Dealing With Headaches

The chances are if you have migraines, you also have panic attacks. The panic attack can happen before or after the migraine. You don’t necessarily have to have a depressive or other psychological disorder in order to suffer both panic attacks and migraines. Dealing with panic attacks, no matter when they happen, can greatly reduce the severity of your migraine pain.

My Personal Story

I started getting seemingly inexplicatble, unpredictable migraines to the point of vomiting when I was 24. I found out my Mother also started migraines when she was 24, but her triggers for severe migraines turned out to be different from mine. When the migraine started, so did the panic attack.

The panic attack felt like an insult to injury. I was positive a tiny terrorist had moved into my head and randomly set of migraine bombs. I feared that for the rest of my life I would never know when a crippling migraine would hit and for how long it would last. I became scared to do much of anything, lest I not be able to get into a dark room and whimper when a migraine hit.

I rarely told anyone about the panic attacks, becuase I was ashamed of them. I didn’t even tell my doctor. I felt the panic attacks were a sign of weakness or some sort of twisted character flaw. I did not then know that migraines can trigger panic attacks — and possibly the other way around.

Nearly ten years went by when I would try to live a normal life, but was constantly interupted by the migraine bombs. Various boyfriends and employers were completely unsympathetic. But after ten years, I began to recognise the signs of an oncoming migraine and so could take medicine and effectively cut the migraine off at the pass. And I learned another thing — the panic attacks eventually went away.

When I finally discovered the trigger for the worst of my migraines (caffeine withdrawal), the severity of the panic attacks seemed to subside. I knew what caused them and I knew how to deal with it and — most importantly — I knew I wasn’t about to die. I could safely ignore and even laugh at a panic attack when I would get them during a headache.

Women More Affected

The world isn’t fair, is it? Women already have to put up with menstration, menopause, bad hair days and now are more prone to having migraines and panic attacks together. Read the findings of a 1997-2003 article here.

It is also reported that lower income women were more likely to get panic attacks and full blown migraines than women who made a lot of money. Perhaps the rich women hire the poor women to have their migraines and panic attacks for them? (Only kidding!)

Both panic attacks and migraines are though to be tied in to some malfunction of the production of serotonin, in either sex. Just how and why is still unclear.

Dealing With Panic Attacks

Whether linked to your migraines or not, tell your doctor if you get panic attacks out of the blue. Panic attcks are usually the feeling of impending doom (often a hideous death), accompanied with breathing problems, heart palaptations, sweating and shaking. Panic attacks can also be the signs of other medical disorders such as hypoglycemia, so don’t be ashamed like I was to get them checked out.

When you hae a panic attack, look around you. Try to shut off your imagination and concentrate on what you are currently seeing or hearing. You need to breathe deeply, too. Keep reminding yourself that you are safe, and the feelings of dread and panic will pass.

This is, of course, easier said than done. You need practice. You could also tell your trusted friends and loved ones that you are prone to panic attacks. If they see you begin one, they could remind you, “Take a deep breath,” or “What do you see right in front of you? Tell me every little detail.”

Other remied that have helped me with panic attacks were:

• holding on to a stuffed toy, a small smooth marble egg, my necklace (if I happen to be wearing one), or a sympathetic person’s hand. The power of a soothing touch is greatly underestimated.
• Taking a few drops of Bach’s Rescue Remedy.
• Inhaling an aromatherapy oil like frankinscence or lavender, which encourages the body to take deep breaths even when paniced.
• Making and drinking a cup of tea — any tea. Tea soothes me and just doing the familiar ritual seems to distract my attention from the panic attack. If you are really shaking badly, don’t attempt this.
• I don’t do this, but my Mom does — she chants the rosary to help calm her down.

You will most likely instinctively find a way to comfort and distract you when you are feeling frightened. Your way of calming down from a panic attack may be different from the meathods I described above.

When you calm down, your body relaxes a bit. You also have the assurance that if you’ve survied one migraine, you can survive it again. And life goes on. When you are not afraid, your pain doesn’t seem to be able to bite as deeply. This can lessen the severity of a headache or migraine.

Hope this helps.