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American Council for Headache Education - www.achenet.org The National Migraine Association - www.migraine.org National Headache Foundation - www.headaches.org
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 headaches generally represent no significant threat to your overall health. However, they can be chronic, recurrent, frustrating, and they may interfere with your day-to-day life. Stroke is an extremely rare complication from severe migraines. This risk may be due to prolonged narrowing of the blood vessels, limiting blood flow to parts of the brain for an extended period of time.
Call 911 if: Call your doctor immediately if: Also, call your doctor if:
If you get at least three headaches per month, your doctor may prescribe medication for you to prevent recurrent migraines. Such prescription drugs may include:
Morantz C. Practice Guideline Briefs. Am Fam Physician. Mar 2005; 71(5); 1019-899. Schroeder BM . AAFP/ACP-ASIM release guidelines on the management and prevention of migraines. Am Fam Physician. Mar 2003; 67(6): 1392, 1395-7. Noble J, ed. Textbook of Primary Care Medicine. 3rd ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 2001. Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, eds. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 5th ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 2002. Goetz CG, Pappert EJ. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders; 2003.
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Reviewer Info: Daniel Kantor, M.D., Director of the Comprehensive MS Center, Neuroscience Institute, University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.; ADAM Health Illustrated Encyclopedia, 11/21/2006 |