The migraines that have been visiting the last couple weeks finally gave way to a 40-hour affair that’s tapering off. I’m now in what’s considered migraine hangover (or postdrome). I was reassured when I first learned that this is a normal event at the end of a migraine:
“The postdrome is a constellation of symptoms that persist beyond the resolution of headache. Many of these symptoms appear initially during the prodrome or with the headache phase. Commonly, patients report anorexia [loss of appetite], nausea, muscle tension, fatigue, and cognitive impairment. This phase has been termed the migraine hangover and can last and produce disability up to 1 to 2 days beyond the headache phase. The pathophysiology of the postdrome is unknown, but likely represents a gradual recovery phase from the extreme neurologic disruption that occurs during migraine.” — Clinical and Pathophysiological Anatomy of a Migraine Attack, Medscape
I particularly like the phrase “extreme neurologic disruption.”
The clinical explanation is helpful, but I’ve been trying to describe what it actually feels like to have a migraine hangover. Here’s my attempt to put it into words:
I’m still shrouded by a bad headache. The pounding doesn’t seem to cover as much of my head as it did, but it hasn’t changed location at all. In a sense its like an echo of what it was, but it feels different while feeling the same.
Instead of having trouble thinking, finding words or making decisions, like I do in the rest of a migraine, I’m lightheaded. Not in an unsteady on my feet kind of way, but that my thoughts are so airy and inconsequential they could just float away.
It’s a weak description, but I have no idea how to truly explain how I feel. Can you help me out? How do you feel when you have a migraine hangover?
To read the Medscape article, use one of the user names and passwords from BugMeNot. The World Headache Alliance summarizes a study that found that the “majority of migraineurs experience disabling post-migraine symptoms.”
I have just suffered from a week-long migraine, with aura, caused by the contraceptive pill, Yasmin. I have experienced severe pain, depression, lack of appetite, and intense stomach pains, anxiety, a panic attack and nausea. I am now in the ‘hangover’ phase and am feeling so drained. I am just lying in a dark room the whole time, unable to really concentrate and am still feeling considerable head pain. I am so sick of it now, and can only feel for those who have these attacks regularly, as this is my first (and hopefully only one, I’ve now come off the blasted pill I was taking). I have a follow-up appointment with my GP next week and am just hoping I feel normal by then. I am a postgrad student and I have numerous assignments I need to start..
tHANKS Kerrie, I plan to….Have an appt. this week.
have had migraines since 16. After age 60, only aura , and no pain. This las attack sent me to hospital for 2 days and after two weeks still feeling wiped out….
Comments?
Hi D, I recommend following up with your doctor. Two weeks is a long time for lingering fatigue from a migraine attack. You may have a virus or something else going on.
Take care,
Kerrie
I think I have just experienced my first migraine.felt weird for a few days before, my neck felt very stiff and heavy and felt like I was having an aneurysm or a stroke. I am 22 and suffer from health anxiety so naturally went to the hospital where they thought it was a tension headache. On Monday the pain in my left temple and eye was unbearable, I cried all day and night. Woke up at 4:30am on Tuesday and vomited. My head felt fine for a few hours after and now I feel very weak, dizzy, constantly yawning, my temples and eyes still feel sore when I lie down or put any pressure on my head. When I stand up I feel very pressured around my head, ears and eyes. It feels like my mind goes blank sometimes and it’s a struggle writing this. This forum has made me feel a lot better and that maybe this is normal for a few days after suffering the pain.
During a migraine, which feels like I’m being shot in the face, very slowly, and from the inside out, my body is on red alert (“Danger Will Robinson! Danger! Danger!”). When the attack phase subsides, I feel relieved (physically and mentally) that the nightmare is over, like I’ve been set free from some evil torture device. I can think a bit more clearly, but my responses are still a bit slow. I feel exhausted, like I just pulled two crazy all-nighters in a row, yet I’m too wide-awake to sleep. I can still feel the echo of the migraine, like it’s nearby, just waiting for an opportunity to attack again. My body is on yellow alert for the next twenty-four hours. I have to be very careful about doing any errands or household chores. I try to avoid them unless I absolutely, positively have to do them. I have no appetite, but if I don’t eat, that triggers another migraine, so I have to force myself to put something in my stomach. I feel like I have to move slowly and carefully, like I’m trying not to wake a sleeping tiger that’s RIGHT THERE everywhere I am. I just kinda veg for twenty-four hours. Sometimes I can read or journal or write to a snail mail pen pal if if it’s not too taxing on my eyes, or maybe I can create a collage. I find some sort of creative endeavor relaxing. The next day is like emerging from a cave after a huge storm. Everything’s fresh and new beautiful and like nothing happened. I actually sometimes wonder if the pain and exhaustion were real or a bizarre nightmare. I lost two days of my life, but I can catch up on all that went undone during that time.
Brain bruise is what it feels like…
Then the massive shakes…
Then floating in space with thoughts, freaking waves of nausea….
The migraine hangover always for me feels like a brain bruise, the way a bruise echoes the injury that occurred.
I’m in the midst of the nausea and the brain bruise feeling and feel like death.
I have blurry vision and am trying to figure out if it will return? I apparently had a migraine aura Friday and lost vision most of it has returned but now I see things like looking at a cheap TV. For example if you walk in Walmart and see that real nice High Def tv and work you way down the line of tvs the last one is a cheap tv trying to show the football game and is just not at all pleasant to watch, that’s what is see…. I’m wondering how long this will last?
I had the same thing happen. I’m not sure if you can describe it as a cheap tv, but that is the closest thing I’ve heard yet. I had aura without headache yesterday and ever since my left vision just feels a bit glared and different in one eye. I can’t describe exactly what’s off about it, but I’m also wondering how long it lasts or if it will ever get better.
I have been getting migraines since 2012 when i was 41. Docs took me off contraceptive pills after 20 years of being on them because i presented with stroke like symptoms which luckily it wasn’t. It started with a pins and needles feeling in my right baby finger which rapidly spread up my right arm and into the right half of my lips and tongue followed by slurred speech and massive confusion. I kept saying microwave instead of migraine and christmas instead of crisps etc which was terrifiying as i was aware it was happening. Next thing i experienced was an enormous throbbing headache in my left temple and above my left eye socket which wiped me out for 24 hours. Docs diagnosed migraines afyer CT and MRI scan showed normal results which reassured me but i have never been so scared. Ever since then i have suffered migraines at least once a month but without the pins and needles and slurred speech. I do however get a blurry left eye which waters alot and a runny nose just before the headache starts. Afterwards i feel exhausted for a few days like a hangover feeling, trouble concentrating, my head feels to heavy for my neck and i generally feel flu like. I feel like my vision is constantly slightly off in my left eye and have just had a new glasses prescription which proved that it has deteriorated slightly. I’m convinced the migraines have caused it. Im always anxious about making a fool of myself in front of people now as i have horrible brain fog often. Maybe i’m starting the menopause?? I used to be so bubbly and happy before this. Feeling low 🙁
Hi I am currently suffering the hangover stage and still feel really down have double vision and and have not been to work for a week tmrw ,went to a+e last Monday after work by ambulance couldn’t walk was going off to the left and couldn’t stand massive pressure in my left side of my head.thought was having a stroke ,I still feel so unwell is this normal as I feel like such a failure,my husband has been amazing ,but even he must be fed up with me by now ,😐
Thank you all for all the comments. Reading through them all has helped reassure and educate me on the awful condition that we share. Although migraine can be different in so many people reading those with similar symptoms to me has been comforting. I’ve suffered from migraines with aura for 15 years now 44. Initially they were infrequent and despite having migraine holidays for sometimes more than six months they have remained and become more frequent. In the last two months I have gone from having perhaps 5-6 per year to having that a month. I can pinpoint recent increases in workload, family stresses and anxiety as factors as well as diet. I am working closely with my GP to get on top of this but it’s hard when I keep getting knocked down with a migraine after only coming out or still in the process of a post migraine hangover. My wife warns me not to go onto doctor google too much as it can lead to anxiety. In this case google has been my friend and so have all of you. Here’s to better health for all and migraine free lives.
