Posts Tagged ‘migraine causes’
Sunday, March 6th, 2011
Question: Does menopause cause migraines?
Answer: It can — but it’s not common. According to the National Women’s Health Information Center, two-thirds of women with chronic migraines report fewer episodes during menopause, often due to the drop in estrogen levels. But some women continue to experience migraines during the beginning of menopause. Its cause is not certain.
Health experts believe the problem is not menopause itself—it’s the estrogen drugs that are causing it instead. Migraine.com states that switching to an estrogen drug could worsen a type of migraine called a hemiplegic migraine, but its effects on other types of migraines is not clear.
Researchers believe that hemiplegic migraines are partially caused by the rise in estrogen levels, which can affect serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitters in the brain — effects that can shrink the blood vessels and cause an attack.
Other experts believe the root cause of these attacks during menopause are caused by other factors. Women going through menopause often report feeling more stressed and having trouble sleeping. In some cases, women develop full-blown insomnia. Poor sleeping habits have been known to trigger some attacks, which may account for the increase in these episodes during menopause.
Still, scientists are not completely certain why these attacks increase during menopause. This makes it harder to treat, and only a few treatments have been identified to help women combat this issue. These treatments include:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which help temporarily relieve migraine pain, though it won’t help with the nausea or sensitivity to light or noise.
- Non-estrogen menopause drugs—some health experts name Prozac and Effexor as good alternatives for women.
- Some prescription drugs approved to treat migraines, such as anti-depressants and beta blockers.
- Anti-seizure medications, such as gabapentin, valproic acid and topiramate, which can be effective for women with hemiplegic migraines.
Again, more testing needs to be done to determine the real cause of these attacks during menopause. Scientists have identified a few key causes that may be aggravating this condition, but they have not been scientifically proven to be accurate. Women are strongly advised to speak with their doctor before beginning any treatment plan.
Tags: menopause, migraine causes, migraine treatments, women and migraines
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Friday, March 4th, 2011
Women today have a lot of responsibilities — and these responsibilities may force them to stay up longer and get less sleep. Not surprisingly, many women start their day with a cup of caffeine-filled coffee or soda.
Unfortunately, millions of women in the United States also suffer from chronic migraines, which are commonly triggered by this psychoactive substance. But why does caffeine cause migraines in women — and how can you treat it once it triggers an attack?
Why Caffeine Causes Migraines in Women
 Caffeine primarily causes migraines because of its psychoactive and addictive nature. In the medical world, caffeine is known as a psychoactive stimulant, which primarily stimulates the central nervous system. This can cause your heart rate to increase, improve your alertness and make your feel more energetic — all reasons why this stimulant is commonly called an energy aid.
Unfortunately, caffeine can become addictive very quickly, causing your body to depend on the substance in order to stay alert. It’s when you stop taking caffeine when the real damage kicks in, in the form of a excruciating, pounding migraine. This is your body’s way of reacting to the withdrawal.
Consuming more caffeine can help reduce the pain — but this obviously cannot be maintained if you’re not a frequent caffeine user. Drinking more and more of this substance can make your body even more addicted to the substance as well, increasing the severity and frequency of these migraines. There are also other consequences: drinking too much caffeine can increase the heart rate, cause dizziness and dehydrate the body.
How to Treat a Caffeine-Induced Migraine
Consuming more caffeine usually prevents reoccurring migraine attacks, but if you’re trying to quit, you won’t have this option. So what can you do once you experience a caffeine-induced migraine?
- Drink plenty of water. Caffeine is a known diuretic, which can dehydrate the body. Dehydration can trigger migraines. Sip ice cold water to rehydrate your body — it may reduce the pain.
- Find a dark, quiet room to relax. Sometimes lying down in complete quiet can help reducing the throbbing and loss of equilibrium. Avoid relaxing in a room that is too warm or cold — any major differences in temperature could make the migraine worse.
- Take a pain reliever. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) are effective for relieving mild to moderate migraine pain. Make sure to follow all of the directions on the bottle and take only the amount you need. Taking more pills will not make them work faster or more effectively. Drugs containing acetaminophen can also help relieve pain.
