The better known visual manifestations of migraine with aura involve phenomena like seeing flashes or zigzags of light, experiencing a blind spot, or losing one side of the visual picture altogether. People might sometimes see parts of an image broken into shards. But other symptoms can involve dizziness, sensitivity to touch, difficulty with pronunciation, or even tingling in the arms that migrates to the face and lips. These aura symptoms serve as a kind of migraine introduction, a warning sign of the migraine itself, which usually arrives about an hour after the aura manifestations fade.

Another type of migraine is sometimes mistaken for one with the aura, which is the ocular or ophthalmic migraine. This has similar visual symptoms to the standard aura, involving blind spots in the vision, as well as zigzagging or brightly flickering light. This type of migraine, though, might occur without a headache at all, as the phenomena originates in the blood vessels of the retina rather than in the occipital cortex, the area of the brain that processes vision (where the aura originates). So there is some debate about whether this is a migraine with aura at all, yet many doctors argue that the otherwise unexplained disturbances in the retinal blood vessels must also surely originate in the occipital cortex.

Even if a person who experiences the migraine with aura and one who has only the visual symptoms are having those symptoms induced by somewhat different means, they are both experiencing a migraine. This means they need the same detective work to find their own migraine triggers, and they both need to try to remove them. And when the migraine comes, in whatever form, they will ultimately depend on the same migraine drugs and treatments. The main difference between them will be whether they’ve got the painful headache. But both lives can be equally disrupted, so the person with only the visual disturbances may not consider themselves to be particularly lucky.

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What are migraines?

Migraines are classified as a specific type of headache. You have undoubtedly heard people toss around the term quite often when complaining of a headache. But in actuality the number of people who truly have a migraine headache is significantly lower than you might think. Not all headaches are alike and a migraine does have specific symptoms that set it aside from others. No one is saying that a headache, in any form, is easy to have. But a migraine can actually be quite incapacitating when it strikes. It is important for migraine suffers to know what triggers their migraine and what they can do to prevent it. Even if they are powerless to prevent it, at least they know the warning signs that signal a migraine is headed their way. A migraine headache is not something that people want to have because it is a chronic condition that can strike at any time.

Can a lifestyle change prevent migraines?

In many cases a lifestyle change can help prevent a migraine but only if the physician and the person has identified the triggers. If you notice that you get a migraine after eating certain foods then obviously you need to avoid those foods. You may also need to consider your overall health. People with high blood pressure are more prone to migraines than people who do not. But even that has been debated. The only real way to know what is triggering your migraine is to keep a careful journal for several weeks or even months. Each day you need to chart down what you ate and what you did, making sure to leave nothing out. Then on the day that you have a migraine take a look at what happened that day or what you ate. You may discover a trigger in that journal. The one important factor is that you need to be in good health. That means watching your weight and exercising often. The healthier you can make yourself, the more likely it is that you can decrease the number of migraines that you get.

What do I do if I get a migraine?

If you have prescription medication to stop the migraine you should definitely take it. The problem is that most people do not realize that the headache they have is going to turn into a migraine until it has already happened. At that point all you can do is take the medication and use a few techniques for minimizing the pain and nausea. If you are lucky you have a prescription medication that is injectable or one that dissolves beneath your tongue. These are very fast acting but you have to be wary. Once you have taken these medications you will not be able to drive anywhere. So if you are at work, school or generally away from an area you can rest for an extended period of time, you will have to wait. After you have taken your medication or received it from your physician in the form of a shot, you need to lay down in a cool, dark place and rest. Ideally there should be little light and little sound as these can aggravate the symptoms. Most of the medications that you can receive for a migraine are going to put you to sleep, which in actuality is the best thing for you at that time. If you do not have a prescription and cannot make it in to see your regular physician you may need to go to the Emergency Room if it becomes unbearable.

Is it true that women who suffer from migraines have a lower risk of breast cancer?

