Ways of Treating Visual Migraine

Visual migraine is a type of migraine known also as ocular migraine and ophthalmic migraine. Similar to the common migraine, its cause is vascular; that is, it involves the blood vessels. Whereas the typical migraine affects the arteries located in the surface of the brain, it affects the veins that supply blood to the vision center.

During a visual migraine episode, the sufferer experiences visual disturbances that typically last for fifteen to thirty minutes. It usually starts as a shimmering light with a semi-circular shape and jagged edges, seen in the peripheral vision and later expands to become more central. The ability to see is obscured within the jagged area. A headache may accompany the disturbance but does not occur in all cases. The more common symptoms that come with this are nausea and vomiting and a heightened sensitivity to light. Although the root cause of this particular migraine is not known, some of its common triggers are identified as fatigue, depression, dehydration, eyestrain, stress, alcohol, certain foods, and a shift in estrogen levels.

Migraine Medications

Diagnosing visual migraine may require visits to the ophthalmologist and neurologist. This is to make sure that the visual disturbances are not caused by an underlying eye condition such as a detached retina or a blood clot in the brain. Once this has been established, then proper treatment can be provided.

Certainly, this is not fatal nor does it cause any damage to the brain or eyes. And since no pain comes with it, treatment is usually unnecessary unless a headache arises during an episode. However, if the attacks are frequent, medications may have to be administered. If the visual migraine occurs with a headache, over-the-counter medicines like ibuprofen and naproxen can be taken to relieve the pain. In addition, non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and aspirin are known to prevent these migraine attacks because they help keep the arteries in their normal size. Medications should be taken as soon as the first sign of the aura is felt. During the attack, the vision may be so hampered that doing other activities could be impossible. In these times, the patient should relax and wait for the said migraine to end. Bright lights and sounds should be avoided because they could potentially worsen the symptoms.

Having a visual migraine attack, though most of the times painless, can be frightening, especially for those who experience it for the first time. If anyone encounters any of the symptoms associated with this type of migraine, he should consult his physician immediately. This migraine, by itself, usually requires no treatment but the symptoms could be signs of a more serious condition. Knowing about a disease and how to deal with it is the best treatment of all.

Ways of Treating Visual Migraine

Migraine Medications

How To Get Rid Of Migraine Headaches Without Aspirin

Migraine headaches can be debilitating. They are by far the most severe headaches you can have. A migraine often starts with light sensitivity and is sometimes accompanied by nausea or vomiting. The severe headache will begin shortly after these symptoms have started. Over the counter medications such as aspirin may do little to help ease the pain. Natural migraine remedies can effectively relieve the severe pain without the side effects of drugs.

As soon as you feel the first symptoms of a migraine attack, drink a caffeinated beverage. While caffeine has been thought to trigger a migraine, once it starts the caffeine will actually help by opening up constricted blood vessels. Make sure you drink plenty water for the duration of the headache. Even mild dehydration can worsen headache symptoms.

Migraine Medications

A warm shower or bath may help at the onset of the symptoms. If you are not able to take a shower, try putting a cool compress on your head. Sit quietly in a darkened room. This will help ease light or noise sensitivity as well as nausea. A face massage can ease the headache pain and stimulate blood circulation. A warm foot soak is also good for blood circulation.

Some herbal remedies are known to prevent or ease a migraine headache. Dried herbs can be used to make teas or tinctures. Herbal extracts are potent and need to be diluted before use. Capsules come in many herbal combinations and are readily available at most natural or health food stores.

Feverfew - Feverfew contains substances that inhibit the release of mood hormones in the brain. For best results, use fresh feverfew. When this is not available, consume as tea or in capsule form.

Bay - There have been some doctors who recommend taking feverfew with bay to prevent a migraine headache. You can often find a combination of these herbs at most health food stores.

Ginger - Ginger has long been known to relieve and prevent headaches. It is an anti-inflammatory and has substances that help reduce pain. Take in capsule form, according to directions.

Peppermint - Taken internally or used externally, peppermint can help to relieve a migraine headache. To take internally, drink peppermint tea. To use externally, mix several drops of peppermint oil with lotion or body oil and massage into the temples.

