Classic Migraine

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Calling Your Health Care Provider

If a person has any of the following, call for an evaluation by a physician immediately:

• Speech, vision, balance, movement, sensation, and other neurological problems, particularly if the person has NOT had these symptoms with previous headaches
• Loss of consciousness
• A change in headache pattern
• The worst headache in one's life
• Headaches that are more severe when lying down
• A headache that starts extremely abruptly

Such headaches may be the result of stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, aneurysm, or other serious condition and require the immediate attention of a physician.

Depending on the history of the headache, a CT scan or MRI may be done to rule out any of the above conditions.

Also contact your healthcare provider if:

• Previously effective treatments are no longer helpful.
• Side effects of medications occur, including irregular heartbeat, changes in skin color (pale or blue), extreme sleepiness, persistent cough, depression, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain or cramps, dry mouth, extreme thirst, among others.