Tired of migraines? Know these causes and treatment options.
Have you ever had a headache that was so severe that light and noise made the pulsating pain on the side of your head feel like a hot stabbing knife for hours on end, and you wanted nothing more than to lie still in a dark and quiet room until the stabbing pain in your head stopped? If this sounds familiar, you’ve experienced a migraine headache.
Migraine is one of the most common neurological conditions in the world. The formal diagnosis of migraine requires a person to have had at least five attacks of moderate-to-severe head pain, usually pulsating on one side of the head and worsened by activity, plus nausea and/or vomiting or light and sound sensitivity, with each attack lasting at least four hours. Some people experience an “aura” of visual changes with their migraine, the tingling of a limb, or perhaps mild confusion.
The hallmark of migraine is the presence of nausea and/or vomiting or light and sound sensitivity in a person who gets headache relief by being in a still, dark, and quiet room.
Up to one in three people will experience a migraine at some point in their life. It is not uncommon for migraines to run in families, with many family members suffering migraines from an early age, but migraine can also strike those with no family history.
Unfortunately, migraines are often a lifelong problem for sufferers. Although migraines can’t be cured, they can be managed in a way that the sufferer can resume the activities that make their day-to-day life enjoyable, with fewer migraine days per month, or perhaps less severe or debilitating pain when they do get migraines.
The first step to gaining control of your migraines is understanding them. Pay attention to when they occur so you can identify any common factors that might influence your migraine. Some causes of migraines include:
· Red wine
· Cured meats
· Strong cheeses
· Lack of sleep
· Artificial sweeteners
· Weather changes
· Stress
· Hormonal changes
· Dehydration
Once you’ve identified your individual migraine triggers, you can work on modifying your behavior to avoid them. Behavioral changes to help avoid migraine triggers, supplements and over-the-counter medications, and prescription medicines can all help alleviate the pain of a migraine.
Daily magnesium and riboflavin (vitamin B2) supplementation has been shown in trials to lessen the frequency and severity of chronic migraines. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are highly effective for some people, but taking high doses frequently can actually worsen the severity of migraine, a phenomenon known as “medication overuse” or “rebound” headache. Speak with your primary care provider (PCP) before starting any supplement or medication, as rare interactions can occur with medications you may already be taking.
If these milder treatment options don’t offer enough benefit, it might be time to speak with your PCP, who can prescribe first line migraine medications depending on your other health problems and medications. The triptan class remains the gold standard for as-needed treatment, while a variety of anti-seizure, anti-depressant and anti-hypertensive medications do wonders for chronic migraine sufferers. For more complex or difficult to control migraine cases, a consultation with a neurologist might be needed.
Botox injections into the head and neck every three months is often effective if all else fails. Once-monthly self-injectables and once-quarterly intravenous infusions are newer options as well. There are even electrical stimulation devices that can be worn on the forehead that can help a great deal.
If you suffer from migraines, you do not have to live your life subject to the whims of your migraine attacks. You can gain the upper hand through self-observation, behavioral modification and the judicious use of medications. Talk with a primary care provider first about your migraines. If more advanced treatments are needed, Newport Neurology is here to help.
Preston Douglas, MD, is a board-certified neurologist with Newport Neurology. Health Matters appears monthly on newportri.com and in The Newport Daily News.
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Migraine causes and treatment tips from Newport Hospital
