Dealing With Headaches

A few months ago, I did a post on panic attacks that can happen during a migraine. Those are the kind I get, and foolish me was not aware that you can get migraines after a panic attack. Well, in doing research on panic attacks for another client, I discovered that getting migraines after panic attacks happens a lot more frequently than the other way around. (I guess I’m just special. Oh, whee.)

Why Is This?

Panic attacks spring upon you for many reasons — seemingly almost as many reasons as there are people who suffer from migraine attacks. If you get panic attacks, please see your doctor. They will not get better on their own. And be a patient patient. It might be a while of trial and error to determine the exact cause of your panic attacks and what medications are of best help for you.

After the stress of a panic attack, your body will usually feel as if it’s just run a marathon. As you recover and your body begins to relax, this is when the migraine hits. This is thought to be a kind of “letdown migraine“, or “Friday night migraine“, where your body has to hold it together for so long it can finally fall apart when it feels it is in a safe enough area to do so.

The bad news is that panic attacks are tricky to diagnose and treat, the migraines after panic attacks usually aren’t. Getting control of the panic attacks can help with the frequency and intensity of the migraines. Both migraines and panic attacks seem to occurr more often in women, according to this study which came out in 2003.

Write It Down

You know I keep telling you to keep a migraine journal with almost every post? It is also recommended to keep a panic attack journal. Of course, if you get migraines after panic attacks and already keep a headache journal, then you are already keeping a panic attack journal. However, life is rarely so simple. People who get headaches or migraines for one reason also tend to get them for other reasons. So, even if you suffer from panic attacks, not every head pain you get will be as a result of panic attacks. ( I know — I’m getting a headache just trying to follow this last paragraph, too.)

One of the benefits of writing during a panic attack is that it tends to distract you from the actual panic attack and helps you calm down. Some people with panic attacks help themselves with aromatherapy, meditation, and deep breathing excercises. I was taught to look at what is around me, smell what is around me, and ask “Is anything trying to hurt me NOW?”

Let me again repeat to go see a doctor if you get panic attacks — especially if this is your first panic attack. Sometimes panic attacks are signs of a different medical problem like thyroid problems or mitral valve prolapse (a frightening sounding but treatable heart condition which usually affects people with thyroid problems).

Hope this helps. And take a deep breath. There is hope.