Migraine

Introduction: Migraine

Migraines are a form of chronic recurring headaches. It is mistaken to assume that any form of chronic headache is a migraine, as migraines have very special symptoms, and there are numerous other causes of chronic headache: tension headache, and others; see also the list of underlying conditions for headache in general. Even within migraine there are several subtypes including both with and without a preceding aura, basilar artery migraine, and even headache-free migraine where there is no headache!

Symptoms of Migraine

• Severe headache - one-sided or both sides of the head
• One-sided headache
• Frontal headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting

See full list of 26 symptoms of Migraine

Medical Textbooks Online about Migraine

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Wrongly Diagnosed with Migraine?

• Misdiagnosis of Migraine
• Failure to diagnose Migraine
• Underlying causes of Migraine (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Failure to diagnose Migraine

Misdiagnosis and Migraine

Migraine an undiagnosed cause of headache: It is surprising that many migraine sufferers are not initially diagnosed. Although the condition is fairly well known,...read more »

Leg cramps at night a classic sign: The symptom of having leg muscle cramps, particularly at night, is a classic sign of undiagnosed diabetes. However, there are also various other causes. See causes of leg cramps or ...read more »

Mild traumatic brain injury often remains undiagnosed: Although the symptoms of severe brain injury are hard to miss, it is less clear for milder injuries, or even those causing a mild concussion diagnosis. The condition goes by...read more »

MTBI misdiagnosed as balance problem: When a person has symptoms such as vertigo or dizziness, a diagnosis of brain injury may go overlooked. This is particularly true of ...read more »

Post-concussive brain injury often misdiagnosed: A study found that soldiers who had suffered a concussive injury in battle often were misdiagnosed on their return. A variety of symptoms can occur in post-concussion...read more »

Children with migraine often misdiagnosed: A migraine often fails to be correctly diagnosed in pediatric patients. These patients are not the typical migraine sufferers, but migraines...read more »

Pituitary conditions often undiagnosed cause of symptoms: There are a variety of symptoms that can be caused by a pituitary disorder (see symptoms of pituitary disorders). For example, fatigue, headache, ...read more »

Vitamin B12 deficiency under-diagnosed: The condition of Vitamin B12 deficiency is a possible misdiagnosis of various conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (see symptoms of multiple sclerosis). See symptoms of Vitamin B12...read more »

Dizziness in children: Dizziness although not a common cause in children can have threatening causes and requires quick diagnosis as the possibility of tumours such as medulloblastoma...read more »

Rare cases of headache: Headache is one of the common symptoms presenting in general practice. It needs a sound diagnostic and management strategy as the problem can be confusing. The key to diagnosing the condition is to know and...read more »

Subarachnoid hemorrhage mimics migraine: Subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs due to spontaneous bleeding in the subarachnoid space. It presents with severe headache usually...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Migraine

Causes of Migraine

Read more about causes of Migraine.

More information about causes of Migraine:

• Triggers for Migraine
• Medications, drugs, or substances causing Migraine (147 listings)
• Drug interactions causing Migraine (11 listings)
• Migraine as a complication caused by other conditions
• Migraine as a symptom
• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Migraine

Treatments for Migraine

• Supportive treatments
  • Bed rest
  • Darkened room
  • Quiet
• Medications

See full list of 23 treatments for Migraine

Videos for Migraine

Patient Surveys for Migraine

• Patient Profile Survey
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• Survey about the symptoms of your Migraine
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Reseach about Migraine

Visit our research pages for current research about Migraine treatments.

Clinical Trials for Migraine

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Migraine include:

• Efficacy and Safety Clinical Trial of Intranasal AST-726 for the Prevention of Migraine - This study is not yet open for patient recruitment (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - AST-726 Low dose,AST-726 High dose,AST-726 Placebo
• A Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Topiramate in the Prevention of Migraine - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - topiramate
• A Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Topiramate in the Prevention of Migraine - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - topiramate
• A Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Two Doses of Topiramate Compared to Placebo and Propranolol in the Prevention of Migraine - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - topiramate,propranolol
• Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Topiramate in Preventing the Transformation From Episodic Migraine to Chronic Daily Headache. - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Topiramate

See full list of 121 Clinical Trials for Migraine

Prevention of Migraine

Prevention information for Migraine has been compiled from various data sources and may be inaccurate or incomplete. None of these methods guarantee prevention of Migraine.

• Preventive medications include:
  • Methysergide maleate
  • Propranolol hydrochloride
  • Amitriptyline
  • Valproic acid

Read more about prevention of Migraine

Statistics for Migraine

• Medical statistics for Migraine
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Migraine
• Death and Mortality statistics for Migraine
• Society statistics for Migraine

Types of Migraine

• Classic migraine - with an aura
• Common migraine - without an aura
• Menstrual migraine - predictable migraine related to menstrual periods
• Hemiplegic migraine - temporary one-sided paralysis, sometimes with balance problems and vertigo.
• Ophthalmoplegic migraine - around the eye and may involve droopy eyelid and vision disturbances such as double vision.

See full list of 10 Types of Migraine

Medical Guidebooks and Ebooks for Migraine

• Icon Health Sourcebook for Migraine

See all guides and ebooks for Migraine

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Migraine, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about Migraine

The most common type of vascular headache is migraine. Migraine headaches are usually characterized by severe pain on one or both sides of the head, an upset stomach, and at times disturbed vision. (Source: excerpt from Headache - Hope Through Research: NINDS)

Definitions of Migraine:

A subtype of vascular headaches characterized by periodic unilateral pulsatile headaches which begin in childhood, adolescence, or early adult life and recur with diminishing frequency during advancing years. The two major subtypes are CLASSIC MIGRAINE (i.e., migraine with aura) and COMMON MIGRAINE (i.e., migraine without aura). Migrainous episodes may be associated with alterations in cerebral blood flow. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p172) - (Source - Diseases Database)

A severe recurring vascular headache; occurs more frequently in women than men - (Source - WordNet 2.1)