Types of Migraines

Types of Migraines

If you experience the signs and symptoms of migraine with aura, such as temporary vision loss or floating spots or zigzag lines in your field of vision, see your doctor immediately to rule out more serious conditions, such as stroke or retinal tear. Once these conditions have been ruled out, future migraines with aura can be considered not to be a sign of a more serious condition and won't require a visit to your doctor, unless you notice unusual or worsening symptoms.

The psychological effects of pain amplify the trauma, contributing to depression, anxiety, sleeplessness and suicide. "Many people in severe pain from terminal illness fear their pain more than they fear death," says Scott Fishman, chief of pain medicine at the University of California-Davis.

There are many recognized types of migraines and only by paying attention to several factors, working with your doctor, and tracking each migraine incident can you really begin to identify where you might fall within these broad categories.

Classic migraines start with a warning sign, called an aura. The aura often involves changes in the way you see. You may see flashing lights and colors. You may temporarily lose some of your vision, such as your side vision. You may also feel a strange prickly or burning sensation, or have muscle weakness on one side of your body. You may have trouble communicating. You may also feel depressed, irritable and restless. Auras last about 15 to 30 minutes. Auras may occur before or after your head pain, and sometimes the pain and aura overlap, or the pain never occurs. The head pain of classic migraines may occur on one side of your head or on both sides.

Common migraines don't start with an aura. Common migraines may start more slowly than classic migraines, last longer and interfere more with daily activities. The pain of common migraines may be on only one side of your head.

Chronic migraine is a disorder in which a person experiences migraines 15 or more days each month. The cause of chronic migraine isn't clear. Some research suggests that it may be due to changes in parts of the brain that control pain.

Rebound migraine, as the little-understood phenomenon is known, can stem from too much caffeine or prescription migraine drugs, as well as non-prescription pain relievers.

"Virtually all medications used to treat headache can become a cause of headache if overused," says Richard Lipton, a neurologist from Montefiore Medical Center in New York who was a consultant to Bristol-Myers Squibb in the development of Excedrin Migraine. For reasons that aren't clear, "I think migraine sufferers have a particular vulnerability," Lipton says.

Status Migrainous (Migrainousus) is a debilitating Migraine attack lasting for more than 72 hours. If moderate to severe Migraine pain lasts more than 72 hours, with less than a solid four-hour pain-free period, while awake, it should be considered an emergency requiring an office call or a trip to the emergency room.

Abdominal migraine is a form of migraine seen mainly in children. It's most common in children ages five- to nine-years-old, but can occur in adults as well, and consists primarily of abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.

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