Do You Have Misconceptions About Migraines?
The misconceptions people have about migraine are an exercise in patience for me. I sigh, try not to roll my eyes, and remind myself that once upon a time, I didn’t know anything about migraine either. As frustrating as it is, misconceptions are an opportunity to educate.
Just a Headache
I’m not sure how there could still be people out there who compare a migraine to a tension headache, but these people do exist. Let’s start with the basics. A headache is only one symptom of a migraine attack, and it usually doesn’t happen until phase 3 of a 4-phase episode.
Slurred speech and sensitivity to light and sound arrive a few minutes or hours before half of my head starts to hurt. You read that right. Only half of my head feels pain during an episode, and the pain is typically centered around an eye. This is quite different from a tension headache.
Forget about OTC painkillers for treating migraine. Those do nothing to relieve my pain. Prescription medicine is the only way for me to abort an episode. Otherwise, the attack must run its course in about 6-8 hours of pain, nausea, and vomiting. Again, this is quite different from a tension headache.
Triggers Are Alike
“My co-worker’s migraines are triggered by chocolate. Maybe you don’t have migraines,” I’m told by a family member as I dive into a piece of chocolate cake at a family get-together. Once I swallow my cake, and the urge to call him an idiot, I explain the error of his ways.
My go-to teaching tool is to compare triggers to allergies because people understand allergies. Just because one person with allergies is severely allergic to peanuts does not mean ALL people with allergies are allergic to peanuts. I’m, thankfully, not triggered by chocolate.
Low Tolerance for Pain
Don’t ever say this to a migraine warrior. Don’t even think about it. We can tell when you do, and we don’t appreciate it. We function through the pain more often than you realize. We do what we must do to live with pain. I assure you a migraine warrior has a mental and physical strength that sends the pain tolerance needle soaring deep into the high zone.
The Miracle Cure
There is no miracle or scientific cure for migraine no matter what your friend’s uncle’s neighbor has shared across social media. There are several legitimate abortive medication options out there to end a migraine episode. Several preventative medicine options also exist that can help reduce the frequency of attacks, but nothing cures the underlying brain disorder.
If You Think It, It Will Happen
“Maybe if you didn’t think about migraines all the time, you wouldn’t get them so often.” This is the worst advice you can give someone with migraine and it makes me want to scream profanities at you. Migraine is a biological event, not a psychological event. None of us can think ourselves into or out of a migraine. Period.
You Must Be Stressed
Kindly shut up about stress already! Life has difficulties. Not every minute of every day is going to be a walk in the park. Stress happens and I deal with it in whatever way the situation requires. Stress is not one of my triggers. I’ve had decades to determine my triggers. Trust me on this one.
There are many more misconceptions about migraine, but I’m going to stop here. At this point, I’ve run out of patience and wouldn’t want to risk getting stressed out. The bottom line is, if someone’s got it wrong, take the opportunity to educate.
Tap into a community of fellow migraineurs on Facebook. Learn, share, connect in our Migraine Support Community.
Originally published at WebMD.com on 7/3/23.
