Migraines are more than a headache

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 573, 14 February 1995, Page 15

Migraines are more than a headache

Migraines are real, debilitating conditions that affect nearly 200,000 New Zealanders. Most people with migraines cannot help or stop the headache from occurring and are often very sick. It is not a normal stress headache or hangover. "The pain and other effects of migraine are often underestimated - usually by people who have never had one, says Self Care pharmacist Christine Thompson. "People with migraine headaches are sometimes thought of as being stressed out or unable to cope and they just need to pull themselves together, and that response is grossly unfair," says Christine. Migraine headaches are quite common in New Zealand affecting about one adult in every 12. Two-thirds of these people are women and most

will have their worst and most frequent migraines before they are 40 years old. "By affecting this younger, important section of the community, migraine has a measurable impact on the social and economic status of the country. Those affected are often in the child-bearing, childrearing age group with constant family commitments. Many are also part of the paid workforce," says Christine. "There are also social effects of being a migraine sufferer: many people who get migraines are afraid to commit themselves to social events through fear of having an attack, of letting others down and of not being able to contribute the way in which they would most like." Migraine has an easily recognisable pattern that

sets it apart from other headaches, such as tension headaches, hangovers or rarer "cluster" headaches. "Migraine can be a tremendously debilitating condition," says Christine. The sufferer typically will be unable to function in the normal manner for periods of up to three days at a time. 'The frequency of migraine attacks varies - some people may have them once a week, others may have only one a year. "Half of the people who have migraine attacks may have some form of 'warning' that an attack is coming. Symptoms - such as heightened or dull senses, irritability or withdrawal, craving for particular foods (especially sweet foods), lots of yawning or trouble talking develop slowly over a 24hour period prior to a migraine attack.

"In people who have mild warning signs they are missed or overlooked until they are pointed out to them by a doctor," says Christine. Just before a migraine headache attack, about one in five sufferers has an obvious warning that they are about to have an attack - this is known as an aura. They may see flashing lights or shimmering zigzag lines and have loss of vision from one or both eyes. There may be pins and needles in one of the hands that might move or extend up the arm. These signs usually happen within an hour of an attack and will not last more than an hour. Sometimes there is a gap between the aura and the headache. Eighty per cent of migraine attacks do not have an aura.

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Migraines are more than a headache

From Page 15 Headache "Headache is themost common and painful symptom of migraine. A sufferer's head will aChe badly, usually only on one side, and it will throb for anything from four hours to three days. They may feel sick and vomit. Many sufferers cannot stand too much light, noise or movement and retire to a dark, quiet room," says Christine. Once the headache has gone, most people with migraine feel washed out for up to a day or so afterwards. They will have tired achy muscles. "On the other hand, some people have been known to feel euphoric - very happy and relaxed - as much from the relief from pain as anything else." Genetic link No one is really sure what causes migraine headaches but it seems to run in families suggesting there might be a genetic link. It is thought that blood vessels in the head expand during a migraine attack causing inflammation and pain. Some everyday foods or events can start (trigger) a migraine attack, and usually it needs more than one trigger. They are not the same for everyone and they may even be different for the same person at different times. "Cheese, chocolate, caffeine and citrus foods are believed to be common food triggers," explains Christine. "There is some debate as to whether the migraine is caused by the foods themselves or unrecognised early warning signs that in turn leads to a particular food craving which then becomes confused for a trigger. A food only should be avoided when a direct link can be found, but this does not happen very often," she adds. Other triggers of migraine include not eating enough food (missing meals, delayed meals, etc), alcohol, lack of sleep, head and neck pains, emotional events (stress, tension), and environmental factors (flickering lights, travel, etc). Many women have attacks around the time of

their periods. Migraine may be affected by hormonal events in a woman's life such as pregnancy or taking the pill. "Keeping a dairy of your migraine attacks, what food you ate, whether you had a good night's sleep and the stressful events that occurred at the time is a good start to identifying what triggers a migraine headache," says Christine. Most people who suffer from migraine use medicines they buy from a pharmacy such as paracetamol or aspirin to treat an attack. People who think they might be suffering from migraine should see a doctor. If you are in doubt about whether to see a doctor, check with your Self Care Pharmacist. Severe People who suffer from migraine more than twice a month or who have particularly severe migraines, may be able to prevent the attacks from occurring with prescription medicines, available only from the doctor. "Migraine differs from person to person and it is often a matter of trial and error finding what is best for an individual. Relaxation, yoga or regular gentle exercise have been found to be helpful for people with stress or emotionally triggered migraine," says Christine^ Danger signals - more than a migraine? If you have a headache and any one of the other factors listed below then you should see a doctor straight away - the headache may be a sip of something more serious: sudden start of a new, severe headache when you have never had a migraine before: a headache that just gets worse and worse; a headache that starts after exertion, straining or coughing; other symptoms at the same time as a headache, such as drowsiness, confusion, memory loss, muscle and/or joint pains, fever, clumsiness, loss of balance, tingling or numbness; first major headache after 50 years of age; symptoms of migraine aura that do not disappear after the headache has gone.