Every person responds differently to treatment. Some people have rare headaches that require little to no treatment. Others require the use of several medications or even occasional hospitalization.

Migraine headache is a risk factor for stroke in both men and women.

Migraine headaches generally represent no significant threat to your overall health. However, they can be a long-term (chronic) problem and may interfere with your day-to-day life.

Call 911 if:

• You are experiencing "the worst headache of your life"
• You have speech, vision, or movement problems or loss of balance, especially if you have not had these symptoms with a migraine before
• Your headaches are more severe when lying down
• The headache starts very suddenly

Also, call your doctor if:

• Your headache patterns or pain change
• Treatments that once worked are no longer helpful
• You have side effects from medication, including irregular heartbeat, pale or blue skin, extreme sleepiness, persistent cough, depression, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, cramps, dry mouth, or extreme thirst
• You are pregnant or could become pregnant -- some medications should not be taken when pregnant

See the general article on headaches for more information on emergency symptoms

Images

Central nervous system

CT scan of the brain

Migraine headache

Migraine cause

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Review Date: 11/22/2010
Reviewed By: Kevin Sheth, MD, Department of Neurology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)