Migraine headaches with vomiting: symptoms, causes and treatment

Let's see what the combination of migraines and vomiting consists of and how it affects us.

Of the most annoying headaches one can feel, there is none like migraines, which can be especially disabling for hours or even days. The person who is in a migraine attack sees his or her life greatly limited and, sometimes, cannot even stand light or noise.

If to this we add vomiting, the discomfort of the affected person is exponentially greater. Extreme headache and gastric symptoms are a very uncomfortable cocktail that makes the sufferer not only bothered by physical ailments, but also by significant psychological discomfort.

In the following we are going to learn more about migraines with vomitingwhat causes them and what treatments exist to alleviate the emotional symptoms they provoke.

Migraines with vomiting: characteristics and health effects.

One of the things that more can condition the health of an individual are the migraines, problems of neurological origin that cause an intense headache.. And if these pains are accompanied by other clinical manifestations, such as nausea and vomiting, the discomfort is not only limited to the ailment itself, but also limits the individual's quality of life considerably, as his or her mental health also suffers. Migraine headaches can cause the fear that, because of this sudden vomiting, the person will be exposed in public.

There are many types of migraines, each one with its own symptoms and, in the particular case of migraines with vomiting, the disability of the affected person is almost total. As a preventive measure and also to gain a little independence and autonomy within the limits possible, it is essential that migraine sufferers learn to identify early symptoms and know how to manage them, it is essential that migraine sufferers learn to identify the first symptoms and know how to manage them.. It is necessary that they receive physical and psychological treatment to cope with these extreme headaches.

People who experience migraines with vomiting may have to endure may have to endure an incessant, throbbing pain in the head, and experience a lot of nervousnessThey experience a lot of nervousness due to the fear of not knowing if they are going to vomit and if they are going to be exposed. Thus, we can understand that the consequences of these discomforts can be very hard.

General aspects of migraines

To understand the severity of migraines with vomiting, we must first know some aspects of migraines in general.

These are headaches that tend to recur and cause moderate to severe pain, varying in duration from 4 hours to 3 days.. The pain is often described as throbbing or pulsating, and usually begins on one side of the head. During a migraine episode you may be especially sensitive to light, sounds and even smells. Women are about three times more likely than men to suffer from migraines.

Migraine headaches have been shown to have a hereditary component.. Four out of five patients have a family history of migraines and it has been shown that if one of the parents has suffered from migraines, each of their children has a 50% chance of developing them. In case it is both parents who have had migraines in the past, the risk increases to 75%.

What happens in the brain with migraine?

One of the explanations that have been tried to explain why migraines occur has to do, of course, with the brain. It is believed that what happens is that parts of the brain that use monoamines, such as serotonin and noradrenalin, become hypersensitized, reacting rapidly and excessively to certain stimuli.They react quickly and excessively to certain stimuli.

One of the fundamental phenomena behind the onset of migraines has to do with the interaction between the brain and the cranial blood vessels. For this reason, the usual treatment for this type of ailment is usually aimed at constricting the dilated arteries, in order to reduce the pain as it occurs, or the tissues that are capable of provoking the sensation of pain associated with migraines.

What are the symptoms?

The definition of what a migraine is already highlights by itself what its main symptom is: headache. The intensity of the pain can be very variable from the very beginning and can be mild, moderate or severe. If no treatment is given at the beginning, the headache will eventually become more severe.. Among the most notable symptoms we find:

• Sensation of pain as if we were being hit in the head.
• Pain in the middle of the head, either frontal or cranial area.
• It is gradual and its intensity increases as the hours go by.
• Noise and light worsen the sensation of pain.
• It may be accompanied by tearing, nasal congestion, nausea and vomiting.

Migraines have the particularity that they can be displaced in terms of headache. That is to say, the pain can go from one side of the head to the other.. It can also affect the front part of the head and make it feel like it is the whole head that hurts.

As we have mentioned before, migraines have a varied duration, although they usually do not last more than 4 hours. However, the most severe migraines can last for days, causing a high degree of disability for those who feel them when they are indisposed for a long period of time. Chronic migraines can interrupt daily activities and reduce the quality of life, and if they are accompanied by nausea and vomiting your life will be even more affected.

