---
name: migraine-care
description: Use when asked for general educational information about migraine care — common symptoms, general self-care measures, and when to seek medical attention — for education only, not medical advice; always direct the reader to consult a doctor or health care professional.
---

# Migraine Care

> ⚠️ **Ask your doctor or health care professional. This information is AI generated for education and NOT medical advice.**

Migraine is a neurological condition causing recurrent, often severe
headaches, frequently accompanied by other symptoms, and distinct from
an ordinary headache in both intensity and associated features.

## Common symptoms

Throbbing or pulsing head pain (often one-sided), nausea, sensitivity
to light and sound, and — for some — an "aura" of visual disturbances
or other neurological symptoms before the headache begins.

## General self-care measures

- Identify and manage personal triggers (certain foods, stress, sleep
  changes, hormonal fluctuations, dehydration) through tracking.
- Rest in a quiet, dark room during an attack if possible.
- Take prescribed or recommended medication early in an attack, as
  directed — timing often affects effectiveness.
- Maintain consistent sleep, meals, and hydration, since irregularity
  in any of these is a common trigger.

## When to seek medical attention

- Frequent migraines significantly affecting daily life, which may
  benefit from preventive (not just attack) treatment.
- A headache that's the "worst ever," sudden and severe ("thunderclap"),
  or accompanied by fever, stiff neck, confusion, weakness, or vision
  loss — these need emergency evaluation to rule out a more serious
  cause; see [[urgent-emergency-care]].
- A new headache pattern after age 50, or a significant change in usual
  migraine pattern.

## Common pitfalls

- **Overusing acute pain medication** — frequent use of pain-relief
  medication for migraines can itself cause "medication overuse
  headache," worsening the overall pattern; discuss frequency limits
  with your care team.
- **Dismissing a genuinely different or "worst" headache as just
  another migraine** — a headache that's notably different from a
  person's usual migraine pattern deserves evaluation rather than
  assumption.
- **Not tracking triggers** — without tracking, patterns in food,
  sleep, stress, or hormonal triggers are much harder to identify and
  manage proactively.

## Learn more

- [[neurology-assessment]] for related clinical assessment.
- [[urgent-emergency-care]] for recognizing when a headache needs emergency care.
- [[health-care]] for general navigation of health systems.