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Migraines and Pregnancy

The link between migraines and pregnancy has been observed for quite some time now. Women without any prior history of migraines can suddenly find themselves experiencing splitting headaches. Migraines and pregnancy can be quite a difficult ailment to deal with. While pregnancy can contribute to migraines, typical headache cures can’t always be used due to the pregnancy.

Learning how migraines and pregnancy are linked can help in preventing these pains from occurring in the first place. If you do experience migraines while pregnant, you’ll also learn how to safely and effectively deal with them.

Linking Migraines and Pregnancy

Saying pregnancy is a drastic change can be quite the understatement. During this time, your body undergoes physical and chemical and hormonal changes. You can become quite sensitive to food or changes which didn’t give you migraines before. Your body will respond to changes differently now. While hormones can be a likely cause of this change, there are other several factors which contribute to migraines while pregnant.

Here are some common causes of migraines during pregnancy:

* Chocolate
* Dairy products (cheese, etc.)
* Coffee
* Dehydration
* Fatigue
* Stress
* Changes in weather

If you find yourself experiencing migraines during pregnancy, it can be helpful to keep track of when these episodes happened and what you were doing at that time. You can then make the connection between these occurrences and your migraines. Keep a diary or log to help you out with this. Check if the items above correspond with migraine attacks or headaches.

Remedies For Migraines And Pregnancy

For migraines and pregnancy, prevention of these headaches is always better than going for medication. Some of the best ways to avoid getting migraines are getting enough rest, eating right and regularly and drinking plenty of fluids. If you’ve kept a log of the likely culprits of migraines, you can also work to avoid these triggers or activities.

When these migraines occur, you should be ready as well to combat them. You can do this without taking medication. If you experience migraines, you should sit or lie down and rest. You may experience relief from applying cold packs to your head or affected areas such as the temples or the back of the neck.

Breathing exercises and relaxation techniques can also help. They can help circulate the blood better to lessen headaches and pains. Light exercise can be good for migraines as well. A soft and relaxing massage can also help, therapeutic or whole body massages however are not always advised.

Aspirin and other NSAID (not steroidal anti ?inflammatory drugs) may have side effects for pregnant women. Try to avoid these as much as possible. Acetaminophen, beta blockers and some anti-depressants are relatively low risk for pregnant women. All medication however should be doctor recommended during pregnancy.

Consult with your doctor for other remedies as well as ask about the therapies you are considering taking. Knowing more about migraines and pregnancy can help you have an easier and safer time during pregnancy.

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New Ways to Fight Migraines

If you’ve suffered from splitting headaches before, you may be interested to give new migraine treatment options a try. Migraines can be very debilitative and the pain and nausea associated with them can make you stop right in your tracks. While pain relievers and others analgesics are normally used to treat migraines, they have some side effects and not everyone can take them.

They also can be quite ineffective over time as you may need larger doses to deal with migraines. While these traditional migraine medications still hold their place in dealing with this ailment, developments have been made which show promise in treating migraines. These new migraine treatment options can drastically reduce the occurrence of migraines as well as reduce the pain it causes.

New Migraine Treatment Procedures

Several of the new migraine treatment medications act as preventive medicine. Drugs used as antidepressants, heart medicine, anti-seizure medicine and even cosmetic surgery have all found their use as new migraines treatment options. While they don’t promise to cure migraines, they help prevent them from occurring as frequently.

Botox is a new migraine treatment discovery. Its use is mainly in the field of cosmetic medicine. Botox injections are normally used to tighten the skin and smooth out wrinkles. As a new migraine treatment, it has been shown to be effective in dealing with chronic migraines. It has been FDA approved for use in migraines.

Topiramate, Zonisamide, Levetiracetam are anti-seizure or epilepsy medicine which have been shown to reduce the frequency of migraines. While they have been shown to be effective, some of these drugs do have side effects. It is always best to consult with a doctor regarding prescription and dosage.

