Migraine Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention

Understanding

Migraine are moderate to severe throbbing headaches. Usually, headaches only attack on one side.

Without treatment, migraines can usually last for 4 hours. However, severe migraines can last up to a week.

The frequency of appearance is also different in each patient. But on average, migraines appear 2-4 times a month. In some cases, migraines can appear every few days.

This one-sided headache usually triggers symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and more sensitivity to light, sound, and smells. The term for the initial symptoms that indicate a migraine will appear is aura.

Actually, there are several types and types of migraines. The following types of migraine, including:

1. Migraine with Aura

Usually, the sign that appears before a migraine occurs is like seeing a flash of light or ringing in the ears.

2. Migraine Without Aura

Migraines appear without previous symptoms.

3. Migraine Aura Without Headaches

Sufferers feel an aura but without a headache.

4. Chronic Migraine

Chronic migraines recur for at least 15 days each month. Symptoms, pain level and perceived severity can vary.

Generally, chronic migraines result from excessive use of drugs.

Symptom

The main feature of a migraine is a throbbing headache that is felt on one side of the head.

Usually, the pain gets worse when the body moves so that it prevents the sufferer from doing normal activities. In some cases, the pain may appear on both sides of the head, face and neck.

In general, there are five phases of the appearance of migraine symptoms, namely:

1. Prodrome phase

The prodrome phase appears before a migraine attack. Usually a change in mood (eg, irritability) or a more sensitive sense of touch.

Fatigue and muscle stiffness are also common during this phase. There are also those who feel cravings for certain foods, constipation, or frequent yawning.

2. Aura phase

The aura phase is usually a visual disturbance. There are sufferers who experience flashes of light with blurred vision, colorful lights, or even lose half of their vision (hemianopsia).

Aura itself is a symptom of the nervous system.

3. Headache Phase

Migraine pain usually appears on only one side of the head. However, this throbbing pain can also appear on both sides of the head.

In this phase, most sufferers feel nauseous and even vomit. During a migraine attack, you can become sensitive to light and sound.

Without treatment, this phase can last 4-72 hours.

4. Postdomal phase

In the postdromal phase, the pain has subsided, but the accompanying symptoms persist. It took a while for it to completely disappear.

5. Associated Symptoms

Other symptoms that usually accompany migraines include excessive sweating, difficulty concentrating, feeling very hot or very cold, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

However, not all sufferers experience these symptoms. These symptoms also do not always appear simultaneously.

In fact, in some cases, sufferers can feel symptoms without headaches.

Every one in three migraine sufferers experience symptoms that appear before the migraine attacks. This symptom is known as an aura, which consists of:

Visual problems, such as seeing zig-zag patterns in vision
Numbness or tingling, starting on one side of the hand and radiating toward the face
Loss of balance or dizziness
Having difficulty speaking
Fainting (though rare)

The duration of the aura is about five minutes to one hour. The appearance of an aura can be accompanied by a headache or not at all.

Reason

Migraines appear due to the effects of abnormal brain activity that affects blood vessels, nerves, and chemicals in the brain.

However, basically, the causes of migraines can vary depending on the trigger.

It’s best to have special notes so you can identify triggers that consistently cause migraines.

Several factors can trigger and cause migraines, including:

1. Hormonal Changes

Women are more at risk of suffering from migraines than men. This is caused by fluctuations in hormone levels that are closely related to migraines.

Many women experience migraines during menstruation. Decreased estrogen levels are suspected as the cause.

Many women with migraines feel better after menopause. However, not a few also feel otherwise.

2. Self Emotional Triggers

Apparently, migraines can be triggered by the emotional state of the sufferer. For example, stress, overexcitation, anxiety, and depression.

3. Physical Triggers

Physical conditions that arise as a result of lifestyle can also trigger migraines, for example:

Fatigue
Not getting enough rest, both in quality and quantity
Tension in the neck and shoulders, usually related to posture
Doing unusual strenuous physical activity

4. Diet Triggers and Foodstuffs

Here are things related to diet that can trigger migraines:

Irregular eating
Dehydration
Liquor
Caffeinated drinks such as tea and coffee
Chocolate, cheese or oranges

5. Triggers from the Environment

Environmental factors can also cause a person to have a migraine, including:

The light is too bright
A flickering screen (TV or computer monitor).
Smoking or being in a smoke-filled room
Loud volumes
Changes in the weather
Sharp aroma

6. Drug factors

Taking sleeping pills, birth control pills, or undergoing hormone replacement therapy (which is sometimes done to relieve menopausal symptoms) can trigger migraines.

Risk Factors

Meanwhile, factors that make a person more at risk of experiencing migraines are:

Female gender
Family history of migraines
History of certain diseases, such as epilepsy and bipolar disorder

Diagnosis

Migraines are generally diagnosed by looking at the pattern of headaches that match the migraine symptoms. Here are the steps for diagnosing migraines.

1. Medical Interview

First of all, the doctor will ask about the history of headaches that have been felt so far. Describe the symptoms and characteristics of the pain you are experiencing in detail.

