Migraines
are painful, throbbing headaches that last from 4 to 72 hours. When you
have a migraine, it may be so painful that you are not able to follow
your normal routine or do your usual activities. But even though they
make you feel bad, migraines do not cause long-term damage.
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Migraines are a disease. You cannot just "will them away." Talk to
your doctor about your migraines. There are treatments that can help
you manage them.
What causes migraines?
Experts are not sure what causes migraines. It may have something to do with the blood vessels in your brain.
Migraines run in families, but it is not clear why some people get migraines and others do not.
What are the symptoms?
The main symptom of a migraine is a throbbing headache on one side
of your head. You may also feel sick to your stomach and vomit.
Activity, light, noise, or odors may make the migraine worse. The pain
may move from one side of your head to the other, or you may feel it on
both sides at the same time. Different people have different symptoms.
Some people have an aura
before the migraine begins. When you have an aura, you may first see
spots, wavy lines, or flashing lights. Your hands, arms, or face may
tingle or feel numb. The aura usually starts about 30 minutes before
the headache. But most people do not have auras.
How are migraines diagnosed?
A doctor can usually tell if you have a migraine by asking about
your symptoms and examining you. You probably will not need lab tests,
but your doctor may order some if he or she thinks your symptoms are
caused by another disease.
Many experts think you have migraines if:1
- You have 5 or more headache attacks without an aura or you have 2 attacks with an aura.
- Your headache lasts from 4 to 72 hours without treatment.
- You also feel sick to your stomach and may vomit. Light and noise may make your headache worse.
How are they treated?
You can usually manage your migraines. First try an over-the-counter pain medicine, such as ibuprofen or naproxen. Brand names include Advil, Motrin, and Aleve.
If over-the-counter medicine does not work, your doctor can
prescribe stronger medicine that stops the migraine as it is starting.
You may not be able to use some medicines if you are pregnant or have
other health problems, such as heart problems or high blood pressure.
When you feel a migraine coming on:
- Stop what you are doing, and take your medicine. Do not wait for
the migraine to get worse. Take your medicine exactly as your doctor
told you to. - Take it easy. Rest in a quiet, dark room. Close your eyes,
and try to relax or go to sleep. Do not watch TV or read. Put a cold
pack or cool cloth on the painful area.
If the first treatment you try does not work, try something else. It may take time to find what works best for you.
Some people also use other kinds of treatments, such as acupuncture. These may help reduce the pain or the number of migraines you have. But experts need more research to see if they really work.2
Be careful when you use your migraine medicines. Taking them too
often can cause you to get another headache when you stop taking the
medicine. This is called a rebound headache. If you find you are taking your medicines very often, talk to your doctor before a problem starts.
Can I reduce how often I have migraines?
You may be able to reduce how often you have migraines by staying
away from things that cause them. These are called "triggers." Common
triggers include chocolate, red wine, cheese, MSG, strong odors, not
eating, and poor sleep habits. It may be helpful for you to track and
write down your triggers. You may be able to avoid the trigger and more
migraines.
There are two main classes of migraine headache:
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- Migraine without aura (common migraine). Most
people with migraines have common migraines. This type of migraine
features a throbbing pain on one side of the head that is moderate to
severe in intensity and is made worse by normal physical activity.
Other features include nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and
sound. The headache lasts anywhere from 4 to 72 hours if it is not
treated. A common migraine is not preceded by an aura. - Migraine with aura (classic migraine). Some people with migraines develop an aura
within 30 minutes before they develop a migraine headache. Symptoms of
the aura include visual disturbances such as wavy lines, flashing
lights, blind spots, or distortions of objects. Other symptoms include
tingling or a "pins-and-needles" sensation in the hands. A few people
have problems putting words in the right order, have numbness in the
hands, shoulders, or face, feel weak on one side of the body, or feel
confused. Aura symptoms occur gradually, usually within 4 to 20
minutes, and do not last for more than 60 minutes. You may only
experience one symptom of an aura or several, but symptoms occur one
after the next and not all at once. Sometimes the aura fades as the
headache pain and other symptoms begin. Other times it may persist into
the early stages of the headache.
Other types of migraine headache include:
- Menstrual migraine. These occur a few days before,
during, and immediately after menstruation. Most women who have
migraines can relate their migraine headaches to their menstrual cycle. The symptoms of the menstrual migraine headaches are the same as those of either common or classic migraines. - Migraine equivalent. Migraine equivalent is a migraine aura that is not
followed by a headache (also called acephalic headache). This form of
migraine often develops after age 50 if you had migraines with aura
when you were younger. Usually the neurological symptoms consist of
streaks or points of light moving across your field of vision. - Complicated migraine. These are migraines that have nervous system
symptoms, such as numbness and tingling, difficulty speaking or
understanding speech, or inability to move an arm or leg. In
complicated migraines, the nervous system symptoms persist after the
headache has gone away. - Abdominal migraine. These migraines usually
occur in children. They consist largely of cycles of vomiting or
periods of dizziness that occur about once a month. The throbbing
headache does not accompany the other symptoms.
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