The American Migraine Foundation reports that there are more than 37 million Americans with migraines. Unfortunately, less than 5% of those with migraines have been properly diagnosed by a doctor. The reality is that women are three times more likely to experience migraines than men, and children are more likely to have migraines if at least one parent also has them.
What is a migraine? It’s a severe headache that causes a pulsating or throbbing sensation on one side of the head. When someone has a migraine, the pain often coincides with nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. Migraines can last for hours or even days.
Migraines are the third most common disease in the world, and 9 out of 10 people with migraines report that their migraines interfere with their daily lives. For 2% of those with migraines, they have over 15 migraines per month. When a migraine hits, it’s hard to focus on work or school. People don’t want to be social or even leave a room where they can keep the lights off and shut blinds to keep the sun out.
All of this is very familiar to you because you have migraines or think you do but haven’t gotten a medical diagnosis. What causes migraines and what can you do to find an effective treatment?
A Breakdown of Migraine’s Symptoms and Phases
A migraine’s symptoms appear before the migraine hits. There are four phases that you may or may not experience.
Prodrome
Prodrome symptoms occur a day or two before a migraine. Signs include constipation, fluid retention, food cravings, frequent urination, frequent yawning, mood swings, and a stiff neck.
Aura
The aura stage comes before a migraine. It often includes visual signs like blind spots or quick flashes of lights. It can also involve numbness and tingling in the arms and legs. Speech difficulties may also appear. Because the symptoms are like a stroke, it’s important to get a diagnosis as quickly as possible. If you are having a stroke, urgent medical care can save your life.
Migraine Headache
A migraine headache is the next stage. Pain is often specific to one side of the head and pulses or throbs. You can become sensitive to light and sound. Nausea and vomiting often coincide with the migraine.
Postdrome
The postdrome phase occurs after the migraine ends. At this point, you feel exhausted and may stay that way for as long as a day. You might feel confused and out of sorts. If you suddenly move or shake your head, the pain may return.
Common Migraine Triggers
There’s no strict pattern when it comes to what causes a migraine. Your migraines may be completely different from someone else’s. Some of the most common causes of migraines include the following.
- Diet – Certain foods, especially processed foods, can trigger migraines in people. Additives like MSG and artificial sweeteners are also tied to migraines.
- Drinks – Some migraines are tied to alcoholic drinks like red wine that’s high in histamines and tannins or highly caffeinated drinks.
- Flashing Lights – Flashing or bright lights can trigger migraines.
- Hormonal Changes – Women experiencing estrogen fluctuations or who are taking birth control can experience migraines.
- Medications – Certain medications trigger migraines, including birth control pills or medications designed to dilate your blood vessels.
- Physical Activity – Extreme exercise can trigger migraines.
- Sleep – Getting too little or too much sleep is tied to migraines in some people.
- Stress – Excessive stress can trigger migraines.
- Strong Odors – Some people experience migraines with strong smells like smoke, perfumes, and chemicals.
- Weather – Sudden barometric changes trigger migraines in some people.
Getting a Diagnosis
Instead of testing for migraines, doctors rule out that your headaches aren’t caused by something else, such as a brain tumor or developing aneurysm. A doctor will examine you and ask about your family history. Tests like a CT scan or MRI may be ordered to determine that there isn’t a problem in the brain.
When you answer questions, be honest. Share every symptom you have and ask questions. If you aren’t going to remember everything your doctor says, which is likely in a stressful appointment, take notes.
What Are the Treatment Options?
Once you have a migraine diagnosis, you need to try different approaches to find the treatment options that work best. There are four treatment categories.
- Acute – Treat symptoms during a migraine.
- Behavioral – Manage stress to lower the frequency, severity, and duration of migraines.
- Lifestyle changes – Make changes in your life to lower the severity and length of migraines.
- Preventative – Learn ways to stop migraines from happening.
If you can find what your migraine triggers are, you can often ease the severity of symptoms or stop them from happening. For example, your migraines are triggered by stress. Learning stress management techniques is important.
There are two pathways for treating migraines with medications. Over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen are used to ease pain during an attack. Prescription medications are taken daily to reduce the frequency or severity of migraines. Here are some of the most common prescription medications.
- Antidepressants – Specific types of antidepressants help some people with migraine symptoms by regulating brain chemicals tied to pain.
- Anti-Nausea Medications – If nausea and vomiting are symptoms you experience during a migraine, anti-nausea medications help.
- Beta Blockers – Medications that lower your blood pressure can help prevent migraines with aura.
- Botox – Botox injections administered every three months help some people with migraine control by blocking pain signals in the head and neck.
- Dihydroergotamine – A nasal spray or injection that reduces the severity of migraine symptoms by shrinking blood vessels and blocking pain receptors.
- Gepants (Oral calcitonin gene-related peptide antagonists) – Oral medications that ease migraine symptoms like light sensitivity, nausea, and sound sensitivity by blocking the transmission of pain signals.
- Lasmiditan – An oral medication that treats migraine symptoms by stopping nerve inflammation and blocking pain signals.
- Triptans – A nasal spray, oral medication, or injection that relieves migraine symptoms by reducing inflammation, stopping blood vessels from constricting, and blocking pain signals.
Make sure you get a proper diagnosis. With many other things that can trigger headaches, a doctor must verify what you are experiencing are migraines. If you experience any of these symptoms, go to urgent care.
- An abrupt, severe headache that comes out of nowhere.
- A headache that accompanies a fever, double vision, confusion, or numbness in arms, legs, or face.
- A headache that follows a head injury.
- A headache that worsens with a cough, exertion, or sudden movement.
- New headaches after the age of 50.
For any headache that returns, concerns you, or comes on suddenly, go to Premium Urgent Care. It’s better to have it ruled out as a normal headache than to take a chance with your health. Use our online check-in to be seen today.