Migraine

About Migraine

Migraine is a neurological disorder affecting approximately 1 billion people worldwide, making it the third most prevalent disorder globally. It is characterized by recurrent severe headaches lasting 4 to 72 hours, typically unilateral, pulsating, moderate to severe in intensity, and associated with nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light photophobia and sound phonophobia. Approximately 25 to 30 percent of migraineurs experience aura, transient neurological symptoms usually visual that precede or accompany the headache. Migraine with aura involves reversible visual, sensory, language, or motor symptoms lasting 5 to 60 minutes. Migraine is three times more common in women than men, partly due to hormonal factors. Attacks are triggered by stress, hormonal changes menstruation, sleep disruption, certain foods aged cheese, red wine, MSG, weather changes, and sensory stimuli. Treatment includes acute medications triptans sumatriptan, rizatriptan, NSAIDs, antiemetics, and gepants ubrogepant, rimegepant and preventive medications beta blockers propranolol, anticonvulsants topiramate, valproate, antidepressants amitriptyline, venlafaxine, CGRP monoclonal antibodies erenumab Aimovig, fremanezumab Ajovy, atogepant, and Botox injections for chronic migraine 15 or more headache days per month. A sudden, severe headache that peaks within minutes, or headache with fever, stiff neck, confusion, or weakness, differs from typical migraine and is a medical emergency; call your local emergency number.