The occurrence of migraine headaches generally begins from childhood to early adulthood. While migraines can first occur in an individual beyond the age of fifty, advancing age makes other types of headaches more likely. There tends to be a family history of migraines in those patients who suffer from this disorder. Except for cluster migraines, the disorder is more common in women and may be related to a woman's menstrual cycle. A recent onset of severe headaches, accompanied by other symptoms, such as confusion, loss of balance or weakness are more worrisome.
Some sufferers find that a cool wash cloth or ice bag diminishes the pain.
Prescription pain medications, however, are often needed in order to adequately control the pain of migraines. It is available in both tablet form or as an auto injector for self-injection, usually into the fat in front of the thigh. In rare circumstances when migraine headaches do not respond to the above treatments, corticosteroids may be effective in aborting the acute migraine attack. It has been said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and it is certainly true when dealing with migraines. Prophylactic treatment, which is treatment aimed at preventing migraine headaches, is considered to be the most important element in dealing with migraine headaches.