Migraine

Many people suffer from migraines, and it’s a common condition that causes painful and terrible symptoms that might affect the person’s daily life.

Migraine

Migraine is a severe and extremely painful headache that causes throbbing or pulsing pain in one half of the head in most cases.

There are two main types of migraine: classic migraine, which is accompanied by an aura (a phase that comes before the headache), and common migraine, which comes without an aura.

Migraine can be divided into four phases:

• Prodrome: the first phase of migraine and starts 24 hours before the headache.
• Aura: it’s a group of sensational and motor symptoms that work as a warning sign for migraine. It could last five minutes or an hour.
• Headache: it usually lasts 4-27 hours.
• Postdrome: it lasts a few hours or 48 hours.

Migraines affect women three times more than men and decrease with age, especially after menopause in women.

Causes and triggers of migraine

There isn’t a clear reason for migraines, but it’s thought that they occur as a result of the interactions between the brainstem and the trigeminal nerve, in addition to the imbalance of some chemicals, such as serotonin.

There are risk factors that increase the risk of getting migraines, and they include genetic factors, smoking, and having other conditions like depression, anxiety, epilepsy, and sleep disorders.

Migraine triggers include:

• Hormonal changes in women.
• Stress.
• Sleeping changes.
• Intense physical exertion.
• Some foods like chocolate, aged cheese, processed and salted foods, food additives, alcohol, and caffeine.
• Weather changes.
• Exposing to bright lights, loud noises, or strong odors.
• Some medications, like oral contraceptives and vasodilators.
• Having too many painkillers could cause a reverse effect and increase the pain instead of relieving it.

Symptoms of migraine

Migraine symptoms change depending on the phase, yet not all patients experience all the symptoms. Moreover, the frequency of migraines differs between people. It could occur once a year or once a week, but on average, it occurs 2-4 times a month, most often in the morning.

Prodrome symptoms

• Difficulty concentrating.
• Mood swings.
• Fatigue.
• Sleeping disturbance.
• Frequent yawning.
• Nausea and constipation.
• Increased hunger and thirst.
• Frequent urination.

Aura symptoms

• Vision changes.
• Tinnitus.
• Tingling and numbness.
• Muscle weakness.
• Sensitivity to touch.
• Difficulty speaking and concentrating.

Headache symptoms

• Extreme throbbing and pulsing pain mostly in one half of the head.
• Light, sound, odor, and touch sensitivity.
• Nausea and vomiting.

Postdrome symptoms

• Neck stiffness.
• Exhaustion.
• Dizziness.
• Confusion and difficulty concentrating.
• Light and sound sensitivity.
• Nausea.

Diagnosis of migraine

• Medical history.
• Physical examination and questioning about the symptoms.
• Sometimes, blood and imaging tests.

Management of migraine

There isn’t a cure for migraine, but the symptoms can be managed, and sometimes migraines can be prevented.

• Painkillers and medications for the accompanying symptoms.
• Preventive medications.
• Avoid the migraine triggers.
• Alternative medications that might help, such as some vitamins and minerals, relaxation methods like yoga and meditation, acupuncture, and Botox injections.
• Follow a healthy lifestyle and exercise regularly.
• What to do during the migraine: stay in a calm and dark place, apply a cold or warm compress to your forehead or behind your neck, massage your scalp, press your temples in a circular motion, stay calm as much as possible, and drink fluids.