Migraines with vomiting: symptoms, causes and treatment

Of the most annoying headaches one can feel, there are none quite like migraines, which can be especially disabling for hours or even days. The person who is in a migraine attack is severely limited in his life and, at times, he cannot stand the light or the noise.

If we add to this having vomiting, the discomfort of the affected person is exponentially greater. Extreme headache and gastric symptoms are a very uncomfortable cocktail that makes the person who them suffers not only bothered by physical ailments, but also by significant psychological discomfort.

Next let's learn more about vomiting migraines, what causes them and what treatments exist to alleviate the emotional symptoms they cause.

• Related article: "Digestive system: anatomy, parts and functioning"

Migraines with vomiting: characteristics and health effects

One of the things that can most affect the health of an individual are migraines, neurological problems that cause a severe headache. And if these pains are accompanied by other clinical manifestations, such as nausea and vomiting, the discomfort is not limited only to the ailment itself, but it limits the quality of life of the individual notoriously because his mental health also suffers. Migraines can cause you to fear that, because of these sudden vomiting, the person will be exposed in public.

There are many types of migraines, each with its own symptoms and, in the particular case of migraines with vomiting, the incapacity of the affected person is almost total. By way of prevention and also to gain a little independence and autonomy within the possible limits, It is essential that those with migraines learn to identify the first symptoms and know how to manage them. They need physical and psychological treatment in order to cope with these extreme headaches.

People who experience migraines with vomiting come to have to endure incessant and boring pain in the head, and living a lot of nervousness because of the fear of not knowing if they are going to vomit and if they are going to be exposed. Thus, we can understand that the consequences of these annoyances can be very harsh.

• You may be interested in: "The 7 types of migraine (characteristics and causes)"

General aspects of migraines

To understand the severity of vomiting migraines, we must first know some aspects of migraines in general.

Is about headaches that tend to recur and cause moderate to severe pain, lasting anywhere from 4 hours to 3 days. The pain is often described as throbbing or throbbing, and usually begins on one side of the head. During a migraine episode, you can be especially sensitive to light, sounds, and even smells. Women are about three times more likely than men to have migraines.

Migraines have been seen to have a hereditary component. Four out of five patients have a family history of migraines and it has been seen that if one of the parents has suffered from them, each of their children has a 50% chance of developing them. If both parents have had migraines in the past, the risk increases to 75%.

• Related article: "The 13 types of headache (and their symptoms and causes)"

What happens in the brain with migraine?

One of the explanations that has been tried to explain why the appearance of migraines has to do, of course, with the brain. It is believed that what happens is that parts of the brain that use monoamines, such as serotonin and norepinephrine, become hypersensitized, reacting quickly and excessively to certain stimuli.

One of the fundamental phenomena behind the appearance of migraines has to do with the interaction between the brain and the cranial blood vessels. For this reason, the usual treatment for this type of ailments is usually aimed at the constriction of the dilated arteries, to decrease pain as it occurs, or to tissues that are capable of causing the pain sensation associated with migraines

• You may be interested in: "Parts of the human brain (and functions)"

What are the symptoms?

The definition of what a migraine is already highlights by itself what its main symptom is: headache. The intensity of the pain can be very variable from the beginning, and can be mild, moderate or severe. If you do not receive any treatment at the beginning, the headache will eventually become more severe. Among the most notable symptoms we find:

• Feeling of pain as if we were hit on the head.
• Pain in the middle of the head, either front or cranial area.
• It is gradual and its intensity increases as the hours go by.
• Noise and light make pain sensation worse.
• It can be accompanied by watery eyes, nasal congestion, nausea, and vomiting.

Migraines have the peculiarity that they can be displaced in terms of headache. That is to say, pain can run from one side of the head to the other. It can also affect the front of the head and make it feel like the whole head hurts.

As we have mentioned before, migraines have a varied duration, although normally they do not last more than 4 hours. However, the most serious can last for days, causing a high degree of disability for those who feel them when being indisposed for a long period of time. Chronic migraines can interrupt daily activities and reduce quality of life and if they are also accompanied by nausea and vomiting, your life will be even more affected.

Migraine sufferers report having a sense of anticipating their pain, that they know that he will come when he comes. Once the pain has arrived, these same people already predict whether they will vomit or not based on whether they manage to control their nausea. At this point, the person's handling of the situation and how to deal with the symptoms is key.