Migraine sufferers report having a sense of anticipating their pain, knowing it is coming.that they know it is coming when it comes. Once the pain has arrived, these same people already predict whether or not they will vomit based on whether or not they can control their nausea. At this point, the person's handling of the situation and the way he/she deals with the symptoms is key.

Patients with these headaches, with or without vomiting, usually experience them on average two to four times a month.. Unfortunately, there are cases in which these annoying headaches are daily, causing a very high degree of disability and making it impossible for sufferers to lead a normal life. Other cases, much luckier, only have migraines once or twice a year.

Causes of migraines with vomiting.

The causes behind migraines with vomiting are varied. Among the main common triggers of these headaches with gastric symptomatology are the following:

1. Stress and anxiety

It is common people with migraines with vomiting usually develop them after experiencing a highly stressful event.. Stress is an emotion, but this does not mean that it only affects the emotional level of the individual, but that it also alters his physiology.

Being stressed manifests itself in the form of muscular tension, contributing to the dilation of blood vessels and aggravating migraine. Added to this, this same stress causes gastric alterations and can cause nausea and vomiting.

Sensitivity to certain substances

Some people are sensitive to certain food components. Among the foods that have been associated with migraines are cured cheese, red wine and other alcoholic beverages, chocolate and sausages. Special mention should be made of hyperprocessed products containing food additives such as nitrates, substances that are associated with headaches.

And while we are on the subject of food, we would like to mention that one factor that predisposes to the onset of migraines is skipping meals. When the body does not have all the necessary nutrients or it has been a while without a good meal, it can give us signals that something is not going well, causing headaches. causing headaches. Also there can be nausea and vomiting, although these last ones are less probable.

3. Caffeine

Caffeine is a psychostimulant substance and, as such, can cause headaches if consumed in large quantities. Curiously, it also causes migraines if its consumption is abruptly limited after having taken it regularly..

Thus, it can be said that coffee, tea or even chocolate (also containing caffeine) can provoke migraines, either by consuming them too much or by stopping taking them suddenly.

Added to this is the fact that caffeine and methylxanthines in general (theophylline and theobromine) are heavy substances for our stomachs. substances that are heavy for our stomach, difficult to digest and cause nausea nausea if consumed in an abusive way. They can also cause other gastric symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting.

4. Hormonal changes in women

Migraines have traditionally been associated with the female sex, and there is some sense in that. Although men can get them, the truth is that women are up to three times more prone to migraines than men. women are up to three times more likely to experience this type of headache, as we have previously discussed.as we have previously mentioned.

Certain hormonal changes associated with menstrual periods are believed to be to blame. The abrupt drop in estrogen caused by menstruation can also trigger migraines.

5. Medications

There are some medications that inflame the blood vessels and their excessive use can cause migraines.. Ironically, many of these drugs are intended for the occasional relief of headaches, but when used on a daily basis, they can have an impact on the cerebral vessels causing migraines.

Some of the drugs and medicinal substances associated with vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels) are β-lactam antibiotics, macrolides, sulfonamides, quinolones, antiviral drugs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (e.g., fluoxetine), Anticonvulsant drugs (e.g., phenytoin), carbidopa, hydralazine, propylthiouracil, minocycline, levodopa, and diuretics.

6. Temperature

It has been shown that temperatures above 35ºC can trigger the first symptoms of migraines, at least in people who tend to get them.at least in the people who tend to present them.

Psychological treatment for migraine

Although the migraine is a physical ailment, this one should be approached from both a physiological and a psychological perspective.. Migraine sufferers not only suffer from an intense headache, but also all the consequences associated with it such as anxiety, fear of not knowing when the next attack will occur, fear of vomiting in a public place and uncertainty that makes it impossible to make short, medium or long term plans depending on its frequency of occurrence and intensity.

Although there is currently no treatment to cure migraines with vomiting, there are therapeutic ways to improve the quality of life of the affected person, in addition to provide them with tools for the proper psychological management of their ailment..

Psychologically, there are effective treatments for anxiety and depression, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy, which have been found to be beneficial for the psychological management of migraines and the psychological discomfort they bring with them.

Nor should we ignore the power of other behavioral therapies, such as relaxation techniques or relaxation training. relaxation techniques or biofeedback training, which some studies have suggested would be which some studies have suggested would be effective techniques for the emotional treatment of migraines. The main objective of these treatments is to help people suffering from these intense headaches learn how to promote feelings of relaxation and calmness to make their pain more bearable.