Overview

People often experience excruciating pain on one side of their face, leg, or arm, nausea, sensitivity to sound and light, and difficulty speaking. Very few people know that these may be an indication of migraine headaches.

Migraine headaches vary from person to person and depend on their lifestyle. Knowing about migraine headaches and their symptoms, causes, and available treatment options help the patient get quick treatment.

What Are Migraine Headaches?

Migraine is a pulsing or throbbing sensation at one side of the head that causes severe headaches and lasts for two hours to days. A warning system of migraine is known as ‘Aura’. An Aura develops as a warning symptom before headaches that cause visual disturbances, such as blind spots or flashes of light.

What Are The Types of Migraine Headaches?

Although migraine headaches are of different types, three types of migraines, each with its own symptoms, are usually seen.

Migraine with aura (Classic migraine) - Migraine with aura is a type of migraine characterised by visual disturbances before or during the headache.
Migraine without aura (Common migraine) - It is another subtype of migraine that doesn’t include the visual disturbances common in migraine with aura.
Chronic migraine - Chronic headaches are the primary type of headache that remains for 15 days or a month, and subtypes of headaches are tension-type and migraine headaches.

Causes/Risk Factors of Migraine Headaches

The main causes of migraine are yet unknown, but some possible triggers or risk factors responsible for migraine headaches are mentioned below.

Stress
Dehydration
Women’s hormonal changes, such as menopause, pregnancy, menstrual cycle and oestrogen fluctuations
Changes in the brain and genes
Alcohol and caffeine intake
Changes in the sleep cycle
Changes in the weather
Skipping meals or eating at an unusual time
Intense physical activities may trigger migraine

Sensory stimuli such as loud sounds, bright light, and strong odours such as perfumes, secondhand smoke, and paint thinner may also lead to migraine.

What Are the Symptoms of Migraine Headaches?

The primary symptom of migraine is severe headache. That pain feels like pulsing or throbbing—the pain due to migraine shifts from one side of the brain to the other side.

People may feel different symptoms, but most of them feel pain in the neck, jaw, sinus, or face and around the eyes. A migraine usually lasts about two to four hours, but severe migraine headaches last longer. The following are some of the symptoms of Migraine:

Loss of appetite
Fever
Tender scalp
Vomiting and nausea
Abdominal pain and upset stomach
Feeling tired
Diarrhoea
Blurred vision and dizziness
Light, sound, and odour sensitivity
Pale skin colour
Feeling cold or sweating

Prodrome symptoms - Precedes the Onset of Migraine Headache

Nausea
Food cravings
Muscle stiffness
Problems concentrating
Difficulty in reading or speaking
Fatigue
Increase in urination
Sleep difficulty
Depression or irritation

Aura symptoms - Vision-related

Visual disturbance
Blind spot
Changes in speech
Temporary vision loss
Tingling and numbness

Headache (or Attack) Symptoms

Insomnia
Depression and anxiety
Vomiting and nausea
The body stiffness and neck pain
Sound, odour, and light sensitivity
Nasal congestion

Postdrome symptoms - After the Migraine attack

Fatigue
Concentration loss
Euphoric mood
Depression
Lack of comprehension

How Are Migraine Headaches Diagnosed?

A migraine is usually diagnosed after a person has had several attacks. The doctor will ask about the person's symptoms and medical history. The doctor may also do a physical exam and check for changes in blood pressure, heart rate, or temperature. Certain tests are recommended for accurate diagnosis, which include -

CT Scan
MRI

What Treatments Are Available For Migraine Headaches?

Here are some available treatment options for migraine.

Lifestyle changes

The migraine treatment aims to reduce the pain and address other symptoms of migraine. The patient needs to recognise the activity that triggers their migraine and learns to avoid that triggered activity and prevent migraine. Some lifestyle changes that can bring relief from this condition are -

Stress management
Drink lots of water
Regular sleep on time
Eating healthy food on time

Medication

With medication, it is possible to treat migraines. These medications include acute medications and preventive medications.

Acute medications - NSAIDs (aspirin or ibuprofen), Triptans, Ergot alkaloids, Triptans, and antiemetics (prochlorperazine, chlorpromazine, and metoclopramide).
Preventive medications - These include anticonvulsants, botox, antihypertensives, antidepressants, and calcitonin gene-related peptide treatments.

Other treatment options include hormonal therapy, proper counselling, and other alternative care treatments.

When to Consult a Doctor

You can also get in touch with the expert Neurology doctors at Narayana Healthcare based in your city to get immediate attention and medical support during injuries, health disorders or any other health concern.

Conclusion

Migraine affects a person’s health and disturbs their daily life activities. The symptoms vary according to the person. It can be challenging to deal with, but with the right treatment plan, one can manage the symptoms and live a normal life again.