According to a survey by the online migraine community Migraine.com, migraineurs (people with migraines) suffer from many different symptoms beyond the basic headache. To try to combat these symptoms, they have tried many different treatments, but a minority of them have gotten adequate results.

The survey got responses from nearly 2500 migraine sufferers, mostly through their website. Although it is not scientific, the results give us a clear cross-section of the characteristics of migraine sufferers.

Symptoms of Migraine

There are many potential symptoms of migraines, but what’s striking about migraines is how common are the symptoms. According to the survey, these are the symptoms migraine sufferers experienced:

  • Head pain 98%
  • Sensitivity to Light 91.1%
  • Sensitivity to Sound 83.4%
  • Difficulty concentrating 80.2%
  • Nausea and vomiting 78.6%
  • Fatigue 74.5%
  • Neck Pain 72.1%
  • Sensitivity to smells 63.3%

Based on these responses, migraine sufferers experienced an average of 6 or more symptoms. per attack.

How Common Are Migraines

The survey also asked people how common their migraine attacks were. Respondents were asked how many days per month they get headache symptoms lasting 4 or more hours:

  • 1-4 Days: 17.1%
  • 5-9 Days: 20.8%
  • 10-14 Days: 18.9%
  • 15-19 Days:18.0%
  • 20+ Days: 25.1%

With the average number of days suffered at more than 13 per month.

Treatment Responses

In response to the frequent, often crippling attacks, sufferers were eager for relief and tried many different treatments, including:

  • Over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication: 79.9%
  • OTC migraine medication: 79.4%
  • Prescription migraine pills: 90.0%
  • Prescription pain pills: 60.8%
  • Prescription migraine injection: 46.9%
  • Prescription pain injection: 24.2%
  • Other: 28.7%

On average, they tried more than four treatment options each, most of them drugs. However, how many people were happy with their current migraine treatment? Only 34%. The main reason why people weren’t happy is the side effects.

Drug Free Treatment Option for Migraines

If you currently suffer from migraines and you are unhappy with your treatment, you can try a different option that’s drug free and has few if any side effects:

TMJ treatment. TMJ treatment has been shown to reduce the frequency and severity of migraines for some people.

If you are looking for a new migraine treatment option, please contact Smile Columbia Dentistry in Columbia, SC. Our neuromuscular dentists can determine if TMJ might serve as a trigger for your migraines and help you get relief without drugs.