What is a migraine?

A migraine or migraine attack is a severe headache that often comes with nausea and aversion to light. Your migraine attack might last a few hours or a few days. When suffering from a migraine, you may feel like you need to lie down in a dark and quiet room and not move until it passes.

The causes of migraine are not exactly understood but they may be linked to dilating blood vessels in the head swelling and causing pressure in the brain.

Individuals who suffer from migraines may become aware of what triggers their attacks. Triggers include:

• •  – Specific food
  •  – Stress
  •  – Alcohol
  •  – Caffeine
  •  – Dehydration
  •  – Changes in weather
  •  – Loud noises

Taking normal painkiller medication, such as paracetamol, can help but are often ineffective once the migraine has set in.

What migraine treatments are available?

Other than understanding your triggers, there isn’t a migraine treatment that prevents migraines. Instead, there are a number of options to treat the migraine when it starts to help relieve the pain and other symptoms.

• •  – Over-the-counter painkillers can be effective at treating migraine pain.
  •  – Anti-sickness tablets help treat nausea.
  •  – Migraine-specific painkillers that are only available on prescription.

Often a combination of different medicines is the best option for treating migraines. But you’ll need to work with your pharmacist or GP on finding the right combination for you.