Tip: The best way to prevent these migraine attacks is to avoid taking caffeine in the first place. Your body can’t have rebound migraines if it never becomes addicted to the substance.
Tags: caffeine, migraine causes, migraine help, migraine treatments, Migraines, Women, women and migraines
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Thursday, March 3rd, 2011
For women, several lifestyle habits can increase their risk for a migraine attack, including birth control pills, fatigue and stress levels. But there is a even bigger lifestyle habit that could trigger their migraines — their diet.
According to a report by The Mayo Clinic, your dietary habits play a critical role in the frequency of your migraine attacks. For instance, eating certain foods can make your migraines more frequent, which can disrupt your ability to work, go to school, or engage in physical activity. Avoiding these triggers can dramatically reduce your migraines, which can help improve your quality of life.
So what parts of your diet could affect your migraine risk?
 Photo credit: Janusz Gawron Diet Trigger 1#: Skipping meals or not having a set eating schedule. Many women skip breakfast or eat irregularly because they want to lose weight or don’t have time to eat, but this can actually trigger a migraine. In reality, steady, regular meals can help reduce your migraine episodes. These have to be substantial meals — an apple or a glass of juice doesn’t count.
Diet Trigger #2: Eating sugary foods. Some types of sugary foods, such as chocolate, have also been shown to trigger migraine attacks. Sugar-rich diets may trigger migraine attacks more often, and women often don’t realize it. What to do: If you can’t live without sweets, consider sugar-free substitutes instead, which may be less triggering.
Diet Trigger #3: Consuming alcohol or caffeine. Both alcohol and caffeine can affect how the brain functions, and may ultimately be responsible for increasing or worsening the severity of migraine attacks. But women need not worry — there are plenty of alcohol and caffeine-free alternatives available. Even cutting down on your alcohol or caffeine intake can help.
Diet Trigger #4: A diet with little water. Reports show that dehydration — the state in which the body does not have enough water — can trigger a headache or migraine, especially in women. It can also affect your ability to think and stay alert, so staying hydrated just isn’t a headache issue. The cure: Aim to drink at least eight full glasses of water a day, limiting caffeine intake. Caffeine is a known diuretic, or a drug that increases water output.
Using this tips won’t eliminate all of your migraines, but it may reduce the frequency of them — and that’s a fact all women can benefit from.
Tags: caffeine, diet and migraines, migraine causes, migraine risk, migraine treatments
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Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
An article in Scientific American (August 2008) attempts to explain the causes of migraines.
People who are prone to migraines may think that they are caused by stress, menstruation, sleep deprivation, exercise, etc. But, these same triggers don’t cause migraines in the majority of the population.
It was believed that a decrease in blood flow causes a migraine. New research, however, shows that immediately prior to the onset of a migraine, blood flow is increased by 300 percent. When the migraine occurs, surprisingly, there is a normal blood flow. Does this increased blood flow cause the migraine?
Studies of the aura condition which presents itself prior to the onset of migraines has given scientists a better understanding of migraines. Cortical spreading depression creates this aura. Cortical spreading depression is a minefield of nerve cell activity that occurs in the outer layer of the cortex, in the area of the brain that controls vision. (This would explain the aura.) This is followed by a resting phase of the neurons.
Area of cortex that controls vision:
It is possible that the increase in blood flow prior to a migraine is necessary to provide the neurons with the energy they need to fire off signals.
Nerve cell activity is maintained by the flow of sodium, potassium and calcium ions across the nerve cell membrane. The gatekeepers of these ions are pumps. Basically, the pumps make sure that a nerve cell at rest has a large amount potassium, but low amounts of sodium and calcium.
In a migraine sufferer, the pumps and channels are defective. Scientists have isolated three genetic mutations that are each capable of being responsible for causing migraines.
Even so, genetics alone do not account for migraines. There are studies of identical twins where one twin will suffer from migraines and the other will not.
We are the manufacturers of Migravent, a dietary supplement that contains magnesium. According to PubMed, studies have shown the effectiveness of magnesium in calming the hyperactive nerve cells of migraine sufferers.
Tags: cause migraine, causes migraine, causes migraines, causing migraines, migraine cause, migraine causes, migraine causing
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