Everyone who has ever experienced migraines is aware of how disruptive they can be to your life. In addition to light and sound sensitivity, nausea, and excruciating headaches, it can keep you from taking care of your family, working, and having any sense of a normal life. In fact, the World Health Organization places them as one of the ten most disabling medical illnesses. If prescription oral medications haven’t been working, you may be wondering about alternative treatments. Would infusion therapy help?
What triggers migraines?
There are many factors that could trigger a migraine. These can include a lack of sleep, continued stress, certain foods — such as aged cheeses, aspartame, some wines, and processed foods — sun glare, intense physical exertion, or hormonal changes. While there’s a myriad of pain-relieving and preventive medications, some patients fail to obtain relief. When this occurs, your doctor may suggest lifestyle changes, such as staying hydrated, exercising regularly, and incorporating relaxation techniques. If traditional treatments are not alleviating symptoms, IV therapy may be a good option.
IV Therapy for Headaches and Migraine Relief
Intravenous infusions (IV therapy) can provide respite from migraines in several ways. They provide hydration, electrolytes, and vitamins that are delivered directly into your bloodstream. This means faster and more effective relief than taking oral medications.
IV therapy also quells overactive nerve endings, as well as targets each individual symptom — inflammation, pain, and nausea — at the same time. In addition, one infusion treatment can have long-term effects, sometimes lasting as long as a full month — which can significantly improve the quality of life for a person who suffers from chronic migraines. Each infusion therapy can last between 30 to 45 minutes and provides benefits in addition to migraine relief. These many include increased energy levels, as well as boost your mood and promote relaxation.
How to tell the Difference Between a Headache and a Migraine
Headaches and migraines are more than painful and inconvenient; they can hamper your productivity and dampen your mood. Knowing how to tell the difference between headaches and migraines can help you seek the correct treatment and get relief from your symptoms as quickly as possible.
Headaches
Head pain, pressure, and throbbing are all common symptoms of headaches, although the location of these symptoms varies depending on the type of headache you have. Most people have had a headache at least once in their life.
There are three types of primary headaches, where an illness or other external factor is not the cause of symptoms.
- Tension headaches: Often described as feeling like a tight band surrounding your head, tension headaches are caused by stress and – you guessed it – tension. Tension headaches can also manifest at the back of your head, in your neck, or even in your shoulders. If you think you might have a tension headache, take a break from what you are doing and try to relax to help ease your tightened muscles.
- Sinus headaches: Sometimes called ‘allergy headaches’, this type manifests in your sinuses. You may experience pain or pressure behind your eyes, above your eyebrows, at the center of your forehead, or below your eyes. You can often, but not always, identify a sinus headache if these areas are tender when gently pressed. A warm compress can help ease sinus headaches, especially those that come with sinus infections.
- Cluster headaches: A type of headache that generally manifests in a localized area, such as behind one eye or in a specific part of your head. Cluster headaches often happen in a series, one subsiding only to be replaced by another over a duration of minutes or hours. Some people may experience cluster headaches around the same time every day for a period of month. It is not yet certain what causes cluster headaches.
There are many types of secondary headaches, where an external factor or illness is casing symptoms. These types of headaches are linked to the cause. Below, we’ve listed several of the most common types, but this is not a comprehensive list:
- Caffeine headaches: As the name suggests, caffeine headaches are directly related to your consumption of caffeine. You can get a caffeine headache either from ingesting too much caffeine or by suddenly stopping regular caffeine consumption. If you’re getting headaches from drinking too much caffeine, consider cutting back how many cups you drink per day. If your headaches stem from going cold turkey on caffeine, consider amending your approach to gradually remove caffeine from your routine.
- Hypertension headaches: These headaches are caused by hypertension (high blood pressure), where the physical pressure in your veins contributes to your symptoms.
- Dehydration headaches: This type of headache is caused when you have not ingested enough fluid. Because they do not have enough fluid to function optimally, your cells and veins shrink and pull away from the interior of your skull and can cause a dull or aching pain.
- Hormone headaches: Some people may experience headaches that are related to changing hormones, especially during menopause, andropause, or pregnancy.
There are many more types of headaches, but these are the most commonly experienced types. Some people may experience episodic headaches, meaning that they happen every once in a while. Others may experience chronic headaches, which happen on a regular basis over an extended period of time.
- Top tip: There are many types of headaches, all of which can manifest in various parts of your head. Headaches are not accompanied by vision changes or sensitivity to light or sound.
Migraines
Migraines are a type of headache. Pain, pressure, and throbbing are some of the symptoms that overlap with headaches. Migraines can be thought of as a severe form of headache. This type of headache may last for hours, a couple of days, and potentially weeks for some people. Severe migraines can impact your work, school, and social life by making it challenging – if not impossible – to meet the demands of your schedule.
Migraines are characterized by several symptoms that make them distinct from other types of headaches:
- Severe pain on one side of your head
- Sensitivity to light
- Sensitivity to sound
- Nausea
- Vision changes (such as lights or bright spots)
What Causes Migraines?
Research is ongoing to determine what causes migraines. It’s generally agreed that they result from a combination of environmental factors. A variety of factors can trigger migraines, some of which are hereditary and some of which are external. The exact cause of a migraine varies from person to person.
Avoiding triggers can help reduce your chances of developing a migraine. Some people may never know the exact cause of their migraines.
If you’re trying to determine what triggers your migraines, consider these potential causes:
- Genetics
- Your environment
- Family history
- Changes in weather or temperature
- Chemical imbalances in your body
- Hormonal changes
- Stress
- Certain medications
- Sleeping habits (eg. inconsistent sleep, a changing schedule, inadequate sleep)
Regardless of whether you know your trigger or not, addressing the symptoms of a migraine as quickly as possible can reduce the length and severity of symptoms.
Migraine Symptoms
Some people experience what is known as a migraine prodrome. The prodrome is the period of time prior to the full onset of symptoms generally characterized by symptoms unique to the individual.
A migraine prodrome can manifest as:
- Food cravings
- Excessive thirst despite drinking water regularly
- Mood shifts
- Sensitivity to light
- Auras around sources of light
- Sensitivity to sound
- Insomnia
- Unexplained disorientation
Someone who has never experienced a migraine before may not recognize the symptoms of a prodrome. However, if you’ve dealt with migraines before, you may be able to recognize these early-onset symptoms and take steps to mitigate your symptoms before they start.
The symptoms of a migraine are severe and generally cannot be remedied with over-the-counter pain medication. Symptoms vary from person to person, and some people may experience a collection of symptoms while others experience only one or two.
The symptoms of migraines may include:
- Severe pain on one side or throughout the head
- Throbbing or pulsating pain
- Sensitivity to light
- Sensitivity to sound
- Nausea and vomiting
- Constipation
- Vision changes
Migraines can last for hours, a couple of days, and in some cases even weeks. Since migraines are debilitating to many people, it’s important to seek relief from migraine symptoms so that you can get back to being productive and feeling great as quickly as possible.
IVConcierge has well-trained healthcare professionals that will administer the exact treatment you need to improve your general health and get your skin glowing and beautiful. Get a free consultation today from anywhere in Miami and South Florida by calling 855 225 2102.
