While most of us associate migraine with headaches, only sufferers know the agony involved. The attacks, known as episodes often occur without warning, lasting for a few hours or even days. And the pain is so severe that it completely cripples one’s ability to carry out simple, everyday functions.
 
But, despite of being rather common (11 percent adults and 5 percent children suffer from them), migraines are still not understood enough. Doctors are not even sure what causes them, though they believe that genetics as well as environmental factors may both be to blame.

Pounding pain
While migraines always involve headaches, the presence of certain characteristics helps to identify a headache as a migraine. Typically, pain during migraine – which may be on one or both sides of the head – has a pounding or throbbing quality to it. The pain also usually increases with activity.

Besides, a migraine attack is usually accompanied other symptoms. Feelings of nausea or vomiting are common. Sufferers may also complain of lack of hunger, excess urination, chills or sweating, and seem extra sensitive to light or sound. Migraines also cause vision changes, including appearance of auras or flashes, dark spots, blurring, tunnel vision, stars or zigzag lines.

Preceding an attack, sufferers sometimes experience signs such as unusual thirst, craving for sweet, drowsiness or inexplicable mood changes.

Presence of triggers
Typically, migraines may be triggered by the presence of certain factors. For instance, foods such as cheese, chocolates, aspartame, beer and red wine caffeine and monosodium glutamate are common triggers. Similarly, disrupted eating patterns may lead to an attack.

Hormonal changes in women, strong smells and lights, disturbed sleep and medications are some other known triggers. In fact, women undergoing hormonal changes, age (those younger than 40 are more at risk) and a family history of the condition are at higher risk of developing migraines.

If you often suffer from chronic or severe headaches – accompanied by some of the other symptoms – you should seek medical attention. Your doctor will examine you and refer you for certain tests to help the diagnosis.

Finding relief
Migraines cannot be cured. However, you can avail of available treatment to help you control or relieve their symptoms. Your doctor will prescribe medication – based on details such as age, physical health, frequency or severity of the pain, existing medical problems, and special conditions such as pregnancy or breast feeding.

In people with depression, drugs taken to help migraines can sometimes interact with anti-depressant drugs that they may be taking, leading to a serious condition called serotonin syndrome which can even prove fatal. To prevent any such complications it is important that you take medication for migraine only under strict consultation with your doctor.

But, apart from medication, self-help behavior and lifestyle modification form an important part of treatment for migraines. If you suffer from migraines, these are some tips to help you to prevent or restrict the frequency of your attacks: