Migraines are severe, painful and recurring headaches that are usually accompanied or preceded by sensory warning signs and other symptoms. The threat of a migraine attack is constant and frustrating. But, the worst thing about migraine is that it has been linked with several other health issues.

A person who gets migraine should know the health risks associated with them to take proper precautions. In this article, we’ll highlight five health risk that migraines can cause if left untreated.

Anxiety

People who suffer from chronic migraine are more likely to experience anxiety disorder. Fifteen or more episodes of headaches every month is defined as chronic migraine. Experts are of the view that anxiety often develops in people because of the burden of severe headaches.

Sometimes both anxiety and migraine can be treated with a single treatment – antidepressants. However, few people require separate treatments. For instance, migraines of some people would be treated through medication while behavioral therapy would be used to handle anxiety disorder.

Depression

People who suffer from episodic migraines have a higher risk of depression than people who don’t experience migraines. While there’s a possibility that people become depressed due to the pain caused by the migraine, the depression may come first as well. This shows that there’s something common between depression and migraine. This common element could be neurology, genes or both.

According to Click Pharmacy, there are a few antidepressant drugs like amitriptyline that can treat migraines. If antidepressants aren’t effective, other treatments like Sumatriptan should be used.

Stroke

An aura – visions of flashing lights, spot, or patterns and tingling or numbness in the hands or face – accompanies migraine headache in about one-third of sufferers. People who suffer from migraines accompanied by aura are at a greater risk of experiencing a stroke than those who don’t experience migraines.

There is evidence that shows that blood platelets of migraine suffer activates increasing the risk of clotting. Smoking and hormonal birth control pills increase the possibility of clotting issues. Therefore, women who suffer from migraines should neither smoke nor use hormonal pills. For birth control, women who suffer from migraines should go for a barrier method like condoms.

Heart Disease

Research shows that migraines can increase the likelihood of heart disease. However, researchers haven’t figured out how migraines increase the risk for heart issues. Researchers are also silent about what one must do to avoid heart diseases resulting from migraines.

Migraines give rise to more migraines. That is why it is important for migraine suffers to try stopping them. Even minor disruption can cause a headache in a migraine sufferer. Triggers of a migraine attack may include simple things like missing a dinner, not getting enough sleep or drinking coffee at an unusual time. Therefore, migraine sufferers should ensure that there aren’t any disruptions to their behaviors and schedule.

Furthermore, people who suffer from migraine should take breaks at work. For example, if a person has been sitting at an office and working for 90 minutes continuously, they should get up and take rest for a few minutes.

Migraine sufferers who experience cardiac problems should be careful with popular medicines used for treating migraines especially triptans.

Parkinson’s Disease

In a research study focused on determining the link between migraine and Parkinson’s disease, researchers found that if the migraine headaches of a person are accompanied by an aura, they are at a great risk of developing PD (Parkinson’s Disease). That is especially true for people who suffer from migraine during the middle age. While it is unclear how Parkinson’s disease and migraines are linked, authors of the study say that it has something to do with the neurotransmitter dopamine. Authors suggest that dopamine is disrupted both in people who suffer from migraines and those with Parkinson’s which might explain the connection.

In addition to these health risks, migraines can lead to episodic syndromes like motion sickness, sleep talking, sleepwalking, teeth grinding and night terrors. Additionally, migraines can cause abdominal pain, Bell’s palsy, pain disorders, restless legs syndrome (RLS), asthma and other complications. Therefore, people who suffer from migraine should consider different treatment options for their condition.

Medications can help in preventing some migraines and make the headaches less painful. People who suffer from migraine should talk to their doctor about different treatment options if they can’t find relief. Lifestyle changes combined with the right medicines may help.

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