Finding relief from your frequent migraines: Know your options

June 25, 2023

Providence Health Team

[4 MIN READ]

Types of migraine headaches

Migraines don’t just occur in your head; in fact, you might not have headache pain at all during a migraine attack. Your specific symptoms can help discover what kind of migraine you have and what treatments will work best.

Types of migraines include:

Migraine with aura, which means you may have patterns, flashing lights or zigzags in your vision before experiencing any pain
Hemiplegic migraine, a rare form of migraine that causes weakness and tingling on one side of the body
Retinal migraine that can cause loss of vision in one eye
Chronic migraine which causes symptoms for 15 days out of each month
Episodic migraines (or acute migraines) that happen less frequently than chronic migraines
Abdominal migraine which can cause stomach pain, nausea and paleness
Medication overuse headache or migraine that results from using over-the-counter pain medicines too much

If you ever experience weakness, tingling or vision loss with your headache, you should seek medical attention right away. While it may be a migraine, it could also be a more serious problem such as a stroke.

Common migraine triggers

Sometimes migraines happen with no known cause or are related to other health conditions you have. But sometimes they are caused or “triggered” by how you feel, your environment, hormones or illnesses. These are some of the common things that trigger migraines:

Stress
Poor sleep or changes in sleep
Hormone changes, such as those during the menstrual cycle or menopause
Drinking caffeine or alcohol
Weather changes, such as severe storms or extreme heat or cold
Dehydration
Certain types of light, such as bright natural light or fluorescent lights
Strong smells
Using too much pain medicine
Certain foods, such as dairy or chocolate

You can start to learn about your triggers by keeping a headache journal. In this journal, you’ll write down when you have a headache, what you’ve eaten that day, if you slept well, what the weather is like or other facts about your day. This journal will help you see patterns that might indicate a migraine trigger. For instance, you might have a migraine a few days before your period or after bad night’s sleep.

Once you know your triggers, you can do your best to avoid them and avoid migraine pain.

Preventive treatments to stop migraine attacks

Headache specialists at the Providence Neuroscience Institute can teach you about your migraines, your triggers and strategies for managing migraine pain. Our health care providers often recommend lifestyle changes and home remedies for migraines, such as:

Ensuring you receive eight hours of sleep each night
Increasing physical activity when you don’t have a migraine
Drinking plenty of water
Staying in a quiet, dim room while you have migraine pain
Using a cold compress or ice pack on your head to help ease pain
Taking over-the-counter pain medicines like naproxen, ibuprofen or acetaminophen

While home remedies can help, our experts may also recommend medical treatments for migraines. Some migraine medications, such as triptans, help stop active migraines. These medicines are available as sprays or pills. They constrict blood vessels that may be causing migraine pain.

But we also use preventive medications to lessen the impact that migraines have on your day-to-day life. We often recommend treatment options such as:

Blood pressure medicines (beta blockers or calcium channel blockers), antidepressants and/or anti-seizure medicines that can prevent migraines
Behavioral therapy to reduce stress and help prevent migraines
Botox injections to relax muscles and reduce your number of migraines
Hormone medications to control hormone levels that affect migraines

We will work with you to find migraine pain relief. With the right treatment plan and prevention strategies, you can enjoy more headache-free days and get back to living your life the way you want.

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If you are looking for a neurologist, you can search for one who’s right for you in our provider directory.

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