Overview

A migraine is a neurological illness that produces severe headaches on a recurrent basis. Most people with migraines describe it as having the worst headache of their lives. They are often distinguished by throbbing or pulsing pain on one side of the head and a number of additional physical and neurological symptoms that you would not anticipate from a standard headache.

Symptoms

• Eye discomfort, particularly under bright light Intense pain on one side of your head that throbs or pulses
• Smell or sound sensitivity (or sensitivity to any sensory stimulation)
• Fatigue
• Nausea and Vomiting

Migraine aura occurs for less than an hour. It comprises of visual or bodily disturbances such as seeing flashing lights or black dots that occur just before the headache begins.

Treatment

Migraine headaches have no known treatment. However, a variety of drugs can manage or even prevent them. Typical migraine therapies include:

• Over the counter pain relief such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin
• Preventative medicines such as Beta-blockers (metoprolol or propranolol),
• Triptans such as rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex)
• Nausea medication