Migraine is an intense, disabling type of headache which can be so excruciating that it can interrupt you from your daily activities. It can be triggered by stress, certain foods like aged cheeses and chocolates, changes in weather, food intake and sleeping patterns, bright lights such as the sun’s glare, loud noises, and unusual smells. At least a day before the headache appears, the prodromal signs and symptoms are felt which signals the person that a migraine is coming. These premonitions include craving for food particularly sweets, intense energy, fatigue, irritability, or depression. There are two types of migraine: the common type which does not start with a warning sign and the classic type which starts with a warning sign. The warning sign is called aura. The aura lasts for around 30 minutes and is seen in any of the following forms: flashes of light, zigzag lines, or blind spots in the fiels of vision. It can be a feeling of muscle weakness or burning sensation in one part of the body. 
The symptoms include intense headache in one side or both sides of the head. The pain is usually described as throbbing pain and it is worsened by physical activity thereby causing interruption from the usual daily activities. It is accompanied by nausea with or without vomiting and the person becomes more sensitive to light and sound. The headache is thought to be caused by imbalance in brain chemicals particularly serotonin. With decreased serotonin levels, substances are released by the trigeminal nerve which causes the brain blood vessels to dilate when these substances reach the brain’s outer covering. NSAIDS are the most common medicines given to relieve the pain. |
