what is Migraine?

Definition
A migraine can be disabling — with symptoms so severe, all you can think about is finding a dark, quiet place to lie down. Up to 17 percent of women and 6 percent of men have experienced a migraine.

In some cases, these painful headaches are preceded or accompanied by a sensory warning sign (aura), such as flashes of light, blind spots or tingling in your arm or leg. A migraine is also often accompanied by other signs and symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine pain can be excruciating and may incapacitate you for hours or even days.

Fortunately, management of migraine pain has improved dramatically in the last decade. If you've seen a doctor in the past and had no success, it's time to make another appointment. Although there's still no cure, medications can help reduce the frequency of migraine and stop the pain once it has started. The right medicines combined with self-help remedies and changes in lifestyle may make a tremendous difference for you.

Migraine

A migraine is more than just a headache - it is a chronic illness and almost 28 million people suffer from it. Recent research into what works to prevent and control migraine headaches has lessened the suffering for the millions in need of assistance. General guidelines are to choose medications with minimal side effects that are most effective in treating your migraine, and to take an effective medication at the first sign of migraine pain. One approach is to take a migraine "rescue" medicine if non-prescription medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDS) are not effective within 1-2 hours. A migraine rescue medicine is a drug specifically prescribed for relief of migraine headache. However, many migraine sufferers know that they can reliably obtain pain relief only if they go directly to an anti-migraine medication.