Dave
All I can say is WoW !! I have had migraines for 30+ years. Sometimes they are more frequent (weekly)…sometimes less for periods of time(every few months) with no logical reason. Generally they last 2 to 3 days. Currently not taking anything for them. Today I’m on day three of the worst in about a year. The most intense pain is gone but there is still some. Moving is like trying to walk through a world made of jello…each step requires extra effort to move .I have nausea, ringing in my ears,slightly dizzy,my entire head and neck is sore,light sensitive,EXTREME fatigue, mental function poor,everything is too bright…too loud …moves too fast and it feels like the slightest activity (or even trying to think enough to have a conversation) will bring back a full blown attack. This time I am having some lingering peripheral vision issues… a darkness around the edges and lots of floaters in my vision. I arrived here searching post migraine issues. I was searching because this event was a bad one and is leaving me feeling damaged. I have felt this before but I never get over the fear that “Oh Boy…this one actually damaged my brain beyound repair”. After 2 weeks of rain the sun is shining and after 5 minutes outside I’m back hiding in a dark room. Honestly at the moment I’m just feeling resentful that I can’t enjoy the sun and feel like…..well you know. Thanks for being here.
Marie, while what you describe mostly sounds like typical migraine hangover symptoms, lingering vision issues are not typical and could be a sign of a medical problem other than migraine. Please see a doctor as soon as possible to have it checked out.
Take care,
Kerrie
I’ve had migraines on and off for about 10 years every since I had meningitis. Always seems to be a week before my period. This months was a killer I wasn’t ready for it at all the medication didn’t work and I ended up pressing my head against the wall to get some relief. I’m now in the “after shock” (I call it that too) of it and its like I’m not in my own brain or body and my brain feels really tender. I just feel woolly and not properly connected with my movements especially my legs that seem to be fuzzy. I’ve managed to drag myself to work and as luck would have it they’ve put me on a training course when all I want to do is try and get my bearings back and sleep
I am 42. I suffered from migraines since I was 11 years old. Aweful pain. Pain meds never helped. If I took some meds past a certain point it would induce vomiting. I would pray to vomit sometimes because that meant I might get relief from my migraine. I don’t get them as after now. Just a few times a year and now I believe they are hormonal. I was able to find a pattern.
Anyway this postdrome you speak of, my name for it was after shocks. They day after I was light headed and my nose after felt tingly. Also I was careful not to move my head too fast for fear that it would trigger a relaps. I would call it after shocks because I would get slight pain every so often after the migraine had ended. It would be brief but still painful.
yup postdrome sucks I usually feel anxious and tired at same time. Theres still some mild headache left which comes and goes depending on what i am doing. At some point when it finishes i usually crash and need a really good rest. Anyone else find it really easy to get another migraine at this point?
Linday that is exactly my life what you just wrote. I do think it’s best to take the imitrex at first sign but like you after a couple of days I think geez I’m taking this imitex too often. My are off and on for 3 to 5 days and the lady day is typically the one that gets me the hardest. Sometimes I feel fine after aborting but then times like today after I aborted I had post drone and wanted to go visit my horse where I board him but just didn’t feel like all the effort of driving there and hauling feed out to the field , and it was a beautiful day. I have been tested for sleep apnea and found I have it. My neuro says waking up w a migraine in the morning is often caused by sleep apnea. So I’m getting ready to try that journey. I’ve always had migraines but never so often as I have this past year and I can’t figure out what changed. If you want to pmessage me in Facebook I’ll give you my cell number . I would love to talk w someone that having exactly my patterns of migraine attacks. Anne
So, I always thought all of my achiness, lethargy, and skin hypersensitivity were just side-effects of my medication! (Sumatriptan) and now, reading this conversation, I see maybe all along it has actually been postdrome phase? Wow.
For those of you who talk about multi-day migraines, do you experience them as constant intense pain for that many days? Or do you think things have gotten better, you have the bruised feeling in your head (for me it’s my right eye), only to have the pain start over again in subtle form the next morning? It always starts subtle in the morning for me, I try to avoid taking the triptan because of the miserable side-effects (just postdrome?), and if it’s going to go full-blown it does by afternoon. I hate having to take an imitrex every day for 4-5 days in a row.
So grateful to read this page, thanks for posting, I have had two aura only migraines in the past, but had my first full blown pain one today, only lasted about five hours, had the aura at the start then the pain, as it was my first I was unaware of the hangover phase, so when I had the stabbing pain in my head when I cough all sorts of horror thoughts came into my head! But reading all your posts here detailing the same symptoms I am experiencing now is a great relief!
Thanks again
I feel like I have a headache that I can tolerate.But I have a queasy stomach and don’t feel like eating. It last 2 to 3 days past the migraine.all I would like to do is go back to sleep. I get a migraine 1 or 2 a year but I had one in July that landed me in the hospital for 4days. It took 3 migraine cocktails to get rid of it,and now just 5 months later another one. Not as bad as the one in July. But I lose at least 1 or 2 days.
Guys I posted about this before..I suffered from 2 plus migraines per week since I was quite young..I got my diath pierced 6 months ago and I have only had 3 migraines since getting it done..it had been a God send..yus really have to try it..
Jo x
I was hit by a car on 010213 and suffer chronic migraines to this day. My migraines start as a low grade headache that rapidly get worse and they last for days. I had one all day yesterday, that would come and go,but came back last night with intensity. Today the intense pain and nausea are gone but I am so spaced out and lack energy that I can barely function or even think of trying to accomplish something today. Not to mention the dull headache that has come back. Almost nobody Imy life understands any of these migraine phases and least of all the post drone. I am frustrated beyond belief as this has been going on for years and has held my back in so many parts of my life. It’s so good to know I am not alone!
hI its the diath to be honest 3 weeks I haven’t had any symptoms I have felt like I’m going to get one but it hasn’t developed eggs weakening up that morning and knowing the feeling your going to get a migraine but it doesn’t come..for me it really has been a God send..the lady who done mine sat that if u go to accupunture that area is one of the pressure points used so if u can imagine pressure there all the time with the peircing..it is amazing..it’s really worked for me..Google it it will.explain it better than me..hope this helped xxx
Jo,
Tell us more about the piercing which has been so helpful! Does it help with the other migraine symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, difficulty concentrating, tiredness, tinnitus, etc?
I’m really happy for you 🙂
Guys I posted a while back..up until about 3 weeks ago I had 2-3 migraines per week along with sickness..I recently have gotten the inside of my ear pierced (it’s a pressure point) and I have not had 1 migraine..I actually can’t believe it..yous should all give it a try it’s better than taking meds..hope this helps as I know how migraines takes a tole on your life.
