Migraine Headaches Research Paper

It’s 5a.m and I can barely move; everything is blurry, my right hand is numb, and the right side of my head is pounding. A couple hours later everything transferred from my right side of my body to the left side of my body. It is a migraine that I am having, and this has been my life since 6th grade.

Usually, I wake up with my migraines so getting the in the middle of the day is a rare

The word migraine is a Greek word which means “half of head”. It is thought that people who

Migraines affect nearly 28 million people or 12% of the population in the United States. Migraines are typified by moderate to severe head pain. The head pain is often accompanied by one or more of the following; nausea, photophobia, phonophobia or vomiting. Migraines are considered a chronic neurological disorder. The incidence of migraine related nausea (MRN) is very high among migraneurs. Roughly 90% of patients experience MRN at one time or another. Roughly 50% of patients report experiencing MRN with high frequency (greater than half the time). MRN can hinder the efficacy of currently available migraine drugs in a number of ways. Many patients who experience MRN will delay or avoid taking oral or nasal migraine medication as it can further irritate their stomach. The GI upset associated with migraines can also affect absorption and thus limit systemic exposure to the drug. Researchers have been working diligently to find a solution to this problem.

Migraines are extreme, long-lasting headaches filled with throbbing pain to one side of the head. Many times, it can result in a person feeling as though they want to throw up; light and sound can further aggravate the problem.

The absorption and efficacy of orally administered drugs may be compromised by the gastric stasis or nausea/vomiting that often accompany a migraine. Pretreatment with antiemetic agents is advised when nausea and vomiting is severe. It is recommended to limit the use of acute migraine therapies to two days per week in order to avoid the development of medication misuse headache. Prophylactic migraine therapies are administered on a daily basis to reduce the frequency, severity and duration of attacks. Preventative therapy should be considered in the setting of recurring migraines that produce significant disability or frequent attacks. Multiple therapies may be needed before successful prophylaxis is achieved. A therapeutic trial of two to three months is necessary to judge the efficacy. After at least three to six months, once severity and frequency of attacks has diminished or there are prolonged headache free intervals, the drug is gradually tapered and discontinued.3

Some cases of migraine pain seem to be linked to nerve compression in the head. This was discovered accidentally after patients who had forehead lifts reported they no longer had migraines or that their migraines were reduced. The link was investigated and research indicates that trigger points in the muscles and other tissues in the forehead or neck compress nerves that keep the nerves irritated. This nerve irritation is what causes migraine pain. Migraine surgery helps by releasing the pinched nerve in a form of decompression surgery. Once the nerve is no longer irritated, migraines decrease or stop altogether.

Migraine headaches are often experienced on one side of the head (Tepper, 2004). The pain is associated with the pulsatile sensation that differs from one person to another. Migraine is also characterized by throbbing and pounding headache that can lead to nausea, vomiting, and in some instances photophobia. Presently, about 12 % of Americans experience migraine headaches every day. Research shows that migraine mostly affect people aged 15 to 55 years (Tepper, 2004). Migraine has been said to occur as a result of impaired nervous and circulatory system. In migraine, blood vessels undergo vasodilation. The enlargement of the vessels interferes with the nerve cells that normally surround the vessels making them secrete various chemical mediators. These chemicals include prostaglandins, substance P, interleukins, and cytokines (Schulman, 2010). The chemicals are responsible for inflammation and transmission of pain impulses. The associated feelings of nausea and vomiting are attributed to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic response also leads to slowed motility and gastric emptying that in turn reduces absorptions of gastric contents such as nutrients and drugs. Additionally, the sympathetic system also leads to excessive sound and light sensitivity. Statistics reveals that migraines affect more women than men. The severity of migraine headaches ranges from mild, moderate to severe depending on the individuals affected. In some instances, migraine headache can be a major cause of morbidity due to its debilitating

They are both paroxysmal disorders of the brain and patients are typically symptom free between the attacks (Bigal et al.,2003). Furthermore a loss of consciousness, the presence of auras, postictal drowsiness, aphasia and the possibility that attacks might be triggered by either visual or hormonal stimulus are all characteristics shared by both migraine and epilepsy as well as symptoms associated with gastrointestinal, psychological and autonomic nervous system conditions. Migraine attacks rarely trigger epileptic seizures, a phenomenon called migralepsy. Migraine-like headache can be associated with epileptic seizures, especially postictally. Several antiepileptic treatments have been proven to work in migraine

I am a 16 year old that has had migraines for almost 5 years, and in the last year my migraines have exponentially increased to the point where I am unable to do anything. I end up in hospital once a month and treatment only helps for a certain amount of time.

There are many different types of headaches. Some types are cluster, hormonal, sinus, tension, and then there’s migraines. Adults and children have headaches. As Love quoted, “Headaches have an ugly cousin, and they go by the name of Migraines (Love 1). A

While the migraine and preceding symptoms affect my performance at work, this condition has also affected my personality as well as my personal life. Having surprise migraine attacks more days than not has unquestionably changed who I am. By nature, I am a friendly, outgoing, energetic, happy person with a sense of humor. With migraines, I am a crabby, depressed, frustrated, emotional person. My headaches dictate my moods and character. When I wake in the morning with swollen fingers and a tight neck, my mood is instantly that of worry because those are signs that a migraine will soon arrive. I start thinking of all the things I will not be able to do and plans that I may have to cancel. I will not be able to walk my dogs, work in my garden, go to Zumba, clean the house, socialize with friends or cook dinner for my family. Sometimes I avoid making plans at all because I know I will eventually be sick. I withdraw from my friends and family. My mood shifts to anger. Angry because I cannot enjoy my life as I want. Then I am grouchy and sad. I worry that others will think I am weak or dramatic. Many days I try not to let the migraine take over my life. I fight to continue to go about my day; but I am usually irritable with my friends, family, and co-workers. My frustration level increases. There are limitations of what I can do because most of the time I can barely move my head without experiencing unbearable pain or vomiting. I try to fake through so I do not

That which is most understood about migraine is of course that which is most readily observed and documented--its manifest symptoms. Previously lacking the objective means of discovering the underlying cause, researchers were constrained to understanding headache "by analyzing its symptoms" (3). Migraine headache has thus been divided into two types according to the accompanying symptoms: common migraine, which affects the majority of sufferers, and classical migraine, which affects about 15% of migraine patients (3). Both common and classical migraine are associated with extreme throbbing pain that is often unilateral (one-sided), nausea, and "exquisite" sensitivity to light (photophobia) and sound (sonophobia) (3). Those with classical forms of migraine, however, experience an additional symptom, "a distortion of vision that can be

A migraine is a cause of recurring attacks of pain to one side of the head or two sides of the head, depending on the individual. The pain is described as moderate to a severe throbbing or pulsing (MedlinePlus, 2016). It is more common among females compared to males (MedlinePlus, 2016). TL explained that she has always been having migraines before, but over the last month, there has been an increase of episodes. She stated that she had a migraine on for 6 days, this is considered pretty bad. Over what she had stated and explained to me, all her activities and lifestyle are considered factors and triggers that contributed to her migraine.

A migraine is a common type headache. In addition, migraines can cause moderate to severe pain and is often described as throbbing or pulsating pain on one side of the head. In addition, migraines can cause blurred vision when exposed to light and sound, nausea, and vomiting pounding.