Migraine Awareness Month
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Written By: Kim Almgren
June is Migraine and Headache Awareness month, which helps to raise awareness about the impact migraines and headaches can have on daily life, reduces stigma, and can help connect people living with headaches or migraines to provide support.
During the first work week of June, Canadians are encouraged to turn on their out of office alert for 4 hours to recognize the minimum duration of an average migraine headache to show support for the migraine community.
Migraine is an underdiagnosed disorder, and so it is often stigmatized in the workplace leading to patients working while dealing with severe symptoms. If this diagnosis is made properly, it can be managed effectively, however there is no cure.
Migraine Canada is a nationally registered charity organization that aims to improve the lives of all Canadians living with migraine and headache disorders. They also host Move for Migraine the first week of June where participants can walk, run, cycle, or other activities to spread awareness and fundraise for Migraine Canada.
Migraines are a neurological disease, and they can be inherited. They can include an increase in sensory stimuli, and a spectrum of symptoms and neurological disturbances.
Diagnosis of a migraine includes a headache with at least 2 of the following:
Unilateral location
Pulsating quality
Moderate-severe intensity
Aggravation by routine physical activity
And at least 1 of the following:
Nausea/vomiting
Photophobia and phonophobia (sensitivity to light or sound)
A headache that limits your ability to work, study, or play or do what you wanted for at least 1 day may also be a migraine.
Other features of a migraine can include:
Sensory symptoms (light or sound) or GI symptoms
Patients can have pain in their sinuses or teeth
70-80% have neck pain with/around the time of a migraine attack
40% will have bilateral pain
Jaw pain/temporomandibular disorder can trigger a migraine
Postural/myofascial tension can trigger migraine
Migraines can be episodic with an occurrence of symptoms/headaches £ 14 days per month or chronic with a headache 15 + days of the month, 8 days with migraine features.
If any of these features listed above are present for you, please reach out to your doctor or nurse practitioner to be assessed.
Treatment Principles:
It is important to treat symptoms early when symptoms are mild to increase the chance of medication being effective
Combination of different medications is sometimes required
Treatment should be tailored to each individual and for the severity of attacks
Headache diaries are useful to track your migraine symptoms, frequency and duration of symptoms, and to help identify triggers
Triggers can include: wine, chocolate, nuts, odours, bright light, processed meals, sleep disturbances, menstruation/menopause, travel, weather changes, stress, or cheese
1st line treatments include Tylenol and Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory medications such as Ibuprofen (Advil), Naproxen (Aleve), or Ketorolac (Toradol)
Anti-nausea medications such as Dimenhydrinate (Gravol) or Ondansetron (Zofran) can also be used
Other treatment options include Triptans, and Gepants
Migraine Canada also provides a patient education resource kit for healthcare providers and patients on various topics to help provide education on treatment options and non-pharmacological management of migraines. They also provide a migraine diary app.
Check out the following for more information!
