The migraine is back, I’ll try to sleep, I’m not going to talk to you for the next few hours! Says a voice message from Rosario to her son Guillermo. It’s something that happens quite often, the pills are part of her routine and the pain sometimes comes when she least expects it, describes the patient who is 47 years old and has had this condition for nearly 20 years.
On days when this illness strikes, he is far from his friends, works in a call center from home and all he does is wear sunglasses when he is in front of the screen while the day passes slowly answering calls. “Sometimes I have had to disconnect and ask permission to go to the doctor,” he says, and one of his wishes is that medicine has a better response so that these episodes disappear or are less intense.
Rosario, like other patients, has different symptoms. Noise and light become a problem, and nausea sometimes occurs. The World Health Organization, WHO, indicates that migraine can last a lifetime and is accompanied by recurrent episodes that can last from a few hours to days.
An article published by Julio Pascual, from the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital and the Valdecilla Research Institute in Spain, indicates that even though 15% of the population suffers from migraine and that one in five consultations with neurologists is for this disease, “migraine patients are sometimes not treated with the dedication they deserve,” he says.
Part of the reason is that migraines are not life-threatening, but because of the disability they cause, this is a disease that should be considered more seriously, the doctor says.
What is migraine and how does it affect?
According to a recent WHO report, migraine is the third cause of decreased quality of life in people under 50 years of age. “Fortunately, there are advances that will change the attitude with which medical professionals approach patients with this condition,” he adds.
Migraines affect people of all ages and mostly women; however, despite its high incidence, it has been a disease of little interest both in the region and worldwide. One of the main barriers is the lack of knowledge that exists among health personnel themselves, so diagnosis and treatment are given only to a minority of these patients.
Along these lines, migraine sufferers often have difficulty communicating the severity of their symptoms and, as a result, often feel that they are not properly assessed by their medical team or that they do not receive the necessary treatment.
Another challenge is the lack of recognition of the burden that this type of headache imposes on society and, therefore, the limited budget for its care. According to the CALM study, carried out in Central America and the Caribbean, 52% of the participating patients indicated that migraine has impacted their professional life, which can result in decreased work performance or alter the person’s ability to concentrate, as well as increase the risk of work accidents and conflicts with colleagues or bosses, due to not understanding the type of pain that the person experiences, shares in a column published in Prensa Libre, the internist, Carlos Cano.
What to do during a migraine attack?
In a virtual interview, Roni Sharon, a neurologist and member of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology who practices in the area of neurology with a specialization in headache medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, explains that 75% of women suffer from migraine and 10% of men, which means that it is a disease with a higher prevalence in women.
The first step is to determine whether the pain is a migraine and to reach a diagnosis it is important to visit the doctor.
When you have a migraine, it is important to know if you are stressed, anxious, sleeping enough, or eating something that triggers the situation.
“With a good diagnosis, people can receive the appropriate medication, and taking it immediately is essential to reduce the problems. There are now new generation treatments that reduce side effects and are advances,” says Sharon.
There are also preventive treatments, which are given to people who frequently suffer from migraines, which allows for fewer attacks. “This disease is debilitating and today we should not suffer so much,” adds Sharon. It is important not to self-medicate because it could make the situation worse or lead to other complications, say experts.
Sharon also says that during the crisis, patients will benefit from staying in a dark, quiet room and trying to sleep.
A healthy lifestyle may also be beneficial for the patient. Mayo Clinic, for example, recommends:
- Learn relaxation techniques to help you have fewer migraines.
- Develop a routine for sleeping and eating. That is, have set schedules and similar times to do so.
- Stay hydrated.
- Keep a headache diary and write down your symptoms to find out what might be causing your headache.
- Regular exercise is also positive, as is weight loss if you are overweight or obese.