Question: Extremely painful Migraines getting worse. What to do?
Answer:
Full Question:
I'm a 22 year old female and I consider myself
to be overall healthy. Sometimes I get migraines that just hurt so much that I
can't keep my eyes open. It started about 2 years ago. Whenever I would have a
busy day by 5pm I would have a headache that would turn into a migraine by 7pm.
I also noticed that I was nauseous most of the time I had a migraine and
vomiting seemed to take care of the pain. Now about once in two week I get
migraines that I cannot deal with. Vomiting does not help anymore, and I try not
to take any pain relievers instead I go to bed and in the morning everything is
back to normal. The pain is in my forehead and I can feel it on top of my head.
Nothing else hurts. Yesterday I had one of the migraine outbreaks, went to bed,
woke up feeling much better but the whole day I feel like the skull is hurting
like a bruise. I work on my laptop 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I obviously
understand that these migraines are not normal, and I was wondering what could
it be and what do I need to do? Thank you, Katie.
Answer:
Dear Katie;
Migraine is a genetic neurological disease. It doesn't just go away, and it needs to be treated. Your Migraine patterns can vary during your lifetime with some periods with more Migraine attacks, some with fewer. Some Migraineurs have one or two Migraines a year; other Migraineurs can have a Migraine virtually every day without treatment. There's no one answer other than good medical care. What you need to do is find a doctor who knows how to treat Migraine disease and work with that doctor to find a good preventive regimen to reduce the frequency and severity of your Migraines as well as effective medications to take when you do get a Migraine. Here's some info you can read and discuss with your doctor:
-
Migraines, Not Really "Headaches"
When people who don't have migraines don't understand, it can be a problem. Let's start by realizing that migraines really aren't headaches. -
Anatomy of a Migraine
When many people think “migraine” they think only of the pain of migraine. In reality, a migraine episode consists of far more. The typical migraine episode actually consists of four parts, referred to as phases or components. -
Medications for Headache and Migraine Prevention
For those of us with frequent headaches or Migraine attacks, preventive medications, dietary supplements, and even medical devices are often a good option. There are over 100 medications that can be used and nearly endless combinations of them. The list is ever-evolving, and will this one will be updated regularly. -
Triptans: Overview and Profiles
In 1992, the FDA approved the first of a class of medications that many Migraineurs call "miracle drugs." That drug was sumatriptan (Imitrex®, Imigran®), the first triptan. Here are both general information on triptans and detailed profiles of each.
Good luck,
Teri Robert and John Claude Krusz
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Published March 27, 2006