Beta blockers such as propanol and calcium channel blockers like verapamil are normally used as cardiovascular drugs. These drugs, along with some anti hypertensive medicine have been shown to reduce the frequency as well as severity of migraines.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a supplement which is naturally produced in the body. It is used mainly to metabolize oxygen and aids in cellular respiration. Because migraines are linked to impaired oxygen metabolism, CoQ10 is believed to be beneficial in reducing migraines.

Antidepressants such as Pamelor, amitriptyline and vivactil have also had good results in dealing with headaches and migraines. They also work even if you aren’t taking them for treatment of depression. They have been quite effective as a preventive measure for migraines.

Biofeedback is a technique which utilizes different equipment and sensors to measure body parameters such as blood flow, heart rate and temperature. This allows you to be aware of how your body is operating in a measurable and visual way. This, coupled with relaxation techniques has had good results in minimizing the intensity of migraines.

Taking a New Migraines Treatment Correctly

It can be noticed that new migraine therapies aren’t directly aimed at curing migraines. Most of them work on side benefits of other drugs. While they can be very helpful, it is always important to take note of possible side effects. Ask your doctor about these medicines before taking them. But with proper medical guidance on dosage and usage you can find that a new migraine treatment may just be the ticket for you.

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Knowing The Types Of Migraines

There are different types of migraines that people suffer from. While most involve headaches and throbbing pain or nausea, there are still other with their own symptoms which are classified as migraines. Knowing the types of migraines and their symptoms can help you get a better diagnosis and the proper medical care.

Types of Migraines

We can start of by discussing the two basic types of migraines, Migraines without Aura and Migraines with Aura. The common symptoms of both types of migraines are headaches or pain on one side of the head. This is usually accompanied by dull throbbing pain at the side of the head or the temples, neck pain and nausea.

Migraines with Aura differ in that those who suffer from it experience sensory phenomenon such as seeing jagged or wavy lines or lights in front of them. Tunnel or impaired vision is also observed. Some also perceive funny or unusual odors. This symptom gradually diminishes and is replaced by the usual symptoms of a migraine.

Most of the other types of migraines usually fall under either of these two main groups. Some migraines may have different kind of pain such as in the location or duration and intensity of the migraine attack. Some types of migraines do not have headaches at all, only the other symptoms are experienced.

Other Types of Migraines

Silent Migraine ? this type of migraine is associated mostly with the occurrence of aura but the absence of headaches as a symptom. Common indicators are mostly the observation of waves, lines and colors in what we see. Nausea and other physical illness may also be felt.

Basilar-Type Migraines ? usually characterized by loss of vision or partial blindness while the migraine attack is occurring, it differs as there isn’t any motor loss that occurs with the migraine attack.

Hemiplegic Migraines ? characterized by occurrence of aura, nausea, vomiting and loss of motor functions or paralysis. Episodes are rather severe and are prolonged.

Retinal Migraines ? characterized by temporary loss of vision, usually in one eye. Lights, spots and other visual disturbances are also felt.

Ocular Migraines ? migraine symptoms include increased sensitivity to light, vision problems and hearing difficulty. Disorientation and confusion as well as slurred speech have also been included as symptoms.

Status Migrainosus ? a migraine type without aura. The headaches are very severe and can last for well over a day or two. Dilation of blood vessels inside the brain is the main culprit and should be addressed immediately to prevent the occurrence of stroke.

Transformed migraines ? these are described as migraine attacks that get worse in frequency and intensity over time. It is suspected that the cause would be overuse of typical medication for headaches and migraines.
Getting Treatment

To better treat your migraine you should definitely consult a physician. Describe in detail what your symptoms are as well as how often and what you were doing. Migraines can be first treated using analgesic medicine such as NSAIDs, aspirin and other pain relievers, these can usually take care of the pain symptom. However there are some migraine types that need to be addressed directly and specific medication should be administered.

Ask your doctor for more information about the types of migraines and how you can get treatment for your specific case.

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