Jo xx
I usually get 1-2 migraines a month depending on how my stress and anxiety have been. In March I was dealing with massive amounts of stress (college projects, family matters, relationship issues, work stress..etc) and I remember one night at work, after I had heard some bad news, my lower back started to hurt and my neck ached a little. I also felt a little nauseated. The next day my headache began like a normal migraine and I was immediately put into a spiraling tornado of anxiety and depression, like my usual migraines cause. I just wanted to lay down and sleep. Sadly due to my busy schedule I wasn’t getting enough sleep and so my migraines started to cause tension headaches which lasted off and on for about 6 weeks (with one week without any sort of head pain). My doctor said all my vital signs and results were normal and gave me naproxen and sumatriptan to help stop the headaches, which worked wonderfully. I’ve been taking them for almost two weeks and this week has been a god-send. I started getting massages to help relax and since then my headaches have tapered off. Of course now I am dealing with postdrome, which is twice as bad since I’ve had such a long episode. Thursday was the true first day of it, I had a slight echo of a headache behind my right eye and temple (which is where my headaches occur) and it came and went, but not near the intensity it was. Yesterday I just wanted to lay down and sleep and drink hot beverages. I felt more energetic since the pain was mostly gone, but my body was exhausted. I was also dealing with a depressive episode, which my boyfriend helped to fix with cookie dough (bless him for dealing with my migraines). Today I still have that slight discomfort where the headache was, but it is definitely not painful. I am a little nauseated, but laying down and breathing deeply helps. My body is very tired and i’m craving sweets to no end. I get a little tingling sensation on the side my headache occured on once in awhile, like the muscles are a happy as i am to be pain free. I am worried about rebound headaches from the sumatriptan, but luckily I haven’t had the need to take large doses of it everyday. I don’t suffer from aura, but my vision gets a bit weird when I wear contacts with my migraines, so I wear glasses. I also have seasonal allergies (spring) I’m not sure if that contributed to such a long episode. I hope this all helped those who suffer from such long and painful migraines. I know that it’s like being in a hurricane of awfulness.
My migraines started at age 7 and 43 years later I traded them in for night sweats. Nine years later, I can count on one hand the number of migraines I’ve had since ‘The Big Trade Off’. Three days ago I woke up with one. Those are the worst. Can’t open my eyes without being blinded by any amount of light. My stomach feels like I’m on a constant roller coaster ride, ready to launch. But, against better judgement, I took two acetaminophens and went to work anyway. Fortunately for me, my boss is a migraine sufferer, so she understood when I tried to talk to her but the words fell out of my mouth in a tangled mess. I don’t understand why migraines affect my speech: It’s really irritating. I worked for 5 hours then left work and drove home (that was a chore) with no sunglasses on a bright day which did not help my stomach. I tried to sleep, but too many interruptions kept me in a zombie state, painfully awake. I wish I would have gotten sick – I think it would have helped me feel better sooner. Now, two days later, the head pain was been replaced by ‘fog brain’: Here but not present, awake but in limbo, and the persistent pain in my gut is making me wonder if I picked up a bug, too. I am going to give my doc a call because this is the longest a migraine has ever lasted for me. I am sure this headache is stress related but the stomach ache has me a bit concerned. Since is has been at least a year and a half since my last one, it is quite possible it could be just another symptom of the migraine hangover and I just forgot about that part of the ordeal.
Having my 1st migraine ever after 41yrs. I am on day 2. Went to doc today cause I thought it was the start of a sinus infection. He gave me some meds that have lessened it a bit, but 1 has me wide awake, which sucks. Now after hearing about the hangover I’m just so over joyed!! Big lie! Sending good vibes for anyone suffering from them now.
It’s nice to see I’m not the only one that fees this way. I’ve never called it a migraine hangover because sometimes I feel this way before I get the pain from the migraine. My Brian feels fuzzy and it’s like there’s a wall stopping my thoughts from developing fully. I’m unable to remember some simple things and become very irratadiated because of it. I also seem to have issues finding answers to questions and it frustrates me to no end. I can have convsations with people but it never feels like I’m completely engaged even if I want to be. Ps I’m in the midst of a migraine hangover now.
I have read many, but not all of the posts here, and see a lot of you have experienced what I am feeling. I too feel lightheadedness, puffy eyes, and difficulty focusing. I also experience residual pain in the right side, back of my head that seems to explode if I cough, sneeze, or shake my head. This pain is almost worse than the migrane, but thankfully subsides quickly. Does anyone else experience this?
My migranes usually start (or so I thought – I was previously unaware of the prodrome) with the visual aura (shimmering bkack and white shapes followed by disabling blind spots). I find that if I take Tylenol or Motrin, I usually do not get the headache, but still experience the postdrome symptoms I explained. My last two episodes, one being last night, have been different. I have medicated at the onsey of aura, and it has gone away, only to return worse than before, and to continue into migrane. My headaches never last more than a day, but postdrome is 3-4 days.
What puzzles me after reading this – my wife gets the multi-day migranes, but always thinks I am making up the postdrome. I guess she doesn’t experience this?
I hope you read this, as I am years away from your posting date 😩 but PLEASE look into “chiari malformation”. I believe This could be what you are experiencing when you sneeze, cough, etc.
Oh bless everyone who has written here.
This is so helpful because I can’t explain what I feel when I have a migraine and after, but maybe someone hear has the words. No one in my immediate family understands but at least now I can show them this. Thank you.
I’m currently going through post-migraine now myself and I am completely exhausted and shaky. My visions blurry and feeling bloated and I’m lucky I can remember to use the kettle. During this time, I try not to use the stove lest I accidently set something on fire. I’m mainstreaming herbal teas, Gatorade and fruit which seems to somewhat help.
Xx
Wow! So relieved and yet so sad to see all these posts from people who suffer like I do. Was just googling to see why my eyesight is still blurry..I have had migraines since I was 15 and am now 43. In the beginning they were only a few times a year and they built up to a couple times a month. I’ve seen specialist and tried too many preventers to remember without success. Over the past few years I’ve found Imigran nasal spray helps to stop the migraine but unfortunately the last couple I’ve had have been more severe and actually scary. I feel like what I go through must cause some sort of damage it’s just that bad. The pain..well that is always bad but now I have extreme dizziness and tingling all over. Muscle cramps and falling in and out of some sort of sleep..almost like passing in and out of consciousness. Loss of memory and feeling confused. Now it’s the day after I feel down and so worn out. I’m totally exhausted really and everything seems to be a struggle. Surely going through this every week or two can’t be good for you. It’s a weird kind of comfort to know that others also have the same symptoms and I’m not alone. Thanks for sharing 😊
I am.so glad I found this post. I have suffered from migraines from I was 8 and am now 34. I feel they have just taken over my life..I get 2-3 severe migraines per week on most cases. I do not know what triggers mine but I do know if I lie on past my normal time I wake up with a migraine but mostly I waken up anyway with 1. I feel so guilty as my family see me too often lying in bed with a cold compress on my head. I have just had a migraine this past 4 days and it has left me feeling very down. Having to leave work early yet again to go lie in a dark room..just this past hour it has started to ease but my head feels so heavy and even my very arms feel heavy..I always wonder if there is something more sinister wrong with me because the pain and sickness gets that bad it’s scary..its good to know that others are on the same boat x
I became tearful when reading so many stories just like my own… This is so validating and comforting to know I am not the only one. I’ve had migraines since I was very young – now 27 I am coming off of a migraine from a week and a half ago. My migraine previous sent me to the ER for fear of stroke – tingling and numbness in my left hand, arm and side of face with aphasia and visual auras that looked like lightning bolts across my eyes. Diagnosis- complex migraine. After an attack almost two weeks ago (this time affecting my right side) I’m still struggling to focus, as if I’m in a cloud. I have trouble concentrating with weakness in my right arm and leg and every sensation sends me into panic mode.
I’ve found that staying hydrated and eating small meals throughout the day are helpful while taking a Magnesium supplement in addition to REST. Migraines can be so discouraging and it’s easy for me to feel isolated by my symptoms – I’m so thankful to have found this blog!
I am 3 days post migraine and although all my mental faculties have returned I remain sluggish and no appetite to speak of. This was a particularly horrific one though so I expected the post effects to last a little longer. It is always nice to read of others that have the same problems. It is really easy to feel like you are the only one that understands what is going on, especially the cognitive loss.
My migraine aftermath leaves me fatigued, lightheaded, body feels like a limp, wet, dish-rag…and vague pains in and behind my eyes…..for more than what seems “normal”….for even (on one or two ocassions) 1 – 2 weeks……completely wiped out. I’ve had migraines all my life – I believe even as a small child (toddler)….I’m now 75. My Mom told me that periodically I would go into a “tantrum”….and she would just leave me alone (although always on the watch)….and finally it would be done with…..Our school had a fettish about reading aloud and my biggest fear was that I would be called on when I would be experiencing the “blind spot aura”…..I would pray that this wouldn’t happen and it didn’t. I would have not known what to say if asked. “I can’t see the page or the letters on the page?”…..on and on and on…..I do remember that I had no migraines during 3 post-partum depressions…..I guess my serotonin was doing something else at that point….Personally, I have always linked the 2 together…..migraines and depression…..a mystery to me.
