What is a vasomotor headache and how is it treated?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong - Department of General Internal Medicine, Vinmec Times City International General Hospital.
A vasomotor headache, also known as a migraine, is a pain that usually occurs on one side of the head, has a pulsating nature, is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and increased sensitivity to light or sound. This is a common disease in many age groups, but we often have a subjective mentality that is not treated, or inappropriate treatment, leading to unpredictable consequences.

1. What is a vasomotor headache?

A vasomotor headache or migraine is a strong headache that usually occurs on one side. The disease usually occurs from school age, young people. The cause of migraine headaches is currently unknown, but it has been shown that genetics and environmental factors play a role in migraine headaches. The researchers found that an imbalance of certain brain chemicals, including Serotonin, leads to a decrease in serotonin levels during pain, which in turn stimulates the trigeminal nerve to trigger headaches.

2. What are the symptoms of vasomotor headache?

Before a headache, some patients may have the following symptoms (also known as aura) as follows:
Abnormalities in vision: seeing bright flashes of light, zigzag. Occasional loss of vision Sensory, motor, or vocal abnormalities. These symptoms usually last 20 to 60 minutes.
In pain, the patient usually has the following symptoms:
Severe pain in the temples and frontal area Nausea, vomiting, or dizziness Pain that pulsates with the pulse of the pulse. More sensitive to light, photophobia Sensitivity to noise, fear of noise Headache that increases with movement The pain can last from 4 to 72 hours if left untreated.

3. Risk factors for vasomotor headache

Here are the factors that can trigger a migraine headache:
Changes in female hormones: some women experience headaches just before or during their period. Some birth control pills can increase or decrease the frequency of pain Some foods such as chocolate, cheese, canned foods, and certain additives such as monosodium glutamate found in many foods can cause headaches. Some drinks such as wine, caffeinated beverages Stress, stress at work and life Vasomotor headaches often occur when your body is unwell, the weather changes or the air pressure changes. sudden change. Some people may experience headaches when the sleep-wake rhythm changes (too much sleep or insomnia), or when they are physically active.

4. How dangerous is vasomotor headache?

Migraine headaches cause long-lasting headaches that make you feel tired, stressed, and reduce your ability to work. When a headache occurs frequently, it will seriously affect the health, psychology, and upset the patient's work, study and daily life. If you take pain relievers not according to your doctor's instructions, you may experience stomach problems such as stomach ulcers, or will lead to overuse of pain relievers.
Vasomotor headaches, if not treated properly and promptly, will lead to depression, body weakness, memory loss, loss of concentration, stroke...
Above are the answers to headaches. What is the pulse. Don't be subjective with your own health! When experiencing persistent pain, it is essential to quickly go to reputable medical facilities for the earliest examination and treatment.

5. How to treat and prevent vasomotor headache?

When you have any symptoms of a migraine headache, you need to go to a reputable medical facility for examination and appropriate treatment. Treatments include pain relievers and relapse prevention medications.
Treatment of headaches with pain relievers such as paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), triptans... You should not take these drugs without your doctor's prescription. doctor because it can cause addiction or unwanted side effects. Add more green vegetables, micronutrients such as zinc, iron, magnesium, vitamins K, B6 ... in daily meals. Do not eat stimulant foods and drinks, limit exposure to cigarette smoke and absolutely do not smoke. In order to prevent vasomotor headaches, specialists at Vinmec Hospital also give advice for patients to take preventive measures and limit the frequency of pain caused by the disease. People with vasomotor headaches should live and work in a psychologically comfortable environment, avoid anxiety, sadness or limit stimuli that cause nervous tension. At work, limit doing jobs that require excessive thinking or brainstorming, and avoid overworked physically. Improve your life, live healthy by exercising regularly every day such as walking, cycling, swimming, yoga, tai chi...

Avoid certain foods that contain tyramine found in eggs, milk ... or alcohol, because they cause the release of serotonin, leading to headaches. For women, it is important to prevent migraine headaches during periods of hormonal changes such as early puberty, monthly menstrual periods or perimenopause. To protect their health, people with vasomotor headaches should go for a general health check-up every 6 months to be examined by a doctor to find the cause, advise on appropriate treatment and prevent dangerous complications due to vasomotor symptoms. vasomotor headache.
If you have a need for consultation and examination at the Vinmec Health System Hospitals nationwide, please book an appointment on the website for service.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.