Migraine headaches are defined as a pattern of symptoms including a severe intense throbbing pain on one or both sides of the head lasting between four and 72 hours, and accompanied by one or more symptoms, which include visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, extreme sensitivity to sound, light, touch and smell, and tingling or numbness in the extremities or face, according to the Migraine Research Foundation. The foundation also notes that 18 percent of women and six percent of men experience migraines.
Step 1
Record the pattern of your headache pain and other symptoms in a journal. Note the start of the pain and where on the head it occurs. Rate it from 1 to 10 at the onset and at the time the pain is most intense. Note if nausea, vomiting, light or smell sensitivity occurs, what medications you try and their effects. Also note when the pain is fully gone.
Step 2
Record what you eat and drink each day in your journal, as well as anything you smell such as cleaning solutions. Find triggers. For many people, foods can trigger migraine headaches, especially red wine, blue cheese, cheeses made from natural molds and mushrooms. Cigarette smoke exposure is a common trigger and for others, sleep deprivation is the culprit. Some people may experience headaches that feel like, but are not, migraines because on closer observation, dental pain, sinus pain or tension in the muscles of the scalp, neck and upper back is the source.
Step 3
See a board certified neurologist specializing in headache pain management. Tests will be ordered to rule out other disorders, and medications that effectively prevent migraines in many people can be prescribed. Sometimes the headache pattern can best be identified as migraine by your ability to prevent or treat the headache using medications. Take your journal with you to show the doctor what you have discovered about your headaches.
Tips and Warnings
- Preventing migraines is more effective than treating them after they have begun, according to the Mayo Clinic Neurology Department. Blood pressure medications, antidepressants and antiseizure drugs are all used with goal of eliminating migraines, and injections of botulism toxin type A, or Botox, into the scalp muscles can help prevent migraine for some people.
- If your headache is accompanied by loss of consciousness, an inability to speak clearly or to stand or any mental confusion call for an ambulance and go to the emergency room as these are signs of a possible cerebral vascular accident.
Things You'll Need
- Journal
- Pen
