Understanding Migraine Headaches

People suffering from migraine headaches experience terrific pain that often traps them in bed. Any sound, no matter how slight, crashes through their pounding skull like the banging on a huge gong. This excruciating event lasts between 4 hours and 72 hours, leaving the patient worn out and weak.

According to the Migraine Research Foundation, 10% of the population suffers from this intense, unrelenting pain. A migraine is a localized throbbing located on one side of the head. During these episodes, most people are unable to function. In fact, Migraine Research Foundation claims migraine headaches should be listed in the top 20 of the world’s most disabling medical illnesses based on the amount of work time lost. Migraine sufferers fall into two groups, common and aura. Common migraines materialized as physical problems. Aura sufferers experience visions of bright spots and flashing lights before the pain starts.

Is Ibuprofen Good For Headaches?

Yes, it is. This synthetic drug controls pain and inflammation. It does this by interrupting the body’s production of cyclooxgenase. This is a hormone that creates prostaglandins, the chemical responsible for creating pain, changes in temperature and inflammation. Best of all, we find using this drug safe to take as it does not create an ibuprofen headache.

The Cochran Database of Systematic Reviews

Searching for help, almost half the people suffering with migraine headaches self medicate with over-the-counter products. While 29% of these people combine prescription with these readily available products, only 20% of migraine sufferers try to get relief with just prescribed drugs. To determine the effectiveness of ibuprofen, this international organization famous for evaluating medical research claims conducted nine studies on 3364 adult migraine sufferers with surprising results. During these blind studies, they gave 414 people 200 mg of ibuprofen, 1615 people 400 mg of ibuprofen and 208 people 600 mg of ibuprofen. 1112 people received a placebo.

We found the results astonishing: 26% of the group receiving 400 mg reported being pain free in just two hours with 57% experience substantially reduce pain. Only 20% of people on the 200 mg regimen were pain free in the same two-hour period while just 11% experience the same results on the placebo. 25% of the patients taking the placebo reported less pain in two hours. Based on these results, we enthusiastically endorse Ibuprofen for headaches.

No Rebound Headaches From Ibuprofen

According to the Mayo Clinic, an Ibuprofen rebound headache does not happen. Although rebound headaches are fueled by the overuse of medication, people experiencing this discomfort have a history of chronic head pain occurring every day. Although drugs can and do eliminate or reduce the discomfort, the headaches return as soon as the drugs wear off. This problem can start as soon as the person wakes up and remains with them throughout the day. Any exertion increases pain whether it is physical activity or mental. These patients complain of other problems including feeling nauseated, restless, anxious, irritable or depressed. Some people experience memory problems.

We can find no proof ibuprofen headaches are brought on from over medication. In fact, our information supports the premise that this anti-inflammatory drug does not cause this uncomfortable, reoccurring problem. We do know that more than half the people using this drug eliminate or reduce pain safely.

Ibuprofen For Headache – Solutions

Although the actual dosages depend on each person’s age and weight, common prescribed amounts are 200 mg, 400 mg, 600 mg and 800 mg. The smallest drug amount can be purchased over-the-counter while a doctor’s prescription is needed for higher dosages. Standard practice allows users to take three tablets a day up to seven days in a row. This relief for rebound headaches comes in tablets, liquid and gel caps.

With any drug, there are side effects. Irritation to stomach linings and increased blood pressure are the two most common issues. To avoid problems we recommend taking these painkillers with food, a glass of milk or an anti-acid tablet and a full glass of water.

Wholeheartedly we recommend ibuprofen for headaches. Once this wonder drug reaches the human system, most people find their pain is gone or manageable within just two hours. Our research shows rebound headaches from ibuprofen do not occur; this wonder drug is safe to use with few side effects.

Alcohol carries with it two particular problems for the human body. The first, is that it acts as a diuretic causing you to lose water and with it a number of essential salts such as potassium and magnesium. The second is that alcohol is in essence a drug which results in significant level of toxins which can remain in the body for several hours. It is this combination of factors which create a hangover complete with a headache, nausea, shakiness, fatigue and other symptoms.

