Migraine: General Problem Facing by Youth nowadays, migraines may begin as early as childhood, or they can develop later in life. They are more common in women than in men.
Migraines can be caused by factors such as family history. Youth is facing this issue due to lots of reasons. With this article, we will guide you about its cause, symptoms, and everything you need to know about migraines. So let’s start with the understanding of what migraine is?
What is Migraine?
Multiple symptoms can be caused by migraines. Migraine is often characterized by severe, debilitating headaches. You may experience nausea, vomiting, difficulty talking, numbness, or tingling, and sensitivity to light, sound, and light. Migraines can affect anyone of any age and often occur in families.
Clinical history and symptoms are used to diagnose migraine headaches. Other causes must be ruled out. The most common types of migraine headaches are those without aura (previously called common migraines), and those with aura.
Migraines can be different than other headaches. Find out about different types of headaches and how to tell if your headaches might be migraines.
Migraine symptoms
The symptoms of migraine may appear one to two days before the headache. This stage is called the prodrome phase. This stage is known as the prodrome stage.
- Food cravings
- Depression
- Low energy or fatigue
- frequent yawning
- Hyperactivity
- irritability
- Stiffness in the neck
An aura is a form of migraine that occurs after the prodrome stage. An aura can cause problems in vision, sensation, movement, speech, and/or hearing. These problems can include:
- It is difficult to speak clearly
- Feeling a pinchling or tingling sensation on your arms, legs, or face?
- Seeing shapes, light flashes, and bright spots
- Temporarily losing your vision
The attack phase is the next phase. The attack phase is when migraines are most severe or acute. This can occur in conjunction with an aura or overlap. An attack phase can last from hours to days. The symptoms of migraines can vary from one person to another. You may experience the following symptoms:
- Sensitivity to sound and light has increased
- nausea
- Feeling dizzy or faint
- Pain on one side of your skull, on your left, right, or front side, or in your temples
- Head pain that is pulsing or throbbing
- vomiting
A person often experiences the postdrome phase after the attack phase. There are often mood changes and other feelings during this phase. You may feel euphoric, extremely happy, or very tired and apathetic. You may experience a mild or dull headache.
These phases may vary in length and intensity depending on the individual. Sometimes, one phase can be skipped. It’s possible for a migraine attack to occur without causing headaches. Learn
Migraine pain
People describe migraine pain as:
- Pulsating
- throbbing
- Perforating
- pounding
- Debilitating
You may also feel a dull, constant, severe ache. Although the pain may initially be mild, it can become severe if not treated.
Most migraine pain is located in the forehead. Migraine pain is most common on the forehead, but it can also occur on either side or shift.
Migraines usually last for around 4 hours. They can last up to 72 hours if they aren’t treated or they don’t respond. Migraines with aura may cause pain that overlaps with the aura or never happen.
What causes migraines and
Researchers are still trying to find a cause for migraines. Researchers have identified some factors that could trigger migraines. This includes changes in brain chemicals, such as a decrease in levels of the brain chemical serotonin.
You may also experience migraines from:
- Bright lights
- Extreme heat or extreme weather conditions can lead to severe heat
- dehydration
- changes in barometric pressure
- Hormone changes in women include estrogen and progesterone fluctuations during periods, pregnancy, menstruation, or menopause.
- Excessive stress
- loud sounds
- intense physical activity
- Skip meals
- Changes in sleeping patterns
- use of certain medications, such as oral contraceptives or nitroglycerin
- Strange smells
- certain foods
- smoking
- alcohol use
- Travel
Your doctor might ask you to keep track of your migraines. You can identify triggers by writing down your activities, food choices, and medications taken before you get migraines. Find out what else might be causing or triggering your migraines.
Foods that can trigger migraines
Some foods and ingredients are more likely to cause migraines than others. These could include:
- Alcohol or caffeinated beverages
- Food additives include nitrates (a preservative for cured meats), aspartame, or monosodium glucamate (MSG).
- Tyramine is a natural ingredient in certain foods.
Tyramine also increases when foods are fermented or aged. This includes foods such as aged cheeses, sauerkraut, and soy sauce. Research is ongoing to determine the role of Tyramine in migraines. Tyramine may be a headache preventive for some, rather than a trigger.
Types of Migraine
There are many types and causes of migraines. There are two main types of migraine: migraine without aura and migraine avec aura. Both types are possible for some people.
Many people with migraines suffer from more than one type.
Migraine with or without aura
This type of migraine was once known as common migraine. A majority of people suffering from migraines do not experience an aura.
According to the International Headache Society (IHS), people with migraines without aura have experienced at least five attacks with these characteristics.
- A headache attack can last from 4 to 72 hours if not treated.
- These are the characteristics of headache:
- It only occurs on one side (unilateral).
- Pain is either pulsating, or throbbing
- Moderate or severe pain
- Moving, such as walking or climbing stairs, can make pain worse.
