Just threw up and nearly passed out from a migraine. I know it’s a migraine because I get them once or twice a year. But what ACTUALLY causes them?
In: Biology
Certain foods and drinks can also cause migraines, so maybe track that and see if there is a correlation.
We don’t entirely know what causes them yet. That’s part of what makes it so difficult to treat them. They *seem* to be caused by a combination of genetic predisposition plus environmental factors – making it still more complicated to figure out.
The best model that tries to explain It (that I know of at least) posits migraines are a consequence of a “spreading depression” in certain areas of the brain.
Trying to ELI5: to work properly the brain needs blood flow and neurotransmitters, and sometimes if some group of cells gets disrupted in one of these needs, they can in turn cause other groups of cells to be affected to, causing the migraine.
This is why some people have auras, sensory indications of an upcoming migraine, as the initial perturbation already occurred, and can cause symptoms even before the whole thing is fired off.
[removed]
A doctor told me of a theory that may explain some migraines and a overdose of common medications based on that theory that can sometimes avert them.
The theory is that migraines starting with visual disturbances may be due to swelling around and compression of the optic nerve.
His recommendation worked and was life changing for me. I went from crying in a dark room and having a one or yeo day ‘migraine hangover’ to being just in pain and needing to rest my eyes
For years I was not game to learn more about it in case it was a placebo effect for me. I didn’t google it as I normally would to better understand any medication, etc. But one day I mentioned to a friend what I was doing and he responded by mentioning the theory. So I googled and apparently it is one of the current theories for at least some migraines.
Some evidence suggests that migraines happen when the blood vessels between the skull and the brain press on nerve fibers. That’s why medications that affect blood pressure (like beta blockers) can help treat migraines.
You can find more info here: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/migraine#toc-what-is-migraine-
do u guys get occular migraines? i do. but its rare. they were worse as a kid
I get them as a man when the pressure drops outside and they suck bad. Never do I get regular headaches only migraines, and I figure I inherited that trait from my mom who always gets them.
Lack of caffeine, for one. As a caff addict, I used to get them if I went off it. Took me DECADES to find the connection that existed since I was a kid!
Id love to know this too. Started getting regular migraines when i turned 5 and triggers were super random, like reading while a cars in motion, eating bananas w/o milk, and even popcorn (outgrew most of them), but at least my migraines arent weekly anymore, more like annually now.
Latest Answers