In order to prevent a migraine, you need to identify what causes it. Many foods can trigger an attack. These include cheese, chocolate, wheat and caffeine. If you indulge in one of these foods and experience a migraine attack 24 hours later, the food is most likely a migraine trigger. Other triggers include stress, changes in sleeping patterns, hormonal changes and changes in altitude.

Natural migraine remedies can help reduce the length and severity of a migraine headache. Not all natural migraine cures work for everyone, so try various remedies until you find the ones that work best for you. Finally, learn to control the triggers to avoid getting a migraine.

How To Get Rid Of Migraine Headaches Without Aspirin

Migraine Medications

Does Depression Cause a Migraine Or Does a Migraine Cause Depression?

Migraine triggers and other causes of headaches can come from many sources. So often we are looking for just one thing that causes migraines and headaches when in reality it is a combination of many factors. The most frequent cause of headaches in general is stress, but all too often mood plays a large role.

Quite frankly, until you are able to recognize and accept this, you might not have much success in getting these headaches under control. The effects of lifestyle on headaches cannot be underestimated.

Migraine Medications

Depression and anxiety can greatly affect your headache profile and are recognized by headache experts as a migraine trigger. Now wait!! Before you dismiss the idea, up to 85% of all chronic pain sufferers have depression and/or anxiety to SOME degree. It's almost like the chicken and the egg, which came first?

Pain and depression impact each other; the more pain, the more depressed you feel and then that makes the pain worse. If you have a headache, doesn't crying or being upset make it worse? This is the anxiety fueling the headache. Along the same vein, if you have headaches or migraines on a regular basis, are missing school, work and family outings, you are bound to feel a bit depressed.

Too many times this is one of the most difficult concepts for people to get their minds to accept; that they may have some degree of depression which makes the pain more chronic and more severe. Don't be too hard on yourself! The receptors and pathways for headache are similar and sometime the same as anxiety receptors in the brain. Without getting in to a medical lecture when they are all firing off you have a headache and are anxious. One basically fuels the other.

Treatment of Anxiety and Depression in Headaches

Just like treating the headache itself, it is important to realize that treating mood is multi-factorial. Counseling with a good psychologist is invaluable. The rule of thumb when getting counseling is to give it at least three visits to see if you and the counselor "mesh" so to speak. Not all patient/provider relationships are perfect.

Counseling will allow you to dump some of the stress, in addition to learning how to develop good coping skills for future life stressors. Try too, to develop a good social structure. Even if you can't participate in activities that your friends may do (sports), you can still invite people to your place for a get together once a month or so. Regular human social contact is a form of support and can help stave off depression. In fact, more than 6 million women experience depression each year in the USA.

Many people disregard the recommendation to take medication for mood in the presence of headaches. So many times people make this mistake and think there is something wrong with them if they accept the fact that they are anxious or depressed. Even MILD depression can make headaches worse. Many of todays medications can treat BOTH mood and headaches.

SSRI's: This group of drugs are seratonin re-uptake inhibitors (what??). Seratonin is one of the natural "happy drugs" in the brain, but is taken up by nerve endings and recycled, so to speak. By slowing this process, you have more of it in the way you need it and feel happier. Side effects include weight gain, odd dreaming, mild episodic vertigo and rarely some of them can cause headaches to be worse. Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa, Prozac and Paxil are all in this class. Paxil and Lexapro are excellent if you have more anxiety. If you are over the age of 60, you may need to start at a lower dose than normal.

TCA'S: Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) are an older class of drugs that are NOT first line for depression. I mention them here because they are used in the treatment of headaches and can reduce headache pain.

CYMBALTA: Cymbalta is a drug that functions with two effects. Part of the drug is an SSRI but most of the drug functions on another pathway called norepinephrine. The end result is another brain chemical is boosted and you feel happier. It also has and effect of calming back pain in some patients.

Treatment of depression that is fueled by migraine involves treating not only the migraine but the also the mood. Until both sides of the problem are addressed, progress may be slow.

Does Depression Cause a Migraine Or Does a Migraine Cause Depression?