Recently there was a study conducted on women who suffered from chronic migraines and whether or not there was a link to breast cancer. Amazingly the study showed that women who suffered from chronic migraines had a thirty percent less chance of developing breast cancer. This is wonderful news but already there are many who are finding flaws in the study. The biggest hole in the study is that it did not take into account the medications the women took while having a migraine. It also did not factor estrogen into account. Studies have already shown that women with low estrogen are significantly less likely to develop breast cancer. And many studies have shown that that same low estrogen level common during menstruation is what can trigger a migraine. So for now the jury is still out on whether or not the findings are true.

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Migraine research has shown that about twenty percent of those who have this illness get a specific cluster of precursor symptoms that are lumped together and are known as the “aura.” While most people think of the aura as manifesting visually, with flashes of light or blind spots, it is actually a neurological phenomenon that can also give the migraine patient hallucinations of smell or sound, and can affect their speech and concentration. The aura is a grouping of migraine symptoms that precede some headaches by perhaps an hour or so.

Even if the person doesn’t experience an aura, their chronic migraines will manifest other types of recurring symptoms. They could find themselves slowly becoming extra sensitive to smells around them, to sounds or to temperature, for example. But the most common of all the migraine symptoms is the headache itself, which usually concentrates on one side of the head, centering on the temple. It isn’t always the same side of the head either, but can alternate between attacks. Nor is it confined to the temple area for everyone; it can extend itself to surround the eyes, or move to the back of the head.

While this long list of symptoms makes them appear so wildly divergent and even unrelated, there is an underlying migraine connection to all of them. This is because a migraine is more than “just” a headache; it is a genetically-based disease that activates the person’s nerves to become oversensitive, resulting in migraine symptoms that can affect virtually any part of their body. So you can have a person with a “silent migraine,” who has all the visual effects of the aura but no headache, or you can have a person who suffers the headache and never has the visual manifestations. Yet they, and others with completely different symptoms, all have the underlying migraine in common.

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It’s possible that the view of migraines as always having an accompanying visual aura is perpetuated by non-migraine sufferers, not because they’re trying to push migraine myths but perhaps because they’re not sure what else would differentiate this type of headache from the normal run-of-the-mill type. The aura is an exotic feature that might seem to justify these headaches having a classification all their own. But a migraine without the aura is in fact the much more common version. And rather than being redefined as though it’s just one of the other more ordinary types of headaches, this type still has plenty of symptoms identifying it as a genuine migraine.

Migraine research shows that the underlying cause of all migraine symptoms is a genetically-based disease that is sometimes triggered to make a person’s nerves extremely sensitive. This means that they can have all sorts of symptoms that might appear unrelated, like excessive urination, sensitivity to light and smells, sweet or salty food cravings, and many other things. The effects associated with the aura are another manifestation of this over-sensitivity. So a migraine without aura is no less a serious migraine than one that does have it.

Of course the worst symptom of these chronic headaches is the headache itself. After all, the symptoms that act as a precursors add insult to injury by piling that massive headache on top of everything that has already made the migraine sufferer’s life unpleasant; setting the headache throbbing down one side of the head or concentrating near the temples. It might be a small blessing not to have had the aura symptoms along with everything else, but once the headache itself arrives, even a migraine without aura is not likely to be viewed with a very positive outlook.

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But when the headache strikes, steps need to be taken to bring relief, which is where some migraine drugs enter the picture. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, can help to some degree, though they work only with mild migraines. A group of drugs known as triptans have a better effect as a treatment for migraines, although they too have some limitations and may not work as well with extreme headaches. When heavy duty treatment is needed, doctors may combine medications, such as barbiturates, acetylsalicylic acid (i.e. Aspirin) and caffeine. A Sumatriptan/Naproxen Sodium combination has recently been shown to be very effective.

Some chemicals have an unexpected role in migraine treatment. One reason why people feel nauseous during a migraine is that their stomach doesn’t empty as quickly as normal. This also means that when they take medication, it doesn’t get into their system as quickly as it otherwise might. Caffeine can help reverse this effect, so it’s used during an attack even though it’s actually to be avoided as a potential trigger before the headache arrives. Another unusual treatment that has been employed recently is botox injections in the forehead and scalp. A migraine is not a stress headache as such, but the tension in the scalp can make the migraine more intense.

