You should go to the ER for a migraine if the migraine is really bad, is not going away or gets worse.
Most migraines are not serious and go away on their own or after taking over the counter migraine and pain medications but sometimes you may need to go to the ER or a doctor for the migraine in severe cases.
If you have a migraine that won't go away you can try taking some aspirin, ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin IB etc to help relieve the migraine.
You can also apply a warm compress to your head to help relieve the migraine.
If the migraine still won't go away then you may need prescription migraine medications such as sumatriptan or rizatriptan or even Dihydroergotamine.
Another drug for migraines is Gepants which works differently than other medications.
Massaging your forehead can also help to relieve some migraines.
If the migraine does not go away within a few days or gets worse and home remedies are not working then you should see a doctor or go to the ER.
The most debilitating migraine is a status migrainosus migraine that is a rare and severe kind of acute migraine that causes disabling pain and nausea which can last up to 72 hours and sometimes longer.
The pain with a status migrainosus can be so intense that the person may need to be hospitalized.
The 5 C's of migraines refers to the foods and drinks you should avoid with migraines which include cheese, coffee, chocolate, citrus fruit and coke.
Certain foods are well known to trigger migraine.
Sometimes referred to as 'the five Cs', these are: chocolate, cheese, claret (and other red wines), coffee (and other sources of caffeine) and citrus fruits.
To be considered chronic migraines you need to have at least 8 or more headaches which occur on 15 or more days per month for more than 3 months.
Migraines are a neurological disability and disorder and some migraines may be severe enough to be debilitating and some may be less severe.
Migraines show up on MRI as white spots which are called white matter hyperintensities that are lesions inside the brain which are visualized by areas of increased brightness.
The white matter hyperintensities can vary in size and location in the areas of the brain when you have migraines.
The protein that is responsible for migraines is the protein DKK1 and PDGFB when they are at high levels.
However lower levels of these proteins can also cause migraines.
The brain does swell during a migraine because of a chain reaction that moves across your brain which causes the swelling of the brain during a migraine.
The most serious migraine is a Status migrainosus which is a rare and severe type of acute migraine that causes nausea and disabling pain which can last 72 hours and sometimes longer.
The pain and nausea with status migrainosus can be so intense that some people need to be hospitalized.
Migraines do most often stop or go away with age and get less severe and less frequent.
Most migraines peak during your 30s and then gradually become less frequent and less severe in the decades to follow.
Women are also more likely to have migraines than men.
If your migraine won't go away it can be a sign of structural problems in the spine such as arthritis, overuse of pain relief medicines an injury, neurological conditions or in rare cases a brain tumor.
If the headache or migraine does not go away within a few days or gets worse or comes back too often you should see your doctor to get tested to find out the root cause.