Headache or migraine? The differences

While headaches can be extremely painful, they rarely produce a feeling of inability to function. Even people with milder (or no) migraine pain, experience throbbing in the head, dizziness, nausea, and increased sensitivity to light and sound. These feelings are often overwhelming, fuelling the desire to curl up in bed with the drapes firmly drawn.

Migraine pain tends to be felt on one side of the head only, or behind one or both eye sockets. Many men and women have to cease work when a migraine hits as the pain and/or nausea can be debilitating.

Doctors divide migraines into two primary types: the classic migraine and the common migraine. Sufferers of classic migraines have the advantage of experiencing an “aura” 20 minutes or so before the migraine fully develops. This provides a window of opportunity when an analgesic (pain killing) medication— such as Advil® Liquigels (ibuprofen) can effectively halt the migraine. (Advil® Liquigels is the only non prescription pain reliever approved by Health Canada for the relief of other migraine symptoms such as nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. Since the active medication is already dissolved, it goes to work fast to control a migraine.

Prescription migraine medications known as triptans (e.g. Imitrex® and Amerge®) are also most effective when taken during this window of opportunity and may not control the migraine once it has fully developed.

While headaches tend to go away after taking an analgesic medication, a migraine that is fully developed tends to remain.

Over four million Canadian adults and close to 300,000 children suffer from migraines. Two-thirds are women and most are between the ages of 20 and 50. While the exact cause of migraines has yet to be identified, experts agree that, since they tend to run in families, there is likely a genetic link.

Whatever the precise mechanism of migraines, they don’t just “happen.” Something causes them. This is known as a trigger and identifying and avoiding your triggers is the best way to control migraine headaches. Common migraine triggers include stress; weather conditions such as glare of the sun or a change in air pressure; perfumed products; too much or too little sleep; lack of exercise; low blood sugar due to skipping meals; fluctuatin hormone levels; certain drugs such as cimetidine and fenfluramine, and food sensitivities.