Migraine disease can be treated in other than strictly medical ways as well. Supplements of Coenzyme Q10 have been demonstrated to have good results when used against migraines, and other herbal remedies like feverfew appear to work for other people. Even marijuana is known to be effective. There are so many sources of good migraine treatment that every avenue should be explored. After all, with headaches and other symptoms occasionally being quite severe, the migraine patient is not likely to worry too much about where the treatment comes from, as long as it comes from somewhere.

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One of the biggest advances in the research has been with regard to migraine triggers. A great many of these have been discovered, falling into two categories: controllable and uncontrollable. Uncontrollable triggers might be things like changing weather patterns. For example, big swings in barometric pressure, a high humidity, and certain types of wind can all trigger a migraine. One might think migraine prevention would be impossible when it comes to these factors, but they might at least be mitigated to some extent.

Another type of migraine that some feel falls into the “uncontrollable” category would be the menstrual migraine. After all, a woman can’t very well just stop menstruating to prevent a headache. Yet the trigger here seems, at least in part, to be either too much or too little estrogen. Menstruating women can’t entirely control their estrogen levels, yet they might be able to alter the dosage to some degree in their birth control pills. And post-menopausal women can certainly adjust dosages in their hormone replacement therapies. So migraine prevention might even be possible in these cases.

Certain other factors are most definitely controllable, and may bring a degree of migraine relief. For example, some people’s headaches are triggered by glaring light, so they can help themselves with proper sunglasses or by closing a curtain. Other triggers, the majority of controllable ones, in fact, seem to be food-related. So the person’s migraine prevention program may be to stop eating peanut butter, cheese, chocolate, or any other food that seems to bring on the headache. Triggers involving food, strong smells, or even light conditions can often be altered or eliminated.

People trying to stop migraines from happening to them can’t neglect the usual recommendations for good health, such as reducing stress, eating healthy, regular meals and getting enough exercise and sleep. These will undoubtedly contribute to their wellbeing and might also help with migraine prevention. But the discovery of one’s own migraine triggers and the removal of those things as much as possible is another contributor. This is one area where the migraine sufferer actually has the power to do something positive in response to this condition.

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The first types of medications generally given for migraines are the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDS. These are more familiar to people as acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen. They are generally over-the-counter drugs, so people whose migraines tend to be mild can self-prescribe, and sometimes nip the headaches in the bud. Occasionally, when combined with caffeine, these can bring not just migraine relief but also relief from the nausea that tends to accompany this condition.

The next step in migraine medications is taken when more powerful drugs are needed for stronger headaches. One of the effective types of medications for mid-line headaches is the triptans. These don’t just work on the headache, but help the accompanying nausea and over-sensitivities as well. The main version of this sort of drug is Sumatriptan. Another line of migraine defense for really severe headaches can be opiates, but doctors prefer not to prescribe these if they can avoid it, to prevent potential addiction.

Other treatments involve combining different drugs as medication for migraines, so a drug like Fioricet would have butalbital (a barbiturate) with aspirin, paracetamol (acetaminophen) and caffeine. Severe headaches that don’t respond to drug treatments, called refractory migraines, are sometimes treated intravenously with drugs like Decadron, Phergan, Keppra, and so on. Intravenous treatment aims at rebalancing the internal fluids and electrolytes as well as easing the pain.

Migraine relief is something that is devoutly sought by both patients and doctors alike. While the researchers continue exploring and discovering what makes this illness tick and how it can be prevented from happening at all, migraine medications are still a big part of dealing with the condition. It’s fortunate for those who experience these headaches with all their symptoms that the latest medications work so well. Though the illness is not yet defeated, this at least is a feather in the cap of the dedicated researchers.

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Many migraine myths involve people judging the sufferers themselves. So they may think a migraine is “just another headache,” when in fact sufferers are dealing with a genetically-based migraine disease, of which a headache is the most prominent symptom. This is evidenced by the fact that it’s actually possible to have a migraine without a headache at all. Because of this myth, treatments could be prescribed wrongly because a normal headache involves a narrowing of blood vessels in the head, while in a migraine the blood vessels expand. Another myth surrounding migraines is that they are psychological. However, being symptomatic of a genuine neurological disease, they result from actual physiological triggers that affect people’s nerve endings and prompt real physical changes.

