MIGRAINE: WARNING AND HEADACHE

The warning

The warning of several hours, or a day or even two, before the actual attack is well known to many sufferers. Although in this case it took the form of feeling happy and being more aware of colours, there may be other variations in mood, increased energy, a feeling of hunger or thirst, or even just the feeling that something is about to happen. When hunger is the warning, over-eating can sometimes prevent the attack.

This period probably stems from a chemical imbalance in those areas of the brain which control mood and emotion. One such area, the hypothalamus, controls the secretion of several hormones and it is possible that an alteration in its setting may be a trigger for the ensuing headache.

The headache

Pain over the temple is usually the first sign, followed by its spread to one side of the head. The pain may then spread over the whole of the head. This pain is due to the widening (dilatation) of the blood vessels to the head and the characteristic throbbing sensation is due to the pulse affecting these dilated blood vessels. The headache can last as long as 24 hours but often no more than six or eight hours (as in patient À.Â.); sometimes the sufferer is lucky enough to fall asleep to discover on waking that the headache has gone.