- These are the characteristics of headache:
- it makes you sensitive to light (photophobia)
- It makes you more sensitive to sound (phonophobia).
- You experience nausea, with or without vomiting, or diarrhea
- Headache is not caused by any other health condition or diagnosis.
Migraine nausea
More than half of the people who get migraines have nausea as a symptom. Many also vomit. These symptoms can occur at the same moment as the headache. They usually start around an hour after the headache pain begins.
Nausea and vomiting can be as troubling as the headache itself. You may be able to take your migraine medication if you have only nausea. However, vomiting can make it difficult to swallow pills or allow them to remain in your body for long enough to be absorbed. Your migraines will likely worsen if you delay taking your migraine medication.
Treating nausea and preventing vomiting
If you have nausea without vomiting, your doctor may suggest medication to ease nausea called anti-nausea or antiemetic drugs. The antiemetic may be used to prevent vomiting or improve nausea.
Acupressure can also be used to treat migraine nausea. A 2012 study trusted Source showed that acupressure reduced the intensity of migraine-associated nausea starting as soon as 30 minutes, gaining improvement over 4 hours.
Combining treatment of nausea and vomiting
Doctors prefer to treat the migraine as a whole, rather than treating nausea and vomiting separately. Talk to your doctor if you have severe nausea or vomiting due to migraines. See how to cope with nausea and vertigo that may accompany your migraine.
Tests for Migraine
Doctors diagnose migraines by listening carefully to your symptoms and taking a detailed medical and family history. They also perform a physical exam to rule any other possible causes. Other causes can be ruled out using imaging scans such as MRI or CT scans.
Treatment for Migraine
Migraines can’t be cured, but your doctor can help you manage them so you get them less often and treat symptoms when they occur. Migraine treatment can make them less severe.
Your treatment plan depends on:
- Your age
- How often do you experience migraines?
- The type of migraine that you suffer
- How severe they are will depend on how long they have been, how much pain they cause, and how frequently they prevent you from going to school/work.
- Whether they include nausea and vomiting as well as other symptoms
- Other health conditions that you might have, and any medications you may be taking
These may be combined in your treatment plan.
- self-care migraine remedies
- Lifestyle changes, such as stress management and avoiding migraine triggers, are possible.
- OTC pain or migraine medications, such as NSAIDs or acetaminophen (Tylenol)
- prescription migraine medications that you take every day to help prevent migraines and reduce how often you have headaches
- Prescription migraine medication that you should take right away if you have a headache to prevent it from getting worse.
- Prescription medications for nausea and vomiting
- hormone therapy if migraines seem to occur in relation to your menstrual cycle
- Counselling
- Alternative care options include biofeedback and meditation, acupressure or acupuncture.
Migraine remedies
There are a few home remedies that can help with migraine pain.
- Lie down in a quiet, dark room.
- Massage your temples or scalp.
- A cold cloth should be placed over your forehead or behind you neck.
Many people also try herbal home remedies to relieve their migraines.
Migraine treatment
You can either prevent or treat migraines by taking medication. OTC medications may provide relief. Your doctor might prescribe another medication if OTC medicines aren’t working.
These options will depend on how severe your migraines are and what other conditions you have.
Headache caused by medication overuse
The frequent and recurring use of any kind of headache drugs can cause what’s known as medication overuse headaches trusted Source (previously called a rebound headache). This is more common in migraine sufferers.
Talk to your doctor to determine the best way to manage your migraine headaches.
Migraine surgery
A few surgical procedures can be used to treat migraines. They have not been approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These procedures include neurostimulation and migraine trigger site compression surgery (MTSDS).
The American Migraine Foundation urges all people considering having migraine surgery to consult a headache specialist. A headache specialist is either a graduate of an accredited fellowship in headache medicine or is board-certified in headache medicine.
Neurostimulation surgeries
These procedures involve the surgeon inserting electrodes beneath your skin. The electrodes provide electrical stimulation to certain nerves. There are many types of simulators currently in use. These include:
- occipital nerve stimulators
- Deep brain stimulators
- Vagal nerve stimulators
- sphenopalatine ganglion stimulators
It is very rare to have insurance coverage for stimulators. The ideal role of nerve stimulation for the treatment of headaches is still being researched.
MTSDS
The procedure involves the release of nerves in the face and head that could be triggers for chronic migraines. Onabotulinumtoxin A (Botox) injections are typically used to identify the trigger point nerves involved during a migraine attack. The surgeon will administer sedation to the nerves and deactivate them. These surgeries are usually performed by plastic surgeons.
The American Headache Society does not endorse the use of MTSDS for migraine treatment. To learn more about the risks, they recommend that any person considering MTSDS be evaluated by a headache specialist.
These surgeries are still experimental, and will not be approved for use until more studies prove they work safely and consistently. These surgeries may be able to treat chronic migraines, which have not responded to any other treatments. So, is plastic surgery the answer to your migraine woes?
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