Migraines Headaches Medical Reference
- Migraine Treatments Overview
Sometimes all it may take to ease your migraine pain is a quick nap or a rest in a cool, dark place with a chilled cloth on your forehead. But if that doesn’t help, you and your doctor have a range of treatment options, either to stop a migraine attack or to prevent it from starting.
- When Migraines Get Worse
Migraine can change over the years for better or worse. Learn more about how it could progress and when to get help.
- Your Migraine Health Care Team
If you have migraines, it’s helpful to know about the different professionals who are a part of your care team. Find out which doctors you’ll work with and what roles they’ll play in your migraine treatments.
- How to Get Emotional Support for Your Migraines
If you have migraines, getting emotional support can be an important part of managing your condition. Here’s what you can do to get it.
- Dos and Don'ts When a Migraine Starts
When a migraine is on the way, you may be able to stop it or keep it from getting worse. Find out what you can do to prepare.
- Tips and Tricks to Solve Migraine Problems
Get practical ideas to help you deal with common problems from migraines.
- Newly Diagnosed WIth Migraines: What to Start, Stop
When your doctor diagnoses you with migraine, right away, you can take steps to prevent attacks and ease your symptoms. Learn more about what to do when you're newly diagnosed with migraine.
- Over-the-Counter Migraine Medicine
You can treat your migraines without a prescription. Find out which over-the-counter drugs work best and how to take them safely.
- Conditions That Can Look Like Migraines
You might confuse some of the symptoms of migraine with other conditions, ranging from tension headache to stroke. Find out what conditions can look like migraine and how to tell the difference.
- First Neurologist Visit for Migraine: What to Expect
If you think you may have migraines, you might need to see a neurologist. Find out when you should make an appointment, what to expect, and how to prepare.
- Why Migraines Aren't ‘Just’ a Headache
There are key differences between a migraine and other types of headaches. Find out what they are and how they can impact you.
- Managing Severe Migraine Symptoms and Side Effects
It can be tricky to manage migraine headaches, but it’s not impossible. Here are some steps you can take to ease the pain.
- Getting Migraine Support During Social Distancing
Migraines can make even simple tasks difficult. Sometimes you need support. Learn how to get the help you need, even when you're social distancing.
- Migraines: When You Need in-Person Treatment
SOURCES: American Academy of Neurology, Brain & Life: "How to Manage Migraine Disorders During COVID-19." UNC Health Talk: "3 Tips for Returning to Your Doctor’s Office During COVID-19." US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health: "Facial Mask: A Necessity to Beat COVID-19." Nuvance Health: "How to Safely See Your Doctor for Non-COVID-19 Medical Care." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Social Distancing." Sometimes a visit to your doctor's office is the only option for treating your migraine, even when you're social distancing. Find out how to keep yourself safe.
- Make Sure You Have Enough Medication
You don't want to run out of migraine medication, especially during a pandemic. Here's how to manage your treatment while social distancing.
- Staying on Target With Telemedicine
If you have migraines, telemedicine can be a great way to stay on top of your care. Learn how to make the most of your virtual appointment.
- Migraine and Brain Lesions
Studies link migraines with small areas of brain damage. Learn about why this happens, what it means for your health, and how you might prevent these lesions.
- Daith Piercings as Migraine Treatment
Could you stop your migraines by piercing through the tough flap just outside your ear hole? Daith piercings are rumored to ease migraine pain by stimulating nerves at a small spot on your ear. While they may look cool, find out if they’re truly effective for headaches and what risks you may encounter with this type of piercing.
- Magnesium for Migraine
Your body needs magnesium to work the way it should. Scientists say there’s a link between low magnesium levels and migraines. Learn where to find magnesium and how much you need.
- Lyrica for Migraine Prevention
If you get migraine headaches often and have certain other medical conditions, Lyrica might be able to help. Find out what you need to know before you try it.
- What Is a Retinal Migraine?
Retinal migraine is a very specific kind of migraine that causes visual disturbances in only one eye. Learn the symptoms and why you might need to call your doctor right away.
- Acute Migraine Treatments
These are the medications and devices that can treat your migraine headaches.
- Migraine: Take Control
Medication isn’t your only weapon against migraines. Ease the pain – or stop it before it starts – with these easy, drug-free strategies.
