What happens if you have migraine

Puerto Rico. Saudi Arabia. South Africa. Sri Lanka. United Kingdom. United States. Search Submit. Tension Sinus Nighttime. Causes Prevention Tips Treatment. What Happens During a Migraine? Phase 1: Onset At the start of a migraine, an external or internal trigger causes neurons in the brain to fire abnormally.

Phase 2: Hypersensitivity Those abnormally firing neurons cause hyperexcitability in various regions of the brain, leading to symptoms that affect the senses.

Doctors diagnose migraine by listening to your symptoms, taking a thorough medical and family history, and performing a physical exam to rule out other potential causes.

Currently, the FDA has approved four neuromodulation treatments :. Talk with your doctor about the best neuromodulation treatment for you and your specific type of migraine. Their migraine attacks tend to last 2 to 72 hours. A few migraine variants are more common in children. One of the more common variants is abdominal migraine.

Children with abdominal migraine may have a stomachache instead of a headache. The pain can be moderate or severe. Usually, pain is in the middle of the stomach, around the belly button. But the pain may not be in this specific area. Children who have abdominal migraine are likely to develop more typical migraine symptoms as adults.

For many pregnant people, their migraine attacks improve during pregnancy. But they may become worse following delivery due to sudden hormonal shifts. Attacks during pregnancy need special attention to make sure that the cause of the attack is understood. Research is ongoing, but a recent small study showed that women with migraine during pregnancy experienced a higher rate of having:.

Certain migraine medications may not be considered safe during pregnancy. This can include aspirin. When determining how to deal with migraine, talk with your doctor about the frequency of your medication intake. Also, make sure to discuss alternatives to medications. Migraine and tension headaches, the most common type of headaches, share some similar symptoms. But migraine is also associated with many symptoms not shared by tension headaches.

Migraine and tension headaches also respond differently to the same treatments. Sometimes the symptoms of migraine can mimic those of a stroke. Headaches can be a sign of other issues, and while migraine can feel debilitating at times, there are many treatments available.

The sooner you start to talk about your symptoms, the sooner your doctor can get you on a treatment plan that may include medication and lifestyle changes. Essential oils may be used as an alternative remedy for soothing headaches and migraine attacks. Learn more. Although most people experience occasional headaches, the cause, duration, and intensity of pain can vary by type. Here's what you need to know to….

No matter how long it lasts, migraines or severe migraines can be exhausting and debilitating. Find out what triggers or causes are responsible for an…. Heading into the holidays with migraine can feel incredibly daunting. If someone you know is living with migraine, here's how you can offer support….

Here's how I navigate chronic illness in a fat, brown, queer, immigrant woman's body. While more research is needed to include physical therapy as a first-line treatment for migraine, it may be helpful for some people as a complementary…. Migraine is a common condition around the world. It affects people of all ages, but the symptoms in children can be different than those in adults. Migraine headaches are common after traumatic brain injuries like concussions.

Persistent migraine headaches in particular can have a big effect on…. Medically Reviewed. What Is a Migraine? Scientific Animations. Alcohol Red wine is a well-known migraine trigger, but other alcoholic drinks can also cause a migraine. Weather changes Even small decreases in barometric pressure can cause a migraine, according to a study published in December in the journal SpringerPlus.

Caffeine Both caffeine itself and caffeine withdrawal can trigger a migraine. Cheese and processed meats Some people are sensitive to tyramine, a product of broken-down proteins in aged foods. Dehydration Not consuming enough liquids causes blood volume to drop, decreasing blood flow to the brain; the loss of electrolytes might also be a culprit. These symptoms are only temporary.

They are a part of the migraine attack. Areas of the body affected by the weakness may include your face, arm, or leg.

The weakness may last from an hour to even days. It most often goes away within 24 hours. For this type of migraine, the head pain can come before or after the weakness. This type of migraine is rare. Retinal migraines also called ocular migraines cause changes in vision that are not related to aura vision changes.

For retinal migraines, symptoms involve diminished vision or even blindness in one eye. These symptoms do not last long. They can occur before or after head pain.

If you experience this type of migraine, it is important to contact your doctor. Icepick headaches are not migraine headaches. They produce a stabbing pain around your eyes and temples. These stabbing pains may occur repeatedly in the same place or jump around to different areas each time. This type of headache can occur at any time and without warning.

If you are a person who has migraine headaches, you are more likely to than others to get icepick headaches, too. Cluster headaches are not migraine headaches. They are rare headaches that occur in patterns, known as cluster periods.

These periods can mean having a headache at the same time every day for a week or even a month. Cluster headaches can be extremely painful. They usually cause pain on one side of your head. This pain can be so severe that it makes your eyelid droop and your nose to get stuffy. Cervicogenic headaches are not migraine headaches. They are headaches caused by another illness or physical condition, usually a problem in your neck.

Many times, this type of headache can be brought on by a sudden movement of your neck. You might also get a cervicogenic headache after keeping your neck in the same position for too long. The pain can last for hours or days. It may be limited to one side of your head or face. The pain of a migraine headache can be intense.

It can get in the way of your daily activities. Possible symptoms of migraines are listed below. Premonitions are feelings you get that can signal a migraine is coming. These feelings can include intense energy, fatigue, food cravings, thirst, and mood changes. It appears that migraine headaches may be caused in part by changes in the level of a body chemical called serotonin. Serotonin plays many roles in the body, and it can have an effect on the blood vessels.

When serotonin levels are high, blood vessels constrict shrink. When serotonin levels fall, the blood vessels dilate swell. This swelling can cause pain or other problems. Another aspect that is being studied is that migraine headaches go along with a spreading pattern of electrical activity in the brain. Some research suggests there could be a heredity factor for migraines, meaning they may run in families.

Researchers have identified some genes associated with migraines. They are unsure, though, why these genes seem to impact some people more than others.

Ultimately, migraines seem to be caused by a combination of factors: genetic, environmental, and lifestyle. Women are more likely to have chronic migraines migraines that occur 15 days a month or more. This is likely linked to hormones. Hormones fluctuate each month around the time of your period.