Migraine and Anxiety: Does Anxiety Cause Migraine?

Anxiety is defined as one’s response or reaction to some upcoming event. Everybody has some level of anxiety, because anxiety is what makes us be alert in exams or important situations. It is only when anxiety level gets high that the individual shows excessive fear and restlessness about regular situations, and he or she develops Anxiety disorder. Common symptoms of anxiety include fear, heart palpitations, fatigue, chest pain, shortness of breath, and headaches. Usually stress and the repetition of undesired or repetitive tasks increase anxiety. Alcohol consumption may also raise the individual’s anxiety level. Most migraineurs have reported having anxiety suggesting a link between migraine and anxiety.

Tension headaches and anxiety

Beware of anxiety role in tension headaches! If you feel your head is under pressure or has a dull pain, check with your doctor about the possibility of having both migraines and tension headaches. Tension headaches are normally less painful and traumatic than migraine, but they may add more problems to you if you have frequent migraines.

Anxiety Treatment and Medication

General methods used to alleviate the effects of anxiety:

• engage in some relaxing or easy activity: This would stop you from thinking needlessly.
• relax: relaxation can be achieved by doing yoga, massage, and physical exercises.
• minimize unnecessary thinking: thinking would keep you anxious for a long time.
• concentrate on one thing (one thing at a time): If you have some large project coming up, try to organize yourself so that you don’t think about multiple things at the same time.
• organize yourself: Adjust your plans to be realizable. After you have finished what is planned for a day, you should feel relaxed.
• Have verbena (herbal tea) handy: It is excellent for fighting anxiety that is accompanied by insomnia, sleep problems, restlessness.
• Prescription medications: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly used medications for anxiety disorders. Examples of SSRIs include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa), fluvoxamine (Luvox), and escitalopram (Lexapro).

The major types of anxiety disorders are:

• Generalized Anxiety (GAD): it is a psychological and physiological disorder characterized by excessive worry about everyday life events. People diagnosed with this disorder seem to be perfectionists (people who believe that any output or work that is not perfect is unacceptable.) They constantly worry about anything like money, health, work, or school. Anxiety develops into a serious problem because it interferes with the individual’s normal functioning and thinking. The causes of GAD include genetics, brain chemistry, and trauma.
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): individuals with OCD tend to have recurrent and constant fears and thoughts (obsessions) that lead to certain rituals and routines (compulsions). An example of an obsession is constant fear about being contaminated by germs. Examples of compulsions include hand washing, lock checking, and face checking. It is thought that family history and chemical imbalances in the brain cause OCD. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are one of the most commonly used medications to treat OCD. If this disorder is left untreated, it may cause serious activity disrupting problems, and it may lead to thoughts of suicide.
• Panic Disorder: Individuals with this disorder experience sudden and repetitive attacks that may include palpitations, chest pain, upset stomach, hot flashes. Panic disorder is treated by Psychotherapy (a type of counseling), Cognitive behavioral therapy, and medications (SSRIs).
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): this disorder may result after a person lives a disastrous trauma or an ordeal. Such ordeals include violent accidents, assaults, and natural disasters. Individuals with PTSD develop fears and thoughts related to the trauma that caused them PTSD. Psychotherapy and anxiety medications may be necessary for some individuals who do not show signs of recovery from PTSD.
• Social Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder): People with this disorder tend to worry much about how other people judge, criticize, or monitor them. They may have anxiety when they talk in public, eat with others, or talk on the phone. Treatment of social phobia disorder can be achieved by Cognitive-behavior therapy and medications like antidepressants, tranquilizers, and beta-blockers.