Rani Andleeb

PESHAWAR: Women are more vulnerable to migraine which, according to medical experts, happens mainly due to the use of family planning medicines and hormonal changes.

“Acute headache is a pain which cannot be explained in words. Only those people who endure it can feel the pain,” says 25-year-old Raheela from Peshawar.

She said she feels migraine when she comes out in intense hot weather or there is noise in the environment. “This problem happens more during summer. When it comes, I feel I would even strike my head against the wall or stone to get rid of the pain,” Raheela said while talking to TNN.

She said when the pain comes of left half of her head, she feels pain in her left-side eye, jaw and ear and she is unable to understand where the source of pain is. She said the pain continues from morning to evening and even the next morning due to which she had to use painkillers to get temporary relief.

Farzana from Charsadda says she feels numbness in head when migraine comes. She said she also feels light headache before experiencing periods. She said the pain remains acute during first days of periods and then recedes gradually. She said painkillers are not effective all the times. She also feels nausea and now she is also suffering from stomach infection.

Mental Health Specialist in Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar Dr Muhammad Israr says migraine is a type of headache which normally happens due to tension and anxiety. He said the nature of migraine pain is different from other kinds of headaches. He said this pain happens usually in left or right side of the head and sometimes it is also felt in forehead.

Nazish from Peshawar is facing the problem of migraine for the last 12 years. She said she feels pain in right side of the head, face and both eyes. She said her eyesight blurs during migraine and she also vomits during this period. She said painkillers and injections are no more effective for her.

Dr Israr said some migraine patients also complain about weakening of eyesight or lack of tolerance for noise and light. He said migraine mostly affects women mainly due to hormonal changes and use of family planning drugs. He said men can be affected from migraine due to the use of narcotics, irregular sleep or stress.

People of all age groups can be affected from migraine, but people of middle age group are most vulnerable. Dr Israr said migraine is also a hereditary disease and children of parents having migraine can also be affected.

For treatment of such patients, the whole data and history is obtained, MRI and CT scan is conducted and then treatment is carried out. Some doctors link migraine to stomach infection.