Migraine Headaches

There are over 100 different headache disorders. The treatment is based on the diagnosis. See your physician or headache specialist for appropriate diagnosis and treatment of Migraine and headache disorders.

As explained by my headache specialist: Fluorescent lights can contribute to migraine attacks because people with migraine disease are sensitive to the lights, which flicker hundreds of times a second. This is noticeable to people with migraine because of the hypersensitivity of their brains, which cannot filter out unnecessary stimuli like sounds and lights, whereas other people's brains tell them they don't need to worry about it so they don't even notice.

P.S. What is doubly worse is in the UK and Europe where lighting flickers at 50Hz but computer monitors, due to being made to US and Japanese standards, typically flicker at 60Hz unless specifically switched to another frequency (usually 50Hz isn't offered but 75Hz is). This causes something called a "beat frequency", like the equivalent of putting two sheets of net curtaining next to each other, and seeing a gingham check patterning caused by the dark and light patches meshing together against each other.

Hans von Chiari, Professor of Morbid Anatomy at Charles University in Prague, 1891 published a his findings describing three cases with malformations of the lower part of the cerebellum and brain stem. type I, II, and III. These were later, named the Chiari malformations in his honor.

In the Chiari malformation Type I (the cerebellar tonsils herniate down into the upper cervical spinal canal with the lower brain stem sometimes hanging down into the spinal canal. Type II has the lower brain stem, cerebellar vermis, and tonsils hanging down below the foramen magnum. Type III malformation has the tissues of the posterior fossa displaced into a soft sac (meningocele) at the back of the head and upper neck.

Any age, although the teen years to the early 20s are the time where many people begin to have their first attacks.

Children can get migraines. Usually, when children get migraines the main symptom is vomiting. Sometimes after vomiting, the migraine will begin to go away. Parents are more likely to think that the child has a stomach bug than to think that their child has migraines.

Children are harder to diagnose, especially young children, because it is hard to get them to list the symptoms that usually lead to diagnosis (unilateral throbbing head pain, sensitivity to light, etc..)

Puberty or the end of puberty can be the age where many migraine sufferers begin to have their first attacks, especially for women. Also for women, other times of great hormone changes can cause migraines to begin (pregnancy, post-childbirth, menopause).

Migraines often are triggered by food items, such as red wine, chocolate, peanuts, processed meats, oranges, and aged cheeses. For women, a hormonal connection is possible for some women, since headaches occur at specific points in the menstrual cycle. However, migraines should not be blamed on hormones alone.

People who suffer from migraine have hypersensitive brains that overreact to certain stimuli that we call triggers. Triggers can be chemical, food or environmental. A migraine headache takes on a life of its own once it has been triggered. It can rage on for days because the sufferer becomes more sensitive to other triggers while under the influence of a migraine. The triggers pile up and make your life miserable. You need some medication help but you also need to make some significant lifestyle changes which can cut way down on the need for migraine meds.

You need to start paying close attention to what triggers your migraines. Triggers can result from bright lights, irregular bedtimes, sleeping late, drinking, too much computer, tobacco smoke, flourescent lighting, paint and perfume fumes, car exhaust, extreme temperatures, chemicals, foods, medications, etc. The list is endless and only you can determine what your particular triggers are. The most common culprit is food although it is one of the least understood by doctors. In fact, most doctors have very little understanding of migraine triggers. Legumes, oranges, chocolate, msg, wine, aged cheese, soy sauce and certain medications can all trigger migraines.

For certain people some very common foods can set the stage for a migraine to occur. Soy and corn are two common triggers for migraine yet are virtually ignored by doctors. If you check food labels, those two foods are in every processed food in the grocery store. Think high fructose corn syrup that's used in almost everything sweet. Soy is at the base of most foods and is a big problem for many people. Soybean oil can be a serious migraine trigger for may people and it is found in most processed foods. Cutting out ALL processed foods for three months may make a difference in your life. You may find that you can only visit the dairy and produce aisles at your local supermarket and forget the rest. You are fortunate if you have a Whole Foods and Trader Joe's in your area. They sell less processed more nutritious foods.

It's not as bad as it sounds. Just eat unprocessed foods like fresh veggies, fruits, whole wheat pasta, marinara with olive oil only, plain meats like steak, hamburg, turkey, chicken, and fish. Cook with olive oil only. No deli meats. No mayonnaise unless it is made with a non-offending oil. Find a whole grain bread without corn or soy in it and stick to it for the trail period. Find a good buckwheat pancake mix with no soy or corn. It is hard work to switch off processed foods but you may be rewarded with a lot less migraine pain and better health. Without the constant trigger of foods your migraines will decrease and you will be less susceptible to other triggers. Once you experience some pain relief you will also be in a condition to better recognize your triggers.

Book suggestions:

Headache Relief by Alan M. Rappaport, MD & Fred D. Sheftell, MD

Headache Free by Roger Cady, MD & Kathleen Farmer, PsyD

Was It Something You Ate? by John Emsley & Peter Fell

No, you can only take drugs when a Doctor has prescribed them for you. To do anything else puts your life at risk.

diagnosis can be subjective

chances are if pt is perscribed depakote and anti psychotic meds the pt is schizoaffective ie having problems with schizophenia and mood. Often times signs and sx of schizophenia cause distress that depakote can help even out mood swings relatied to those s/sx. There are also other medical uses for depakote other than mental health.

Sometimes. It depends on what those other migraine medications are.

If you are talking about migraine specific medications, such as Imitrex (or anything where the ending of the generic version is "triptan") then yes.

If you are taking about preventative medications used to treat migraines, then also - yes.

