Get Help with Migraine Headaches
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Migraine Headaches
Migraine headaches can completely derail your day-to-day life. The pain of a migraine sends many sufferers to bed, and the only relief comes from a migraine medication such as Imitrex, and a dark, quiet room. While there are many things about migraine headaches that are not well-understood, this type of headache is known to be caused by changes within the brain. Many people with migraines are able to control the headaches—at least to some extent—with specific lifestyle changes and preventative medications. As patients get older, they may see a decrease in the frequency of their migraine headaches, which could disappear entirely as time passes.
Causes and Symptoms of Migraine Headaches
The common symptoms of migraine headaches include nausea, eye pain, sensitivity to light or sound, vomiting, and severe pain, usually described as a “pounding” pain. Migraine headaches have been attributed to:
- Eating specific foods, particularly aged cheeses, foods with nitrates, artificial sweeteners, chocolate, dairy products or food with monosodium glutamate
- Drinking alcohol, particularly wine
- Taking some types of oral contraceptives
- Sleeping too much
- Changes in barometric pressure
- Strong stimuli, such as constant loud noises, very strong smells and/or bright lights
Diagnosing Migraine Headaches
To diagnose a migraine, your doctor will require a detailed medical history and overview of your symptoms. You may be asked whether you have a family history of migraines, the effect the headaches have on your everyday life, how often your headaches occur, and what symptoms accompany the headaches. You may undergo a CT or MRI scan as well. While these tests cannot diagnose migraine headaches, they can help rule out other causes of your headaches.
Treating Migraine Headaches
At Seattle Pain, we want to get you back to your life as quickly as possible. There are a number of treatments our interventional pain management specialists may try for your migraine headaches, both traditional and non-traditional. These treatments may include:
- Nerve blocks
- Botox injections
- Medications
As many as a quarter of all people will experience a migraine headache at some point in their life. Researchers now believe there is a genetic predisposition to migraines. Seattle Pain will work with you to identify the cause of your migraine headaches, then we will help you diminish the pain of your migraine headaches so you can return to your life.
Is migraine pain causing you to miss out on life?
Contact Our Seattle Interventional Pain Management Specialists
We understand that migraine pain can be debilitating. At Seattle Pain, our primary goal is to relieve your pain and improve your quality of life. We believe in treating the whole patient – and not just the injury. You do not have to live in pain.
