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Seek prompt medical care for migraines
Rather, he advised that they should seek prompt medical care since chronic migraine attacks could be deadly in the long term.
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“Stop taking unprescribed painkillers such as paracetamol or aspirin on a daily basis for migraine attacks. Seek early treatment from health care professionals. It can increase one’s risk of getting high blood pressure and stroke and could also affect the brain by increasing the risk of brain lesions and also cause abnormalities in the brain”, he said.
Symptoms and Causes
In a telephone interview with The Mirror, Dr Barfi explained that “migraine is a recurrent throbbing headache that typically affects one side of the head and may be accompanied by pain, nausea and vomiting. One can also experience sensitivity to light, sound and sometimes smell and touch.
Highlighting the causes of migraines, he indicated that although the exact causes of the condition was unknown, emotional stress, a family history of migraine, menstrual pains, skipping meals, dehydration, hormonal changes in women, generic use of pain killers and sensitivity to some chemicals or additives used in food may trigger an attack.
“It can affect boys as young as seven years and in girls, it can start from 10 years. If you suffer from chronic migraine attacks, you need to identify what triggers the condition and try as much as possible to avoid such situations or things, like controlling anger,” he stated.
Dr Barfi further explained that a migraine was a neurological disease and if well treated with prescribed medications, it could go away.
He said physiotherapy was one of the most effective treatments for headaches and migraines. A relaxation technique such as a massage could also ease neck and shoulder pain.
“If you are home and experience a migraine attack in the night, you can try using a hot or cold compress to your neck or head, which can help reduce the symptoms before you seek medical intervention, because migraines are extremely painful,” he added.