Migraine Medications

Chronic Headaches After A Concussion

You may advance abiding headaches appropriate afterwards accepting a concussion. A blow is a balmy arch injury. It happens back you become benumbed for a aeon of time. The doctors would accept to beam you for a brace of hours in the hospital to ensure that you accept not suffered any academician accident nor accept any bleeding in the brain. If you attending fine, you can apprehend to be absolved afterwards 24 hours.

Initially, you may acquaintance headaches afterwards the concussion. Your cephalalgia affection may abide on for a brace of weeks, if not longer. This may account you to feel afraid as to whether you are absolutely accomplished afterwards the arch injury. Mostly, there is annihilation to abhorrence as these ancillary furnishings are temporary.

Migraine Medications

Here are some affection that you may accept for the aboriginal two weeks afterwards you sustain a concussion:

1. Directly afterwards the blow happens you may get a cephalalgia from the able-bodied that occurs. If you advance yourself too adamantine or too anon you will ache from added headaches that are acquired by accent and fatigue. cephalalgia medications will not advice here. Therefore, get some blow and your cephalalgia will go away. If this does not advice and you accept a severe, connected cephalalgia again you absolutely should seek medical attention.

2. You may be addled because the antithesis organs in your aerial accept been upset. This is why any abrupt movements of your arch will account you to become addled or you may feel as admitting you are floating. This will get bigger with time.

3. Your afterimage may be Blurred and you may not like actuality in ablaze light. It may advice to abrasion sunglasses, alike indoors. This should get bigger with time but if not again you should see your doctor.

4. You may feel beat afterwards accomplishing alone a little bit of activity. In this case you absolutely charge to blow or accident assiduity your recovery.

5. Your academician may briefly abbreviate in adjustment to acquiesce itself to alleviate and appropriately you may ache from concise anamnesis loss. You charge to booty time to blow here.

6. It is accessible that you will become clumsy. This is due to problems with spatial awareness. If this is accident to you again you should not drive.

7. If you accept suffered a blow you may accept a beneath atmosphere and be added irritable. This is because your academician is convalescent and appropriately has bound its assets to the essentials of survival. This is addition affair that will advance with time.

Take a brace of canicule off. Report any aberrant affection or if your headaches become worse to your doctor rightaway!

Chronic Headaches After A Concussion

Migraine Medications

Menopause and Migraine

Too abounding times back women with cephalalgia access menopause, they apprehend their headaches to disappear. Unfortunately, that is not consistently the case. While abutting to 70% of women will see advance with their migraines, a abounding 30% will see no change or conceivably get alike worse.

What could be of affair is a new access of headaches afterwards the age of fifty. This should be taken actively as there are some altitude that could aftereffect in stroke. If the headaches are new again a doctor should be consulted as anon as possible.

Migraine Medications

There are two affidavit as to why migraines advance with menopause. First of all is the best accessible which is beneath estrogen. It is the bounden and unbinding of estrogen in the academician which causes cephalalgia to be so severe. With all the estrogen receptors absolved afterwards menopause, the headaches are far beneath severe. The additional acumen why migraines advance afterwards menopause has to do with age. As the academician ages, headaches improve.

Researchers are still borderline as to why headaches advance with age. Some theories circumduct about beneath accent with age, kids are earlier and conceivably out of the house. Incomes about advance as bodies access their fifties acceptance for beneath banking stress.

Treatment of cephalalgia afterwards menopause varies little from that afore migraine. Lifestyle still plays a role and approved beddy-bye and exercise can abate headaches. abounding physicians abhorrence giving triptans to earlier patients. about speaking, if addition does not accept cardiac ache or amoral aerial claret pressure, again application these medications for migraineurs over fifty should not be a problem. A baby allotment of women accept deepening headaches afterwards menopause and ability accept to be advised with circadian therapy, such as anti-seizure medication, for awhile.

For best women, menopause can be a final absolution from years of bound cephalalgia pain. For the few that do not get this account from menopause, newer treatments for cephalalgia accept fabricated this time of their lives easier than it was for antecedent generations.

Menopause and Migraine

Migraine Medications

The Causes and Symptoms of Migraine - How Migraine Surgery Can Help!