I’d never heard of the Migraine hangover until I found this. I thought I was the only person that suffered. I have had migraines for about 45 years the actual migraine usually lasting about 12 hours. The feeling the day after though is exactly like a hangover. I feel nauseous, tired and heavy. My brain is wrapped in cotton wool. I feel like the slightest thing out of the ordinary could trigger another migraine. Suffering in this way at the moment.
I’m so thankful for this post and for the comments. I’ve just gotten over a beast of a migraine, and though the pain of the headache has subsided, I’m still deeply in the midst of all the postdrome symptoms. I was so moved by everyone who has shared their experiences here that I’ve just written up my own post on Medium – https://medium.com/@emilynakka/greetings-from-the-postdrome-61071b13c237. You’re not alone. We’re all in this together.
I can describe the post migraine symptoms in a strange but quirky way.
Imagine a spider floating in the wind on a single strand of silk. It has no idea where the wind will take it, but it will land somewhere. Then someone walks into that strand of silk and breaks it into nothing. That’s my thought process the day after a migraine.
I’m on day three today, feeling a little more energetic and together, but yesterday, the day after the actual attack, everything depressed me, even the good stuff, and spent most of the morning bursting into tears at anything and everything. Previous to the attack, for only the second time ever, I had smell sensations, my late gran’s fruit cake baking, antiseptic, dog poo, all for no reason and all where there was none. Usually I just get noise sensitive, which I now know is a warning. This time it caught me off-guard. Oh well, we live and learn.
I agree with others about guilt. I’m currently writing a book and soon reaching a deadline, and I haven’t been able to do anything for a few days. That didn’t help with the tearfulness yesterday. Today I’m guilt free with a ‘that can wait until I’m ready’ frame of mind.
So glad to have found this site. I’ve had migraines for 30 years and my life changed when I found a great headache doctor who started me on Verapamil daily as a preventative measure. The severity of my headaches diminished tremendously so that I don’t have the horrible pounding anymore. This Sunday, I got a migraine complete with significant nausea and vomiting – which has been reduced to a two times per year event. Today is Wednesday and I still have “balloon head”, fatigue and lethargy. I take generic Maxalt when it hits – which did nothing on Sunday to relieve the nausea – but can’t take too many so I am now on a combo of Extra Strength Sudafed and Advil. It seems to get better as the day goes on and I eat a bit more. Also – alcohol definitely helps in that I feel better once I have a beer. This 4 day post-migraine is unusual for me; I’m fortunate in that the post-migraine usually only lasts 1 day. UGH!
After almost a week of gorging on bread, pasta etc because I was fed up of my gluten free diet, I am just emerging from a hideous migraine. Hadn’t had one all summer so far and am now in no doubt as to the link for me between gluten and migraine. My “I’ll be fine” mentality didn’t cut it!
Currently in the hangover phase. Brain feels swollen, head is bruised feeling. Limbs feel heavy and sort of pins and needles thing going on. Interesting to read about other people feeling guilty too. Feel like I should be doing something productive but just want to loll about or sleep.
Hi, I developed migraines from the age of 10, and had numerous attacks throughout my life ones with aura and throbbing headache. They have lessened throughout my 30’s and having the occasional one. I am now 41 and have experienced migraine with an aura without the headache I have had 4 during this month. It has left me feeling fatigued and I am wanting to know if any one else has experienced this.
Tammy, yes, it’s relatively common for people to have auras without the head pain. And it’s also fairly common for migraine symptoms to change through a person’s life. The sudden increase in frequency at 41 could be tied to perimenopause. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor since it’s a new development, but it shouldn’t be cause for concern.
Take care,
Kerrie
You’d think after 40+ years of suffering migraines that I would pretty well be able to walk myself through the stages without too much angst. Not so. I still wonder every single time if maybe, just maybe, the geometric shapes I am starting to see are just sun spots, or perhaps the tingling on the tip of my noise is just some weird something or the fact that I can’t get the word ‘yogurt’ to form correctly around my tongue is just my brain getting ahead of my speech. I decide that I am about to go into a full blown migraine, take my medicine, and settle in for how ever long I am going to experience the excruciating pain. I am on this site trying to find what to do with the after-migraine headache. I am so concerned that taking a pain reliever for this different headache will trigger a rebound migraine that I don’t take anything. The postdromal symptoms, although not nearly as painful, do indeed take away from the joy of living for the next 24 hours or so. Suggestions for symptom relief?
Nanette, rebound headache are only a concern with frequent medication use. If you’re not taking 10 or more doses of the drug in a month, this shouldn’t be an issue. I hope this helps.
Take care,
Kerrie
I also agree with those who have felt depressed during a hangover. I look at the future with gloom and doom because of the amount of time that is taken away from my life because of migraines is huge! I will never get this time back and no medication I’ve ever taken has helped. Not a bright outlook. Every time that I have a CT or MRI the amount of ischemia seen on the reports increases and I know it is due to the migraines. I am hoping to see a new neurologist in the coming months and maybe he will help get my migraines under control.
Cindy, best of luck with the new neurologist. I hope you find some relief.
Take care,
Kerrie
I was so desperate last night after 3 days of headache that turned to severe migraine that I went to ER. IV fluids for pain and nausea/vomiting and steroid. Woke this morning feeling bloated (probably steroid), my hands tingling and partially numb. I have Fibromuscular Dysplasia in my carotid arteries, NORCO is the only thing that helps most of the time. Post Migraine feels like the smaller version of the Migraine. My sense of smell is off, my left eye won’t stop watering, my stomach is nauseous, I’m tired and my skin hurts and the sunlight outside hurts my eyes. I have memory loss from parts of my day. My legs feel like noodles and my balance is off and I quickly found out this morning when leaning down to feed the dogs that I am not alright yet because the room started spinning. I’m thirsty but water even tastes funny. Scared to take anything for the residual headache for fear it will rebound. I feel as if I’m in a brain fog. Can’t keep my train of thought and not looking forward to going to work tomorrow feeling this lousy. Duty calls.
Cindy, I’m sorry you have such a lousy hangover. I hope it lets up quickly.
Take care,
Kerrie
For years i had silent migraines went through menopause at 38 was put on HRT and they went away. I’m now having tention/migraine that leave me wipedout for days. currently I’m on day 3 for fatigue, fuzzy-head, feels like i’m in a fog. tention headache comes and goes at back of head. not hungry. The one and only other time this happened it took 5 days to feel like myself again. Doctor checked me out but didn’t have any advice.
Like many others, my headaches aren’t always the worst part of my migraine. At first I can get an out of the blue peculiar feeling that is impossible to describe– just “off.” It comes on very quickly. Then I become slightly confused, balance may become tippy, vision seems mildly blurred and I find it excruciating to function or interact with others. I become scattered in my thoughts and almost comical in my dysfunction with simple tasks such as putting away the groceries. It’s like being a squirrel who has hidden their own acorns.
It takes extreme willpower to fake it thru a simple conversation, sometimes while working I almost feel as if I’m in a tin tunnel. Sounds seem sharp, vision seems narrowed, my ears seem to ring quite a good share of the time too. I become foggy in my thinking and my movements seem a half second behind or ahead of my brain– not quite synchronized. It’s weird. I can be unsettled and going thru the motions like two thirds of my being are not present. My neck is always stiff and sore prior to my “spells.” They seem to occur a few times per month. After several years of trying to describe my odd symptoms and have it fit into a category of something I could identify, my p-doc and neurologist both agree it sounds like migraine.