The precise manner in which alcohol acts on the body is complex but two things which are important as far as headaches are concerned are the fact that alcohol has an effect on prostaglandin which is responsible for regulating pain and also causes the blood vessels to dilate. It is this dilation of the blood vessels in the brain which puts pressure on the pain sensors which run along the walls of the blood vessels which result in the headache, which is in turn exacerbated by alcohol’s effect on prostaglandin. This also explains why your headache wears off in time as alcohol is flushed from the body and your blood vessels return to their normal size.

One important point to make here is that not all alcohol woks in the same manner, which is why people often ask what causes a headache from red wine drinking but not from white wine drinking. As a very general rule, the darker and sweeter the drink the more of a hangover, and headache, you will get. This is because such drinks contain a greater number of complex organic molecules such as methanol. So if you want to drink you are better sticking to things like white wine and vodka rather than red wine and whiskey.

So how do you cure a hangover?

There are several things that you can do to help cure a hangover and one popular remedy is the ‘hair of the dog’. This does indeed work to a degree but it is probably one of the worse things you can do to cure a hangover because it puts a considerable strain on both the liver and the stomach as they work to flush to toxins from your body. Taking further alcohol will also provide only temporary relief and will invariably leave you with an even worse hangover than you would have had if you had left well alone.

Leaving aside the ‘hair of the dog’ therefore here are a few things that will certainly help:

• Drink plenty of water. Try to drink at least twice as much water as alcohol to both counter the dehydration caused by the alcohol and also to flush the toxins from the alcohol out of your body.
• Take some vitamin C. A good trick here is to take vitamin C in soluble tablet form which can also help to raise your water level.
• Replenish some of the essential salts you have lost. Eating a banana or two is a good way to do this.
• Take some sugar as alcohol also lowers your blood sugar level.
• Take some form of pain relief tablet but avoid standard aspirin as this can irritate an already ‘tender’ stomach. A good alternative is a soluble form of aspirin such as ‘Alka Seltza’.
• Get some sleep. A few hours of sleep can work wonders in giving the body time to recover.

Many people are surprised to find that caffeine is found in many prescription medications and headache remedies which can be bought without a prescription. When caffeine is added to some painkillers it can actually increase their effectiveness by as much as forty percent, helping the medication to be absorbed more quickly into the body. One particular advantage of this fast absorption is that it often leads to your taking less medication than you would otherwise and thus lowers the risk of unwanted side-effects and addiction.

Caffeine is often used to help prevent migraine headaches and sufferers will often drink coffee or cola when they feel a migraine coming on. This works because migraine headaches are caused in part by the dilation of blood vessels in the head which trigger pain sensitive nerves running along the walls of the blood vessels. Caffeine however acts to cause these same blood vessels to constrict and so counters the dilatory affect which is bringing on a migraine. Caffeine usually works in this way within about half an hour and its effects can last for anywhere from three to five hours.

So far so good, but caffeine can also produce unwanted effects in certain cases. However, the problem is not the caffeine itself but the fact that many caffeine drinks also contain high levels of sugar. Migraine sufferers who drink coffee with a fair amount of sugar in it, especially on an empty stomach, can rapidly increase their blood sugar levels and this can be the worse thing a migraine sufferer can do, actually accelerating the onset of a migraine. This can of course be countered by both reducing the amount of sugar in your coffee and also ensuring that you eat before drinking your coffee.

As a side note, it is also known that many migraine sufferers can be helped by increasing their magnesium levels, often by taking magnesium supplements. However, as caffeine also acts as a diuretic, drinking too much caffeine can flush the magnesium from your system almost as quickly as you take it.

One other thing to remember about caffeine is that it is not only found in drinks such as coffee, tea and cola, but is also present in quite high levels in a number of foods such as chocolate. All of this needs to be born in mind because if you are taking painkillers, drinking coffee and eating chocolate for example your consumption of caffeine can reach very high levels very quickly.

Most people drink about two or three cups of coffee a day as their main source of caffeine and this is generally fine. If however you find yourself drinking more coffee than this then you may find that you experience headaches if you suddenly stop drinking coffee. So, if you do decide to cut coffee (or indeed caffeinated drinks of any description) out of your diet then cut down gradually and do not simply stop taking caffeine overnight.

