A genetic predisposition may also cause chronic migraines. Chronic headache starts with headache episodes that occur less often and then progressively progress into a pattern of headaches that occur more frequently. In the United States, three to five percent of the population suffers from chronic migraines. Each year, around three percent of persons who suffer from episodic migraines progress to having chronic migraines.

Indicators And Root Causes

The following may contribute to the gradual onset of chronic migraines over time:

• The frequency of headaches that come and go in episodes continues to rise with time.
• To maintain some control over the growing number of headaches, patients often take medications originally intended to treat individual headache episodes. Over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and medications like Excedrin® and generic versions are the most likely culprits of medication overuse headaches. Other possible culprits include alcohol and prescription drugs.

The following are some additional risk factors connected with persistent migraines:

• Obesity
• Snoring
• A variety of mood disorders, most notably anxiety and sadness
• Ongoing disturbed sleep pattern
• Excessive use of caffeine
• A history of emotionally or physically traumatic incidents, including difficult life events

Symptoms

The symptoms of chronic migraine are identical to those of episodic migraine. The difference is just an increase in the number of headaches experienced on a more regular basis. The following are some of the typical migraine symptoms:

• Pain in the head that ranges from moderate to severe severity and is made worse by movement or activity that involves the body
• Headaches may be felt either side of the head, sometimes with a throbbing or pressing sensation.
• sensitivity to sounds, scents, and light
• Nausea/vomiting
• Dizziness

Diagnosis and Tests

Your doctor will inquire about your medical history in great detail. The questions that the doctor will ask are as follows:

• Your migraine pain pattern, including when and how they start, whether they come in episodes or are continuous, how long they last, and if any triggers or things make the migraine worse.
• Your explanation of the pain, including where it is, what it feels like, and how severe it is.
• Your current and prior treatments, including the timing of pharmaceutical intake, doses, results, and adverse effects, as well as any usage of alternative or complementary treatments.

Management and Treatment

The treatment of migraine episodes, and the provision of preventative therapies to minimize the frequency of migraine attacks. Alterations to one's way of life include:

• If you are overweight, you should try to lose weight.
• Starting an exercise programme cleared by your physician is the first step.
• Managing your stress. Practices like meditation, yoga, and other forms of relaxation training, as well as practising mindful breathing, are all effective methods for stress management.
• Establish a regular eating schedule, including times for meals and snacks; do not miss meals.
• Staying adequately hydrated.
• Start therapy for any existing mood condition (including depression and anxiety) and any sleep problems that may be present.

The following components are often included in every migraine management treatment plan:

• When treating migraine attacks early on, when the pain is still mild, start with a simple pain reliever (paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen) and gradually increase the dose as needed to the maximum dose that can be tolerated unless the headache is severe at the start or will become severe shortly. In these circumstances, the effectiveness of the treatment may be improved by adding a triptan to the drug described above. Opiate usage should be avoided if at all feasible. Your primary care physician will work with you to develop a treatment plan to help you avoid making your persistent headaches much worse by using excessive medication.
• Take care of any connected adverse effects, such as feeling sick.

Prevention

Maintain a headache journal every day. Visit your headache expert as soon as you become aware of an increase in the frequency of the headaches you are experiencing. Please do not put off going to the doctor about your headaches until they start to affect your everyday life. Persistent migraines are simpler to treat if diagnosed in their early stages and may even be reversed.

People who suffer from persistent migraines should pursue headache management as their primary treatment goal. It is fair to suppose that both the frequency of migraine headaches and the intensity of those headaches may be decreased with an effective treatment strategy. Each year, around three percent of persons who suffer from episodic migraines progress to having chronic migraines. There is a high likelihood that people who suffer from chronic migraine may, at some point, have migraine attacks.