I’m uncertain of when my actual migraine symptoms become postdrome– this time I did have a headache on left side for about 24 hours. Next day headache was mild but I felt pretty good. It was the day
AFTER that the fatigue, aches in body, jelly legs, extreme sleepiness, etc
hit me. I’m frustrated by the fact that I cannot tell where the thing begins or overlaps in its stages… that has been frightening for me.
I have a history of monthly hormonal headache, and once I began peri-menopause / menopause I developed these strange often silent type migraine symptoms. Reading about the experiences of each of the folks here has been affirming to me and quite soothing. I’m not happy others suffer, but it feels comforting not to feel like such an outlier.
Andrea, thanks for sharing your story. You’re definitely not alone in this. Neck pain can be an early migraine symptom, so it could be that it’s time to take acute meds to try to keep the rest of the symptoms at bay. Migraine is talked about as having stages… it does, but they’re often not as concrete as we expect them to be. There’s a lot of overlap in symptoms in different stages and things that are typically relegated to one stage of a migraine (like visual aura) can happen at any stage. That doesn’t make it any less frustrating, but maybe it’ll with help to know what you’re experiencing is normal.
Take care,
Kerrie
Hi! I THOUGHT i had experienced migraines before, but oh no. No, no, no. After fighting off some tonsilitis I was hit with not one but two life ruining migraines. These involved the most intense neck pain and throbbing I ever experienced. Nothing helped. After the first 48 hour attack I was left with a horribly stiff neck and general ickyness. Then two days later again. This time I went to the ER because it was unlike anything ever. My CT came back clean and I was given a cocktail of compazine, tordal, and benadryl ( fair warning, this was a God send, but compazine has some funky side effects). That was about 48 hours ago and today I could swear I have the flu. Chills, back ache, neck ache “ghost headache” Even mild sore throat but I think I mouth breath alot during headaches. After looking up the hangover symptoms this makes sense now 🙁 this really sucks.
Ps. excuse my spelling, hard to lay and type
Isabella, I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through this. I hope the frequency of the severe ones has lessened since this happened. It’s worth talking to your doctor about the change in your migraines. There are some really effective treatments that can help more than what’s typically given in the ER.
Take care,
Kerrie
I don’t even know where to start. I’m currently in the “hangover” phase myself. I haven’t been able to get out of bed all day. No interest in anything and prefer complete silence as i nap in and out my day. No noise, no desire for food or drink and every time i stand up i get a big wave of nausea, foggy lightheadedness, aches and pains to where my first reaction is to lay down and to do it fast….. even though I can hardly move. Even typing this doesn’t make sense. Just going to ride this out like a surfer on a wave i guess. Cheers!
I have been in the postdrome phase since Monday, it’s now Thursday. The pain was the worst it’s ever been. I am coming in to work but the brain is not able to take much in, my eyes are having difficulty focussing. I feel so tired. My usual home remedies of lots of water, junk food and sleep aren’t helping.
Hello, fellow migraine, sufferers.
I am in a weird stage right now, I am thinking this is one of the last days of being “out of it”. This was my first migraine, at first, I just thought it was sinuses but the dull pressure above and behind my eyes was unbearable. The first 2-2.5 days, I felt like I was locked in my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about the pressure. I couldn’t think straight. My emotions flatlined, my sense of time and days have all mixed together. I can’t tell day from night. It just all runs together. Kind of like I’m just here. Anyone ever felt this way? (I also went to the ER like on day 3 and they put me on nerve pills and hydrocodone. I took both 2 nights and last night was my 2nd night of taking them.) I’m pretty sure the migraine is gone but the feeling of it being there is still present. I am very foggy headed, and my emotional state is still flat. It whirled me into a depressed state because I couldnt get relief. I am hoing to gain some feeling and some sense of time and what day it is, back soon. I don’t have motivation to do anything, it feels like I’m moving through jelly. Anyway, I’ll probably come back and read this when I can actually think. Please, let me know if anyone has felt this way.
-Morgan
Morgan, I’m sorry you’ve experienced your first migraine. They can be stressful, especially when you don’t know what to expect. The medications you were given could have factored into your mood, but what you describe is not unusual for a migraine attack. I hope it didn’t last long and you find relief for future migraine attacks.
Take care,
Kerrie
I am reading this thread as I try to figure out if I am in postdrome…..and really, really hoping I am. I’ve had migraines for over a decade, but nothing like this past week. The cluster was so bad that I had to take two Relpax yesterday and two the day before. (And in an aside, it would probably be cheaper to swallow gold.) Anyway, this morning I awoke with a different pain. It’s dull and all-encompassing, as though I slept with a helmet on that was too tight. And I’m sluggish, but I’m hoping this is the end for now. This week has been rough….so behind with work.
Angie, that sounds like hangover pain. I’m sorry you had such a terrible migraine attack. I hope it was an anomaly.
Take care,
Kerrie
I am feeling so fortunate at finding this site. I’m coming off an 8 day migraine, after 2 visits to the doctor’s office for pain relief, today is day 4 of the migraine hangover…I wish I could tell you all personally how much it means to me to know that I’m not going crazy…every symptom that I am having now has been addressed in this thread, thank you, thank you, thank you!
Mechelle, you’re definitely not alone! I’m sorry you had such a bad migraine and long hangover.
Take care,
Kerrie
Wednesday15th April My migraine started in the morning as I got up and got ready for work.
It started with the aura blight sparkly twinkling zig zags that started in the centre of my right eye getting bigger and moving out to the corner of my eye before disappearing, and no pain.
I went to work but 3 hours later felt worse and was sent home. As the day progressed I have felt worse with a nagging headache which kicked in on day 3. Completely no energy, no concentration and sensitive to light.(wearing sunglasses all the time when up)
Today Monday 20th I am up for the first time and showered and that took it out of me so just taking it easy. Hard to look at the computer for great lengths so its taking awhile to write this. Have another day off tomorrow but must get back to work which will be a week. Dr is concerned so am waiting on an appointment to have brain scan 🙁 Anyway I thought I would share my horrible experience and hope that its nothing more sinister and that I never have this again
Julz, I’m sorry it was such a long one for you. Best wishes finding an effective treatment to keep future migraine attacks shorter.
Take care,
Kerrie
Im also experiencing my first hangover after this migraine lasted a whole week and wow what a doozy. I have missed two days of work. thank god for FMLA.
Sonja, that migraine sounds awful. I hope the hangover lets up quickly.
Take care,
Kerrie
You described this perfectly, and it is exactly how I feel. I just want to sleep, even after sleeping the migraine off for 10 hours last night. Losing my focus, and can’t concentrate on anything. A little queasy, but probably due to empty stomach from vomiting last night.
Today is my first “migraine hangover” and I also get around 4 migraines a year.
Starr, I’m sorry you’re having your first hangover. I hope it’s short-lived.
Take care,
Kerrie
Im in the hangover phase…day3. I still feel tired and like my vision is sort of separtated if that makes sense. My upper back and shoulders and neck are really sore like ive had the flu. the first day i felt like id been hit by a truck and really was afraid i was dying even though i have experienced this before.
Ive had to reduce the brightness on my computer screen to try and prevent migraines and keep strong scents to a minimum.
Sometimes a large sald with no dressing helps the hangover part but with dressing makes it worse. Might be the dressing lol
Im sorry to see so many people that suffer like this it isnt right that our medical scientists arent doing more to find the cause and cure this disease…. good luck to you all
I’ve also noticed that after a migraine (this last one was 3 days) I am left with lots of stiffness/soreness in my neck and shoulders, going down to include my upper back, and going up the back of my head. This gives me a headache (regular headache, which we know is different from the migraine) that lasts as long as the stiffness lasts. I thought it was something separate from the migraine but now reading this page and everyone’s comments, I can see it’s part of the post-migraine phase. I alternate 4 Advil with 1 Goodies Powders + 1/2 x-str.Tylenol. It masks the headache and neck pain, but everything returns when the med wears off. I hate taking so much meds but I have to be able to function.
