"If you have headaches that impact your life and they prevent you from doing your usual activities, that you miss out on family functions, that you find that you're taking an over-the-counter medication on a daily basis - you really need to see a health-care provider to be diagnosed properly so that you can be treated appropriately," says Suzanne Simons, National Headache Federation executive director.

Advertisement

To help you recognise whether you may suffer from migraines, try this quick quiz: Do you ever get a throbbing, one-sided headache? Do you feel sick or vomit when you have a headache? Is your headache preventing you from performing your regular activities?

If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, you may be suffering from a migraine headache.

Some people with migraines don't even bother to see their doctor because they don't think anything can be done for them, Simons says.

"There are migraine-specific medications available [triptans, for example], and it's important that people understand that, and that they talk to their health-care provider about whether those types of medications would be appropriate for them," she says.

"If this was a disease for which there were no treatments, that would be a tragedy in and of itself. But I think the bigger tragedy is that we do have great medications out there, and people aren't getting them," she adds.

If you've gone to your doctor about your migraines and haven't been satisfied, Simons urges you to make an appointment to go back and stress how the migraines are interrupting your life. Be fully prepared with detailed information about your migraines.

That information should include how often the headaches occur, how long they last, their location, the type of pain, any factors that may trigger them, or anything that may worsen or provide relief during an attack. You also should provide details on any prescription, over-the-counter or herbal products you may be taking or have tried.

You have to be a self-advocate, Simons says. "The bottom line is that migraine is a biological disease and, as such, it should be treated as a biological disease."

Read more:
Get through the morning after
Warm weather can trigger migraines

 

Print this article

Rate this article Poor 1 2 3 4 5 Excellent

JOBS

Cost / Clinical Audit Clerk (Medical Aid) Western Cape Pharmacist Western Cape Occupational Health Nurse x 2 Mpumalanga Operations Manager R20,000-25,000 Per Month Cost To Company Incl Benefits Gauteng - East Rand Java Developer-CT Western Cape - Cape Town Java Developer-Jozi Gauteng Lab Technician R3,500-4,200 Per Month Cost To Company Incl Benefits Gauteng - East Rand Surfacing Operator R3,900 Per Month Cost To Company Gauteng - East Rand Find more jobs Register your CV Post a job