Experts estimate that 12% of people in the United States experience migraines. If you are a part of this population, you understand that a migraine means much more than a bad headache. These intense bouts of throbbing pain can disrupt your entire day or week. Migraine symptoms vary from person to person, and it can be hard to find lasting relief.
In this blog, we will discover the difference between migraines and headaches, how migraines form, and how to minimize them. Whether you are newly diagnosed or have been searching for migraine relief in Nashville, we have the science-backed solutions for you, right here in Music City.
Jump ahead to read about:
- The Difference Between Migraines and Headaches
- Traditional Treatments and Their Limitations
- How IV Therapy Works
- IV Therapy and Other Treatments for Migraine Relief
What Causes Migraines?
The exact cause of migraines is still unknown, but scientists agree that migraines differ from traditional headaches. Migraines develop from changes in brain activity, blood flow, and more—all changes that can happen to anyone at any time.
One main factor of migraines is a brain chemical imbalance, specifically in key neurotransmitters. If these chemicals fluctuate, it may cause blood vessels to constrict or dilate. The nerves in these blood vessels send pain signals to the brain, which prompts the release of inflammatory substances and creates a migraine.
Many people often refer to things that cause migraines as “triggers.”
Some of the most common migraine triggers include:
- Hormone changes around menstrual cycles, menopause, or pregnancy
- Stress and emotional strain
- Dehydration and a lack of fluid intake
- Certain foods and beverages
- Lack of sleep or poor sleep
- Environmental factors, such as smells, bright lights, or intense sounds
If you suffer from migraines, keep reading to learn more about how our team provides migraine relief in Nashville. We also explore the types of migraines and how our tailored infusions can support your well-being.
The Difference Between Migraines and Headaches
While all migraines are headaches, not all headaches are migraines. Headaches are a symptom of different factors, while migraines are a condition.
Understanding the difference between headaches and migraines can be beneficial when you start to feel the effects. The two vary in intensity, duration, causes, and associated symptoms.
What are headaches?
Headaches are a general term for pain in the head. They come in 3 different types: tension, cluster, and sinus headaches.
- Typically cause pain on both sides of the head or at the base of the neck.
- Usually create only mild to moderate pain, and they can result from dehydration, stress, tension, or sinus issues.
- Do not usually include other symptoms, like nausea or visual impairments.
What are migraines?
Migraines are a neurological condition defined by a broad range of effects. The symptoms can happen all at once during a migraine attack or over a few days.
- Include pulsing or throbbing pain, usually confined to one side of the head.
- Can last up to 72 hours, often with additional symptoms like nausea, sensitivity to light, changes in vision, or tiredness.
- Often triggered by stress, hormonal changes, or sleep deprivation.
- Can have a pre-migraine and post-migraine period of mood changes, tiredness, and mental fog.
| Type | Headache | Migraine |
| Pain Type | Steady pressure | Intense throbbing or pulsing pain |
| Location | Both sides of the head or down the neck | Typically 1 side of the head |
| Duration | 30 minutes to hours | 4 to 72 hours (or longer) |
| Severity | Mild to moderate | Moderate to severe, can be debilitating |
| Additional Symptoms | None, or general mild sensitivity | Nausea, dizziness, and visual disturbances |
| Treatment | Improves on its own or with OTC medications | Advanced medications or IV therapy |
Types of Migraines
Migraine attacks can happen at any moment. From navigating downtown traffic to working long hours in the office, triggers surround us. Understanding the types of migraines and what triggers them can help you diagnose your symptoms and find timely migraine relief in Nashville.
Migraines fall broadly into 2 classifications: migraine with aura and migraine without aura.
Migraine With Aura
A migraine with aura is defined as a migraine with warning signs, known as “aura.” If you have ever had vision changes, such as seeing dots, zigzags, or sparks, you may have been experiencing aura.
