Headaches- Not all Migraine Phases Are The Same

Many people suffer from migraines, a specific type of headaches that requires treatment. However, are all symptoms and phases of migraines the same? No.
Symptoms of migraine differ from patient to patient, but phases are always practically the same. Prior to the migraine headache being felt, the sufferer will go through a ‘prodomal phase’.
In this interval, the migraine sufferer feels no headache, but may feel that they are in a different state of mind than they were before. They could feel overly ecstatic or may be depressed. Although it’s fairly hard to establish exactly what goes on in a prodomal phase, noticing shifts in behavior can be a significant part of understanding when a migraine attack is coming on. The prodomal phase can last from a period of hours to a number of days before the headache hits.
Following the prodomal phase, there is a short time during which other phenomena take place right before a headache takes hold. Called the aura phase, those having feelings of subtle visual hallucinations can anticipate a migraine occurring very soon. Colors can be slightly distorted, or vision might be blurry.
Some patients also experience feelings that parts of their body had ‘fallen asleep’, with sensations across the body that are similar to the pins and needles feeling that one gets when there is a lack of circulation in the feet.
The actual headache phase comes next. Migraine headaches are known to occur in only half of the head, as opposed to the more common tension headaches in which the entire head is affected. Migraine onsets are typically gradual with the peak pain not happening for a few hours. This phase may be accompanied by blurred vision as well; diarrhea and stuffiness of the nasal cavity may also occur.
After the headache phase reaches its end, the postdrome phase takes over. In this phase, the you’re left feeling tired and irritable, with a lack of concentration.
Exactly what each patient experience in each of these phases will vary, but a migraine will go through all these phases every time an attack happens.
To read about migraine medications, visit http://www.medopedia.com
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