Migraine Mythbusters

Around 30 million Americans suffer from migraines, and unfortunately, many believe that a migraine is nothing more than a bad headache with no serious consequences. Separate fact from fiction as we dispel five common myths about migraines.

Myth: Migraine is just a bad headache.
Fact: Migraine is a disease; headache is a symptom. Migraines and headaches have very different causes, and medicines prescribed to treat headaches often worsen a migraine. Furthermore, migraines are also associated with symptoms such as light and sound sensitivity, vision and hearing changes, numbness and tingling, nausea and vomiting, and balance issues.

Myth: Migraine is a psychological condition caused by depression and stress.
Fact: Migraine is actually a neurological disorder that is caused by a response to a psychological trigger. Factors such as diet, emotion, or weather sometimes trigger the trigeminal nerve, a large nerve in the brain, to cause a change in blood flow, resulting in enlarged blood vessels. This swelling, combined with chemical releases from nerves around the blood vessels, creates the sensation of pain. Migraines are also hereditary. In fact, an individual with one parent who has migraines has a 50 percent chance of having migraines themselves.

Myth: Migraine is a trivial condition and does not debilitate an individual.
Fact: Recurrent migraines can be disabling. Jobs, housework, relationships, and daily tasks are often compromised due to the measures that must be taken to deal with severe migraine symptoms. For example, the cost associated with missed work and poor work performance due to head pain in the United States is estimated around $13 billion each year.

Myth: Migraine is an annoying condition but does not have potential serious consequences.
Fact: While migraines are annoying, they are also associated with conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, and coma. The risk of stroke is nearly double for migraine sufferers, and about one-fourth of strokes in people under the age of 45 are caused by migraines. Besides the medical risks, migraine can also lead to social issues including job loss and relationship problems. Research shows that migraine sufferers often experience guilt due to its effect on their families.

Myth: Migraines cannot be treated.
Fact: To successfully treat migraine headaches, it is necessary to validate that migraine is a disease, migraine is disabling, and migraine treatments are specialized to each individual. Not all headaches are migraines. Discuss headache symptoms with your physician to rule out a more serious abnormality and to develop an appropriate treatment plan.