Headaches can make it hard to manage daily tasks, especially when juggling multiple responsibilities. Migraines, however, are even more intense and unpredictable in both duration and severity. While you might confuse a severe headache with a migraine, migraines go beyond head pain, affecting various aspects of your daily life.
Understanding the key differences between a migraine and a headache is crucial for effective management.
Whether you’re suffering from a migraine or headache, Premier Med Group can help you find pain management in New Jersey.
Types of Headaches
When someone says, “I have a headache,” it can refer to various types of pain, depending on its location. You might feel discomfort behind your eyes, across your forehead, cheeks, back of your head. Here are the common types of headaches based on their location and cause:
- Sinus headaches: These headaches happen when your sinuses are swollen, so you’ll likely only get them when you’re sick or suffering from allergies. You’ll feel the pain behind your eyes, nose, and cheeks.
- Tension headache: Tension headaches are the most common, often caused by hunger, stress, and straining the eyes. Pain often starts in the back of the head and moves to the sides; this type of headache can become chronic over time.
- Cluster headache: Cluster headaches are a lot like migraines on the pain scale. They result from dilated blood vessels, sometimes caused by altitude, physical activity, and bright lights.
Migraines Are More Than Headaches
Migraines are their own category of headache because they’re more than just a headache—they’re a neurological disorder. Migraines are more severe than regular headaches and can have other symptoms which include throbbing or pounding pain on one or both sides of the head, nausea, vomiting, vision changes, light or sound sensitivity, tingling triggered by physical activity, light, noise, smells. Headache phase can last 4 hours to 3 days, entire attack can last more than a day to over a week.
What Causes Migraines?
- Gender and hormonal shifts: Women are two times more likely to suffer from migraines than men
- Family history and genetic mutation
- Environmental: triggered by changes in weather, stress, food, smells and lack of sleep, allergies
Treatment Options: Migraine vs Headache
Treatment varies between migraines and headaches, and finding the right approach may depend on individual factors. It’s important to consult with a physician to determine the best treatment for your specific needs.
Headaches:
Over-the-counter medications are often sufficient to alleviate tension, sinus, and cluster headaches, although more severe cluster headaches may require additional treatment. If non-prescription options are ineffective, your doctor may recommend stronger medications.
Keeping a log of your headaches can help track patterns and potential triggers. Simple lifestyle adjustments, such as staying hydrated, improving sleep habits, and regular exercise, can also help reduce headache frequency.
Migraines:
Many people need prescription medications since over-the-counter options typically aren’t strong enough.
The best thing you can do for migraine pain management is to make lifestyle changes. If you’re experiencing light or sound sensitivity, finding a dark, quiet place to rest will help. Avoiding foods that trigger migraines or nausea may help you stave off the pain, as well. Melatonin supplementation reduces the frequency of migraine attacks.
Premier Med Group Will Help You Find a Headache Specialist in New Jersey
If you suffer from headaches and migraines on a regular basis, Premier Med Group can help. Our doctors can help you find the ideal treatment solution.
Our doctors accept most insurance plans, including no-fault, workers’ compensation, and personal injury protection (PIP). Same-day appointments may be available. Call us today at (908) 904-1900 to schedule an appointment or verify your insurance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Can You Differentiate Between Migraine and Headache?
Migraines typically involve intense, throbbing pain on one side of the head and are often accompanied by other symptoms like nausea or sensitivity to light and sound. They can last from a few hours to several days and often disrupt daily life. In contrast, tension headaches usually cause a dull pressure on both sides of the head or across the forehead. They usually less intense and shorter in duration.
What is Chronic migraine headache?
Chronic migraines are defined as having headaches for 15 or more days per month, with at least eight of those days involving migraines.
What triggers a migraine?
Common migraine triggers include stress, hormonal changes, certain foods (like chocolate or processed meats), caffeine, bright lights, strong smells, and lack of sleep. Keeping a diary of your migraines can help identify your personal triggers.
Can migraines be prevented?
While migraines cannot always be prevented, lifestyle changes like managing stress, maintaining a regular sleep schedule, avoiding known triggers, and staying hydrated may reduce the frequency of attacks. Some people also take preventive medications prescribed by their doctor.
What are the symptoms of a migraine aura?
A migraine aura can include visual disturbances like flashing lights, blind spots, or zigzag patterns. Other aura symptoms may involve tingling or numbness in parts of the body, difficulty speaking, or sensory changes.
Are migraines hereditary?
Yes, migraines tend to run in families. If a parent or close family member experiences migraines, you are more likely to have them as well.
Can weather changes trigger migraines?
Yes, changes in barometric pressure, extreme temperatures, and humidity levels are known to trigger migraines in some individuals.
When should I see a doctor for migraines?
If you have frequent or severe migraines that interfere with your daily life, or if over-the-counter medications do not provide relief, it’s important to see a doctor. Additionally, seek medical attention if your migraines are accompanied by unusual symptoms, such as a sudden change in headache pattern or new neurological symptoms.
What medications are available for migraine treatment?
Migraine treatments range from over-the-counter pain relievers (such as ibuprofen) to prescription medications like triptans, Topamax, anti-nausea drugs, and preventive treatments including beta-blockers and CGRP inhibitors.
How does Botox help with migraines?
Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) injections are an FDA-approved treatment for chronic migraine headaches. It blocks neurotransmitter chemicals that carry pain signals from your brain. Botox is like a roadblock in that pathway calming overactive nerves in these areas, which can trigger migraine attacks.
How often Botox can be injected for chronic migraine headaches?
The injections are administered every 12 weeks and involve multiple small injections around the head and neck. Studies have shown that Botox can reduce the number of migraine days by up to 50% in some patients. However, it’s typically recommended for those who have not responded well to other preventive migraine medications.
Side effects of Botox injections?
Side effects of botox includes mild pain, swelling at the injection sites, or neck stiffness, but most patients tolerate the treatment well.
in a very small number of patients, Botox loses its effectiveness over time. This happens for two main reasons – the person develops antibodies as a defense mechanism to block the effect of Botox or headaches change in character and stop responding to Botox.
