Painful day. Symptoms: Migraines can progress through stages, and not everyone experiences all of them. These stages include:

• Prodrome: One or two days before a migraine, subtle changes like constipation, mood changes, food cravings, neck stiffness, increased urination, fluid retention, and frequent yawning can occur.
• Aura: For some, this happens before or during the migraine. It involves reversible nervous system symptoms, usually visual disturbances like seeing shapes, bright spots, or vision loss, but can also include tingling, weakness, numbness, or difficulty speaking.
• Attack: The headache phase, where pain is often on one or both sides of the head, throbbing or pulsing, and accompanied by sensitivity to light, sound, and sometimes smell and touch, as well as nausea and vomiting.
• Post-drome: After the attack, individuals may feel drained, confused, and washed out for up to a day.

Triggers: Many factors can trigger migraines, including:

• Hormonal changes: Fluctuations in estrogen in women.
• Dietary factors: Alcohol (especially wine), excessive caffeine, aged cheeses, processed foods, salty foods, food additives like aspartame and MSG, and skipping meals.
• Stress: Stress at work or home.
• Sensory stimuli: Bright or flashing lights, loud sounds, and strong smells.
• Sleep changes: Missing sleep or getting too much sleep.
• Physical strain: Intense physical exertion.
• Weather changes: Changes in weather or barometric pressure.
• Medications: Oral contraceptives and vasodilators.

Treatment: Migraine treatment aims to relieve pain during an attack and prevent future ones.

• Pain relievers: Over-the-counter options like aspirin, ibuprofen, and combination drugs containing caffeine, aspirin, and acetaminophen can help with mild migraines. Prescription triptans, dihydroergotamine, lasmiditan, and gepants are also available.
• Anti-nausea drugs: These can help with nausea and vomiting associated with migraines.
• Preventive medications: These include blood pressure-lowering drugs (beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers), antidepressants, and anti-seizure drugs. CGRP inhibitors and Botox injections are also used for prevention in some cases.
• Lifestyle adjustments: Staying hydrated, resting in a dark, quiet room, applying cold or hot compresses, maintaining a regular sleep schedule, eating regular meals, managing stress, and avoiding known triggers can help manage migraines.

If migraines are severe, frequent, or accompanied by unusual symptoms, it's important to consult a doctor. Keeping a migraine diary to track symptoms and potential triggers can also be helpful in managing the condition.

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