Aura can also be defined as tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, or changes in speech. It may come soon before a migraine attack, indicating a painful headache is on the way.
Migraine Without Aura
Migraine without aura is the most common type of migraine. Many different kinds of migraine headaches fall into this category. Some of the most common migraines without aura include:
- Chronic migraines are defined as headaches, either migraine attacks or tension headaches, that happen 15 days or more per month.
- Menstrual migraines affect those who experience a drop in estrogen levels before their menstrual cycle.
- Probable migraines result from other health conditions.
Symptoms of Migraines Through Their Stages
Another way migraines differ from traditional headaches is that they have distinct stages. Migraines affect individuals differently, so you might not experience each stage or have the same symptoms with every migraine you get.
Prodrome
This stage, often referred to as the “preheadache,” marks the beginning of a migraine attack. When individuals feel these symptoms, they know a migraine will begin shortly. If your migraine has a prodrome phase, we recommend seeking migraine relief in Nashville with our team promptly.
The prodrome phase usually consists of:
- Irritability
- Sensitivity to light and sound
- Nausea
- Difficulty sleeping
- Changes in mood
- Muscle stiffness
Aura
As mentioned, aura specifically affects vision before a migraine. You might have temporary loss of sight, tingling, numbness, and visual disturbances. Aura typically lasts 5 minutes to an hour.
Not every migraine comes with aura, but for those that do, this is a clear indicator of its onset.
Migraine
This headache phase can last up to 3 days, affecting each person differently.
Aside from throbbing pain, you might experience:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Insomnia and sleep disturbances
- Anxiety
- Low mood
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Sensitivity to light, smell, and sound
- Difficulty performing everyday tasks
Postdrome
This period, the last phase of a migraine attack, falls after the primary headache stage. Around 80% of individuals with migraines go through a postdrome phase. People often feel as if they are in a “migraine hangover.”
This stage, which can last up to 2 days, might include:
- Inability to concentrate
- Depressed mood
- Fatigue
- Body aches
You might not experience each stage, but over time, you may notice patterns in how your body experiences migraines, so you can monitor their progression. Understanding what happens during a migraine attack also helps you know when it’s time to seek migraine relief.
In Nashville, we use IV therapy packed with vitamins, medicines, and minerals to alleviate pain, reduce tension, and support your overall health.
Traditional Treatments and Their Limitations
A lot of the time, traditional migraine treatments do not work as well as we wish they would. Common care techniques have to account for timing, digestion if necessary, and environmental factors that make consistent relief difficult to achieve.
If you suffer from migraines, you’ve probably tried reaching for a bottle of painkillers, downing a caffeinated drink, or resting in a dark room.
Here’s why some of these options might not provide the quick and effective relief you need when you feel a migraine coming on.
Over-the-Counter Pain Medication
Many migraine sufferers use over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, as the first line of defense.
These medications reduce inflammation and block pain receptors, which many people find helpful for mild migraines. However, if you suffer from severe migraines, OTC medications might not work quickly enough to provide relief.
Over-the-counter pain medication has delayed onset, as these products must go through digestion for your body to use them. This means you have to wait until your body breaks down the capsule before the ingredients can work.
Drinking Caffeine
Many people identify caffeine as a migraine trigger, but for others, it’s also a tool for migraine relief. In Nashville, our providers understand that many people begin their days with a cup of coffee or tea.
During a headache, caffeine intake causes blood vessels to narrow, which can alleviate pain, boost medications, and counteract the effects of a migraine.
However, patients who drink multiple caffeinated beverages a day might develop a caffeine dependency, which can make the substance ineffective at reducing migraines. In those cases, a lack of caffeine can even act as a migraine trigger.
Lifestyle Approaches
Other common techniques to reduce migraines include resting in a dark room, using a cold or warm compress on the head, or avoiding typical migraine triggers. While these approaches might enhance your comfort and alleviate a migraine once it starts, triggers can initiate a migraine at any time.
