Migraine - Symptoms, Types, and Prevention

A rising concern for working people, migraines are worse versions of regular headaches. Its primary characteristics include a pulsing sensation and throbbing pain on one side of the head. Various factors such as light, movement, or sound can trigger migraine. While it can result in severe consequences, patients can reduce migraine with proper medication.

Are you having frequent headaches and worrying about migraine possibilities?

Then, let’s delve into its symptoms and other details.

A migraine is a serious form of headache, which causes a pulsing sensation with piercing pain on either side of the head. Such headaches can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to sound and light.

There can be multiple reasons behind the cause of migraine. Medical research reveals the most common cause to be abnormal brain activity, which temporarily affects nerve signals, blood vessels, and chemicals in the brain. When this is combined with the triggers, individuals feel migraine pain.

Apart from perforating and pounding pain, migraine patients often feel severe and dull pain, starting mild. It can begin on one side of the head and shift to the other. While most migraine pain lasts for 4 hours, it can stay for 72 hours if not treated. The reason for migraine differs among individuals, based on the trigger points.

Symptoms of migraine can vary across individuals. It mainly depends on the position of a patient in the stages of migraine. While there can be 150 types of headaches, doctors generally consider four main stages of migraines. Therefore, the symptoms of migraine differ accordingly. However, sensitivity to light, sound, and smell remains a common symptom.

Prodrome

Usually, days before the headache, migraine patients can experience prodrome as a symptom of pre-migraine. While it may or may not occur every time, about 60% of migraine patients experience the following issues in the prodrome stage. 

• Food cravings or loss of appetite
• Bloating, diarrhoea, or constipation
• Mood swings
• Neck stiffness
• Severe thirst and urination
• Fatigue and frequent yawning

Aura

A group of sensory, motor, and speech symptoms, an aura stems from the nervous system and often involves vision. It occurs before the headache starts and can be misinterpreted as a stroke. It usually begins before 5-20 minutes and can last for less than an hour. However, it may cause people to experience some of the following issues.

• Visual disturbance, with sparkles, bright flashing dots, and flashes of light in the vision
• Pin and needle sensations in the legs and arms
• Weakness or numbness on one part of the body or face
• Ringing sensation in the ears
• Changes in smell or taste

Attack

It is the actual stage of migraine. An attack can last between 4 and 72 hours, based on the urgency of treatment. It can get worse with physical activities, and the trigger points can increase the pain.

• Pain shifts from one side of the head to another
• Throbbing or pulsing sensation
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dizziness, fatigue, and fainting feelings

Post-drome

This stage occurs after the headache stops. Individuals can feel completely exhausted, drained out, and confused during this phase.

• Fatigue and weakness
• Mood swings and irritability
• Muscle pain
• Food cravings or lack of appetite

Diagnosis of migraines is based on the clinical history of an individual. In most cases, inheritance becomes the cause of the disease. Therefore, the doctors mainly check if the migraine attack is episodic or chronic in a patient and treat it accordingly.

An MRI scan is popularly used to produce images of the brain and blood vessels. On the other hand, a CT scan uses several brain X-rays to analyse detailed cross-sectional images of the brain. These can be used to evaluate the current situation of migraine intensity and stages in the patient.

Based on the triggers and stages, there can be different types of migraines. Identifying these types can be helpful for quick diagnosis and treatment.

Migraine With Aura

These are also termed complicated migraines, and about 15%-20% of migraine patients face an aura before migraine. In the case of brainstem aura, patients can face slurred speech, vertigo, loss of balance, or double vision. Moreover, the migraine pain symptoms might also include speech problems, ringing in the ears, and vomiting.

Acephalgic Migraine

This type of migraine is also termed "silent migraines" since the patients face aura without headache. However, even without the headache, this type of migraine can be a serious bother. The other symptoms include upset stomach, vomiting, hot or chill splashes, runny nose, dizziness or fatigue, sensitivity to lights and sound, confusion, etc.

Hemiplegic Migraine

It is a rare form of migraine, whereby patients feel temporary paralysis or numbness on one part of the body. Patients with Hemiplegic Migraine usually face migraine with aura. The other symptoms include numbness, extreme weakness on some body parts, tingling sensation, dizziness, or vision change. In rare cases, hemiplegic migraine can be severe enough to cause coma.

Retinal Migraine (Ocular Migraine)

Loss of vision, both temporary and permanent, can occur with retinal migraine. It can start from a dull pain behind the eyes and spread through the parts of the head. The loss of vision can last for up to a month.

Chronic Migraine

This type of migraine attack lasts for about 15 days a month. The symptoms keep changing in this case, and the severity of the pain can fluctuate. If a patient takes pain medicines, they might face more frequent episodes of migraine.

Status Migrainosus

It is a rare yet severe kind of migraine. Usually, a status migrainosus can last for more than 72 hours, causing headaches, pain, and nausea. It can occur because of certain medications or medication withdrawal.

There is no specific age group for migraine it can happen to almost anyone. However, people between the ages of 14 and 44 are more prone to getting migraine attacks. In most cases, migraine runs in the family line and can be inherited. People over 40 years of age or older might also get migraines, but getting a new onset of headache is uncommon.

There can be various risks for getting different types of migraines. Apart from the physical pain and side effects, it can result in severe mood swings and even lead individuals to depression. Other psychological risks include general anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. It can also result in substance abuse disorders in specific individuals. Agoraphobia can be another risk.

Migraine pain is usually chronic, which makes it difficult to be cured completely. However, patients can consult with doctors to develop methods to deal with the pain and reduce it. For this, individuals can use the following medication tips for treating migraine attacks.

Medication for Pain Relief

Doctors often prescribe over-the-counter (OTC) drugs to migraine patients. It is one of the fastest forms of treatment. However, these are not given to patients under the age of 19 years. It can cause rebound headaches, and patients often become addicted to these.

Preventive Medication

These are considered one of the best treatments for migraine.

When migraine is severe and occurs more than four times a month, doctors prescribe preventive medicines. These medicines reduce the frequency and severity of headaches.

Medication for the Side Effects

Doctors often prescribe medicines for patients to handle nausea, vomiting, and digestion issues when dealing with migraine attacks. In addition, drugs from the Lasmiditan category help ease pain and sensitivity to lights and sound.

Thus, it is safe to say that migraine is a serious concern. If left untreated, migraine pain becomes severe, shifting from one part of the head to another. It can also result in life-threatening conditions such as meningitis, infection, or tumours.

Usually, the process of preventing migraine seems complicated. 

It is mainly because migraine triggers can differ from person to person. However, researchers have developed a basic set of tips, which can help avoid migraines. You can follow the same to prevent migraine attacks.

• Avoid bright lights and loud noise.
• Avoid certain food items, including processed meat, sweeteners, chocolates, red wine, and others.
• Keep track of hormonal changes.
• Take regular medicines and supplements.
• Identify seasonal changes and take measures.
• Avoid stress and undertake relaxing exercises.
• Keep track of your headache episodes in a diary.

There is no impact of migraine on the lifespan of the patients. It does not shorten their life or cause any damage to the brain. Thus, it is evident that there are hardly any long-term threats for migraine patients. However, the pain is normally draining and exhausting, which is a concern for older people, in particular.

Moreover, researches show a 50% higher rate of dementia among migraine patients. Therefore, it is advisable to work towards reducing the impact of migraine.