Migraine Pain

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Migraine Pain

What is Migraine Pain?

Migraine pain is that blinding, “I just want to rip my head off to make it stop” kind of pain that can put a quick halt to most any kind of normal activity. Oh, who are we kidding – you can barely stand to breath, much less anything else! My wife has migraine headaches nearly constantly, sometimes worse than others. I’ve seen her lay her head on the linoleum floor just to feel that brief relief of coolness.

Migraine headache pain, is considered to be a medical condition that has the symptoms of severe headache, gastrointestinal problems (usually nausea and vomiting), and sensitivity to light, noise, and smells, that can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. My wife gets migraines that sometimes last a week! Here is a little more information on migraines to help you understand and support the more than 28 million Americans around you who suffer from migraines.

Children can also have migraine headaches, but parents who are raising special kids often find that young children may be experiencing migraine pain, but are not able to tell you about it. Or it may be you that suffers – and still have the challenges of taking care of a child with special needs. You are not alone.

Headache Pain vs Migraine Pain

What is the difference between a headache and a migraine headache? I think the phrase “if you have to ask” really applies here; however, there are several specific differences:

Four Common Phases of an Attack

There is one thing about medicine that is for sure, and that is that everyone is different. There can be major differences in the way that people experience migraine pain, but there are four commonly identified phases of a migraine attack. And in keeping with the whole individual experience analogy, not everyone who has a migraine will go through all four of these stages. It is different for everyone, but these phases tend to be common among most migraine sufferers.

The Prodrome – is also called the “pre-headache” gives early warning that a migraine is coming sometimes hours or days before the actual migraine kicks in. Some of things experienced are specific food cravings, mood changes, constipation or diarrhea, and fatigue. If you are keeping a headache diary be sure to note these types of signs prior to these other phases.

The Aura – is actually another “pre-headache” stage that about 20% of migrainers experience, follows the prodrome and usually will last less than an hour. Some of the things experienced during the pre-migraine aura are visual, auditory, and olfactory (smells) hallucinations, confusion, difficulty speaking, vertigo, loss or increase of senses and tingling or numbness in the face or extremities on or near the side where the headache develops. The best known of this phase is the visual with flashing lights, lines, spots or blurry areas of vision, and has been described as LSD without the drugs.

The Pain Phase – the migraine headache pain kicks in following the aura. Some people skip the first two phases completely, with pain being the first symptom. Pain is moderate to severe and usually occurs on one side or the other, but can hit on both sides. Although the pain is occurring in the head, it can be so bad that the whole body is affected. Other common symptoms during this phase are sensitivity to light, sound, noise, motion, smells, nausea and vomiting. Additionally, a migraine sufferer can get sinus congestion and/or runny nose, anxiety or depression, dizziness, confusion, and even hot flashes or chills.

Postdrome Phase – after the intense migraine pain is over, it can still take hours or even days to recover from a migraine attack. The postdrome phase can literally leave a person wiped out, irritable, with a lack of concentration and mood changes, but mostly just needing to sleep it off.

Treatment for Migraine Pain

The three typical approaches to migraine treatment are to identify and avoid the triggers that can lead to migraines, controlling the symptoms once a migraine has started, and the third way of using drugs as a preventative measure.

Avoiding Triggers

Your doctor can help you to figure out what your migraine triggers are, but he will probably want you to keep a headache journal to keep track of everything that happens before, during and after a migraine episode. This can help you (and your doctor) to determine what your triggers are for migraine, as everyone is different. Some triggers for migraines are:

Finding your triggers will help you to be able to avoid or control some of the things that can set off your migraines, which will hopefully lead to less of them.

Controlling Symptoms

People who suffer migraine pain develop their own method they know gets relief, but there are a few that have been standard practice over the years – be sure to talk with your doctor about ideas to help relieve your migraine pain.

For people who get migraines with changes in the weather, there is a treatment named “Valsalva maneuver”. All you have to do is to hold your nose and push the air in your mouth back to the ears; this popping of the air helps you to open your Eustachian tubes, which by regular opening and closing helps you maintain a normal equalize the barometric pressure. (Let me know if this works for you!)

Avoiding what you are sensitive to during an attack is a sensible solution, and can help lessen the intensity of the migraine, or even keep it from getting worse. Light, noise, temperature, smells – even the pressure of some clothing on the skin, can make the migraine pain even worse. My wife usually lies down in a dark, quiet room with a cold pack on her head and I know she is hoping that I can keep the kids quiet and out of the bedroom!

Your next line of defense is drugs. People who only get an occasional migraine will usually hit this step first, but the seasoned veteran (daily to several per week) will try every other relief imaginable first. Why? Why not just pop a pill, or use the injector and be done with it? First, all drugs have side effects and should only be used if absolutely necessary. Second, because drugs will not always work, and then you have just blown your last chance. Third, prescription medication can only be taken so much, so often, and it is possible to use your entire prescription for the month in the first week – then what do you do? Always have a plan B!

Commonly Used Migraine Medication

NSAID This category of over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs is referred to as Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and includes some of these common medications:

When triptans fail to help you reduce the pains caused by Migraine, sometimes doctors will prescribe one of these drugs in the “Ergot” class:

Another class of prescription medication is opiates. Your doctor may decide to revert to this class of pain relief if you are unable to take ergots or triptans for some reason (i.e. allergic reaction). These include:

Combinations of medications can be used, such as Tylenol 3, which is really a NSAID and Opiate combination (Ibuprofen and Codeine). Medication of any kind should only be under the supervision of your doctor.

Prevention

Preventative techniques and medication can be used to help keep migraines from starting in the first place, or reduce the frequency of migraine attacks. Some of these techniques are:

Alternative Migraine Pain Relief

There are a wide variety of alternative treatments out there and each has a following that claims this is the one-true-way. As with anything, do your research, talk with your doctor, but I am telling you right now that if something works for you and helps relieve the pain, intensity, or frequency of migraine pain, then great! Use it – and write and tell me about your experience (Contact Us). Here are some alternative methods:

Consult With Your Doctor

Migraine pain can be completely disabling, and can qualify for Social Security Disability under certain circumstances. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting any self-treatment program and do not take medication prescribed for someone else.

Migraines are certainly not easy to live with, but keeping a headache journal can help you and your doctor pinpoint your triggers. Avoiding the triggers will not “cure” your migraines, but I am sure that if there is even one thing that you can do to lessen the frequency or the intensity of a migraine headache – you are going to do it! Talk to others that also live with migraines and see what works for them – join a support group or an online group or forum. When you find something that helps, then use it – and tell others about it as well (use the Contact Us form to send in your experiences).