Common Migraine Triggers and What to Do About Them

Migraines affect about 39 million people in the United States. They cause persistent head pain, nausea, and even a temporary loss of vision.

At New Tampa Interventional Pain and Sports Medicine, we offer comprehensive care for those who suffer recurrent migraines and can’t find relief with conservative therapies. Pain specialist, Jose De La Torre, MD, takes a whole-person approach to migraine care and provides innovative treatments like Botox® to relieve pain and prevent more migraines.

In addition to medications, the strategy to prevent painful migraines is to avoid the triggers that cause them. Our team offers some insight into the common triggers of migraines and how you can avoid them.

Understanding migraines

A migraine is a severe type of headache that results from neurological dysfunction involving chemicals and nerve pathways in your brain. This results in throbbing pain, usually on one side of your head, as well as nausea, visual disturbances, and increased sensitivities to light and sound.

The pain and other symptoms of a migraine can last for several hours and even days. These symptoms can also range from severe to debilitating.

Common triggers of migraines

The exact science of migraines still isn’t well understood, but it’s known that certain genetic, biologic, and environmental factors can play a role in your head pain. Some common migraine triggers include:

Brain chemical imbalances

A decrease in serotonin, the feel-good hormone, can affect how your nervous system regulates pain and causes migraines.

Hormone changes

Hormone changes associated with aging, pregnancy, and menopause may increase your risk for more frequent migraines. You might also experience migraines if you use hormonal birth control or are undergoing hormone replacement therapy.

Stress

Too much stress in your life can have a negative effect on your physical, mental, and emotional health and can also trigger migraine pain.

Environmental stimulation

If you’re in an environment with loud noises, bright lights, and strong smells, it can increase your risk for developing a migraine.

Foods and additives

Certain foods, especially salty foods, aged cheese, and alcohol can contribute to a migraine. Food additives, like artificial sweeteners and monosodium glutamate (MSG), are also known as migraine triggers.

Though you can’t always avoid what’s triggering your migraines with lifestyle and dietary changes, you can work with our team at New Tampa Interventional Pain and Sports Medicine on a plan to identify your triggers and limit your exposure to them.

Dr. De La Torre also offers in-office treatments to reduce your pain and the frequency of your migraines, including customized Botox injections.

Why Botox is an effective migraine treatment

Botox is a purified form of the botulinum toxin that temporarily relaxes contractions in the muscles responsible for migraines. Botox therapy is an option for treating recurrent migraines that occur 15 or more times a month.

Injections of Botox into certain areas of your face and scalp enter into the nerve endings of the muscles. The prescription medication prevents nerves from releasing pain signals to your brain to treat existing migraine pain and prevent additional migraines.

To get maximum benefit of Botox injections for migraines, we customize your treatment plan and typically recommend injections every 12 weeks. Over time, you’ll need fewer Botox injections to achieve the same results for migraine pain relief and prevention.

Find out what your migraine triggers are and get the treatment you deserve by calling New Tampa Interventional Pain and Sports Medicine. You can also book a diagnostic evaluation for migraines online today.