4 Stages of a Migraine

Migraines are always vying for center stage. In fact, it is difficult to concentrate on much of anything when migraine is performing its drama on your mind’s stage. According to The American Migraine Foundation over 36 million Americans get migraines, more than the number who have diabetes and asthma combined. Migraine headache incurs estimated annual costs totaling as much as 17 billion dollars in the United States. We will take a look at the four stages of a migraine.

1. The Prodrome Stage – also referred to as the premonitory phase, can initiate several days before the actual headache hits the stage and can include fatigue, food cravings, difficulty concentrating, neck pain, and yawning.
2. Aura – a migraine aura generally occurs 10-30 minutes prior to the actual headache but can occur during the headache as well. Visual symptoms are most common such as zigzag lines, flashing lights, and blind spots. It can also cause numbness or weakness, diminished visual acuity, or changes in taste and smell.
3. The Headache Stage – the actual severe head pain. It is usually described as throbbing but can also be stabbing, burning, or drilling and usually involves one side of the head. It can also be associated with nausea, vomiting, insomnia, nasal congestion, photophobia, and increased neck pain.
4. The Postdrome Stage – This is the stage that occurs when the pain has subsided. Many will feel drained or hungover for hours to days after an attack. Many of the symptoms in this stage are opposite of those found in the prodrome phase. Fatigue turns to energy, and appetite swings in the opposite direction.

These are the four stages of migraine. If you are one of the 36 million Americans suffering from migraine, please come talk to us at ASAP, and let us help you boo migraine off the stage. It is high time that your migraines exited stage left, and we can help escort them off.