Migraine headaches typically affect one side of the head. They can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Some people have them weekly, others have fewer than one a year. Migraines usually begin sometime between the teen years and the age of 40, and can be classified as either ""classic'' or ""common.''

What causes migraines?

Migraine headaches seem to be caused in part by changes in the level of a body chemical called serotonin. Serotonin plays many roles in the body, and it can have an effect on the blood vessels. When serotonin levels are high, blood vessels constrict (shrink). When serotonin levels fall, the blood vessels dilate (swell). This swelling can cause pain or other problems.

You also have a relatively higher risk of migraines if you're young and female. In fact, women are three times as likely to have migraines as men are. Headaches tend to affect boys and girls equally during childhood but increase in girls after puberty.
A migraine attack can be triggered by stress, food, environmental changes, or some other factor. However, the exact chain of events remains unclear.

Signs and symptoms

Not all migraines are the same. Most people experience migraines without auras, which were previously called common migraines. Some, however, have migraines with auras, which were previously called classic migraines. If you're in the second group, you'll likely have an aura about 15 to 30 minutes before your headache begins.

Episodes can last from several hours to several days and often are disabling. During the attack, pain may travel from one part of the head to another and may radiate down the neck into the shoulder. Scalp tenderness occurs in the majority of patients during or after an attack.

Foods that may trigger migraines
Aged, canned, cured or processed meat, including bologna, game, ham, herring, hot dogs, pepperoni and sausage
Aged cheese, Aspartame, Avocados, Beans, including pole, broad, lima, Italian, navy, pinto and garbanzo

Care

There are a number of prescription medications for migraine. They tend to work better if you take the medicine as soon as your headache starts. Discuss these and other methods of preventing migraines with your doctor.

What can help a migraine?

When a migraine headache happens, your child should go to a cool, dark place and lie down with a wet cloth across his or her forehead. If the doctor has given your child a medicine for migraines, your child should take it as soon as he or she knows a headache is starting.

To help prevent migraines:

Keep a record of what you ate before each headache. Avoid foods, such as chocolate, cheese, and red wine, that seem to cause an attack. Don't skip or delay meals.

Treatment of migraines

Pain-relieving medications. Also known as acute or abortive treatment, these types of drugs are taken during migraine attacks and are designed to stop symptoms that have already begun.

Prophylactic Treatment
Preventative medication may be prescribed for patients who have frequent headaches (3 or more a month) that do not respond to abortive treatment. Studies have shown that as many as 40% of these patients may benefit from preventative treatment.


Medication therapies for migraine

Individuals with occasional mild migraine headaches that do not interfere with daily activities usually medicate themselves with over-the-counter (OTC, non-prescription) pain relievers (analgesics). Many OTC analgesics are available. OTC analgesics have been shown to be safe and effective for short-term relief of headache (as well as muscle aches, pains, menstrual cramps , and fever) when used according to the instructions on their labels.