Dr King Hee Ho

The more prolonged a headache, the more likely it is to be benign! Dangerous headaches will never last for years. If there is a change in the character of the headache, a neurological consult must be sought.

In the immediate aftermath of a stroke the blood pressure may be raised, especially when the stroke is due to bursting of a blood vessel. However, a stroke generally does not affect blood pressure, it is a persistently raised blood pressure that greatly increases the chance of a stroke.

No. The Road Traffic Act officially excludes patients with epilepsy from driving. Your doctor will advise you of this fact.

When a migraine attack occurs with severe nausea and vomiting an IV or intramuscular injection can be helpful for relief of pain and nausea. Occasionally IV treatment can be used to wean patients off excessive pain-killer use during a hospital admission. There is presently no role for regular infusions to prevent frequent migraines, although a new drug should be available in Singapore for this purpose next year. For more information on the possible treatments for migraines, you can check out The Ultimate Guide to Migraine Treatments in Singapore (2020) here.

Epilepsy is not a single disease, but a mixed bag of conditions characterised by recurrent seizures. The manifestation of the seizures will depend on the extent and site of abnormal brain activity during the seizure. Epilepsy can therefore cause symptoms ranging from blank spells to one sided jerking to loss of consciousness and jerking of all the limbs.

If the neck is especially stiff only when a migraine occurs, it is likely that the migraine is causing the stiff neck and not vice versa. So the treatment would be treatment of the migraine. If the neck is chronically stiff, seeing a physiotherapist may help.

Myotonia is a feature of many muscle diseases. If would be necessary to have blood and genetic tests done to tell exactly what is going on.

These symptoms are consistent with a migraine. If they occur frequently, it is advisable to take steps to reduce the attack severity and frequency. This can be done by well-chosen daily preventative medication used for about 6 months. Although there is no cure for migraines, the condition is very treatable.

Typically by pain in the front of the face, worse on bending forward, with nasal discharge. Sinus headache often follows a viral infection with blocked/running nose.

Not always, every epilepsy patient is different. Sometimes seizures are easy to control, and sonetimes it is not possible to have total control. In general, about 2/3 of people with generalized seizures can be controlled with a single drug. Even after a period of good control, there is no absolute guarantee that the seizures will not recur in future.

Different individuals can have different triggers for migraines. These triggers include bright lights. Some migraine suffers also have an 'aura' (a focal symptom before the headache) which comprises visual distortions. So visual issues can be both due to as well as lead to migraines.