This time of year is we are all particularly vulnerable to head colds, flus and other nasty viruses. Many of the symptoms of these bugs are similar to those of migraine. It can be difficult to know whether the pain you may feel in your head is viral or migrainous at times.
Head pain associated with colds and flus, including sinusitis, can create awful, additional problems for people living with migraine and can often make symptoms worse, or trigger attacks.
The symptoms can all pile on together and make it difficult to figure out what is causing or triggering what.
So how do you treat colds and flus when you live with migraine?
First of all, many of the over-the-counter medications or treatments for colds and flus can be helpful, however, people taking migraine medication need to be cautious that their medications don’t interact with their cold meds and make things worse.
The same goes if anti-biotics are prescribed to keep other infections away while the immune system deals with the virus.
Figuring out whether the head pain is associated with migraine or not should help you with the type of medication you may need to use first. If migraine, then possibly triptans, if not, then perhaps painkillers.
However, living with migraine brings the added threat of medication overuse headache which can be caused by too many acute medications such as triptans and painkillers.
Speaking to a pharmacist or your GP is the best thing to do when you get a cold or flu and live with migraine.
Cold/Flu/Sinus headache Vs Migraine Headache
The head pain you get with migraine typically manifests as a one-sided, throbbing, moderate to severe pain, made worse by movement.
It can switch sides, but it’s the throbbing nature of the pain and the accompanying heightened sensitivities to the environment that come with it that help to distinguish between it and a sinus headache.
There may also be nausea and vomiting involved.
Headaches caused by sinusitis or other upper respiratory tract infections such as colds and flus, can also be very painful.
They share some symptoms with migraine, as in the head pain may throb and get worse if you bend down, but there will also be a discharge of thick mucus from the nose.
The sinuses can become inflamed and cause headaches, congestion, and facial pain around the cheekbones, jaw and eyes, along with and reduced sense of smell and fever.
There can also be puffiness and redness around the eyes, with ‘brain fog’ and fatigue accompanying these other symptoms.
These symptoms, including the headache usually clear up in a week or two with non-migraine medication or home treatment, unless it is caused by a bacterial infection and anti-biotics again are prescribed. This may take a little longer.
Keeping your diary can help you to distinguish between the headache types and noting the particular symptoms will help you to know which medication to use to best help.
What other things can I use?
Over The Counter (OTC) Medication
Using paracetamol, ibuprofen, aspirin, etc can be helpful to reduce inflammation and bring down fevers, however, due to the risk of Medication Overuse Headache, these medications should be used with caution and under advice from either your GP or pharmacist.
OTC Decongestants
Some of the cough mixtures and liquid decongestant remedies such as those containing pseudoephedrine can be helpful, but again, can interact with prescription medications so should be used with caution, and only for a short period of time.
VapoRub
Many of us have been using VapoRub since we were children as a decongestant, or to aid decongestion. It can be quite a comforting smell if you can tolerate it. It can help ease breathing with chest infections as well as clearing the sinuses either applied directly to the skin or used in a steam bath.
Steam
The heat and moisture from steam can help to relieve the pressure and, in some cases, decongest sinuses. Hot showers/baths can also help to relieve body aches and pains that accompany colds and flus. In some cases, humidifiers can be helpful as they keep the airways moisturised when they dry out due to colds.
Lozenges
Most associate lozenges with helping a sore throat, and yes, they do, however, those with menthol and or eucalyptus can also help to decongest and calm the sinuses making it easier to breathe.
Tea
Hot tea can be helpful for a cold. It can also be comforting. Peppermint and ginger teas have an added bonus in that they both also help with nausea and vomiting. Tea with honey and lemon can be soothing too, and lemon can give a much-needed boost of vitamin C
Chicken Soup
Okay so it doesn’t have to be chicken, but I have seen it work miracles! When you have a flu or cold you don’t often feel like eating, or food tastes weird, but it’s important you try to get some food into you.
Whatever your favourite soups is, be it in a bowl or a mug, it can help boost nutrition and hydration. Don’t listen to the feed a cold, starve a fever myth either. Whether it’s cold, flu or indeed Covid, your body needs food to help run everything else. It is the body’s fuel afterall.
Sleep
Sleep is an important healer for us all. Our bodies repair themselves during sleep both physically and mentally. Our brains perform a flush and get rid of stuff we don’t need, give us entertaining or horror movies to watch while it’s doing this, and while doing this, it boosts the immune system. You can see our video on sleep on ouor YouTube channel
Taking care of you
Whether you wrap yourself up in front of the TV with a ton of issues, or go to bed with a hot water bottle, remember that there is nothing wrong with taking care of yourself. You need to be kind to you, you need to give you time to heal and time to recover, so don’t feel guilty if you have to take a temporary step back. It can really make a difference and help you to heal.
The information contained in this article is for information purposes only. It is not intended to replace medical advice or diagnosis.