Patients with these headaches, with or without vomiting, usually manifest them on average between two and four times a month.. Unfortunately, there are cases in which these annoying headaches are daily, causing a high degree of disability and making it impossible for those who suffer from them to lead a normal life. Other cases, much more fortunate, only have migraines once or twice a year.

• Related article: "Dizziness from anxiety: how they appear and how to combat them"

Causes of vomiting migraines

The causes behind vomiting migraines are very varied. Among the main common triggers of these headaches with gastric symptoms are the following:

1. Stress and anxiety

It is usual that people with vomiting migraines present them after having experienced a highly stressful event. Stress is an emotion, but this does not mean that it only affects the emotional plane of the individual, but also alters their physiology.

Being stressed manifests itself in the form of muscular tension, contributing to the dilation of the blood vessels and the aggravation of the migraine. Added to this, that same stress causes gastric disturbances and can cause nausea and vomiting.

• You may be interested in: "What is anxiety: how to recognize it and what to do"

2. Sensitivity to certain substances

Some people have sensitivities to certain food components. Among the foods that have been associated with migraines we have cured cheese, red wine and other alcoholic beverages, chocolate and cold cuts. Special mention is made of hyper-processed products that contain food additives such as nitrates, substances that are related to headaches.

And since we are talking about food, we comment that a factor that predisposes to the appearance of migraines is skipping meals. When the body does not have all the necessary nutrients or it has been a while without making a good meal, it can give us signs that something is not right causing us headaches. There may also be nausea and vomiting, although the latter are less likely.

• Related article: "Psychology and Nutrition: the importance of emotional eating"

3. Caffeine

Caffeine is a psychostimulant substance and as such can cause headaches if consumed in large quantities. Curiously, too causes migraines if consumption is abruptly limited after taking it regularly.

Thus, it can be said that coffee, tea or even chocolate (it also contains caffeine) can cause migraines, both by consuming them too much and by suddenly stopping them.

Added to this is the fact that caffeine and methylxanthines in general (theophylline and theobromine) are heavy substances for our stomach, difficult to digest and that cause nausea if consumed abusively. They can also cause other gastric symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting.

• You may be interested in: "The 3 Most Important Psychological Effects of Caffeine"

4. Hormonal changes in women

Migraines have traditionally been associated with the female sex and there is some sense in that. Although men can have them, the truth is that women are up to three times more likely to have these types of headaches, as we have previously commented.

It is believed that certain hormonal changes associated with menstrual periods would be to blame. The steep fall of estrogen that triggers menstruation can also trigger migraines.

5. Medicines

There are some medications that inflame blood vessels and overuse can cause migraines.. Ironically, many of these drugs are thought for the occasional relief of headaches but, used daily, they can affect the cerebral vessels causing migraines.

Some of the drugs and medicinal substances associated with vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels) are antibiotics. β-lactams, macrolides, sulfonamides, quinolones, antiviral drugs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (for example, the fluoxetine), anti-seizure medications (eg, phenytoin), carbidopa, hydralazine, propylthiouracil, minocycline, levodopa, and diuretics.

• You may be interested in: "Types of drugs (according to their use and side effects)"

6. Temperature

It has been seen that temperatures above 35ºC can activate the first symptoms of migraines, at least in the people who tend to present them.

• Related article: "The 24 branches of Medicine (and how they try to cure patients)"

Psychological treatment for migraine

Although migraine is a physical ailment, this must be approached from both a physiological and a psychological perspective. People who suffer not only suffer an intense headache, but also all the consequences associated with it, such as anxiety, fear of not knowing when they will suffer the next attack, fear of vomiting in a public place and uncertainty that makes it impossible to make short, medium or long-term plans depending on the frequency of appearance and intensity.

Although today there is no treatment that cures migraines with vomiting, there are therapeutic ways to improve the quality of life of the affected person, in addition to equip you with tools to do the proper psychological management of your ailment.

Through the psychological way, we find effective treatments for anxiety and depression, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy that have been shown to be beneficial in the psychological management of migraines and the psychological distress they bring with them.

Nor should we ignore the power of other behavioral therapies, such as relaxation techniques or biofeedback training that some studies have suggested that they would be effective techniques for the emotional treatment of migraines. The main objective of these treatments is to help people suffering from these pain pains. intense head to learn how to promote feelings of relaxation and calm to make your pain more bearable.