Migraine Treatment at CritiCare Asia Hospitals, Malad, Mumbai
Anyone who has lived with migraine, or watched a family member through an attack, knows it is not an ordinary headache. There is throbbing pain on one side of the head, nausea that lingers, and light and sound that turn painful. It is a neurological event, and learning how it unfolds helps in managing it. CritiCare Asia Hospitals is a neurology hospital in Mumbai where headache care is planned with patients and their families. For migraine treatment in Malad, Mumbai, the same team follows how attacks change over time.
Symptoms and the Four Phases of a Migraine Attack
Not every patient passes through all four phases, and attacks vary from one to the next. Knowing the phases can make a migraine something you see coming instead of something that catches you out. A migraine doctor in Malad can help you and your family recognise your own pattern.
- Prodrome
begins hours or even days ahead of the headache. Mood swings, odd food cravings, a stiff neck and difficulty concentrating are easy to overlook, and many patients only see them in hindsight. - Aura
occurs in a smaller share of patients, usually developing over 5 to 20 minutes and clearing within the hour. Visual aura is the most common: flashing lights, zigzag lines, or a blind spot that widens across vision. Sensory aura may bring tingling that starts in one hand and moves up the arm, and in some patients speech is affected, with trouble finding words or following talk. - Headache
typically one-sided and throbbing, and worse on movement. Without treatment, it can run from 4 to 72 hours. Nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, sound, and sometimes smell often come with it. - Postdrome
follows once the pain lifts, sometimes called the "migraine hangover". Tiredness, foggy thinking, and lingering light sensitivity can last a day or two.
What Exactly Is a Migraine
Migraine is a primary headache disorder, which is not the same as simply having a severe headache. Pain is the most visible feature, yet an attack involves a broader chain of events in nerve signals, brain chemicals, and blood vessels, with effects that reach well past the head.
A neuropeptide called Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) has a central role, setting off inflammation and widening of blood vessels that account for much of the pain. This has practical weight, since it explains why CGRP-targeted treatments tend to outperform ordinary painkillers for migraine in particular. A migraine specialist in Malad can explain what this means for your options.
Common Migraine Triggers
Triggers differ between people, though some groups come up repeatedly:
- Stress, both while it builds and when it drops away
- Irregular sleep, in either direction
- Bright or flickering light, strong smells, loud noise
- Alcohol, caffeine withdrawal, and foods like aged cheese or processed meats
- Hormonal changes, notably the fall in oestrogen many women notice around menstruation
Writing down each attack, including timing, symptoms and what came before it, often brings out a pattern that is hard to spot in the moment, and family members can help keep the record.
When a Migraine Becomes an Emergency
Most migraines, even severe ones, are not dangerous. Certain symptoms are different, and no one should wait them out. Get urgent medical attention if a headache:
- Starts suddenly and feels like the worst of your life
- Comes with fever, stiff neck, confusion, or seizures
- Follows a blow to the head
- Brings new weakness, numbness or speech trouble that is unlike your usual pattern
Any of these can point to something more serious than migraine.
How Migraine Is Treated
There is no single standard plan. Treatment usually has two parts: cutting down how often attacks occur, and handling them well when they do.
Preventive treatment by neurologists is meant for patients with frequent or severe attacks. A daily medicine can reduce frequency over time, and the choices include some blood pressure medicines, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and newer CGRP monoclonal antibody injections given monthly or every three months. Steady sleep, regular meals, and stress management add real benefit besides medication and do not replace it.
Acute treatment is for an attack that has already started. Over-the-counter NSAIDs taken early can handle mild attacks. Triptans are still the usual prescription for moderate to severe migraine, narrowing blood vessels and interrupting pain pathways. Gepants, newer CGRP-blocking medicines, give a targeted option when triptans do not work well.
The best combination depends on how frequent and severe the attacks are and on what has already been tried.
Migraine Treatment at CritiCare Asia Hospitals, Malad, Mumbai
Migraine care works best when it fits the person. The triggers behind one patient's attacks seldom match another's, so good treatment begins by finding that pattern, not by applying a fixed protocol. At CritiCare Asia Hospitals, Malad, our neurology team reviews frequency, severity, and history before suggesting a plan, and the same team stays with the patient as attacks change. Family members are welcome at consultations, since they often see warning signs first. If migraines are frequent, severe, or shifting in pattern, book a consultation with our migraine specialists in Malad at CritiCare Asia Hospitals to build a plan around your triggers.