Midrin contains acetaminophen. Fioricet with codeine also contains acetaminophen. Oxycodone is often prepared as Percocet, which has acetaminophen too. If you have been taking Excedrin or any Tylenol product, you need to be aware of this as well. People do die from liver failure from taking too much acetaminophen. The limit is 4000mg in a day, or 3000mg if you are taking it daily.

Acetaminophen is a very poor Migraine abortive. A Migraine that lasts longer than 3 days is called Status Migraine and an emergency. Seek the help of a headache specialist in your area for appropriate diagnosis and treatment with drugs that will target the Migraine attack very specifically.

The best tablet to take for a severe headache is the one your physician has specially prescribed for it.

A new class of drugs called Triptans are considered the gold standard of care for most Migraine patients. DHE is also good for refractory Migraine. Many other medications can also quite successfully relieve Migraine in some patients. For diagnosis and treatment, see your physician or Headache Specialist.

Research has shown that there is artery dilation during brain freeze, and it is currently thought that the cold temperatures trigger the dilation of arteries which result in the pain we think of as *brain freeze*.

The bulging of a disc is caused when the disc grows and comes to a point were it will touch the nerves of the spinal cord. The most common cause is age.

Yes, ibuprofen can be taken in conjunction with Depakote as long as it is an over the counter brand. If it is an ibuprofen that is mixed with a form of narcotic pain medication, it can not be taken with Depakote.

Some of the most common causes of migraines are lack of food, lack of sleep, excessive heat, and excessive stress. If you have a family member who suffers from migraines, that also increases your chances.

"A cluster headache is one of the most painful types of headache. It's also distinctive in ways other than the severity of the pain. A striking feature of cluster headache is that the attacks occur in cyclical patterns, or clusters - which gives the condition its name."

Cluster headaches come on suddenly and escalate quickly, it also ends just as quickly. The pain is one-sided, and involves the eye. They are generally over within 30 minutes, although they can be as short as 15 minutes or stretch to three excruciating hours. They often occur during the same of day, and most attacks happen from 9pm to 9am. There are studies which link cluster headaches to the disruption of circadian rhythms. This is why many cluster sufferers have their attack cycle during the changing of the seasons.

Attack cycles generally last from two to twelve weeks.

Other signs and symptoms that may accompany cluster headache include: * Stuffy or runny nasal passage in the nostril on the affected side of your face * Flushing on the affected side of your face * Sweaty, pale skin (pallor) * Swelling around the eye on the affected side of your face * Reduced pupil size * Drooping eyelid

Only some of the medications that work on migraine assist with cluster headache.

For more information about headache, Comprehensive information about the different types of headaches, migraine, tension, cluster, menstrual, and spinal headaches; and their causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment you can visit http://yourheadachesolutions.co.uk/

this might help: http://acast.myminicity.com/ind

Some types of severe pain can cause nausea and can cause you to vomit.

Take a migrane headache for example. That kind of severe pain can make you vomit. Also, what about childbirth? Any doctor or nurse will tell you to NOT EAT anything when you go in to labor. Is that the reason? Or is it something else? yes severe pain can make you vomit and about the child birth question the answer is partly

Your hair cannot affect your health, but your health can affect your hair! Certain conditions can cause your hair to fall out, make the hair dull or limp, or even turn gray! If you have a serious concern and feel that a change in your hair is related to your health, you should see your doctor.

== A migraine headache is a neurological disorder characterized by intense head pain that lasts from 4 hours to 4 days. The pain is just the start of a migraine, however, as migraines actually herald a whole host of changes to the entire body.

There are two main types of migraine headache, but there are many sub-categories. The two main types are common migraine, or migraine without aura, and classic migraine - migraine with aura.

When a doctor is trying to diagnose migraine, they will be looking for:

1. More than one episode of head pain with intense throbbing pain, usually on one side of the head.

2. How long the headache lasts

2. Sensitivity to light

3. Nausea

Below is a related question: What are the symptoms of a migraine? This describes the symptoms and phases of a migraine attack. Please note that you do not have to have all of the symptoms to be diagnosed with migraines.

There have been some reports of inversion helping to reduce migraines but there is no medical report that supports that claim. In fact often times due to the nature of inversion, it could increase the severity of a migraine.

Hydrocephalus is not a hereditary case.

Its root would be several factors such as: Brain malformation upon development in the womb=this called congenital Hydro, infections or diseases acquired in infancy this called acquired Hydro,

There are two types:

1.Communicating- wherein the problem is either the slow absorption of the fluid or fast production of fluid.

2. Non-communicating-a Block causes the fluid to fill up. thus causing increase size of head in infants. for adults since the skull is closed by that time, manifestations would be pain, headaches, irritability, due to Increased Intracranial Pressure.

When it comes to migraines, birth control can be tricky.

For some people, being on birth control can cause more migraines.

For some people, being on birth control can reduce their migraines.

For some people, there is no change at all.

There is a small risk, that birth control can cause strokes. People who have classic migraines (or migraine with aura) also have this small risk. So being on birth control can increase the risk for stroke that those type of migraines already increase the chance of. It is a small risk, but it is something to be aware of. It is just like being aware that if you smoke while on birth control, you increase your chance of stroke. Just another factor to discuss with your doctor.

Several types of headache disorders can cause this to happen. Cluster headache causes fairly short lived, very severe headaches that can occur several times a day for a period of time. See your physician or headache specialist for appropriate diagnosis and treatment of Migraine and headache disorders.

Depakote EC is enteric coated Depakote, which must be taken in multiple doses daily. Depakote ER is extended release Depakote, which can be taken once daily, and usually requires a dose increase of 8-20% compared with Depakote EC.

In the two years since I began taking Tegretol, I have gained nearly two stone; but I am also on HRT, which I believe can also make one prone to weight-gain. So I think with me it is a combination.