Migraine: The serious symptoms of an attack and five tips to reduce pain

It's a debilitating neurological condition, but the serious symptoms of an attack are often dismissed. Some well-known sufferers talk about their experiences

Sun, 26 Sep, 2021 - 18:35

Martha Brennan

Nausea, sensitivity to movement and light, brain fog, a throbbing headache: these are just some of the symptoms associated with migraine, a painful neurological disorder that is often likened to a power cut in the body.

Though up to 15% of Irish people suffer from the condition, it is often one that is brushed aside, with some who experience migraines feeling embarrassed when they can’t function because of a ‘headache’.

However, for sufferers, the onset of a migraine is so much more than just a headache.

Struck down

“I get struck down a couple of times a year and when it happens it can go on for days,” says television presenter Anna Daly.

“The only reason I found out I had migraine was because a few years ago I was driving to work and I had a headache that had been going on for days. My husband kept asking me if it was still going on and I was almost embarrassed to say it was, which seems so ridiculous now. I had taken loads of painkillers but as I was heading into Ireland AM that day I actually turned around and drove to Loughlinstown Hospital because I was so worried. They sent me in an ambulance to St Vincent’s Hospital and I finally got a diagnosis.”

Daly was in her early 40s at the time and had no idea that her frequent headaches were migraines. “I’d been getting them all my life but I always put it down to things like lack of sleep or a hangover. I just never made the link,” she says.

“The headache usually triggers nausea for me and then I just shut down. I really can’t function properly when I get one. It starts with a normal headache but I’ll end up just lying down with my head in my hands, which was happening that day I went to the hospital. Thankfully, I haven’t had an episode like that since because I have the right medication now.”

The mother of three couldn’t pinpoint what triggered her migraines, but her doctors now believe that they’re hormonal. It’s a topic she discusses on a new podcast, Beyond Migraine, launched earlier this month by the Migraine Association of Ireland.

“Working on a breakfast show, I tended to not eat for hours on end and I drank too much coffee as well, which the doctors pointed out as possible triggers. My migraines are also linked to my hormones, so I have to watch my menstrual cycle. Pregnancy was also very tough for me,” Daly says.

“Like everything in life, it’s about doing the research, taking ownership, and arming yourself with the right medication. I’d recommend anyone questioning whether they have migraine to really look into it.”

Brian malfunction

Neuroscientist and author Sabina Higgins, who also features on the podcast, says that the inability to function is a common side effect of migraine.

“A migraine is your brain malfunctioning. People may have difficulties concentrating, finding words, or they may struggle with making decisions. Migraine is among the most debilitating neurological conditions globally,” she says.

“People tend to think of it as just a bad headache and what really doesn’t help is when people use the word migraine to describe a hangover or tension headache. That really minimises the condition for those who have it.”

Brennan suffers from chronic migraine, which is just one type of the condition. “Migraines take so many forms. Some people might have episodic migraines, where they’ll have episodes maybe once or twice a month. Others, like myself, might have chronic daily migraines, where they suffer more than 15 days per month. I pretty much always have a headache but I don’t always have to go to bed with it,” she says.

“Once a month I’ll get a few really bad days and I’ll just have a general sense of being unwell. Sometimes I’ll get visual distortions and I won’t be able to see properly or I might get a little bit nauseous. The main thing will be that I’ll feel incredibly tired. I just can’t function when that happens, I really can’t work.”

Scientists don’t fully know what causes migraines, but according to the Migraine Association of Ireland, about 60% of cases are hereditary. The condition can affect any age group, with some children as young as 12 months old showing symptoms. Women are also three times more likely to be affected due to hormonal changes.

“Hormones play a critical role. A lot of women get very bad migraines immediately before or during their period, which suggests that estrogen deprivation might be to blame,” Brennan says.

“Stress is the most common trigger. It’s not that people with migraines can’t cope with stress, it’s just that something in the stress response seems to kick off the activity in the brain that results in a migraine.

“Symptoms can also be triggered by sensory stimuli such as light. The same sort of light might not always trigger you though. For example, some days I can use the lights on my dresser to do my makeup but other days I can’t. Smell is another trigger for some - washing powders, deodorants, perfume. I once sat on a flight next to a woman wearing heavy perfume and I was in agony for hours.”

Adapting your lifestyle

It’s estimated that the average migraineur misses between one and a half and four and a half days of work annually, leading to a loss of €252m every year for Irish businesses. While not much can be done in terms of losing productivity, Brennan has some advice for those who are struck with a migraine on a working day.

“I try to have a list of ‘no-brain’ jobs that I can do when I’m not well. It helps to maybe just try to tackle things that are more routine and that you don’t really have to think about,” she says.

“A lot of us who suffer have to accommodate the migraines and often, migraineurs will adjust their lifestyles to try to function successfully.”

One of those people learning to adjust is former Miss Ireland and new mum Aoife Walsh, who has a family history of migraine. “I used to get headaches a lot but I always put them down to travelling because I was over and back to New York so often. My sleep pattern was all over the place,” she says.

“I remember the first time I got a really severe one. I was in Dublin and it was the middle of the night and I couldn’t sleep because my body clock was off. I suddenly got hit by this excruciating pain in my head. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I was so alarmed, I really got such a fright. My best friend is a nurse so I texted her to see if I needed to go to A&E and she explained that it was probably a migraine.”

Walsh went to see her GP after the episode and has since learned that her migraines are linked to her sleep pattern, so she has tried to adjust her schedule to make sure she gets enough rest at night.

“If I don’t sleep properly, I will wake up with a headache. So, I’ve had to learn how to deal with that because come the afternoon, those headaches used to keep building until I had a full-blown migraine and that would completely disrupt my day. I’d have to go back to bed and whatever I was meant to do that day would have to be put on hold. It was really affecting my life,” Walsh says.

Getting enough sleep can be difficult with a newborn at home, however. Walsh gave birth to her daughter Penny in July, which has caused some disruptions to the 32-year-old’s schedule. However, she tries to rest as much as possible to avoid a migraine taking over her day.

“Your routine can be really disrupted when you have a baby, as it can in so many other ways, but that’s why it’s so important to access the information out there that can help. My GP recommended that I create a sleep and food diary and I found it so helpful. Going forward, I just need to keep the triggers I know I have at the back of my mind. It’s really important to be in tune with your body.”

Five tips for alleviating migraine

Neuroscientist Sabina Higgins shares her top tips for alleviating migraine:

Exercise: “Physical exercise gets more oxygen to the brain and it helps alleviate stress, which is the most common trigger for migraine.”

Stick to a schedule: “The brain thrives on regularity. It relies on the nutrients we take in. If we deprive it by having irregular meals or sleeping at different times, it won’t know when it will have energy and that can lead to a migraine.”

Spend time outdoors: “Stuffy spaces can also trigger a migraine so try to get out for a walk or sit outdoors if you feel one coming on.”

Keep a diary: “A diary is great because it might help you identify triggers that you don’t know you have.”

Sleep: “Getting good quality, as well as a good quantity of sleep, is critical for brain health.”