It’s a good idea to have a special record of migraine attacks that you’ve experienced.

Tell the doctor about the location of the headache, the symptoms you feel, the duration of the headache, when the headache appears, the frequency of the headache, and the severity of the headache on a scale of 1-10.

In addition, also inform what foods you consumed before the headache appeared and whether there were any types of treatment that were or had been done.

For women, informing the menstrual cycle can also help doctors in diagnosing.

2. Physical Examination

After that, the doctor will carry out a physical examination, for example checking vision, coordination between limbs, reflexes, and checking the condition of the sense of touch.

This examination will help eliminate the possibility of headaches associated with other diseases.

Here are some questions the doctor might ask about the headache you are feeling:

Is the headache only felt on one side of the head?
Is the headache felt in the form of a throbbing pain?
Do headaches make it difficult for you to do activities?
Does the headache get worse when you do physical activity?
Is the headache accompanied by other symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound?

3. Supporting examination

If needed, the doctor will suggest a nerve examination. This is intended to eliminate the possibility that you have a neurological disease that can affect the brain and trigger migraines.

In addition, the doctor will do blood tests, CT scans, or lumbar puncture examinations.

Treatment

Migraines actually can not be cured. However, the frequency and pain can be controlled to be less frequent and mild.

How to deal with migraines can be different for each sufferer. You may have to try several different treatment methods before you find one that works for you.

In addition, treatment options can be different, depending on the frequency, severity, and general health conditions. This also includes special conditions such as pregnant and lactating women.

Each sufferer has different preferences in dealing with migraines. Some are quite helped by sleeping or lying in a dark room.

However, there are also those who take drugs to relieve pain and relieve nausea. But it’s best to consult with a neurologist before taking drugs.

The following types of migraine medications can be consumed:

1. Painkillers

Many migraine sufferers are helped by over-the-counter pain relievers, such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, and aspirin.

The right time to take pain relievers is at the start of a migraine. This is because the drug takes time to dissolve in the blood and relieve symptoms.

Pain relievers in the form of soluble tablets are alternative drugs that you can try. This drug will more quickly seep into the bloodstream.

But remember, aspirin and ibuprofen are not recommended for sufferers under 16 years of age or for sufferers of gastric disorders such as ulcers.

Consult a doctor if symptoms do not improve. The doctor may give higher doses of drugs or recommend pain relievers combined with triptans and anti-nausea drugs.

2. Triptans

Triptans are a group of drugs that specifically reduce migraines. Triptans work by reducing the chemical changes in the brain that cause migraines.

This group of drugs will make blood vessels constrict thereby blocking pain signals on the nerves of the brain.

Because of this function, triptans should not be given if you have a risk of stroke or heart attack.

Other side effects of triptans include burning, tingling, nausea, dry mouth, drowsiness, dizziness, and muscle weakness.

3. Anti-nausea Medication

In migraine sufferers, anti-nausea drugs can relieve symptoms even if the patient does not feel nauseous or want to vomit.

Same with pain relievers, the most effective anti-nausea drugs are taken immediately after a migraine appears. Side effects of anti-nausea drugs are usually drowsiness and diarrhea.

4. Treatment for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women

In general, migraine treatment using drugs should be limited to pregnant and lactating women.

It is better for sufferers to avoid triggers so that migraines do not recur. If needed, the doctor can give low-dose pain relievers, such as paracetamol.

However, before taking medication, you should consult with your doctor first.

Prevention

There are several ways to prevent migraines, namely:

Get to know migraine triggers first, whether stress or certain foods. If you already know, as much as possible avoid triggers
Live a healthy lifestyle by consuming a balanced nutritional diet, exercising regularly
Avoid foods or drinks that are thought to trigger migraines, such as caffeine
For women, because migraines are often associated with hormonal changes, you should avoid taking drugs that contain the hormone estrogen, such as birth control pills

Complications

Some migraine sufferers can experience complications in the form of:

Hemorrhagic stroke, especially in migraine sufferers who have a history of high blood pressure, heart disease, and blood vessels
Psychological disorders, such as depression, panic, or anxiety
Aura symptoms persist for more than 1 week
Status migrainous, which is a condition of severe migraine that lasts more than 72 hours
Migraine seizures that occur when a migraine occurs

When to See a Doctor?

Immediately consult a doctor if:

The frequency of migraine symptoms is quite common
The severity of symptoms can no longer be managed by taking over-the-counter pain relievers. Consumption of pain relievers must also be according to instructions. If consumed too much, the body will become immune to it
Migraines occur more than five days a month, even if you try to control them with medication

You also have to be vigilant because headaches are often an early symptom of a more serious illness, such as a stroke or inflammation of the brain.

You need to be vigilant if your pain is accompanied by the following symptoms:

Speech difficulties
Unbearable headache that never experienced before
Headache accompanied by high fever, stiff neck, confusion, seizures, double vision, and rash
Arm or face, partially or completely, paralyzed or limp