Migraine Headaches

I have suffered from migraine headaches for 25 years. Mine last at last 72 hours or more. I am one of the third of migraine sufferers that has nausea and vomiting associated with the headache. I cannot tolerate any sound or light. I have to wear a sleep mask, and lay down with a cold compress on my forehead. I must stay in bed the entire time with absolutely no activity. I cannot eat or drink anything until my nausea passes. I can usually tell if a migraine is coming on. For years I have tried all kinds of non-prescription and prescription medications with no real relief. Only in the last year am I able to ease these headaches with a prescription medication called "Maxalt". I also have to limit my time in using the computer and avoid skipping meals.

A migraine is a type of headache marked by severe head pain usually on one side of the head lasting from several hours to as long as 72 hours or more.

Migraines are intense and debilitating types of headaches. Migraines affect as many as 24 million people in the United States, and are responsible for billions of dollars in lost work, poor job performance, and direct medical costs. Approximately 18% of women and 6% of men experience at least one migraine attack per year. More than three million women and one million men have one or more severe headaches every month. Migraines often begin in adolescence, and are rare after age 60.

Two types of migraines are recognized. Eighty percent of migraine sufferers experience "migraine without aura," formerly called common migraine. In "migraine with aura," symptoms are often most prominent on one side of the head, and may begin as early as 72 hours before the onset of pain.

The physiological basis of migraines has proved difficult to uncover. Genetics appear to play a part for many, but not all, for people with migraines. There are a multitude of potential triggers for a migraine attack, and recognizing one's own set of triggers is the key to prevention.

The most widely accepted hypothesis of migraine suggests that a migraine attack is precipitated when pain-sensing nerve cells in the brain (called nociceptors) release chemicals called neuropeptides. At least one of the neurotransmitters, substance P, increases the pain sensitivity of other nearby nociceptors.

A wide variety of foods, drugs, environmental cues, and personal events are known to trigger migraines. It is not known how most triggers set off the events of migraine, nor why

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