Here’s an answer to the question “what is a migraine”, a condition that many people suffer from.
WHAT IS A MIGRAINE – These are some significant things to learn about a migraine such as its symptoms and the treatment.
Amaal Starling, M.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic defined migraine as “a headache that can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head”. He added that this kind of headache is usually accompanied by “nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound”.
SEE: Migraine Vs. Headache – The Differences Between These Two Conditions
It has four stages: prodrome, aura, attack, and post-drome.
- Prodrome is the changes that serve as warning signs that a migraine may come like constipation, changes in your mood, food cravings, neck stiffness, frequent yawning, and others.
- Aura is the symptoms or changes that might happen before or while you have the condition. These changes are reversible and you might experience these for up to an hour. Auras include vision loss, sensations of pins and needles in the arms or legs, and difficulty in speaking.
- The attack where the pain can last for 4 to 72 hours. Some signs and symptoms include pain on either one side or both sides of the head, throbbing pain, being sensitive to light and sound, nausea, and vomiting.
- Post-drome, the stage after the attack which will leave you seemingly “drained, confused and washed out”.
According to a post from NHS, painkillers like paracetamol or ibuprofen will do the trick to treat the pain. There are no specific cures but what can ease or reverse the changes causing it apart from painkillers are triptans and anti-emetics.
Certain triggers are:
- starting of a period
- stress
- tiredness
- certain foods or drinks
Hormonal changes in women also trigger this condition while the other factors include changes in sleeping, weather changes, and medications. To prevent this, simply avoid the factors triggering it.
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