Migraines Specialist
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Affinity Neurocare
Nnamdi C. Dike, DO
Neurologist & Neurologist located in Carrollton, TX & Frisco, TX
About 19% of women and 9% of men suffer from migraines, which are one of the most severe and debilitating types of headaches you can experience. Nnamdi Dike, DO, at Affinity Neurocare has extensive experience helping patients overcome the pain with treatments that can reduce the frequency and severity of their migraines. If you need migraine relief, schedule an appointment online or call the office in Frisco, Texas.
Migraines Q & A
What triggers a migraine?
Migraines are throbbing, intensely painful headaches that occur when hyperactive nerves overreact to stimuli, or triggers. While the triggers are different for each patient, these are a few examples of common triggers:
- Fatigue
- Stress
- Caffeine
- Bright lights
- Missing a meal
- Weather changes
- Hormonal changes
- Certain foods and food additives
Your susceptibility to certain triggers may be inherited.
What should I know about migraines?
The symptoms of a migraine often begin before the headache and continue after your head pain is gone. Migraine headaches progress through specific stages:
Prodrome
In the day or two before your headache, you’ll develop subtle symptoms like mood changes, food cravings, feeling thirsty, and constipation.
Aura
About one-third of migraine patients experience aura. Aura refers to changes in vision, speech, hearing, sensation, speech, or muscles that occur about 30 minutes before the migraine begins. The most common aura symptoms are vision changes, such as seeing flashes of light or wavy lines. A few other examples of aura symptoms include weakness on one side of your body, tingling in your arm or leg, and difficulty speaking.
Attack
This stage marks the start of your migraine. Migraines cause an intense, throbbing pain that’s often around one temple, but can spread to both sides of your face. When migraines aren’t treated, they last 4-72 hours and they’re accompanied by symptoms such as:
- Pain that worsens when you move
- Sensitivity to lights, sounds, smells, or touch
- Nausea and vomiting
You may also experience blurry vision, lightheadedness, or fainting.
Post-drome
In the 24 hours after your migraine pain goes away, you may continue to feel confused, moody, weak, or dizzy. During this time, you may also remain hypersensitive to light, sound, and smells.
How are migraine headaches treated?
If you suffer from migraines, it’s well worth it to schedule an appointment at Affinity Neurocare, because medications are available to relieve or prevent your pain. Some medications are taken at the first sign of migraine symptoms to reduce the severity of your pain, while you take others daily to reduce the frequency, severity, or length of your migraines.
If you have chronic migraines — 15 or more migraines a month that last at least four hours — you may be a good candidate for BotoxⓇ injections. Botox is a preventive treatment that reduces the frequency of migraines.
If you experience migraine pain, call Affinity Neurocare or book an appointment online.
