Typically, migraine affects more women than men. Yet, up to half of those with migraine don’t have a diagnosis.
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The symptoms of severe or acute migraine include pain, which is usually severe and often disabling, as well as intense throbbing. Some people experience nausea, vomiting, or extreme sensitivity to noise or light during attacks. Episodes of severe migraine may last from 4 hours to 3 days.
Severe migraine may occur with or without aura. Aura refers to a perceptual disturbance. Examples include experiencing nonexistent smells, lights, or sounds. Migraine is often considered severe when pain, nausea, or other associated symptoms force a person to avoid normal daily activities.
Also, a migraine is classified as severe if the person affected has a history of two to five similar episodes. Migraine is most common among people ages 25 to 55Trusted Source, but it may also affect children and teens.
Chronic migraine occurs at least 15 days a month, for more than 3 consecutive months. This type of migraine can cause a substantial loss in productivityTrusted Source and may result in a poor quality of life. It’s important to treat acute migraine in order to prevent the development of chronic migraine.
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Chronic migraine treatment typically involves lifestyle and trigger management, medications, and preventive measures. Managing your diet, ensuring you get enough sleep, and avoiding your migraine triggers whenever possible is a start, but typically your doctor will recommend medications to manage pain and other symptoms.
Numerous drugs are available to treat migraine. Over-the-counter medications, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen, can be helpful in treating mild to moderate migraine episodes. For moderate to severe migraine, however, triptans may be recommended. Triptans, which were created to treat acute migraine symptoms, may be taken orally or via a nasal spray.
Here’s a list of commonly prescribed medications in the triptan family:
- sumatriptan (available in oral form, injectable form, or nasal spray)
- naratriptan
- zolmitriptan (available in oral form or nasal spray)
- rizatriptan
- almotriptan
- frovatriptan
- eletriptan
Triptans are most effective when used to treat a migraine episode that has not yet progressed to a severe stage.