At the end of the day caffeine can be both good for you and bad for you and the secret is to get the balance of your caffeine intake right. Unfortunately everybody reacts differently to caffeine and so it is not possible to simply come up with an ideal daily caffeine intake figure. Nevertheless, being aware of the affect that caffeine can have, you should experiment to discover the level of caffeine that suits you best.

Sleep Apnea

So just why do so many people suffer the symptoms of morning headaches? Well there are of course many different reasons and, ignoring those self-inflicted late night drinking headaches, here are some of the more common causes:

Sleep apnea is a very common sleep disorder and many people who suffer from the condition are simply not aware of their problem. Sleep apnea, which affects some 18 million Americans, causes you to stop breathing numerous times during the night causing the brain to wake you just sufficiently to start your breathing again, but not sufficiently for you to be aware of being woken. This results in very light and disturbed sleep which often means that you wake in the morning feeling tired and this feeling continues throughout the day. It is also very common for sleep apnea sufferers to wake up with a headache.

Sleep apnea can often be treated by wearing a mask while you sleep (known as a CPAP mask) and such treatment will generally also cure your morning headaches.

Teeth Grinding

A surprisingly large number of people grind their teeth while they are sleeping and this constant movement of the jaw causes tension in the muscles of the jaw which also often extends to the neck and shoulders. This muscle tension in turn gives rise to a headache which is then felt on waking.

Teeth grinding can often be treated by asking your dentist to fit you with a soft plastic ‘night guard’ which can be worn during sleep.

Restless Sleep

Many people find it difficult to shake off the stresses of their day and consequently tend to spend the night tossing and turning which can again cause muscle tension leading to a morning headache. This can often be cured by introducing various forms of relaxation into your bedtime routine to relax both your body and mind before sleeping. If this does not do the trick then a psychologist or psychiatrist may be able to help you to deal with the issues which are causing your stress.

Restless Leg Syndrome

Restless leg syndrome is another common sleep disorder in which you are constantly moving your legs throughout the night. Many sufferers find that they experience strange sensations within their legs one of which is commonly described as being similar to having insects crawling inside your legs. This results in a light and un-refreshing night’s sleep and frequently a morning headache.

There are various different remedies suggested for restless leg syndrome depending upon the severity of the condition and many sufferers will be prescribed mineral supplements and prescriptions drugs by their doctor.

A Snoring Bed Partner

Sometimes the cause of your morning headache is nothing more than a poor night of sleep caused by a snoring bed partner. Indeed, it is estimated that sleeping with a partner who snores effectively reduces your night’s sleep by almost an hour and this quickly adds up over time.

These are of course just some of the more common causes of morning headaches but, for anybody suffering from headaches when they wake up in the morning, this represents a very good place to start your search for a cause and thus a cure.

There are hundreds of possible causes for headaches and perhaps we should not simply ask what causes headaches, but what causes mild headaches, what causes chronic headaches, what causes severe headaches and what causes really bad headaches? Some headaches result from underlying health problems, such as thankfully rare cases of brain tumors or cerebral aneurysms. However, most common headaches have equally common causes.

Although the precise cause is not known it is also believed that constriction of the blood vessels can also often lead to a headache. The blood vessels within your head are lined with pain sensitive nerves and these are activated whenever the blood vessels constrict, sending signals to the brain. This is thought to be a common cause of both tension-type and cluster headaches. It is also believed that the dilation of blood vessels within the head is also an important factor in triggering migraine headaches, although this is also thought to be just one component of the equation that leads to migraines.

In a lot of cases simple eyestrain, perhaps caused by reading or working at your computer for too long, can result in a headache. In other cases simple inflammation of the sinuses as the result of a head cold or allergy might be the cause. Overuse of some prescription medicines can also produce a headache and this is often referred to as a medication overuse headache, or MOH.

Tension headaches can also arise from other causes such as tension in the muscles of the neck and shoulder and even from tension in the muscles of the jaw. People who have experienced TMJ disorder (a condition arising out of tension in the temporomandibular joint causing the jaw to tighten against the skull) will be all too familiar with the headaches which can result from tension in the muscles of the jaw.

In more serious cases, headaches (which are normally referred to as secondary headaches) can be produced by an underlying disease. Here the list of diseases which can lead to headaches is long and will include everything from irritable bowel syndrome to scarlet fever.