- When Stress Is a Chronic Migraine Trigger
Does your nonstop stress trigger frequent migraines? Stress is a common cause of chronic migraine. Learn how to handle stress so you can manage or even prevent headaches.
- Migraine Prevention: Do These Home Remedies Work?
How do you know which alternative treatments for migraine really work? Before you buy, sniff, or apply any home headache treatment, find out which remedies are proven to either prevent migraine or lessen the pain.
- Mixed Tension Migraine
What's the difference between a mixed tension migraine and a regular migraine? Learn more about this type of headache.
- Throbbing Headache: Causes and Treatment
Throbbing is a pulsing, beating sensation that’s a sure sign of a headache. Certain chronic conditions and lifestyle choices cause this type of headache, and there are ways to feel relief.
- Paroxysmal Hemicrania
Pain on one side of your head or face might be a rare type of headache called paroxysmal hemicrania. Learn more about this type of headache.
- How to Tell if It's a Migraine or Brain Aneurysm
If you have intense head pain, you might wonder if it's from a migraine or from a serious blood vessel problem called a brain aneurysm. The two conditions share some symptoms, but there are also key ways to tell them apart.
- What Does a Headache on the Top of Your Head Mean?
Headaches come in all kinds, and almost all of them could cause pain on top of your head. Find out more about the possible causes of your headache pain.
- Overview of Cough Headaches
A cough headache happens when you cough a little too hard and your head hurts for a bit. Often, it’s harmless and goes away on its own, but tell your doctor about it, because there could be a serious cause.
- What Are Cyclic Migraines?
Cyclic migraines are migraines that happen in cycles. Learn more about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of this unusual type of headache.
- What Is an Altitude Headache?
Lots of things can cause headaches. But did you know that simply being on top of a mountain could do it? Find out how to treat and prevent an altitude headache.
- Why Does the Back of My Head Hurt?
If you have pain in the back of your head, the path to relief depends on the cause of the pain. From poor posture to arthritis headaches, see the reasons why the back of your head might hurt.
- Common Misdiagnoses of Migraine
Doctors often mistake migraine headaches for other medical conditions. Here are some of the most common misdiagnoses, and how to avoid them.
- Migraine vs. Sinus Headache: Symptoms, Causes, and Differences
Misdiagnosis happens so often that one study found 95% of people who thought they had a sinus headache actually had a migraine. Here's how to tell them apart.
- Headache Locations: A Comprehensive Guide
Where your head hurts isn't a foolproof way to diagnose the cause, but the location of your headache can be a good starting point.
- What Is Post-Traumatic Headache?
You might have this condition if you get a new headache in the days after you have a concussion. Find out what's causing it and learn how to manage the symptoms.
- What Are Hypnic Headaches?
Find out more about this rare kind of headache, including the symptoms, causes, and treatments.
- What Are Temple Headaches?
When you have a temple headache, figuring out what’s causing the pain is a good step toward relief. We explain which types of headaches can cause it.
- What Is Ophthalmoplegic Migraine?
Ophthalmoplegic migraine is a nervous system syndrome that affects the eyes and head. Know the symptoms and how your doctor will diagnose you or your child.
- Migraine Hangover (Postdrome)
Migraine pain doesn’t always end when the headache goes away. Learn more symptoms, causes, treatment, home remedies, and prevention of migraine hangovers.
- Everything You Need to Know About Headache Specialists
Do you get headaches very often, or do they last a long time or hurt too much? If pain relievers and your regular doctor haven’t helped, it may be time to check into headache specialists.
- Headache Behind the Eye? Why It Happens, What Helps
If you feel pain behind your eyes, there's a good chance it could be a type of headache.
- Driving and Migraine: What to Do
Migraines shouldn’t prevent you from driving. But it can be unsafe if it happens while you’re behind the wheel. Here’s what to know.
- What Is a Secondary Headache?
Most headaches aren’t the main health issue, but symptoms that come with another problem. Find out if your head pain is a primary or secondary headache, and when you should see a doctor.
- What Is Red Ear Syndrome?
Are your ears bright red and hot? You might have a rare condition called red ear syndrome.
- Rare Types of Migraine
For most, migraines mean things like head pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound. For others, their rare type of migraine can bring many other things.
- Timeline of a Migraine
What happens during a migraine? Learn more about the phases that can happen before, during, and after migraine attacks.
- How a Symptom Diary Can Help With Migraine
Deal with migraine? Here’s how tracking your symptoms may help.