Types of Migraines

Types of Migraines

There are several different types of migraines that an individual may suffer from. If you are plagued with these painful headaches you should keep a journal detailing the events leading up to the headache, time and date, the duration and severity and any other pertinent details. This helps you and your doctor understand any patterns present so the migraines can be prevented and/or treated effectively as possible. Being familiar with the different migraine types can help as well, these headaches do vary but there are some universal symptoms that categorize a headache as a migraine.

One kind of migraine headache is known as the classic migraine. Within a half hour of onset, an aura develops. This may manifest as a glowing light that impairs vision, zigzags or dots in front of the eyes or other visual disturbances. The aura may be accompanied by changes in smell and/or hearing. Similar to the classic migraine is the common migraine, which has the same symptoms in regards to pain, duration, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound but does not begin with an aura. The common migraine is the most frequently experienced type.

Ocular migraines are experienced as disturbances in peripheral vision. The blood vessels located in the eyes spasm and this causes pastel, jagged lights which enlarge to the center of the eye. This usually only lasts around twenty minutes, and may be followed by a mild headache or fatigue. The optical migraine is similar, because it also manifests in the eye. Unlike ocular migraines, the optical type is painful and vomiting is usually a side effect. The eye muscles are often paralyzed temporarily, causing the lid to droop for as long as several weeks.

Basilar artery headaches are more common in children, and may cause disturbances in coordination, speech and vision. Dizziness and pain are also present. There are also migraines called facial migraines or lower half headaches, which manifest as pain in the lower jaw and neck. This type of headache is more often experienced by senior citizens. One of the more unique phenomenon some migraine sufferers experience is aura, with no followup headache or pain.

There are quite a few types of migraines one can experience. Rebound headaches are yet another variety, which may occur from the overuse of pain medication. If pain medicines are used more than three times per week this headache type may occur because the body becomes resistant to the drug. No matter what type of migraine you suffer from, there are preventative, acute and rescue treatments that can help you. Keeping an open line of communication with your doctor or specialist is important because medications and treatments may need to be adjusted before the winning remedy is found.