Migraine Symptoms – to Each His Own

Suppose you are sitting in a room with 100 people. Out of those 100, you learn that 11 have come to accept migraine symptoms as an inescapable part of life.

Migraine symptoms are a part of life for more than 10 percent of the people in the U.S., but migraine symptoms differ. For some of those people, migraine symptoms do not even include a headache. For others, migraine symptoms include headache, nausea, visual and hearing disturbances, and a host of other things.

There are various options for treating migraine symptoms, but first you must identify your own.

Migraine’s 4 Stages

A migraine occurs in four distinct stages:

1. Prodome: Not every one recognizes the migraine symptoms of this stage. Some may not experience them. In this first stage, which may begin several hours or a day before the actual attack, a migraineur may feel unusual tiredness or unusual energy. About two thirds of sufferers notice these migraine symptoms. Even they may only notice in retrospect.

2. Aura: Of all migraineurs, only about 10 percent notice the neurological or neuropsychological migraine symptoms called aura. Aura is often thought to be only the visual disturbances described as zigzag lines and flashing lights, but there are many other migraine symptoms involved in aura. With visual disturbances, migraineurs may hear strange things, or things that are not there. There may be nausea, weakness, disturbances with the sense of smell and other senses. Migraine symptoms of the aura usually last no longer than an hour. More commonly they last 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Headache: The third phase of migraine is the excruciating headache. These are the most commonly described migraine symptoms, although migraineurs may never progress beyond the aura stage. Migraine symptoms of the headache stage are described as pulsating, pounding, or throbbing. Often, the headache is on one side. In many cases, it proceeds until it engulfs the head. The migraine symptoms at this stage may continue anywhere from 4 hours to 3 days.

4. Postdome: Obviously, by this stage the migraine symptoms are mostly fatigue and exhaustion. The body is recovering, and is weary.

Other Migraine Symptoms

In addition to the migraine symptoms already presented, sufferers may experience some or all of the following at different stages of a migraine:

* Anxiousness or restlessness
* Cold hands and feet
* Confusion
* Diarrhea
* Dizziness or lightheadedness
* Feelings of cold or sweating
* Nasal congestion
* Sensitivity to light, noise and odors
* Stiff or tender neck
* Strange taste in the mouth
* Strange odors
* Tender scalp
* Vomiting

Until you are certain your migraine symptoms truly stem from migraines, check with your physician to rule out other medical concerns.