I feel weak. Physically weak, like I can barely move. Can take me all day to recover physical strength. I’m clumsy, scatter brained. Overriding sensation of physical exhaustion, even if I slept through most of the migraine.
Great to find not alone with this- migraine with visual aura on and off for a few years [I’m 60] and now horrid hangover/giddy/brain not working, as if hit over the head- yes I can relate to all of that. Has anyone found a way to minimise this stage? I find I am tempted to ‘cut through’ the fog with strong coffee- it doesn’t work, but I want to do something- it may be making it worse, but frankly at this point I don’t have much will-power left! Other people’s experiences would be interesting- thanks, and best of luck everyone.
Marigold, thanks for sharing your experience. The best suggestions I know of for managing the hangover are to rest (if possible), drink a lot of water (and/or an electrolyte drink), and take an OTC painkiller if the lingering headache is bothersome. Sorry I can’t be of much more help!
Take care,
Kerrie
Lately it seems like I’ve been skipping the migraine and going straight into the postdrome phase. It’s kinda maddening with all the things that go on. Confusion, wandering around, difficulty comprehending what I try to read, difficulty focusing my eyes, strong pain behind the eyes, shuffling around my apartment like I’m constantly seeking something, opening the fridge a lot, getting food out and not able to eat it, spacing out, heavy eyelids, fatigue, finding weird things funny, nausea, salivating, feeling of constant pressure on my head, jerky/shaky movements a little like someone with Parkinson’s, and occasionally extreme hunger are all things that happen to me. It normally happens right after I wake up. Normally it goes away after a few hours, but I’m totally useless when it happens and usually afterward as well.
Keith,
You could be having migraine attacks without the head pain (also called acephalalgic, headacheless, or silent migraines). Basically, it’s all the same symptoms without the head pain. I recommend talking to your doctor about it — if you have an effective acute migraine treatment, you doctor may recommend that you take it when these symptoms hit, even if you don’t have the head pain.
Take care,
Kerrie
Finding this website has given me such a relief I actually thought I was going crazy or had some kind of diease. This is my very first migraine I’ve never had one before although I do get headaches a lot I’ve never felt like I was disconnected from the world. It started when I throw up about 2 weeks ago. A week or so later I was laying down trying to go to bed and I got this feeling in my left eye a feeling I opened it and saw a diamond shaped i had blurred vision for a minute and I thought this was my aniexty getting to me so I didn’t pay much mind ( mind that I’ve never had a migraine before so I wouldn’t know the symptoms) after that I went to school everyday and came home with such a bad headache I really didn’t do much about it since I get headaches a lot and I normally sleep it off. Then the weekend hit and that when my migraine got the very best of me a lot of times I questioned if I was actually living I was in dreamy haze I felt like everything was very close and not real and as if I wasn’t living. That Monday I got my period and I knew from then that whatever was going on was because I was getting my period. I was very dizzy, disoriented, couldn’t focus in class, my eyes where very sore, very irritable by everyone and everything often wanted to go sleep extreme dryness in my mouth that no matter what I drank it didn’t relieve. So finally after three days of enduring that I went to the hospital they said I was dehydrated and the nurse came in and said tell me about how your feeling and she said that sounds a lot like a migraine . ( I don’t think I was dehydrated just that my dry mouth was just a symptom of my migraine) they put me on an IV and gave me a bag a liquid to relieve my dry mouth and gave me a medicine they said it was a migraine “cocktail” my head painwas gone but I was still very dizzy and disoriented I was kind of high and was relieved that my head felt better but still didn’t feel quite right. The next morning I felt a little better when I woke…….. That didn’t last long! I was very dizzy and off balance could barely even walk I felt like my mind was in haze I was prescribe ibuprofen 600 but that only wore off the dull headache. I felt like I was dreaming and that I would never get over this feeling. my head started getting numbness as I tried to go bed and my ears started ringing and I panicked because I thought I was having another migraine. Today I woke up still pretty dizzy I haven’t got my prescription yet but I’ve been taking ibuprofen 200 I take 3 sometimes 2. I had this numbness across my forehead now it’s only across my left eye more of a dull ache I had no apetitie I couldn’t even think about eating it’s easying up those I’ve been on a 2 week migraine if count from when the symptoms started. I feel a lot better but my ears are still ringing from time to time I’ve missed 2 days of school and hope to be back and better on monday. I’m glad that I’m not going crazy and had a brain tumor like I thought! I hope you all get over these well it’s such a bad experience I feel everyone sympathy
Tamar, I’m so sorry you’re had to experience a migraine and the following migraine hangover. I’m not sure what medication the ER gave you, but there are many potentially effective treatments. If you’re able to see your regular doctor for a follow-up, please do. There are both acute migraine treatments (to take when a migraine hits) and preventive treatments (to take to keep one from coming on in the first place). Your doctor probably won’t recommend a preventive yet, since you’re new to migraine attacks, but it’s good to know what’s available. Magnesium and vitamin B2 are both mild and low in side effects, but effective for many people. I wish you the best of luck in finding an effective treatment.
Take care,
Kerrie
My migraine has taken my soul, I am an empty shell brushing up on a cold and distant shore
Robert, I’m so sorry you’re having such a rough time with migraine right now. I wish you all the best in finding some relief.
Take care,
Kerrie
I’ve been struggling with the migraine stage for almost three days it doesn’t feel like it’s going away! Pain killers don’t help as it just make me sick when I take them and I vomit them up! This is the first really bad migraine I’ve ever had normally I don’t get to the headache stage! Will I be in the hangover stage soon or will it continue the way it’s going if not treated?
Kaylee, I’m sorry that your migraine has lasted so long. If you still have it, please contact your doctor ASAP. A migraine attack that lasts for more than 72 hours is called status migrainosus. There are treatments used to break the migraine, though many are injections or IV, so you’ll need to be seen by your doctor or go to the ER.
Best of luck,
Kerrie
I’ve being dealing with migraines for years but Thursday was the first time I felt like this: My head started hurting and I thought it was a normal headache. But when I went to pick up my kids from school I seen the zig zag lines in the corner of my eyes. At first I thought I was having a stroke and then the pain got so bad until I just grabbed my head and couldn’t move. I finally got home and took a pain pill and laid in the dark. I slept like it felt forever. But the next morning around three am it started again and I couldn’t take it. Now it’s day three and I’m still having a hangover headache. It really don’t feel good
Stephanie, I’m sorry you’re going through this. Please mention this change in your migraines to your doctor since it could change your treatment plan. If you find a good treatment for the migraine attack, the hangover doesn’t come at all or doesn’t last as long as when the migraine isn’t adequately treated.
Take care,
Kerrie
Later, as my 10-hour migraine finally went away, I was in the post-drome feeling somewhat euphoric. This was new to me. I felt great and it was hard to believe I had been in so much agonizing pain earlier. Vomiting meant I couldn’t take any meds. The next day, it’s diarrhea and nausea, all day. I was so wiped out. The following day, I had to back out of a long-planned get-together with some friends because I was still feeling “out-of-sorts.” They were “You’re not coming because of a headache?” 3 days shot! I think I would’ve felt better after a 3-day binge!
Ann, yuck! There are medications that can provide relief when you’re vomiting. Have you tried a triptan in a dissolvable tablet, injection or nasal spray? They’re specifically formulated for migraineurs who can’t manage oral meds. It’s worth trying to avoid another migraine like that!