Environmental factors also play an important part and one classic example is the severe headaches that can be caused by carbon monoxide from an automobile exhaust. Other environmental factors will include such things as simple allergies and, although less common these days, even lead poisoning. Food poisoning however remains a fairly common cause of environmental headaches. Indeed, even when food poisoning itself is not the cause, many people are sensitive to certain food compounds and things like chocolate, cheese, red wine and caffeine are frequently the cause of headaches.

The good news is that, while many people do suffer from severe and chronic headaches, the vast majority of headaches (85% to 90%) are common tension headaches which are both easy to cure and often easy to prevent in the future.

Tension headaches were originally so-called because it was believed that they resulted from a contraction of the muscles in the face, scalp and neck which resulted from tension or stress. This however has not proved to be the case and, as a result, tension headaches are now more correctly called tension-type headaches. Over the years this form of headache has been given a variety of different names including depressive headaches, essential headaches, muscle contraction headaches and ordinary headaches.

Nowadays it is thought that tension headaches are caused by changes in the chemistry affecting the levels of serotonin, endorphins and other chemicals. These chemical changes are very similar in many ways to those seen in migraine headaches and it is therefore believed that the two type of headache are related. Unlike a migraine headache however tension-type headaches are not normally accompanied by visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting and weakness or numbness.

In the majority of cases a tension-type headache is characterized by a dull ache rather than a sharp pain and this can be slight to moderate in nature and, in rare cases, severe. Many people also experience tenderness to the scalp, neck and shoulders and a range of different symptoms including tiredness, difficulty sleeping, irritability, difficulty in concentrating and a loss of appetite. Headaches normally last for anything from 4 to 6 hours but can be much shorter or considerably longer on occasions.

Tension-type headaches are categorized as either episodic or chronic. Episodic headaches are those which occur on fewer than 15 occasions each month, while chronic tension-type headaches occur on more than 15 days each month for a period of 6 months or more.

In most cases tension-type headaches can be very effectively treated using over-the-counter medication such as aspirin, ibuprofen or Tylenol. It is important however not to overuse these medicines as doing so can actually make matters worse and cause rebound headaches. For chronic sufferers, and where normal pain relief medication proves ineffective, your doctor may prescribe various forms of preventative medication including tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anticonvulsants, beta blockers and calcium channel blockers.

In the vast majority of cases it is possible to considerably reduce the incidence of tension-type headaches by adjustments to your lifestyle to ensure that you are eating properly, maintaining a good sleep pattern, exercising regularly and managing your stress levels.

Sinus headache symptoms will depend very much upon the particular sinuses affected. For example, an infection of the frontal sinuses which are located over the eyes will produce pain in the forehead while infection of the ethmoid sinus which are located in the deep recesses of the nose will cause pain behind and between the eyes.

When infection occurs to the deepest pair of sinus, known as the sphenoid sinuses, your headache normally appears at the back of the head and this is often not immediately linked to an infection of the sinuses. The most common infection occurs in the maxillary sinuses located to the side of each nostril and below the eyes and this causes pain across the face. In all cases sinus headaches are normally characterized by a dull rather than a sharp pain.

One problem with sinus headaches is that, although it is easy to diagnose the condition when a cold or similar infection is present, it is not always quite so easy to spot in the absence of a clear infection. For this reason many people are often said to suffer from chronic sinus headaches when in fact their headaches might well be causes by something else entirely. Indeed, many sinus headaches turn out to be a case of migraine and a recent health study showed that in the majority of cases where patients believed that they were suffering from sinus headaches they were suffering from migraine headaches. Headaches can be caused by a wide variety of things including high blood pressure, eye problems, neuralgia, myalgia, allergy and even a brain tumor.

If you suspect that you have a sinus headache then it is important to have the condition correctly diagnosed by your doctor who will normally carry out a physical examination and also order an x-ray and possible a CT scan.

When it comes to finding a sinus headache cure this is normally a simple matter of providing immediate relief by using a simple pain reliever (such as aspirin or ibuprofen) while treating the underlying sinusitis with antibiotics and possibly antihistamines where the problem is also associated with an allergic reaction. Once the sinusitis is cured then headache will normally simply disappear.

When we talk about a migraine we are usually referring to a severe headache which is often accompanied by visual disturbances including a sensitivity to light.

