Migraine Management

• Throbbing headache that usually affects one side of the head and becomes worse with time.
• Nausea and vomiting
• Sensitivity to light and noise
• Aura: appears before or during a headache. It might develop as a small region of vision loss or bright flashes. Numbness and tingling. Some people hear noises.
• Yawning, feeling depressed, restlessness, food cravings, constipation, or a stiff neck are some of the other symptoms.

Migraine episodes can be prevented by avoiding the triggers. Identifying triggers can be accomplished by keeping a “migraine calendar” in which you record every time you have a migraine attack and what you did or ate before it began.

Common triggers include:

• Stress
• Hormonal changes
• Skipping meals
• Weather changes
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Bright or flashing lights
• Alcohol
• Certain drinks or foods

There are different medication options available that can help with migraines depending on each case.

• For mild migraines, over-the-counter medicine such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen. There is also a medicine that combines acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine such as Excedrin.
• For more severe migraines, there are prescription medicines that can help. Triptans help to relieve the pain from a migraine attack. Other prescription medicines can help to make migraine attacks happen less often. If you have severe nausea or vomiting with your migraines, there are medicines that can help too.

Do not try to treat frequent migraines on your own with non-prescription pain medicines.

Inform your doctor before you start trying. Some medicines used to treat and prevent migraines are not safe during pregnancy, so you might need to switch medicines before you get pregnant.