Your Head Aches: What Could It Mean, and What Can Be Done About It?

• HealthDay Reporter
• Carole Tanzer Miller
• June 9, 2024
• Full Page

When there's pain, pressure and pounding in your head, you might think the worst: Is it a brain tumor?

Probably not, a Penn State physician assures. 

Headache in and of itself is not a common sign of a tumor, because the brain itself doesn't feel pain, said

Nerve Surgery May Help Some Battling Severe Migraine

• HealthDay Reporter
• Dennis Thompson
• June 3, 2024
• Full Page

Nerve surgery can reduce the number of headache days for people who suffer frequent migraines, a new review finds.

The procedure also can decrease the ...

Stroke, Migraine, Alzheimer's: Climate Change Will Likely Make Them Worse

• HealthDay Reporter
• Dennis Thompson
• May 16, 2024
• Full Page

Climate change is likely to make brain conditions like stroke, migraine, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis even worse, a new review warns.

...

Could Heartburn Meds Raise Your Migraine Risk?

• HealthDay Reporter
• Dennis Thompson
• April 25, 2024
• Full Page

People taking heartburn meds have a higher risk of migraines and other types of severe headaches, a new study warns.

All classes of acid-reducing drugs -- proton pump inhibitors, H2 blockers, and even antacids -- appear to promote an increased risk of migraine and headac...

One in 3 Women With Migraines Say Attacks Occur During Periods

• HealthDay Reporter
• Ernie Mundell
• April 15, 2024
• Full Page

Among U.S. women with migraine, a third say the attacks tend to coincide with their periods, a new survey finds.

Migraines that occur during menstruation are often frequent and severe, but only about one in five respondents said they used medications aimed at preventing...

Young Adults With Migraine May Face Higher Stroke Risk

• HealthDay Reporter
• Dennis Thompson
• March 27, 2024
• Full Page

Migraines in young adults appear to increase their risk of stroke more than traditional risk factors like high blood pressure, a new study reports.

Results show that migraine is the most important non-traditional risk factor for stroke among adults ages 18 to 34, account...

'Space Headaches' Can Hit Astronauts, Study Finds

• HealthDay Reporter
• Carole Tanzer Miller
• March 15, 2024
• Full Page

Astronauts who have never had headaches may develop migraines and other tension-type headaches for the first time when they go into space.

A side effect of zero gravity, these headaches start with motion sickness as astronauts adapt to long-haul space flight, according t...

Vaping, Skipping Breakfast Ups Headache Risk for Teens

• HealthDay Reporter
• Dennis Thompson
• March 1, 2024
• Full Page

Vaping and skipped meals appear to be the main causes of frequent headaches among teens, a new study says.

Teens who ate breakfast and dinner with their family had a lower risk of frequent headaches than those who regularly missed meals, researchers report Feb. 28 in the...

Combo of Hot Flashes, Migraine Sends Heart Risks Sky High

• HealthDay Reporter
• Carole Tanzer Miller
• February 14, 2024
• Full Page

As if painful migraines, hot flashes and night sweats weren't bad enough, many women in menopause are facing a significantly bigger threat.

New research suggests that women with both migraines and vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats) are significantly more l...

What Factors Really Predict Migraine Onset?

• HealthDay Reporter
• Dennis Thompson
• January 25, 2024
• Full Page

Factors like sleep, energy levels and stress can predict the onset of a migraine headache, a new study finds.

Those factors differed from the morning to the afternoon and evening, however.

Poor perceived sleep quality, lower-than-usual quality of sleep and lower-th...

Migraines Could Raise Crash Risks for Older Drivers

• HealthDay Reporter
• Dennis Thompson
• January 5, 2024
• Full Page

Migraines are not only extremely painful, but they also appear to pose a driving risk for seniors, a new study warns.

Older adult drivers recently diagnosed with migraines are three times more likely to be involved in a car crash, researchers reported recently in the

Migraine? Reach for Prescription Meds, Not Ibuprofen

• HealthDay Reporter
• Dennis Thompson
• November 30, 2023
• Full Page

Migraine sufferers would do better to talk to their doctor about a prescription drug than reaching for a bottle of ibuprofen, a new study finds.

Drugs like triptans, ergots and anti-emetics can be two to five times more effective for treating migraines than ibuprofen, ac...

'Magic Mushroom' Drug Psilocybin Shows Early Promise in Easing Migraines

• HealthDay Reporter
• Amy Norton
• August 14, 2023
• Full Page

Psilocybin, the active ingredient in "magic" mushrooms, is getting renewed interest as a potential treatment for various health conditions. Now, a new research review argues that migraines should be added to that list.