One myth about migraine headaches that needs dispelling, possibly more than any other, is the idea that they ultimately cause no lasting damage. Many people with migraines do come out of the other side of an episode with nothing more than a bit of lethargy that fades quickly, but for others, migraines have caused strokes, blindness or comas, and have even been linked to epilepsy. And when misinterpreted as just a symptom of clinical depression, which happens more often than one would expect, the prescribed drugs give no migraine relief at all, because anti-depressants have no effect on the real problem.

When thinking of possible myths connected to migraines, most people probably imagine something simple, like the myth that all migraine headaches come with the visual effects known as the aura. While that is a genuine myth, it is far less dangerous or unfair to migraine sufferers than these others. Treatment for the classic migraine isn’t going to be any different even if most patients don’t have the aura phenomenon. But perpetuating some of the other myths, especially those that judge the sufferer, only serves to make their life even worse. Far better that this disease be acknowledged, so they can get the proper treatment.

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The first stage, the migraine introduction, is a kind of warning period with its own typical symptoms. These can include an increase in appetite and urination, a growing sensitivity to the surrounding temperature, and big mood swings between irritability and euphoria. The person’s daily coping skills begin to suffer. Of course, all of these things sound like the ways anyone might react to extra stress, but the person who is experienced with the migraine headache can tell the different between how these symptoms feel under normal circumstances versus those that precede the headache.

Then there is the aura stage, if the person suffers from classic migraine headaches. This can be visual, as its name suggests, but covers a wider range of neurological symptoms. These can include flashes or zigzags of light, pins and needles in the skin, or speech difficulties and a loss of concentration. Not every migraine sufferer experiences the aura, however. Sometimes the premonitory symptoms move directly into the main phase, which is the migraine itself. This tends to concentrate mainly on one side of the head, though it can gradually move. And the neurological sensitivities increase, so the person can’t bear light, loud noises or even aromas. The person may also suffer nausea or vomiting.

Finally, the migraine headache itself is over, and the last phase begins; the recovery phase. It, too, has typical characteristics. In a way, the person’s body undoes all the earlier symptoms. So if the person endured loss of concentration and speech problems going into the headache phase, then these may remain afterward, getting gradually better as the headache recedes. Others may experience a lethargy that leaves them feeling empty and airy. The migraine relief that draws the experience to a close is different from person to person. Yet everyone who goes through this illness repeats the same recognizable phases each time.

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There may be some amount of inevitability in many of the cases. Yet for a great number of people, it is at least possible to reduce the frequency of the headaches they get, by discovering all the migraine triggers they can. These triggers are things that can bring on a migraine attack, and if the sufferer can figure out what they are, steps can be taken to try to avoid them. Not every trigger is completely avoidable, unfortunately, but the key in knowing how to prevent migraines is to eliminate as many triggering factors as possible.

Some triggers involve external factors, like second hand smoke or intense visual stimuli, such as glaring lights or reflected sunlight. Stress is another factor, which is why a migraine is sometimes mistaken for a simple stress headache. Another unavoidable external factor might be certain changes in weather or barometric pressure. And of course it’s not really possible for women to entirely avoid a menstrual migraine. But other triggers for migraines are found in foods or even aromas, and this is where the migraine sufferer can make changes. They will frequently notice that ingestion of certain foods will always be followed by a migraine, so eliminating those foods can help reduce occurrences. Gluten is one major culprit, and in fact, migraines can sometimes be a symptom of celiac disease. The incidence of other food triggers seems to be anecdotal and depends on each individual. But most researchers agree that avoiding things like dehydration and sudden changes in eating habits are crucial factors in preventing migraines.

What many specialists recommend is that migraine sufferers start to keep a diary, recording things that they suspect might be their own triggers. If they write everything down, and gradually begin to notice that certain things are mentioned over and over again in the diary, then they may have found some of the triggers that can be avoided in their attempt to keep migraines from occurring. This can be the first step in learning how to prevent migraines, and eliminating those triggers for themselves can help to augment the medical treatment they receive.

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