Migraine Symptoms, Risk Factors & Treatment | Diseases List A-Z

Migraine

Migraine is a type of headache that feels like a throbbing pain, and usually only occurs on one side of the head. There are many things that can cause migraines.

This condition is also a nervous system disease that can trigger a series of symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to sound or light.

These headache attacks can last for several hours or even several days.

WHO also collected data related to headache sufferers in a number of human populations aged 18–65 years. It turns out that 30 percent of them are migraine sufferers.

Migraine attacks usually first occur at puberty, which can be more severe if they occur at the age of 35-45 years.

Migraine Symptoms

Migraines are very common during puberty. The symptoms are divided into four stages, although not everyone experiences all of them.

1. Prodromal stage

This stage usually appears one or two days before a migraine attack.

Symptoms that occur at this stage include mood swings, a desire to eat certain foods, a stiff neck, frequent yawning, constipation, frequent urination, and feeling thirsty.

2. Aura

This stage usually occurs before or during a migraine attack. Symptoms include visual disturbances, such as blurred vision.

In addition, sufferers also experience sensory, verbal, and motor disorders. Each symptom will occur slowly and can last between 20–60 minutes.

3. Headache attacks

This stage can last between 4-72 hours. Some symptoms that appear are headaches on only one side, the head feels like it is throbbing or tingling, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and becoming sensitive to sound, smell, light, or touch.

4. Resolution

This final stage occurs after the migraine. Usually, resolution occurs about 24 hours after the migraine attack.

Symptoms that occur include mood swings, fatigue, mild headaches, tiredness, and hypersensitivity to sound and light.

In addition to the symptoms that appear during these four stages, some migraine sufferers can also experience other symptoms, such as:

  • The body becomes sweaty.
  • Feeling very cold or hot.
  • Having stomach ache and diarrhea.
  • It becomes difficult to concentrate.

Be aware, migraine symptoms can also be an indication of serious health problems, such as meningitis or stroke.

If this happens, migraines will appear with several other symptoms, such as:

  • An unbearable headache that occurs suddenly and has never happened before.
  • The arm or one side of the face feels paralyzed.
  • Headaches that occur together with fever, stiff neck, feeling confused, double vision, skin rashes, and seizures.
  • Lip movements and speech that are difficult to understand.

Migraine Risk Factors

Apart from the causes above, there are also several factors that can increase a person’s risk of developing migraines, namely.

  • There is a family history of similar conditions.
  • Women. Women are three times more likely to experience migraines than men, which experts believe is due to the role of estrogen.
  • Age. Attacks of this type of headache can begin at any age, although the initial attacks are common in adolescence. The condition usually peaks in the 30s, after which attacks gradually become milder and less frequent.

Causes of Migraines

Until now, no one knows for sure what causes migraines.

However, in many conditions that occur, experts have found that there is a decrease in the levels of one of the chemicals in the brain, namely serotonin.

This is also what experts suspect is the cause of trigeminal, one of the nerves in the brain releases chemicals in the meninges or outer layer of the brain that triggers the emergence of pain.

Although the cause is still unknown, this condition can also occur due to the following factors: 

  • Hormonal changes in women. Hormone levels that tend to fluctuate in women, especially estrogen, have a close relationship with migraines. Some women claim to have migraines when estrogen levels decrease, such as before or during menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause.
  • Diet. Consumption of processed or salty foods, foods containing added sweeteners or savory flavors, and caffeinated or alcoholic beverages can also increase the risk.
  • There are environmental triggers, such as exposure to cigarette smoke, strong perfume odors, and paint remover.
  • Experiencing stress, excessive anxiety, over-excitement, and depression.
  • Bad habits, such as tired body, poor sleep quality and posture, experiencing sleep disorders, hypoglycemia, and after heavy exercise.
  • Side effects from taking certain medications, such as birth control pills or undergoing hormone therapy.

Migraine Diagnosis

A migraine diagnosis is made by a general practitioner or neurologist after knowing the patient’s and family’s medical history, as well as the symptoms that appear.

Next, the doctor will perform a physical examination, usually including a neurological examination.

To ensure that the cause of migraines is not due to other conditions, doctors will usually recommend several types of further examinations, such as:

1. Blood test

This examination aims to find out if there are problems with blood vessels, infections in the brain and spine, and also the presence of toxins in the body.