In addition, these methods alone can’t completely stop symptoms once they start, or prevent them from worsening.
Other treatments fail to address patient-specific symptoms, like nausea, dizziness, or vitamin deficiencies, because they are generalized to one symptom.
For these reasons, our team uses powerful IV infusions for migraine relief in Nashville. Our nurses carefully curate each drip to target your unique migraine symptoms while replenishing your body’s vitamin and fluid levels.
How IV Therapy Works
Through the power of IV therapy and targeted infusions, our team at IntraVenous Solutions has curated solutions that can provide effective headache relief.
IV therapy uses a vein in your arm to administer vitamins and nutrients directly into the bloodstream. By doing this, we bypass the digestive system entirely. Your body receives nearly 100% of the ingredients almost instantly.
This provides more immediate relief and addresses symptoms more accurately than the other treatments.
Our infusion add-ons enable us to customize each infusion to target your specific symptoms, providing an added boost to our wellness infusions. No more waiting for medicine to kick in!
IV Therapy and Other Treatments for Migraine Relief
At IntraVenous Solutions, we offer different infusions so you can find migraine relief in Nashville. Let us take a look at a few of the services we offer and how they can fight your migraines, sometimes even before they start.
The Works
It is called “The Works” because it works! Because of its powerful blend of electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals, we strongly recommend The Works IV drip for those who suffer from migraines. A few of the ingredients in The Works IV play key roles in treating migraines:
- Vitamin B-2 is a part of the vitamin B complex, and boosts energy production in brain cells, which can help reduce migraine symptoms. Many of us get enough vitamin B-2 through our diets; however, people who do not consume meat or dairy products may have a deficiency. This can cause migraines.
- Vitamin B-12 supports nerve and blood cell health. Studies show that vitamin B-12 and B vitamins can support neurological function, reducing migraine risk. Our bodies do not make vitamin B-12 on their own, so we must find it through the foods we eat or through supplementary intake. We also offer vitamin B-12 as a specialty injection if you are looking for accelerated migraine relief.
- Magnesium helps reduce brain overactivity, which can be linked to migraines. Magnesium deficiency is common among migraine sufferers, making an IV with magnesium an effective treatment for migraine relief in Nashville.
Myers’ Cocktail
Pioneered by Dr. John Myers, this super infusion treats a plethora of chronic conditions, including migraines. The Myers’ Cocktail is packed with various vitamins and electrolytes to help you fight off a migraine attack.
Similar to The Works IV, Myers’ Cocktail includes high doses of B vitamins and magnesium, both strong migraine-reducing agents. After receiving this powerful cocktail IV straight to the bloodstream, you can feel immediate symptom relief.
There’s no delay from digestion, and no concern about keeping medications down if you experience nausea during your migraines. Many patients notice improvement in symptoms like head pain and overall discomfort shortly after their infusion begins.
In addition to migraine relief in Nashville, our curated Cocktail infusion can address underlying nutrient and vitamin deficiencies that may contribute to frequent migraines.
Hydration IV for Migraine Relief
In Nashville, we often see clients suffering from migraines due to dehydration and a lack of electrolytes. When you are dehydrated, your brain shrinks slightly, which causes pressure on your surrounding nerves. This can cause a dehydration headache, which heightens your risk of developing a migraine if not treated quickly.
Even mild dehydration can affect blood flow, electrolyte balance, and brain function—all of which are closely tied to migraine development.
You have probably heard of taking electrolytes through sports drinks or hydration packets. Many people consume these after working out, or even when they feel sick. Our body constantly needs electrolytes, and when we have an imbalance, headaches or migraines form.
Our Hydration IV delivers a liter of electrolyte solution straight to your bloodstream. This has far more electrolytes than any sports drink! The mix of electrolytes and fluid creates a premium solution for those coming down with a migraine, boosting hydration levels.
