Migraines & Headaches Resource Center

Migraines are debilitating and painful.  They can put us out of commission for hours or days, sometimes weeks.   Yet, some people never seek help for them.  That is a very painful way to go.  Nearly half or the migraine sufferers do not get diagnosis or treatment for their migraines, partially because they don’t know where to go or who to ask.

A good place to start is to talk to your doctor, especially if you have several headaches per month and they last for several hours or days.  If your headaches disrupt your home, work or school, or if you have nausea, vomiting or other symptoms, talk to your doctor about your headaches and all of your symptoms.

Prepare in advance for your doctor’s visit and help your doctor identify your headaches by keeping track of certain things.  Before your appointment, start writing down how often your headaches are occurring and how long they last from beginning to end.  Write down what your symptoms are, such as nausea, problems with light or noise, and where the pain is located.  Other important information includes tracking when the headache and other symptoms start, such as during or before your menstrual period, after you have eaten specific food or had a specific beverage to drink. 

For instance, some people can drink beer and rum but not vodka or wine.  They don’t get headaches from a glass of beer or a drink that has rum in it, but if they have a glass of wine or a drink with vodka in it, they have very extreme symptoms within a few minutes or hours.  Your doctor needs to know this type of details.  In addition, tell the doctor if your family has any history of migraines or other headaches, high blood pressure, stroke, or other health issues, and if you are having other symptoms, such as blind spots.

Your doctor will review this information with you and possibly perform some tests including a blood test.  This will start the process of finding the causes and appropriate treatment for your headaches and migraines.

 If you are looking for further information after you speak with your doctor, you can find information at www.migraines.org.

If you have suffered from a migraine headache every once in a while, you know that they are debilitating, they are awful and you hold your breath during an episode, then breathe a sigh of relief when they are over.  Not only do migraines pretty much wipe us out for a few hours or days, they also leave us exhausted too many times.  It often takes days after the episode in order to get back to being yourself.

Now, think of how overwhelming it would be if – instead of having a migraine every once in a while – you had a migraine regularly, monthly, weekly or even daily.  Having suffered migraines myself for many years, often on a weekly basis, I am familiar with the pain and the after effects.  You barely get your equilibrium back again when the cycle starts all over.  It messes up your work, your family and your life.

There are some ways to deal with continuous migraines.  First of all, there are newer and more advanced medications that can stop migraines as their symptoms begin, stop migraines before they begin (by taking medication regularly), and stop migraines altogether.  There are different treatments for different people.  It’s not a “one size fits all” sort of treatment. 

If you suffer from regular headaches go to the doctor and get help.  Make sure you are keeping track of symptoms.  Are there visual problems that come with them?  Nausea?  Does your neck hurt?  What was happening at work or home before the migraine that might have brought it on?  Was it extreme stress?  What did you eat or drink before the headache?  Were you tired, lethargic, having a hard time concentrating?  All of these can be precursors to migraines.

The interesting fact is that over 25% of migraine sufferers get no real warning before they start.  Many migraine sufferers suffer in silence, sometimes for years.  When my migraines started – due to some serious health problems and hormone changes – there were not many choices of medications and both my family and the doctors – several of them – told me they were all in my head.  Only the emergency room – usually at the most inopportune time in the middle of the night – would take a look at my symptoms and feel sorry enough to use some sort of medication to knock me out for a while.

Things have changed.  There is help available.  Don’t suffer through migraine after migraine.  See a specialist.  Talk to your doctor.  Look for information on the web.  It can – and does – get better. 

Two good sites are www.migraines.org and www.fda.gov (click on migraines).