Take care,
Kerrie
I am 40 and have had migraines since the second grade, so I am calling myself experienced. But my last two have been different, had really bad pain w the fist one pain went away next day drove had to pull off the road bc my hands where drawingI also didn’t know where I was and could not remember how to work my phone but thank God I finally did then my family took me to the er. They said it was a migraine.. and number two headache now. I had great pain six days ago and since then my face has tingled, tongue singled, taste is off, I feel like I am on a massive hangover every thing is so foggy. And I am just so sleepy. My nose feels funny my ear still hurts and teeth but no headache. This is 5 days post migraine also I did get panic attacks during my postdrom…. please someone tell me this is normal I am a bit worried.
I’m concerned. I had a terrible headache yesterday I woke up with it and everything hurt. It started the day before but it was mild. Then yesterday I was suffering all day. It finally went away 12 hrs later. I went to bed and woke up feeling so tired and weighed down. I have no energy. I keep getting hot flashes but I am in bed all day. I’m weak. Is this normal. I’ve never felt this way before. I also don’t have much of an appetite as I have been nauseas since yesterday. Help please
Sheena, I hope you’re feeling better now. Since you haven’t been diagnosed with migraine, it’s a good idea to check this out with your doctor. There are some effective migraine treatments available and you want to rule out any other underlying causes.
Take care,
Kerrie
Wow , glad its not just me ! Im booked in doc tomo as ive had a migraine for over a week and now i feeling clear in my head , i feel really sick , blurry , so not with it , hard to concentrate, really cold , n i cant feel back to myself yet , wasnt sure if was a virus or what , just wanted doc to tell me whats going on as im worry why i shouldnt be better yet , its affecting my day to day things :s
Giulia, it may take a few days after the migraine lets up to feel like you’re back to normal, especially because the migraine lasted so long. I hope your doctor is able to provide some assistance.
Take care,
Kerrie
I’m 33 yrs old just got m my first migraine last tues… Went to the er thought I had an anuerysm … Thankfully not per dr.. Her we are exactly one week later and I had another migraine attack at work up I had to leave.. Sweating, anxiety from the pain and throbbing on my right side temple only .. I have to take Advil everyday … Uggghhh this is really bad.
Dana,
If you can see a regular doctor (not an ER doc), please do. There are better, more effective treatments for migraine than Advil and using too much Advil could actually make the migraines worse in the long-run. In the meantime, you may want to try an over-the-counter migraine medication with caffeine in it (like Advil Migraine or Excedrin Migraine). Take it as soon as you know a migraine is coming on — this is sometimes the only medication a person needs to deal with their migraines.
Best of luck.
Kerrie
Thank u… Yes this is new to me and really sux .. I noticed when I focus to much on something my right side temple starts pulsing .. Is it normal to even get it in the mornings when waking up ? Puts me in a bad mood … And I perspire like throughout the day .. And I agree I should see a dr. But I have no insurance right now the hospital sees me for 170$ the whole month .. Thank u
I see the dilemma, Dana. Definitely look into Advil Migraine or Excedrin Migraine. Generic is fine, just make sure it includes both the painkiller (ibuprofen or acetaminophen) and caffeine. Some people find relief from applying heat to their heads (like a heating pad or a hot shower) or using ice packs.
It’s not unusual for migraines to come on in the morning and, in addition to the pain affecting your mood, migraine itself can cause mood changes. I also sweat with my migraines.
Lots of migraine attacks happen without any identifiable trigger, but since you’re new to migraine and won’t be able to see a doctor soon, it might be useful to think about any changes you’ve had in your life recently. It could be starting, stopping or changing hormonal birth control (like the pill); giving up caffeine; eating a new food that hasn’t been part of your diet before; extra stress. If you have, returning to what you were doing before the migraine hit could help.
I hope this helps. You can email me (kerrie[at]thedailyheadache[dot]com) if you need more assistance and don’t want to share your private information on the blog.
Kerrie
Sorry, the migraine started Sunday not Monday.
My mother was diagnosed with dementia a couple of years ago and she suffers from debilitating migraines. This week it started on Monday and as of Tuesday she had not “woken” up. My dad had to admit her to the hospital. She started to be a little rsponsive late yesterday and today, but still isn’t waking up. The neurologists has run a lot of tests and besides the stuff we know nothing else is wrong. Do you think she could be experiencing a migraine hangover and the dementia might make it more extreme? In reading a lot of these posts I think it could be a possibility. Has anyone else experienced sleeping for days after a migraine?
I’m so sorry you and your family are going through this. I’m afraid I don’t have much of an answer for you. Sleeping for days is unusual after a migraine is unusual, especially if she’s not waking up at all. I don’t know if the interaction between migraine and dementia could cause this sort of reaction.
Kerrie
oh, and btw – told my doctor about my migraine hang-overs – he laughed at me like I’m an idiot and told me there’s no such thing.
Why does it seem like there is no support for this in ZA?
@Michelle – I totally agree re the 80 year old men
I am recovering from two less serious migraines. It started Friday. I felt the discomfort in the back of my head, and the swelling, but there was no pain yet. I did have the aura – I felt the light was just too bright and everything was just too loud. I wanted to scream at everyone to just shut up and as always, I wished I could go sit and work in a really dark corner. On Saturday I was feeling tired and lazy. It was all so surreal, like floating in a dream world, everything is hazy and distorted. On Sunday morning the swelling was worse and I could feel myself teetering on the bring of nausea. the light was blinding and I just wanted to jab knitting needles into my ears to stop the constant sound. I had a bad head ache, but not a migraine, so I took some paracetemol and had a nap – a very long one. I felt totally disfunctional. I knew the migraine was coming and there’s nothing I could do to stop it. On Monday morning it greeted me, with a little but of sympathy – there was no nausea and after taking a migraine kit a managed to drift away by lying really still and covering my eyes and ears. During the afternoon I woke, the pain was gone, but i still felt like I was walking through some other world – almost like looking through a camera mounted on someone’s head – you’re there but not. I tried to be functional and spend time with my family, but the dissiness and lethargy overcame me and I went back to bed at about 16:30. I woke up at 7:30 to read to my daughter. My tongue felt thick, like it wasnt mine. The words on the pages wouldn’t stand still and I didnt recognise them easily. It took my forever to read one small chapter; I could not muster even the smallest iota of emotive reading. Around 9pm I had another blast of migraine pain. Thank goodness for magraine kits. I hoped I would be rested enough to get up for work.
This morning I am trying to run through chin deep quicksand. My head won’t sit still on my neck. There’s a disco ball on my computer screen. I couldn’t remember things I normally don’t have to think about. My words have to fight my tongue to come out, I am sure I sound slightly drunk. All I want it to get back into bed and sleep it off. I feel guilty because my work is suffering from my “brain damage” and I rob my children of time I could have spent with them. I forget whole days; the days leading up to the migraines and the days after become a warbled mess where nothing happened in the order I try to remember it.
I hate this. I don’t want this. I don’t want to hear that it is “normal”. I hate people looking at me like I am lying. I want to believe that there is a way to make it stay away forever. And I am grateful to finally see that there are other people who know, just know.
I’m sorry you’re having such a tough time. You’re definitely not alone, but it’s still terribly frustrating to feel so sick.
Do you have any migraine-specific medications, like a triptan? Not sure what’s available where you live — probably sumatriptan (brand name Imitrex or Imigran), but there are seven triptans on the market in the U.S. Here’s an overview of triptans: http://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/triptans/.
Kerrie
So glad to see this site. I have had a migraine off and on for 3 weeks. And when the migraine is not in full force the hangover is there. I saw a post about walking through mud. That is exactly what it is like. It takes every ounce of energy to get out of bed and get on with it. I have had migraines since I was 8. They became really bad after my second child was born. Absolutely nothing has helped and I have done it it all. I used to get the euphoria when it was over. Now I just go from pain to hangover and back again. Today I could not remember my address. It is exhausting. Glad to know I not alone but sure wish there was a “cure” for this insanity.
