Knowing the symptoms of migraine can help you determine whether or not your headaches are caused by migraine.
The headache often begins as a dull ache and develops into throbbing pain. The pain can shift from one side of the head to the other, or it can affect the front of the head, or feel like it is affecting the whole head. The frequency of migraines varies widely amongst individuals. It is common for a migraine sufferer to get two to four headaches per month. Some people, however, may get migraine headaches every few days, while others only get a migraine attack once or twice a year.
Headaches that affect one side of your head are the most widely recognised symptom of migraine, but they are not the only symptom. In addition, migraine may be accompanied by:
Aura
A phase of migraine headaches experienced by a minority of migraine sufferers. Symptoms include changes in vision, hearing, smell, taste, or touch that last for about an hour. Visual aura is the most common type of aura and may include flashing lights, zigzag patterns that move in front of your eyes, or ‘heat waves’ that move across your field of vision.
Sensitivity
Sensitivity to light, sounds, smells, or movement.
Nausea and vomiting
Other symptoms
Other symptoms associated with migraine include:
- Stomach upset, abdominal pain
- Loss of appetite
- Sensations of being very warm or cold
- Paleness
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Visual disturbance
- Diarrhoea
- Fever (rare)
Duration
A migraine attack can develop over days, progressing through as many as four phases. When it comes to your migraine, knowledge is power. See if you recognise any of these phases from your migraine attacks.
Phase 1: Pre-headache
The pre-headache phase can precede the attack by up to 24 hours or more. Some patients experience euphoria, irritability, tiredness, diarrhoea, thirst or food cravings.
Phase 2: Headache
The headache is usually on one side of the head and lasts from a few hours to three days. Symptoms include:
- throbbing pain with nausea and/or vomiting
- sensitivity to light
- sensitivity to sound
- sensitivity to smell
- sensitivity to movement (pain gets worse when moving physically such as climbing stairs)
Phase 3: Post-headache
The post-headache phase follows the headache phase and lasts from a few hours to a few days. After a migraine headache resolves, many patients report feeling exhausted, lethargic, weak or even extremely happy.