2. Scanning

Examination using MRI or CT scan is carried out to obtain a more detailed image of the brain and blood vessels.

3. Lumbar puncture

This examination is carried out if the sufferer is suspected of having an infection or bleeding in the brain, by taking a sample of fluid from the spinal cord through a gap in the spine.

Migraine Treatment

Actually, this condition cannot be cured. Treatment can only be done to reduce the symptoms that occur.

Treatment is based on the age, type, severity, and health condition of the sufferer. Some self-treatment methods that you can try are:

  • Rest in a quiet room with minimal or dark lighting.
  • Perform a massage on the head or temples.
  • Apply a cold compress to the top of the chin or back of the neck.
  • Muscle relaxation.

If home remedies still can’t relieve the symptoms, there are several migraine medications that you can take, such as:

1. Pain reliever

Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as paracetamol, aspirin, and ibuprofen, can be migraine medications that help reduce headaches.

They can be effective when taken when migraines are just starting to show symptoms. However, it still takes time for the body to fully absorb these drugs.

If symptoms are severe enough, pain relievers containing caffeine can be tried.

2. Anti-nausea or antiemetic drugs 

Anti-nausea medications can also be a helpful migraine medication for some people.

This type of medication is usually prescribed by doctors along with painkillers. Possible side effects include drowsiness and diarrhea.

3. Triptans

If regular painkillers don’t relieve your symptoms, talk to your GP.

They may recommend taking another painkiller called a triptan.

Triptans are migraine medications that work by reversing the changes in the brain that can cause migraine headaches.

This medication causes the blood vessels around the brain to narrow (contract).

It reverses the dilation of blood vessels that is believed to be part of the migraine process. Triptans are available as tablets, injections, and nasal sprays.

In addition to migraine medication, you can also treat this headache with acupuncture, biofeedback therapy which is done by recording electrical activity in the body, and cognitive behavioral therapy to help improve the influence and response of the mind and to pain.

Recommended Migraine Medications

There are several migraine medications that you can use to treat the symptoms of this disease, including:

  • Flunarizine 5 mg 10 Tablets. It is a tablet drug that is useful for treating migraine prophylaxis, vertigo, and vestibular disorders.
  • Ericaf 10 Tablets. Contains ergotamine and caffeine which are useful for treating acute migraine attacks.
  • Triptagic Caplet 100 mg. It is a caplet drug containing sumatriptan to treat migraine symptoms or one-sided headaches.
  • Bodrex Migra 4 Caplets. Contains a combination of paracetamol, propyphenazone, and caffeine to relieve migraine headaches.
  • Panadol Extra 10 Caplets. Useful for relieving headaches and toothaches with paracetamol and caffeine content.
  • Farsifen Plus 10 Tablets. Contains a combination of paracetamol, ibuprofen,      and caffeine that can help relieve various pains, including migraine pain.
  • Poldan Mig 4 Caplets. Can help relieve moderate headaches and migraines with a combination of paracetamol, acetylsalicylic acid, and caffeine.
  • Ibuprofen 200 mg 10 Tablets.  Useful for treating various types of mild to moderate pain, including headaches and migraines.
  • Opistan 500 mg 10 Caplets. Contains mefenamic acid which can relieve mild to moderate pain such as migraine headaches, toothaches, and primary dysmenorrhea.

Migraine Prevention

Avoid multifactorial triggers, including:

  • Hormonal factors.
  • Diet (alcohol, meat containing nitrates, monosodium glutamate, aspartame, chocolate, aged or stale cheese, skipping meals, fasting, and caffeinated drinks).
  • Psychological ( stress, post-stress or weekend holiday conditions, anxiety, fear, depression).
  • Physical environment (glaring light, bright light, visual stimulation, and fluorescent light).

Migraine Complications

This condition is associated with an increased risk of the following health problems:

1. Stroke ischemic

This occurs when the blood supply to the brain is blocked by a blood clot or fatty material in an artery.

Studies have shown that people who experience migraines (especially migraines with aura) have twice the risk of having an ischemic stroke compared to people without migraines.

2. Mental health problems

This condition is also associated with an increased risk of mental health problems, such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and panic disorders.