A typical migraine headache involves pain on one side of
the head, either starting in, or staying centered around
the eye, although suffers can experience the pain bi-
laterally as well.
Because migraines cause an irritation and swelling of the
blood vessels and nerves in the brain, pain is often
described as throbbing or pounding that is so severe, the
patient is unable to function at daily tasks, or to sleep,
since many migraines can start at night.
This should not be confused with cluster headaches that can
also start at night, but which are associated with sinus
problems or nasal stuffiness, producing a one-sided orbital
(eye) headache. While labeled “migrainous neuralgia”,
cluster headaches are not migraines.
They are a distinctive order of their own, occurring in
bursts of 1-3 headaches in a day, over a period of days or
weeks, with a long remission between episodes. Typical
migraine sufferers will average headaches on a fairly
regular basis.
Migraine headache sufferers may or may not experience an
aura. These auras can be visual in nature, e.g. fuzziness
around objects, sparks on the outer edge of their field of
vision, or they can be physical, e.g. numbness in the face
or extremities, tingling, vertigo.
Those who do have auras, generally find they occur 10-30
minutes prior to the onset of a headache. People who do
not have auras, may find after keeping a headache diary,
that their migraines are sometimes preceded by depressions
or tiredness.
Migraine headaches tend to build in intensity for 1-2 hours
from the first symptoms, and then gradually subside. They
can last up to 24 hours, and in extreme cases, for several
days.
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