Menopause Migraines - Treatment Methods

Menopause Migraines - Treatments for the Afflicted
Women who are going through menopause experience many different changes within the body and sometimes emotional stability can become disrupted as well. Along with the usual symptoms of menopause including hot flashes, night sweats, heighten anxiety and irritability many women experience menopause migraines. With the changing of hormone levels at this time in a woman's life, these symptoms of menopause can often be serious and even debilitating. Many women experience migraines in early years that are often noticed to be associated with menstruation and some women's migraines actually decrease with menopause while others experience more severe migraines during this change in life.

Migraines are very distinct from regular headaches. The pain of a migraine is usually isolated to one side of the head and most experience a throbbing type pain. These types of headaches can last for hours and sometimes even days. Symptoms associated with menopause migraines can include nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity and noise sensitivity. The pain may be more severe while bending or doing any kind of physical movement. They also can make a woman feel very tired and weak. Some women experience auras before the onset of a migraine. This neurological phenomenon is usually experienced as a visual disturbance, which is characterized as lights, perhaps shimmering around objects or zigzag lines that disrupt the field of vision. Some women experience hallucinations or wavy images while others may have total vision loss for a short amount of time.

Finding an effective treatment for these types of migraines can be challenging as most common headache pain relievers often have no effect on this type of severe headache. Doctor prescribed medications such as Imitrex, Zomig, Frova and Maxalt have been reported to be very effective in some women. The most effective treatment for menopause migraines is hormone replacement therapy. Choosing this form of treatment balances the hormones thus relieving the symptoms. Women who experience menopause migraines should speak with their physicians about the best possible treatment choices for them.