Table of Contents
The big difference
Headache usually manifests itself as an all-round dull, oppressive feeling, sometimes more pronounced in the forehead or the back of the head. The muscles in the head and neck area are often tense at the same time.
Migraines often begin with nausea and sensitivity to light and noise. Test: hang your head down and shake. If the pain gets worse, it’s clear: only migraines get worse with movement.
“Without me!” How to slow down headaches and migraines
prevent headaches
Drink enough: Too little liquid reduces the blood flow rate. As a result, the supply to the cells decreases and the head begins to pound. Drink two liters of water or herbal tea daily.
Relax : Relax in the bathtub for 20 minutes a day. The heat increases blood flow to the muscles, calms the nerves and also prevents tension.
Moving: Endurance sports (walking, cycling) stimulate all metabolic processes in the body. Three 30-minute workouts per week are ideal.
Medicines : In severe cases, medicines that would otherwise be used, e.g. B. be administered for high blood pressure or depression. It is considered a success if the frequency and strength of the attacks decrease by at least half.
What really helps with migraines
This special type of headache requires special therapy
Simple remedies at the beginning: The first pain signals can be stopped with classic active ingredients such as acetylsalicylic acid, ibuprofen or diclofenac. Studies show that early and (according to the package insert) high doses usually help reliably. The body can absorb effervescent or chewable tablets, gels and suppositories particularly quickly. Paracetamol works well for nausea and vomiting.
Triptans against the rumbling: Acute attacks are successfully combated with triptans. This drug group (consisting of seven substances) came onto the market in the mid-1990s and helps 90 percent of all migraine patients. Triptans only work for headaches. There they inhibit the release of inflammatory proteins, block pain stimuli in the cerebral cortex and constrict the blood vessels in the brain. They also reduce nausea and sensitivity to light and noise. You should decide together with your doctor which of the triptans is suitable for you. You can only get a triptan from the pharmacy without a prescription.
Quiet Please! A migraine attack is an alarm signal from the brain that urgently needs a break. Resistance is futile. Now retreat, seclusion and sleep help .
Set temperature impulses Local cold stimuli on the temples or forehead relieve the pain, so keep cold packs or peppermint oil (cools the treated areas) ready to hand. Warmth also helps some: a hot roll or a heat pillow in the neck loosens the muscles and relaxes the nerves.
Interview with a migraine patient
“After 20 years, finally a perspective”
In the migraine clinic, patient Sonja Weber*, 45, teacher, learned a lot about herself
*Sonja Weber didn’t want to publish her real name or her photo for professional reasons.
It all started when I was young – still sporadically. I sometimes had headaches after the disco, and the next day I was in bed feeling sick. But
it never occurred to me that it could be a migraine caused by the noise and the flickering light. 20 years ago it became regular. At least four attacks a month came, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. I thought I was just unlucky enough to have a particularly bad headache. I didn’t know there was a difference between migraines and tension headaches.
My job was not allowed to suffer as a result. The pain knocked me out 24 hours each time. But that couldn’t be because I had just started my first job as a teacher after completing my legal clerkship. I didn’t want to endanger them under any circumstances. I worked at a school with a small faculty. It wasn’t possible for one to drop out regularly. I took painkillers, tried everything to avoid being on sick leave. During this time I ran from doctors to non-medical practitioners and finally managed to try 18 therapies. I’ve tried everything from iris diagnostics to acupuncture to exercise and chiropractic. But nothing and nobody could help me.
The first triptans – a revelation.My doctor drew my attention to the new remedies – they actually worked! I was overjoyed. Now I had almost no more absenteeism. At the first sign, I swallowed the pills that several doctors prescribed for me. My consumption increased steadily. I ended up taking up to 17 pills a month. I had long since exceeded the rule of the German Society for migraines and headaches – no more than ten days a month and no more than three days in a row. That paid off. When I stopped taking the pills, I got headaches. Experts call it withdrawal pain. On the other hand, I resorted to medication again. At some point the effect stopped. I became less efficient, suffered from constant dull pain – the sign of an overuse headache.
The admission to the clinic was my salvation. Friends recommended the Koenigstein Migraine Clinic to me. After many discussions, the triptan was first discontinued in order to achieve a ‘normal’ condition and to find a new remedy for acute cases. I also learned that I have to be more careful with myself. This change was not easy for me, but it was worth it. Today I have almost no more migraine attacks.
Interview with Dr. Charly Gaul
“Nowadays we treat everyone individually”
Tolfioow: Frequent headaches or migraines – that restricts life. What can help those affected? dr Gaul: At least not to go from one attack to the next with medication. It is important to understand what is behind the pain. Many patients have been through real therapy odysseys, but have hardly received any information or treatment concepts. Others live with the fear of a brain tumor for years. This aggravates the suffering, because worry is often the breeding ground for headaches. Here, neurological examinations bring clarity and remedy.
How much psychology is in a headache? It is a key aspect. This is shown by the fact that many drugs also start here. Beta blockers, for example, slow things down and make you more relaxed.
Is there a typical headache patient? Yes. Experience shows that many pain patients find it difficult to hide stimuli. They are very sensitive, absorb everything, their brain does not separate important from unimportant. At some point the hard drive reports: Overload. With massive pain.
So they have a function? They are a means to an end. The brain uses pain as an “off” button to compel rest.
Is stress to blame for everything? No. Various stimuli can disturb the neuronal and biochemical processes in the brain, for example overwork and an irregular lifestyle.
According to the latest findings, where does a therapist start? The multimodal approach is very successful. We look at the neurobiological basis of pain, the psychological effects and the consequences in the private and professional environment. Based on this holistic data, individual therapy is carried out.
With or without drugs? Every pain patient first needs a good acute medication. We’ll try to see which one works best. In order to prevent headaches as far as possible, it is primarily about practicing new standards of living.
How do they look? We work out individually what is good for the patient and brings peace. The focus is on relaxation techniques that permanently calm the autonomic nervous system and reduce the body’s pain activation, such as B. the muscle relaxation according to Jacobson.
