Migraine

Patients who suffer from migraine headaches often feel hopeless, and alone in their condition. Fortunately, there are many treatment options available that can help manage their headaches.

CHARACTERISTICS:

When people think of “migraines”, they think of a terrible unrelenting headache. Although this is true, what they don’t know is that there are several types of migraine headaches. Research has shown, that although the root causes of migraine headaches are virtually unknown, genetic and hormonal factors do play a part in their occurrence. Women suffer migraine headaches three times more than men, and common triggers include hormonal changes, lack of sleep/fatigue, stress, and bouts of hunger. Although there are many types of migraine headaches, the two most common are migraines “with” aura, and migraines “without” aura. There are four-stages of the migraine headache, they are: Prodromal, Aura, Headache, and Post Dromal. In the “Prodromal” stage, patients may experience light sensitivity (photophobia), sound sensitivity (phonophobia), nausea, vomiting and mood changes. The next stage is the “Aura”, where patients may see dots, blurred vision, zig-zag lines, and/or spots. The third stage is the actual “Headache” stage described as an intense, severe headache, coupled with increased photophobia, phonophobia, and nausea. The last stage is the “Postdromal” stage, where patients usually experience dizziness, fatigue, lightheadedness, sleepiness, and disorientation. Migraine headaches “with” aura, account for approximately 25% of migraines and occur on “both sides” of the head. The aura lasts for about 10 30 minutes, signaling an impending severe episode. When migraines occur“without” aura, the  same symptoms are present, however they are usually initiated by physical activity and usually occur on “one side” of the head.