Over 15% of Americans have had a migraine or severe headache in the last 90 days.
You may have heard the words headache and migraine used seemingly interchangeably; however, headaches and migraines are two different things and need to be treated differently. But, even migraines aren’t all created equal – there’s a specific type of migraine called status migrainosus.
If you’re suffering, it pays to learn about the types of migraines so that you can tailor your treatments to have the best chance of working. Failing to educate yourself about your condition could lead to years of unnecessary and painful symptoms.
So, if you think you might be suffering from status migrainosus, read on to find out more.
What Is Status Migrainosus?
Migraines are a severe type of headache that causes nausea, dizziness, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, and throbbing in the head.
Migraines aren’t as common as you may think; many people who complain of migraines actually just have a bad headache. Unlike regular headaches, migraines can be treated with specific medications to ease symptoms.
However, if your migraine doesn’t respond to medication and it lasts longer than 72 hours, this becomes known as status migrainosus. You may be able to reduce symptoms for a few hours at a time, but you must have symptoms for 72 hours or more to be diagnosed with status migrainosus.
The risk of needing emergency care is heightened with status migrainosus because vomiting can lead to electrolyte imbalance and dehydration. It’s important to speak to a health care provider if you have status migrainosus.
Risk Factors for Status Migrainosus
The exact mechanisms and causes of status migrainosus aren’t fully understood. However, certain people are more likely to develop these prolonged and severe migraines. These include:
- Anyone over-using regular pain-relieving medications
- Women
- Anyone with meningitis
- Anyone with a brain tumor
- People with hormonal imbalances
- After having head or neck surgery
However, it seems that lifestyle and environmental factors are better predictors of status migrainosus. Typical triggers for status migrainosus include:
- Stress
- Weather changes
- Head injuries
- Inconsistent eating patterns
- Sinus infections
- Dehydration
If any of these triggers is a part of your regular life, it’s worth having a look at preventative measures to reduce the chances of developing status migrainosus.
Status Migrainosus Treatments
No one deserves to live with chronic headaches or migraines, and especially not status migrainosus.
Fortunately, there are a host of treatments that can help prevent and alleviate symptoms. Here we’ll outline some of the best preventative measures, home treatments, and medications that can help.
Prevention
Prevention is key when it comes to migraines that could progress to status migrainosus. If you find yourself in a situation that usually triggers a migraine, you must follow a few simple steps:
- Eat small and frequent meals to keep your blood sugar stable
- Drink at least eight glasses of water per day to prevent dehydration
- Ensure you’re getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night
- Practice stress-relieving techniques such as meditation
- Don’t over-use painkillers unless necessary
Although these steps are critical to prevent a migraine from developing, they’re also good practice for your day-to-day life.
Home Treatments
If you notice the famous migraine aura coming on, it’s time to act quickly with home management treatments. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to migraines, so you should find what works best for you. Some effective techniques include:
- Avoid foods high in nitrates and processed foods
- Use lavender oil or peppermint oil on your temples
- Drink ginger tea
- Take a magnesium supplement
- Apply hot or cold compresses
- Get lots of rest in a darkened room
- Switch off your electronics
Each of these techniques may help relieve your symptoms and stop a regular migraine from progressing to status migrainosus. Experiment with each of them and see which are most effective for you.
Pharmaceutical Interventions
Unfortunately, status migrainosus headaches are challenging to cure yourself. Once your migraine has lasted 72 hours, there’s a high chance you’ll need some help from a healthcare professional.
There are several drugs explicitly designed to improve migraine symptoms. These include:
- Antidepressants (amitriptyline)
- Anti-seizure medicines (topiramate or valproate)
- Blood pressure drugs (metoprolol tartrate, propranolol, or verapamil)
- CGRP antagonists (erenumab)
Not all of the medications will be suitable for everyone, so it’s vital that you see a doctor to understand which of these drugs will be most ideal for your situation.
How Migraine Insight Can Help
The journey to curing status migrainosus can be difficult, as you need to identify each of your triggers, migraine patterns, and helpful solutions.
Fortunately, Migraine Insight is an App that helps identify these patterns for you. You can log your symptoms and get science-backed insights into how to relieve yourself from painful symptoms.
We provide both free and paid services to help you have more migraine-free days: in fact, over 85% of Migraine Insight users say that it helped their symptoms. Many testimonials for our app even state that Migraine Insight helped them permanently cure their migraines.
Say No to Migraines: Live Pain-Free Today
There’s everything you need to know about status migrainosus. These severe and ongoing migraines can feel like the end of the world while you’re suffering, but you can get relief.
So, don’t hold back; start investing in your health today and focus on preventing status migrainosus from happening. Remember, 85% of Migraine Insight users notice an improvement or elimination in their symptoms.
What are you waiting for? It’s time to cure your migraines for good; download Migraine Insight on the App Store today!
Our Team: We are Here to Help
It’s hard to find your triggers. It’s hard to find the right medication combination that really helps you get better. We want to help. We are a small, dedicated app development team with an app that helps you better understand your migraines and triggers. Everyone on the team has lived with migraines at some point in their lives. We are your community. Reach out any time with questions. We love questions. [email protected].
Track Your Triggers
Get the Migraine Insight Tracker – iOS App Store