Migraines

Migraines are blinding headaches that seriously interfere with your quality of life. Work, school, social events, and just regular day-to-day activities become impossible when you suffer these neurological events. Adam Shestack, MD, and Cy Blanco, MD, pain management specialists at Florida Pain Management Institute, offer help when it comes to managing your migraines so symptoms are less severe and you suffer fewer episodes. To learn more about how you can manage migraine pain, call the offices in Delray Beach, Boynton Beach and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, or use the online tool to schedule an appointment.

What are migraines?

Migraines are often described as incredibly intense headaches that usually occur on one side of the head with symptoms like:

• Sensitivity to light and sound
• Nausea and vomiting
• Seeing flashes of light or zigzag lines
• Throbbing pain

Some people experience auras along with migraines. Auras may affect your vision or involve pins and needles sensations in your limbs, weakness or numbness on one side of your body, difficulty speaking, or hearing noises or music. A migraine attack can last anywhere from four to 72 hours.

Migraines can occasionally happen without much warning, but up to four million Americans experience chronic migraines, meaning they have 15 or more attacks each month. Chronic migraines can be disabling, causing lost time from work, school, and life. 

What causes migraines?

Why some people experience migraines isn’t fully understood. They seem to run in families and women tend to have them more often than men. 

In some people, certain triggers can set off an episode. For example, dietary additives like MSG and aspartame, aged cheese, chocolate, and alcohol may lead to migraines in some people. Other people have environmental triggers like bright lights or flickering images. 

Hormone fluctuations, weather changes, and some medications may also be to blame. 

Stress is also a trigger, as is missed sleep, low blood sugar, and dehydration. The providers at Florida Pain Management Institute can help you develop healthy lifestyle habits such as smoking cessation, regular sleep patterns, and exercise to help manage and discourage migraine episodes from happening. 

What treatments are available for migraines?

The goal of the providers at Florida Pain Management Institute is to develop a customized plan to help you minimize or eliminate migraine episodes and their severity. In addition to lifestyle changes and learning your triggers so they can be avoided, you may benefit from certain prescription medications. 

Antidepressants and antihypertensive medications are options that work to prevent migraine pain in some people. Prescription pain relievers, anti-nausea medications, and even opioids may be prescribed to ease the pain that occurs during a migraine.

If you suffer from migraines and need help managing them so you can return to a high quality of life, call Florida Pain Management Institute or use the online tool to set up your appointment.