Staying hydrated during a migraine attack can be difficult, especially if you deal with nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to movement. IV therapy bypasses the digestive system entirely. That means faster absorption, more efficient rehydration, and relief that doesn’t depend on your ability to keep fluids down. That’s why we recommend hydration infusions from our team for migraine relief in Nashville.
Botox for Migraines
Another option that can minimize migraines is Botox. Now FDA-cleared for migraine relief, Botox injections can relax the muscles in the face and neck, prohibiting pain signals from reaching the brain. This process of muscle relaxation can limit migraine pain and provide patients with lasting relief.
Migraine Relief Made Easy With a Membership
If you suffer from regular or chronic migraines, our membership program at IntraVenous Solutions can provide the timely migraine relief in Nashville you need. Members receive:
- 40% off Wellness Infusions & Injections
- 20% off Specialty Infusions & Injections
- 10% off Botox & Filler
- 1 B-12 injection per week
- Complimentary oxygen bar during infusions
If you can feel a migraine attack coming on, or you are struggling with a particularly rough headache, membership helps you save on our services when you need them most.
Mobile Services for Migraines
Headaches and migraines can confine you to your house, or even your bed. To serve you where and when you need it, we offer mobile IV services for migraine and headache relief, plus many other wellness benefits.
Our nurses can come to you at home, your office, or wherever you are to administer any of our wellness infusions. All mobile services are under direct medical supervision and performed by our registered nurses to provide you with the highest standard of migraine relief in Nashville.
Frequently Asked Questions About IV Therapy
Now that we have discussed how IV therapy provides migraine relief, let’s answer a few common questions.
What does my appointment look like at the IV clinic?
When you decide you want to try IV therapy for migraine relief in Nashville, we welcome you into our space for service and have you sit in a relaxing lounge chair. Our nurses get to know your situation better and make formula recommendations based on your symptoms.
Once we prepare your infusion, we insert an IV line through a vein in your arm. You might feel a small pinch as we insert the needle, but that’s over quickly. We hang the infusion bag and allow the ingredients to flow into your bloodstream, giving you rapid relief.
Each infusion takes up to an hour. During that window, you can rest, listen to music, or do whatever makes you feel comfortable.
If you can’t make it into our clinic, we also offer mobile services, which follow similar protocols for administration in the comfort of your home.
Who administers my infusion?
Whether you choose our practice or a mobile infusion service, registered nurses administer each of our drips. Our nurses have extensive training in vitamin therapy, meaning they can recommend and tailor services based on your unique needs.
How often should I receive IV therapy for migraine relief?
The frequency of your infusions depends on your unique situation and how often you experience migraines. Some clients come in weekly for relief or prevention, while others visit us as needed.
With the help of our nurses, we can create a schedule for your needs, giving you tools to prevent migraines before they start. Plus, with our membership options, you can save on regular infusions to keep you feeling refreshed, restored, and migraine-free.
Get Back To Better Days With IntraVenous Solutions
You deserve to like your life to the fullest—without interruption from migraine attacks. If you want to experience alleviated migraine symptoms and additional wellness benefits, come to IntraVenous Solutions. Our team offers wellness solutions with affordable prices, natural ingredients, and gold-standard patient care.
Ready to live life keeping migraines under control? Book your appointment online, or request mobile services for migraine relief in Nashville from our team.
About IntraVenous Solutions
Locally owned and operated in and around Nashville, IntraVenous Solutions has some of the most affordable IV solutions available. Our selection of IV drips, wellness services, and aesthetic services helps relieve your symptoms, recharge your energy battery, and achieve optimal health.
Keep up with us at IntraVenous Solutions at our 4 locations in Nashville, Downtown Nashville, Franklin, and Hendersonville. Stay connected with us by signing up for our newsletter to receive news on discounted services and specials, the latest educational blogs, and more insights! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more exclusive updates.
🌐Instagram
🌐YouTube
🌐Facebook
🌐TikTok
