Migraine Symptoms

Migraine symptoms

        A primary symptom of a migraine is an intense headache pain that usually installs towards the front or side of the head. A migraine can lasts between 4 hours and 3 days and can be accompanied by symptoms like: nausea, vomiting and visual disturbance. People experience different migraine symptoms and different time periods between migraine attacks. Some persons experience migraines every week, others experience them only once or twice a year. 25% of the people who suffer of migraine experience some warning symptoms with an hour before starting a migraine attack.

        This is called aura and is a special type of symptom which worn you that a migraine is about to start. The migraine symptoms include:

• Visual disturbance. You may experience flashing lights or lines in zigzag in your sight, lose of vision in one or both eyes.
• Pins and needles that usually occurs in the hands, neck and shoulders.
• Raised or dull senses which make you feel irritable and withdraw from others.
• Food lusts usually for sweet foods.
• Loss of coordination, which make you feel disorientated, or off balance and you may experience difficulty in speaking.

       The headache is another symptom of migraine. This occurs as a throbbing pain and can be very severe and intense. You may feel the pain usually on one part of the head. The headache can last from 4 hours to 72 hours. Many people who suffer of migraine have other types of headaches such as: muscle tension headache and rebound headaches.

       Here is a list of other migraine symptoms that often accompany a migraine headache such as:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Poor concentration
• Sweating
• Sensitivity to bright light and noise
• Stomach ache and diarrhoea
• Urination

       Migraine is chronic condition and a single attack can produce some symptoms. These attacks can include symptoms like:

• Unilateral headache which means pain on one side of the head or bilateral headache meaning that the pain affect both sides of the head.
• Pain and worsens with physical activity
• Nausea and vomiting
• Sensitivity to light or sound
• Symptoms that appear before a migraine which are also called prodromal symptoms like: irritability, insomnia, the greed for sweets, euforia feeling or energy and drowsiness.
• Aura which occurs 15-30 minutes before a headache. Auras include flashing lights, or a tingling sensation in the arm or legs.
• Fainting, paralysis or weakness of one side of the body or double vision. These are temporary neurological deficits.

       Studies have shown that an estimated 40%-60%of migraine attacks are preceded by premonitory warning symptoms which can last from hours to days. The people usually notice when these warning symptoms and they know when an attack is about to start.

Migraine symptoms in children

       Migraines also occur at children too. Some children often complain of a tummy ache which is also called abdominal migraine. Children also experience symptoms like nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, increased urination, sweating and thirst. If your child complains of lots of tummy aches you should ask for medical care.

       After a migraine attack, once the intense pain at the head disappears, some people get tired achy muscles for about two days. Others may feel happy and relaxed.