Migraine Questions
Common migraine questions and answers
Latest
Is there help or hope for the future when struggling with migraine?
Dawn C. Buse, PhD
It can feel impossible to manage life or have hope for the future when struggling with migraine. Know that there really are both emotional support resources and important medical developments in progress that can offer hope for a better future.
How can I find psychological help with migraine?
Dawn C. Buse, PhD
Professional help managing the complex psychological and emotional challenges of migraine is out there. How can one find resources in this area as part of migraine management?
What should kids know about migraine and how to help during an attack?
Dawn C. Buse, PhD
Many parents worry about the impact of migraine on their children. Age-appropriate communication about migraine and the ways they can help during an attack is important for kids and parents.
How can I make plans to do things when I might have to cancel because of a migraine attack?
Dawn C. Buse, PhD
Keeping plans as scheduled or showing up for them fully can be challenging when living with migraine and unpredictable attacks. Yet continuing to live your life as fully as possible is critically important for those with migraine.
What is the difference between symptoms of migraine with aura and symptoms of migraine with brainstem aura?
David Dodick, MD
Migraine with aura usually involves visual illusions, numbness, and weakness. Migraine with brainstem aura, however, usually involves dizziness, ringing in the ears, increased sensitivity to sound, double vision, and unsteadiness.
Are triptans safe as an acute treatment for hemiplegic migraine?
David Dodick, MD
Triptans are contraindicated in patients with hemiplegic migraine. However, if someone with hemiplegic migraine also has typical migraine attacks, triptans can be used for the acute treatment of those attacks.
What differentiates familial hemiplegic migraine from standard hemiplegic migraine?
David Dodick, MD
Familial hemiplegic migraine is due to a genetic mutation that can be traced to two or more members of the same family, whereas someone with sporadic hemiplegic migraine has no other family member with the disease.
How do you differentiate the symptoms of hemiplegic migraine from a stroke?
David Dodick, MD
The main difference between hemiplegic migraine and stroke is that the aura symptoms of hemiplegic migraine come on gradually, whereas a stroke and its related symptoms will occur suddenly.
Can numbness in parts of the body be a symptom of migraine?
David Dodick, MD
Numbness is a type of sensory aura in migraine. It comes on gradually and will usually last approximately 60 minutes. Most of the time, it involves the hands, arms, face, and mouth, but at times, it can also involve the entire body.
What is vestibular rehabilitation?
David Dodick, MD
Vestibular rehabilitation is a specialized form of physical therapy and consists of exercises used to treat vestibular disorder symptoms, such as dizziness, vertigo, vision, and balance.
What are some of the acute medications used in treating vertigo associated with vestibular migraine?
David Dodick, MD
Some acute medications used to treat vertigo associated with vestibular migraine are neuroleptics, dopamine antagonists, benzodiazepines, and antihistamines.
What are some of the preventive treatments for vestibular migraine?
David Dodick, MD
Some of the preventive medications used to prevent migraine are also used in treating vestibular migraine. However, there are certain calcium channel blockers that are used to treat vestibular migraine that are not used to treat typical migraine.
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