Migraines can cause intense discomfort, distress

Some medical conditions or disorders are worse for one gender over another. Migraine attacks are an example, and affect more women than men – usually related to hormone differences.

“Migraine is very common and affects around 15% of the population overall,” says Dr. Anne MacGregor, a headache and women’s health specialist at the Centre for Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma in London. “However, during the reproductive years, migraine is 3 times more common in women than in men, with over 40% of women likely to experience migraine at some point during their lives.”

Regardless of one’s gender, anyone who experiences a migraine is anxious to get rid of it.

What are migraines?

Migraine attacks are one kind of headache but are significantly more severe in pain than a common tension-type headache. Other symptoms are often also present during a migraine attack such as pulsating discomfort or throbbing on one side of the head, feeling nauseous or experiencing uncomfortable sensitivity to light and sound.

Migraine attacks are commonly triggered by environmental stressors, hormonal changes, and certain food or drinks. Though a single attack doesn’t necessarily mean one has a neurological disease, frequently experiencing migraine attacks or experiencing certain symptoms can lead to such a migraine diagnosis.

Can migraines be a sign of something serious?

On their own, “migraine attacks are not symptomatic of a more serious medical condition,” says Dr. Robert Cowan, a board-certified neurologist and emeritus director of the headache program at Stanford Medicine. “However, migraine certainly can be associated with very serious medical conditions such as a ruptured brain aneurysm, infection or head trauma.”

Still, migraine attacks have been “identified as the leading cause of years lived with disability in people under the age of 50,” says Rashmi Halker-Singh, a neurologist and director of the headache medicine fellowship program at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Experiencing them can lead to severe interruptions in one’s work and home life and cause intense personal discomfort and distress.

How to get rid of a migraine

Treating or getting rid of a migraine does not follow a one-size-fits-all approach. Halker-Singh says that when physicians meet with a patient, they ask a series of questions to get to the root of the migraine cause and to understand the scope of their symptoms before treatment or medication is recommended.

Generally speaking though, “headache specialists think of migraine management as a three-legged stool: acute treatment to address when an attack is coming or just starting, preventive strategies or measures that can be taken on a regular basis to help stabilize one’s brain’s chemistry and make it less reactive to outside stressors, and finally lifestyle modification – behavioral measures that can be taken to ‘rewire’ the brain naturally over time,” explains Cowan.

Macgregor echoes the importance of neutralizing migraine triggers or stressors early in an attack. “Having something sweet, keeping hydrated and getting some rest can sometimes prevent the migraine from developing,” she says.

Some people also try using hot or cold compresses, drinking a favorite caffeinated beverage, or adjusting the light or sounds of a room to their comfort level.

Once head pain begins, Macgregor suggests taking painkillers such as ibuprofen, naproxen or acetaminophen as early as possible. If these don’t work for you, she recommends speaking to your healthcare provider about specific migraine medications.

“There are lots of medications available both to the treat the symptoms of migraine and, if necessary, to help prevent attacks,” she says.