However, it is possible to experience visual disturbances with or without the pain of a headache and this gives rise to the terms ophthalmic, ocular or eye migraine. Where a headache is not present it is also common to use the term silent migraine.

Ocular migraines involve a variety of different symptoms.

For example, it is common to experience a small blind spot in the center of your vision together with bright colored flickering lights and zigzag lines. This blind spot normally enlarges and moves across your field of vision. Ocular migraine can last for just a few minutes, but typically lasts about 20 to 30 minutes.

Ocular migraine symptoms are very similar to those seen in sufferers who experience the aura which accompanies a classical migraine but, according to some schools of thought, there is one important difference.

In cases of classical migraine the visual disturbance arises within the occipital cortex (the visual processing area of the brain) but in ocular migraine this disturbance arises from the retinal blood vessels within the eyes. In other words, the aura accompanying a classical migraine arises from within the brain whereas ocular migraine arises from within the eye. This said, the problem is that there is some disagreement over just what causes ocular migraine and some health professionals would argue that any effect on the retinal blood vessels originates in the occipital cortex.

Ocular migraine symptoms are temporary in nature and result in no lasting harm. They can however interfere with normal day to day activities, such as reading or watching television, and are clearly of particular significance for anybody who is driving or operating machinery.

There is no specific treatment for ocular migraine, other than those drug treatments which would normally be given for migraines in general.

There are many factors which are known to trigger a migraine attack including such things as exercise, sleep, food and stress and keeping a diary in which you record anything which might possibly cause an attack can be very helpful to your doctor in identifying your own particular susceptibility. Once your particular trigger factors have been identified it is surprising how often a few simple lifestyle changes can, if not cure, then certainly reduce the frequency and severity of your attacks.

There are typically two migraine headache treatments used today:

• Treatment to relieve the symptoms and pain of an attack (sometimes referred to as abortive treatment).
• Treatment to prevent further attacks.

The approach for most people today is to look at the frequency and severity of attacks, as well as the degree of disability which results from your headaches. It is also important at this point to take into consideration any other medical conditions which you may be suffering from. In relatively mild cases a range of pain relieving medications can then be used to treat the condition. However, where these prove ineffective, or where severe and debilitating attacks are being experienced more than about twice a month, then preventative migraine medication may be prescribed.

The most commonly prescribed pain relieving migraine medications include:

• Triptans. Triptans including Imitrex, Maxalt, Amerge, Zomig, Axert, Frova and Relpax are often the treatment of choice for many patients suffering from severe migraine attacks and are effective in relieving not only the pain of a headache, but also nausea and sensitivity to light.
• Ergots. Ergots have been around for many years and were commonly used before the introduction of triptans. Ergots work in a similar manner to triptans but are generally less effective. There main advantage these days lies in the fact that they are considerably cheaper than triptans.
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs include such drugs as aspirin and ibuprofen as well as drugs specifically developed to treat migraine such as Excedrin Migraine. These drugs are however only effective in treating mild cases of migraine.
• Anti-nausea medications. Because many migraine sufferers also experience nausea it is common to combine some form of anti-nausea medicine with other pain relief drugs.
• Butalbital combination medications. Combination drugs including the sedative butalbital are sometimes prescribed to treat migraine although nowadays they are used infrequently because they can have a tendency to induce rebound headaches. They also carry unwanted withdrawal symptoms.
• Opiates. Opiate drugs such as codeine are sometimes advised for patients who are unable to tolerate triptans or ergots. This class of drugs is however addictive and so they should only be used when absolutely necessary.

The approach taken when it comes to preventing further attacks is essentially to prescribe a course of drugs either to be taken on a daily basis or to be taken when you are experiencing a predictable trigger for a migraine attack. These drugs, which will often enhance the effectiveness of pain relieving medications, are designed to reduce the frequency of migraine attacks, as well as their length and severity. Commonly used drugs today include:

