Do You Need Migraine Treatment?

Abdominal Migraine

Abdominal Migraine consists of abdominal pain, as well as associated symptoms of vomiting nausea. It is a form of migraine that is sometimes described as a Recurrent Gastrointestinal Disturbance.

Ocular Migraine (Retinal Migraine)

Ocular migraine is a type of migraine headache that primarily affects vision, typically in one eye. It presents as temporary visual disturbances or changes such as flashing lights, blind spots, or partial vision loss. These visual symptoms, known as visual aura, often precede or accompany the headache phase of a migraine episode. While alarming, ocular migraine usually resolves spontaneously within minutes to an hour and does not cause permanent vision loss.

Certain migraine triggers, such as stress, hormonal changes, or environmental factors, may contribute to its development. It’s important to note that ocular migraine differs from other types of migraine headaches primarily due to its focus on visual symptoms and its transient nature, with the visual disturbances typically resolving without specific treatment.

Migraine without Headache (Silent Migraine)

Migraine attacks without headache, as the title suggests are for those who suffer with the associated migraine symptoms, however without any typical head pain or headache. Although the headache pain is absent, a migraine without headache can still be debilitating due to the other symptoms it comes with.

Symptoms may include:

• Aura symptoms – altered vision with flickering lights, dark or white spots, lines, waves, or in some cases temporary loss of vision
• Speech disturbances
• Nausea and or vomiting
• Sensitivity to light, sound and smell
• Abnormal sensation, weakness or numbness down one side of the face or body
• Confusion
• Mood changes
• Fatigue
• Diarrhoea

Hemiplegic Migraine

Hemiplegic migraines are associated with weakness, or even paralysis, on one side of the body. These symptoms can be quite alarming given their similarity to those of a stroke or epileptic seizure. Hemiplegic migraines often are associated with the more common migraine symptoms, like; aura, nausea or vomiting. Reported prevalence is very low, at 0.1%, however it is commonly mis-diagnosed and treated as epilepsy.

There is a familial link, with many sufferers of hemiplegic migraine also having a direct family member who also experiences the same symptoms. However, this is not always the case and cannot be used as a predictive risk factor.

Given the difficulty in diagnosing this condition, a proper assessment is essential to get the right treatment!

Episodic Migraine

Episodic Migraine is classified as having migraines and headache attacks less than 15 days per month. These migraines can be with or without aura, and are usually debilitating due to the frequency of attacks per month. The combination of episodic and chronic migraine, affect approximately 14% of the world’s population and up to 18% of women.

Menstrual Headache

It is common for women in Sydney to experience migraines with their menstrual cycle. 60% of female migraineurs regularly experience their symptoms with their menstrual cycle, and 14 % will exclusively experience them at this time. The symptoms are those of a classic migraine, or migraine with aura. Pain is often unilateral, and described as moderate to severe throbbing.

Despite the high prevalence of these types of headaches, there is minimal research that has suggested a link between hormone levels and menstrual migraines. Also, when hormone medication is used as a preventive treatment, it very rarely has considerable levels of success.

In these cases, having your migraines thoroughly assessed is essential to have a good recovery.

Migraine Headache

Migraine headaches are the 6th most common health condition in the world. A migraine attack typically involves severe headache accompanied by symptoms like; nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, sound and smell, dizziness and aura. The severity of the migraine headache pain and symptoms makes migraine one of the most debilitating health conditions, accounting for thousands of days off work each year in Australia.

Migraines were initially thought to be caused by changes to the vascular system in the brain, however modern research suggests that this isn’t the case. Traditionally, doctors have used triptan medication for managing migraine attacks and their symptoms, however with mixed results. This may be because these medications don’t target the true cause of your symptoms. Furthermore, heavily relying on medications as acute or preventive treatments can sometimes worsen migraine symptoms or result in a medication overuse headache.