if you have migraine, you can also have tension headaches at different times to migraine attacks.

Migraine headaches are no laughing matter. The pain can be excruciating and deserves medical attention, such as proper diagnosis and treatment. According to the National Headache Foundation there are nearly 30 million people that suffer from migraine headaches. Symptoms for a migraine include nausea or vomiting, sensitivity to sound and light, pain that is usually only on one side of the head, and moderate to intense pain that pulsates, throbs, and makes it challenging, if not impossible, to carry out daily activities.

Due to hormonal influences, women tend to experience migraines three times more often than their male counterparts. Nearly 60 percent of women who experience migraines experience menstrual migraines that transpire right before menstruation, during menstruation, during ovulation, or directly after menstruation.

These menstrual migraines are caused by the female sex hormone estrogen. Estrogen regulates the menstrual cycle. When the levels of progesterone (steroid hormone involved in the menstrual cycle) and estrogen change, the chance for headaches is increased. It has been shown that women who take oral contraceptives are more prone to migraine menstrual headaches. Serotonin is also a hormonal trigger for headache pain and studies have shown that for women, it’s more than simply serotonin levels, but also the way female hormones interact with serotonin.

Today there are a number of medications available to help all types of migraine headache sufferers, including medications designed to prevent migraines in the first place. Over-the-counter medications can be used to help relieve pain, though overuse can sometimes cause an increase in migraine headaches. Abortive medicines can stop migraines, and preventative medications can be used if migraines are present several times a month. In addition, migraine sufferers who experience vomiting or nausea can benefit from prescription strength anti-nausea medications.

There are also many beneficial non-pharmacological options to help lessen the frequency and intensity of migraine headaches. Yoga, biofeedback, acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, physical medicine, counseling, meditation, aromatherapy, and lifestyle and dietary changes can all help improve the frequency and intensity of migraine headaches. Creating a stress-free, pleasant environment (if possible) can help to relax tension and lessen the frequency of migraines.

Cutting out artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame can also help, as can getting enough sleep and enjoying regular exercise. If you are experiencing migraine headaches, take a look at your diet, sleeping habits, exercise levels, and stress levels. Talk to a doctor or therapist to find a happy balance that helps relieve your pain in the best medical and non-medicinal ways possible.

Migraine is a form of headache, which is very severe and comes with other symptoms like, problems with vision, nausea and a lot of sensitivity. Migraines are generally happen due to differences in the chemicals present in the brain.
There are various causes of migraines, like physical, hormonal, emotional, dietary, environmental, medicinal and also hormones.

Medicinal Causes:

Intake of certain medications causes migraines. These medications could be sedatives, medication prescribed for menopause which is HRT that is ‘Hormone Replacement Therapy‘ and also birth control pills.

Physical Causes:

Physical activities like bad body posture, a lot of travelling, work timings, tension in the shoulder or the neck, sleeping quality and also fatigue. Menopause could also cause migraine.

Environmental Causes:

Environmental conditions like pungent smells, dazzling lights, smoke, change of weather, in case the temperature is very low or even a lot of humidity, watching a lot of television or usage of computer would also cause migraine and places where there is poor ventilation and short of fresh air also triggers migraine.

Emotional Causes:

Emotions also affect migraine to a large extent. When the person suffering from migraine undergoes too much depression, tension, stress, shock, anxiety or even too much excitement would lead to migraine.

Dietary Causes:

Dietary factors also cause migraine. Foods like cheese, fruits citrus by nature and also chocolate trigger migraine. Other factors like dieting or irregular eating habits, too much of alcohol and caffeine like coffee or tea and also dehydration lead to migraine.

Hormonal Causes:

Fluctuation in hormones also causes migraine. Women tend to get an attack of migraine around the time of their menstrual cycle; this is called the ‘Menstrual Migraine’.

Till date no cure has being found for migraine, but there are many treatments for this condition which help in easing the pain. The treatments are mostly in the form of medicines, which are available in plenty, it is important to know which would best suit you.

Anti – Sickness Medicines:

In cases where nausea is an indication of migraine, then you would be prescribed anti-sickness medications. These are available in the form of tablets and also suppository. These can be taken along with the painkiller.

Triptan Medicines:

Triptan medications are the next step in case painkillers do not help in reducing the migraine pain. They are not like painkillers. These medications tend to contract the blood vessels near the brain. These medications are available in the form of nasal sprays, injections and tablets.

Anti – Inflammatory Medicines:

These medications have anti-inflammatory properties as such they are quite effective in treating the pain.

Painkillers:

These are the most commonly used form of medication used to treat migraine. In fact this is the first step to treat a migraine. There are many painkillers available, like aspirin and paracetamols. These are available in the form of tablets and soluble tablets. The soluble painkillers affect faster as the body absorbs them faster.

Complementary Medicines:

Medications like homeopathy treatment and acupuncture also help in reducing the pain, but these are not proven to be as effective.

Combination Medicines:

Combination medications are medicines which contain both the properties that are they help in the reduction of pain as well as act as anti-sickness.

Migraine Clinics:

These are specialized clinics where the specialist will conduct an examination and check the harshness of the migraine and put you on treatment accordingly.
James S. Pendergraft