• Cardiovascular drugs. A number of cardiovascular drugs including beta blockers and calcium channel blockers which are commonly used to treat high blood pressure have been shown to help in the prevention of migraine attacks, although it is not really known why this should be the case.
• Antidepressants. Although depression can trigger a migraine attack and it would therefore seem logical to use antidepressants as a preventative measure, it is not in fact necessary for you to be suffering from depression for these drugs to be effective. The most helpful drugs in terms of migraine are tricyclic antidepressants which are thought to work by regulating the levels of serotonin and other brain chemicals. Interestingly enough the older antidepressant drugs prove more effective than many of the newer antidepressants.
• Anti-siezure drugs. Rather like cardiovascular drugs anti-seizure drugs can help in preventing migraines although, once again, we do not really understand why. Anti-seizure drugs must however be used with care as they can lead to dizziness, cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and even hair loss.
• Botox. It has been noted that some migraine sufferers having Botox injections as a facial treatment to remove wrinkles have experienced an improvement in their migraine headaches. Exactly why this should be the case is unclear although it is believed that Botox causes an alteration to your nervous system which reduces your tendency to develop migraine headaches.
• Antihistamine. One particular antihistamine drug, cyproheptadine, specifically affects the activity of serotonin and is sometimes given to children as a form of migraine prevention.

A growing number of people these days are turning away from traditional migraine medicines and are looking for information about alternative treatments for migraine headaches. In addition to the many natural health remedies being tried, one popular preventive approach is that of biofeedback.

Biofeedback involves teaching people to control the physical processes of the body which can lead to stress in an effort to either prevent migraine attacks or to reduce the severity of migraine headaches. Biofeedback also involves the use of self-hypnosis to control muscle contractions and the swelling of blood vessels.

About one out of every five people who suffer from migraine will have what is known as ‘classical migraine’ which is preceded by what is referred to as an ‘aura’. Auras are generally visual, but can also be auditory and also include such things as pins and needles and an altered sense of taste and smell. Most commonly however patients experience zigzag patterns of brightly colored flashing lights, which often begin in the center of their field of vision and then move outwards, or experience a hole (or blind spot) in their field of vision. An aura normally lasts from anywhere from about 10 to 30 minutes and is followed immediately by the onset of a headache. This said, in some cases, the aura and the headache will appear together.

Even where there is no aura in about half of all sufferers there will be a warning of the onset of migraine which can precede the arrival of a headache by anything from a matter of hours to several days. The warning signs will include irritability, tiredness, depression and sometimes a feeling of euphoria or a crazing for either sweet or salty foods. Sufferers will quickly begin to recognize their own particular migraine headache symptoms and will know when an attack is approaching.

In most, but not all cases, the main symptom of migraine is a moderate to severe head pain which is normally confined to just one side of the head and is felt around the area of the temple. The headache will typical changes from one side of the head to the other in a random fashion from one attack to the next and, if the headache always appears on the same side of the head then this should be investigated as the underlying cause may not be migraine but could be something more serious, such as a brain tumor. In some patients headaches will not be confined to the area of the temple but can extend across the forehead, around the eyes or even to the back of the head. In all cases the pain normally intensifies with exercise.

Migraine sufferers are also generally very sensitive to light and sound during an attack and this is why it has been traditional to lie down in a quiet and dark room until an attack passes.

In addition to symptoms associated with the head, migraine can also be accompanied by a variety of other symptoms including nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, a pale facial color and cold hands and feet.

In general migraine attacks will last anywhere from about 4 to 72 hours, although it is not uncommon for attacks to last for considerably longer.

In addition to classical and common migraine which we have described here many people also suffer from complicated migraines and atypical migraines.

A complicated migraine is a migraine which is also accompanied by some form of neurological dysfunction which is dependent upon the area of the brain from which the headache originates. The two main forms of complicated migraine are vertebrobasilar migraine (affecting the brainstem and leading to dizziness, fainting and burred vision) and hemiplegic migraine (causing temporary weakness or paralysis in one side of the body which is similar to a stroke).

When it comes to an atypical migraine it is difficult to describe the symptoms because, as the name suggests, migraines of this nature do note follow the normal pattern of symptoms. In many cases a diagnosis of atypical migraine will only be made after your doctor has run a series of tests to rule out any other cause for your condition and come to the conclusion that this is simply a somewhat unusual (or atypical) case of migraine.

Despite the often debilitating nature of this disease, effective drug treatment is available today and anyone suffering from migraine symptoms should simply call into their local health or medical center for more information about the medications and treatments available.