The mean number of spontaneously identified triggers was 1.5 (±1.5), and the total number of triggers identified was 7.20 (±3.9). A relevant discrepancy between the number of spontaneously recognized triggers and the total number of triggers was found. This may suggest that migraineurs display poor awareness about headache triggers. “
“What happens when migraine occurs more days than not? Chronic migraine is defined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as headache for at least 15 days/month, at SB203580 least 4 hours/day. Pain, light sensitivity, noise sensitivity, nausea, and worsening with activity reduce functioning. Struggling

with normal expectations can lead to reliance on medications to function. Chronic migraine is common, affecting an estimated 3% in the United States. It often starts off as migraine in discrete episodes (episodic migraine), occurring 2 or fewer days/week, and gradually transforms to the more frequent pattern, with only 8 days/month required to have migraine features. About 3% of episodic migraine transforms to chronic migraine per year. Risks for transforming from episodic to chronic migraine include female gender, head/neck trauma, lower educational/socioeconomic levels, acute medication

frequency, more than 2 caffeinated beverages/day, poor sleep, anxiety, snoring, depression, and thyroid disorders. Obesity increases chronic migraine risk. Combining exercise with regular sleep may reduce headache frequency, anxiety, and mild depression. Stress is a common trigger that can provoke increased headache frequency and intensity. Trained providers www.selleckchem.com/products/Decitabine.html can teach behavioral techniques, including relaxation training, cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback, and mindfulness, addressing depression, anxiety, and stress. Preventive medications can dial down chronic migraine pain and reduce headache frequency. Medications used acutely and too frequently to treat individual headache days can result in

medication overuse headache selleckchem or rebound headache, a form of chronic migraine. This increase in acute medication use and headache frequency often sneaks up. At first medications work, they stop working as well, and finally stop working altogether. Other medications are then added, and one can wind up with multiple medication cocktails used throughout the month to maintain. Ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve), acetaminophen (Tylenol), and aspirin, acetaminophen, and caffeine combinations (Excedrin) may become less effective and taken more often. Migraine can cause pain over sinuses and nasal drainage, so people begin to take decongestant combinations. Over-the-counter sleep remedies often contain diphenhydramine, which when taken frequently can cause weight gain, depression, and more headaches. Migraine sufferers may turn to narcotics for relief, such as hydrocodone or oxycodone combination (Vicodin or Percocet) tablets.