Migraine is a bloom action accompanying to the afraid arrangement of the body. The amplification of claret argosy causes headaches and added bloom problems. The adeptness for cephalalgia accident is about 75% greater in women than in men. Millions of bodies about the apple are afflicted by this acoustic disorder, including 30 actor in the US alone. cephalalgia headaches are characterized as occurring in one bisected of the head. It not alone causes astringent affliction but affects added aspects of the patient's activity such as his adeptness to assignment and concentrate. Despite this fact, migraines abundantly go untreated. abridgement of acquaintance is a above acumen why bodies abort to get the analysis they need. Some patients don't alike seek medical advice for their problem.

Causes of Migraine

Migraine Medications

So, what causes cephalalgia in the aboriginal place? There are several types of cephalalgia headaches so there are few accepted causes.

Triggers

Triggers are biological contest that actuate the pain. There has been ample agitation apropos the admeasurement to which triggers are amenable for headaches. Several things accept been classified as triggers that account migraine. These include:

• Hunger
• Fatigue
• Stress

Some triggers accept been attributed to hormones. The hormonal accretion can additionally access the admeasurement to which a actuality suffers from headache. Headaches may be accompanying to menstruation, pregnancy, menopause and sex.

Genetics

Migraine is a ache that can be anesthetized from bearing to generation. A actuality with a ancestors history of cephalalgia has a 30% greater adventitious of adversity from it as compared to others. Scientific studies and letters accept assured that this ache is communicable amid siblings, abnormally twins. As mentioned at the beginning, the adventitious of it occurring is abundant greater in females than males.

Serotonin

Serotonin is a actinic neurotransmitter in the academician which helps the academician coordinates its functions. Serotonin not alone helps the academician action appropriately but keeps the claret breeze in check. A abridgement of serotonin can aftereffect in the claret argosy actuality enlarged, causing migraine. Low serotonin akin is the account of assorted acoustic disorders such as depression, all-overs and stress.

These are some of the causes of migraine. added causes accommodate depression, accent and a aggregate of acoustic problems.

Symptoms of Migraine

The affection and signs of cephalalgia alter through the stages of a headache. There are four stages of migraine, namely prodrome, aura, advance and postdrome. The affection for anniversary of the four are listed below.

Prodrome

The prodrome is the 'calm afore the storm' period. The affection alpha assuming up a brace of canicule afore a cephalalgia attack. They are the forerunner to affection that are added severe. The affection during this date are

• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Food Cravings
• Depression
• Hyperactivity
• Stiffness in the Neck
• Agitation

Usually, a aggregate of these factors emerges together. Watch out for any of these because cephalalgia can be prevented at this stage.

Aura

Aura is accepted but not accomplished by all cephalalgia patients. Auras accredit to problems that action with vision, voice, senses and mobility. Auras aftermost for no added than 30 account and are preceded by a apathetic accretion that rises to a limit.

• Loss of Vision
• Problems in Speaking
• Visual Problems
• Numbness

Attack

Attack is the date area cephalalgia sets in and you alpha activity the pain. A cephalalgia lasts on boilerplate 4 to 72 hours. The abundance and breadth of an advance varies from actuality to person. The accepted affection during an advance are:

• Throbbing affliction on one ancillary of the head
• Nausea, and sometimes Vomiting
• Sensitivity to Bright Lights
• Diarrhea
• Lightheadedness, which could advance to Fainting

The affection of cephalalgia attacks aftermost for as continued as the advance lasts.

Postdrome

You may anticipate that you are activity to feel abundant bigger already the advance has subsided. However, the case is absolutely the opposite. Some affection may aftermost best and account you to feel sick. Generally, patients feel beat and accept little energy. In some cases, patients accept been appear to acquaintance euphoria.

These are the affection of migraine. There may be variations depending on the severity of the attack. already cephalalgia has set in, it becomes difficult to get rid of it. Medications are generally acclimated by bodies to adverse the affliction they are experiencing.

High amount of abortion of Medication

There is abundant agitation and altercation apropos the best medication for migraine. There are antitoxin medicines and drugs which accept the adeptness to abate the severity of the advance by added than 50%. There are abounding such drugs accessible but the Able ones are advised to accept a criterion of actuality Able to cure at atomic 50% of the cephalalgia attack.

