The word migraineur (person who experiences migraines) reminds me of the word connoisseur (an expert in a specific field). Although there's no connection between the two words, if you are a migraineur, you should also be an connoisseur of sorts so you can find the proper treatment for your migraines.
Years ago, my family physician told me that migraines were caused from stress. Since then, I've heard many researchers claim that stress is not a migraine trigger. My doctor was not a neurologist, but he wanted to relieve me of my chronic migraines, so he gave me a prescription for a triptan drug.
Approximately a half hour after taking the triptan medication, I began having chest pains. Triptans constrict blood vessels in the brain and relieve the swelling that may cause migraines. But in my case, it also constricted the blood vessels in my heart, which caused the chest pains. I was referred to a cardiologist and luckily, my heart was fine. However, I was still having migraines. At that point, I didn't want any other medication. Instead, I took it upon myself to let go of the biggest cause of stress in my life, and voila, my headaches went away.
Some researchers believe that migraines are not caused by stress. Back in 2004, the International Headache Society removed stress as a trigger for migraines and added it to a list of things that exacerbate migraines. Since then, according to the National Institution of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), "Anxiety, stress, or relaxation after stress can also be triggers". As a migraineur, I don't care how they list it, stress causes migraines and that's that.
Medicinet.com defined a migraine as the following: "Usually, periodic attacks of headaches on one or both sides of the head. These may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity of the eyes to light (photophobia), increased sensitivity to sound (phonophobia), dizziness, blurred vision, cognitive disturbances, and other symptoms. Some migraines do not include headache, and migraines may or may not be preceded by an aura."
The Mayo Clinic said, "Migraines may be caused by changes in the trigeminal nerve, a major pain pathway. Imbalances in brain chemicals, including serotonin — which helps regulate pain in your nervous system." The key word in those paragraphs is "may" because researchers are not sure of the cause. That's why it's so important that we do our own research.
Your doctor may prescribe medication to prevent migraines or help them at the onset. However, many of the medications have side effects that are worse than the migraine pain. Or you may find no relief from migraine drugs.
There are many alternative remedies for relieving a migraine, but initially, it's important to find out what triggers your migraine. My primary trigger is stress, however, yours may be another trigger.
Take control of your life by becoming a migraine connoisseur.
Sources:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/migraine-headache/DS00120/DSECTION=tests-and-diagnosis http://www.medicinenet.com/migraine/focus.htm
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/migraine/migraine.htm
Reviewed June 2, 2011
Edited by Alison Stanton