Possible Causes Of Migraine

Factors that may cause migraine
HORMONAL CHANGES
Hormonal changes are known as a trigger. In some people, mograines occur without an actual reason, and for others they only experience migraines when they are exposed to a trigger. A trigger for one person will sometimes not be the same for another. In this case females who experience migraines, may experience hormonal changes as a trigger and only get attacks during their period, although there are others who have multiple triggers and this could potentially be one of them. Only experiencing a migraine during their period, is known as pure menstrual migraine. (NHS, 2017)
Diagnosing this type of migraine is important as it can help identify which type of migraine a female patient may be experiencing.
The first step involves working through the symptoms and working out whether the patient has any of the symptoms that fall under the diagnosis of a migraine. This involves finding out where the headache occurs in the head and how severe the headache is, as migraines generally prevent sufferers from carrying out daily tasks. They will also usually ask about the usual symptoms that accompany migraine like nausea/vomiting and sensitivity to light. The next step if diagnosis is unclear is a migraine diary. Migraine diaries are useful in diagnosis and will give the physician a clear understanding about the severity and even any triggers that might be contributing to the migraine attacks. Migraine diaries should be recorded over several weeks and should include details like the time and date, what the patient was doing, their symptoms and even what pain medication is being taken. For female sufferers, menstruation dates are helpful as they could potentially be a trigger for the attacks. If this still leaves many questions unanswered the physician may then refer the patient to a neurologist. A neurologist will be able to carry out tests to determine what is going on and if it is a migraine. (NHS, 2016) Some examples of tests carried out by a neurologist are CAT scans or a MRI. Neither scans are able to directly diagnose a
Sumatriptan and zolmitriptan are available for nasal and oral use while all other triptans like eletriptan can only be taken in pill form. Triptans work by restricting the blood vessels in the head thus leading to the pain associated with migraines. They are not used as a preventative method, it only works when the attack is taking place. Some triptans work better than others but all provide the same outcome. There are limitations to the use of triptans. Although they are considered safe for most patients with migraine, there are some groups of individuals who should not take this class of drug. These