Even with the availability of decree medicine, there is abundant criticism. It is not appropriate to use antitoxin medicines because best of them are abortive in abating your pain. Moreover, the apropos agency is that these drugs generally accept ancillary effects. In the end, they account added abuse than good. Therefore, it is appropriate that patients who frequently ache from astringent cephalalgia headaches should opt for medication. The added patients will do bigger to abstain application them.

The aerial amount of abortion of medication has prompted abounding bodies to seek added avenues for accepting rid of their migraine. For this reason, bodies accept been gluttonous added modes of preventing and abating cephalalgia such as surgery.

Migraine Surgery

Migraine anaplasty has emerged to be a messiah for patients. bodies who ache from astringent cephalalgia can accept anaplasty and be rid of it already and for all. The botheration with this ataxia has been that bodies seek acting abatement and medication alone reduces the severity, rather than eliminating the problem. With cephalalgia anaplasty acceptable a applicable option, a abiding cure is available.

Surgery cures up to 30% of all patients who abide it. This cardinal seems to be low but the accent has to be on the actuality that cephalalgia anaplasty cures the actuality from cephalalgia already and for all. A majority of the patients see a cogent advance in them while 90% of the patients who had anaplasty accept appear that they don't ache from cephalalgia bristles years afterwards accepting surgery.

Botox and migraines assume to be absolutely unrelated. However, botox has to be performed afore cephalalgia can be operated on. Botox helps to analyze the burden credibility at which the anaplasty is to be done. A accommodating has to abide botox 4-8 weeks afore surgery. The doctors beam whether the accommodating is responding able-bodied to botox and alone again is the anaplasty agitated out.

Knowing the affection and causes of cephalalgia is important for patients so that they can get the appropriate analysis for themselves. The aerial accident of abortion with medication agency that it should be acclimated alone to abate the appulse of a cephalalgia attack.

The Causes and Symptoms of Migraine - How Migraine Surgery Can Help!

Migraine Medications

Suffering From an Ocular Migraine?

You're sitting at your board and aback activate to feel odd-a aberrant activity abaft your eyes and your arch aloof doesn't feel absolutely right. You activate to apprehension that your apparition seems a bit off and your antithesis isn't what it was a moment ago. What's happening? If you've had this awareness before, again you apparently apperceive what's coming. It's cephalalgia time.

For the abutting several hours you're activity to be in bed with a pillow over your eyes to block out the ablaze and praying your kids don't appear agreeable in and blast on the bed because you're abiding you aloof ability bandy up if they do. Migraines appear in all shapes and sizes and this an ocular migraine. Did you apperceive that you can accept an ocular migraine? Ocular agency aloof what you anticipate it means-affecting your eyes in some address It ability not aching as abundant as a absolute cephalalgia that causes you to be photo-sensitive (light hurts you) but it can be alarming if you've never accomplished one before.

Migraine Medications

Those who ache from an ocular cephalalgia say it's like accepting Christmas lights aflame in their eyes. Auras about aftermost 5 to 20 account and can accord you things like blackout (motion affection or dizziness), imbalance, abashing or numbness; but best auras abide of beheld disturbances such as fractional eyes loss, the actualization of 'special effects" and baloney of objects. Occasionally the beheld furnishings are stunning, from aflame lights, circuitous blush patterns and shapes (e.g., triangles and dots) to seeing floaters in your eyes. A accommodation is back they see tiny altar actualization to float beyond their eyes. An alone ability additionally see ablaze or zig zag curve in the borderline eyes and blurriness in axial vision. This acutely interferes with a person's accustomed circadian routine. If you can't see well, you can't assignment and you best absolutely cannot drive.

Another affectionate of cephalalgia occurs with an aura, but it alone happens to one eye. Patients address that their eyes is like attractive through adulterated glass, or it has pieces or chunks missing from their beheld field. Some say it's as admitting they're attractive at an old television with actual poor reception.

Although it's frightening, these ocular disturbances do not account any abiding accident to a person's eyes and these auras are about followed by a migraine. If you accept an ocular migraine, or ambience or a beheld agitation of any kind, you charge to see your doctor to aphorism out any added added alarming problems that may be causing your auras.

Suffering From an Ocular Migraine?

Migraine Medications