Psilocybin mushrooms have long been used recreationa...

Ketamine Nasal Spray Could Be New Treatment for Migraines

• HealthDay Reporter
• Steven Reinberg
• May 31, 2023
• Full Page

A nasal spray containing ketamine might help relieve migraine headaches when other treatments fail, a new study suggests.

Ketamine is a synthetic anesthetic with hallucinogenic effects that is sometimes used intravenously for migraine headaches. It's being tried for...

Migraines May Follow Daily Circadian Cycles, Study Shows

• HealthDay Reporter
• Alan Mozes
• March 30, 2023
• Full Page

Your body's internal clock appears to play a big part in the time of day when severe headaches happen.

Migraines and cluster headaches have different characteristics and treatments, but experts have long noted that they share key features: Both are neurological diseases...

New Nasal Spray for Migraines Approved by FDA

• HealthDay Reporter
• Cara Murez
• March 13, 2023
• Full Page

Migraine sufferers will soon have a new treatment option that works more quickly and may be safer for people at risk of heart attack or stroke.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Pfizer Inc.'s zavegepant (Zavzpret), a nasal spray meant to treat severe he...

Unraveling the Link Between Menstrual Cycles and Migraine

• HealthDay Reporter
• Denise Mann
• February 27, 2023
• Full Page

Many women experience blinding migraine headaches around their monthly period, and now researchers have a clue about why.

Levels of the female hormone estrogen fluctuate during menstruation, which may lead to increases in calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). This prot...

Cluster Headaches Often Joined by Other Illnesses

• HealthDay Reporter
• Cara Murez
• December 15, 2022
• Full Page

Having short, painful headaches for many days or even weeks in a row may signal that you're more likely to have other medical woes, researchers say.

These "cluster headaches" are extremely painful and can last from 15 minutes to three hours at a time. And people who have...

Women With Migraines Face Higher Odds for Complications in Pregnancy

• HealthDay Reporter
• Cara Murez
• September 13, 2022
• Full Page

A history of migraine headaches could make a woman more prone to pregnancy complications, such as issues with blood pressure or preterm birth, according to a new study.

"We now know migraines may be an underrecognized risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes," said stu...

8/9 -- Pandemic Brought More Woes for Kids Prone to Headaches

• HealthDay Reporter
• Denise Mann
• August 4, 2022
• Full Page

Add more frequent headaches in kids who are already vulnerable to them to the list of ills associated with the pandemic.

Before the pandemic, 60% o...

Half of World's People Suffer From Headaches

• HealthDay Reporter
• Robert Preidt
• April 12, 2022
• Full Page

If you suffer from headaches, you have plenty of company.

Headaches afflict half of the world's population, and women are more likely to get them than men, a new paper says.

"We found that the prevalence of headache disorders remains high worldwide and the burden o...

Could Migraines Raise Odds for Complications in Pregnancy?

• HealthDay Reporter
• February 28, 2022
• Full Page

Women with migraine may have a higher risk of preeclampsia and other pregnancy complications, a new study suggests.

The researchers looked at more than 30,000 pregnancies in about 19,000 women over a 20-year period.

"Roughly 20% of women of childbearing age experie...

Switch to Plant-Based Diet Rid Man of Chronic Migraines

• HealthDay Reporter
• Robert Preidt and Robin Foster
• November 19, 2021
• Full Page

People who live with chronic migraines suffer intense throbbing and pulsing, sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and vomiting.

Could a plant-based diet, credited with a variety of positive health impacts, also help ease these chronic symptoms?

It might.

Re...

Study Probes Relationship Between Migraines and Sleep

• HealthDay Reporter
• Cara Murez
• September 23, 2021
• Full Page

Do migraines cause poor sleep or does poor sleep cause migraines?

Though it's hard to say, it does appear that there's a difference in how well people with migraine think they sleep and how well they really do.

A large research analysis published online Sept. 22 in...

Migraines and More Severe Hot Flashes Could Be Linked

• HealthDay Reporter
• Denise Mann
• September 22, 2021
• Full Page

Women with a history of migraine headaches may suffer severe hot flashes during menopause, and this combo may boost their risk for heart disease, researchers say.

Migraine doesn't cause more or worse hot flashes -- or vice versa. But both are believed to be related to ch...

Experimental Drug Could Cut Migraine Frequency

• HealthDay Reporter
• Amy Norton
• August 19, 2021
• Full Page

A new pill specifically designed to prevent migraines appears to do the job, a new clinical trial finds.

Atogepant cut patients' migraine days in half over 12 weeks of treatment, without causing serious side effects, the researchers said.

Experts said the drug, if ...