Hi everyone out there. Last Friday night I went out with my colleagues for a party. I had vodka and beer there. The next day when I woke up, I felt dizzy and I thought its a hangover of drinking. But today it has been more than 8 days and I am still in that hangover feeling. It feels worse. I feel lethargic, like, I was doing something but don’t know what. Its my first experience like this. Infact I got to know after my checkup on last friday that I have migraine. Then I understood why its happening. This feeling is killer. I forget what I was doing in the middle of any activity. I feel lost and dizzy.
It reminds me of what it feels like to get over a concussion.
I specifically liked your description of your thoughts floating away. That’s definitely how it feels.
I feel a little dizzy, a little nauseous, REALLY tired physically and mentally.
I’m on day 3 of the after effects alone and I’m wondering when I should start being worried.
Researchers have said that the hangover period can last for hours for a few days, but I’ve had people tell me it’s a week before they’re back to normal. If your hangover lasts considerably longer than usual, you should check in with your doctor. It’s always good to have unusual migraine events in your chart.
Jessica, it takes me almost a whole week to fully recover from a migraine. About the time I FULLY recover from one, it seems like it is time for another one to happen. Hang in there.
I am so glad I found this website! I am now experiencing my first postdrome from migraine. 2nd day of feeling very very tired, foggy, weak, and depressed.I don’t want to even function. My neurologists diagnosed me with migraines 3 months ago, I have been having migraines for 5 years now, and 26 years old. They have disrupted my life!! My migraine can last anywhere from 24-48 hours. A pulsating pain on the right side of my forehead, to the back of my head, down my neck, and even in my ear. I have changed my eating habits, and taking extra vitamins. Nothing seems to be helping. Glad I am not alone!
Oh my gosh it was so nice to find this site, yes I’m having my migraine hangover too and I got online to see if it was normal. My God what misery that is and I feel for everyone who has them. Mine lasted two days and now two days later I feel like I’m in a fog, like everything’s moving slow, I know I sure am. I keep feeling the nausea come back, while ago it was like I smelled ammonia for a few seconds. And I’ve done a few pretty weird things things today- I feel like I’m not all here at all. It’s been a while THANK GOD since I’d had my last one- I pray it’s that long again if there has to be any at all, but I have walked 2-3 miles every single day for the last two years– needless to say I’ve taken a break from that right now, matter of fact I may take a couple of more days off. Excuse me please if this offends anybody BUT THIS SUCKS!!! You poor poor people who have these often, my heart goes out to you, I feel for you very much. Migraines are so horrible, especially with the non stop throwing up and aches and pains that go with them. I felt so horrible I went to the ER and a shot of morphine didn’t help. I can’t wait till I feel normal again!! God bless you all.
First migraine at 8 years old. Could not see or speak , could not describe to adults. Got hung up trying to remember meaning of words: spent hours working on “because” : knew it was a word but could not remember.Total numbness on one or the other side, one leg , foot,arm, hand and side of face and tongue. Had black areas of vision with spikey brightly colored edges. Pain and nausea ; not to be described. Usually taken to hospital for Demeral during weekly headaches. . Hangover two to three days. Now age 66, have taken verapamil for years and inderal before. Both reduced frequency and severity. Sometimes have hangover with even the slightest hint of an episode.Always described as feeling as if inside of head had been physically damaged or bruised. Previous comments contain best descriptions ,I have ever seen, of hangover.
Came across the site while researching migraine hangovers. I’ve had a handful of migraines in the past and have always felt some “shadow” or “echo” feelings of the migraine in the area of my head where it was most severe. This one, however, was the most severe migraine yet and it’s now three days later and I’m still feeling the effects of it. Thus the research. I’m relieved to see that my situation here is not unique. My anxiety is unusually very high and I have a feeling of complete indifference (depression) regarding anything. I’m exhausted and my right eye is droopy (the migraine was behind my right eye). There are mini throbs of pain in my head from time to time and I feel like I’m lost in a fog. Struggling to make complete thoughts. Sensitive to light and sound and I’m achey all over. And, of course, I feel guilty about taking time off from work and being in a miserable mood.
I’m sorry that so many of you have to go through this as well, but it’s nice to know that I’m not alone.
I was thankful to find this article. I have actually called it my ‘migraine hangover’ for years. It’s so nice to know at least I’m not alone in these symptoms.
Hi i am 37 since i was about 7 i have headehe which starts to be migrein and every next one is stronger. My migrein hangover is: feeling extremely depressed, swallow brain sensation, can’t eat or drink anything, dizzy, it happened to me recently that feeling like about faint woke me up..fatigue,fog, and sweat a lot..first day i rather need to spent in bed cos i am so weak and feel like to faint…pushing myself to eat anything..but at the moment it is 4 day after my last migrein and i still do not feel like fully recover..
Have you seen a doctor? There are very effective medications called triptans, which, for some people, can stop a migraine completely. Finding an effective treatment for the migraines is a crucial step in minimizing the symptoms of the migraine hangover.
I have a had a bad headache on the right side which lasted three days – I have had migraines in the past but the pain is not too severe. I am however feeling very lethargic and when I do anything I feel very sickly. I believe this migraine was brought on by extreme tiredness. I have had the aura in the past but not this time. How long after the extreme tiredness does it take for the headache to start as mine only came on two to three days later. Is this normal?
********
It is a good idea to see a doctor whenever your migraine patterns change. It could just be a variation in migraine attacks or it could be a sign that something else is going on.
Take care,
Kerrie
I’ve experienced migraines for approx 4 years. This is the first time it has lasted 26 days! I guess im in the hangover stage…This feeling is new to me. Right top side of head feels like a tight muscle pain and echo of the pain. I’m agitated, no energy and just don’t give a darn about anything..as if i have no emotions. I’ve decided not to take anymore meds and hoping this feeling will continue to dissipate. Very hot shower seems to help after work.
Sean i have experienced that on a few occasions but you should see a dr about it.
i feel pretty much what you have said but also feel really sick in my stomach. i get the hangover a few hours after the actual migraine. after the migraine i normally have a craving for a particular food which has always been a chilli chicken kebab or chilli noodles, weird i know. but then after that when the hangover kicks in i feel as sick as i did when i had my migraine but different and just so tired that i have to rest for the next day.
ive had a migraine that has lasted for a week and the hangover for that was terrible.
Hi,
I’m a 24 year old male and I suffer from migraines but less than ten a year.
Last Friday (it is now monday) I suffered a migraine that wasn’t like the others. Usually i get the blind spots to start then numbness in lips, face, hands, tongue and sometimes other areas.
A day after the headache was gone but now I am suffering from what i presume is postdrome:
Heavy head,
very strange vision as if blind spots are about to come back again but don’t fully appear?
Random loss of appetite,
not wanting to engage in conversation or interaction with anybody
concentration levels low
randomly forget what i was doing or about to do
One thing i have that I haven’t seen mentioned which worries me is a temperature.
These postdrome affects are 4-5 hours on, 2 hours off, in a similar pattern to that, however during the “on” period my forehead and skull seems feverish?
Can anyone re-assure me that they have experienced this too?
Sean
As if the migraine on the left side for two whole days, then two whole days on the right side wasn’t debilitating enough, but just when you think you’re migraine free, the post migraine pops up!
Hi all. I’m 32, have suffered migraines all my life but currently suffering my first “postdrome/migraine hangover”. I also suffer anxiety, panic disorder and hypochondria. So on Friday when my migraine hit (after a week of dull headaches) I literally thought I was dying. Went to the hospital and now been laid up for two days. I’m calling my GP in the morning. (Monday).
I have decided to cut certain foods out of my diet. Like cheese and bread, which is really hard as I’m vegetarian and I eat MAINLY cheese and bread. Also on decaf tea now too. I’ve been in and out of sleep, still had dull headaches, fatigue, I’ve wanted to do stuff like walk my dog and go to work but just couldn’t. When I’d walk around I’d get worse. It’s awful but it’s comforting to know I’m not alone. I only read up on this today. Take care people. xx
I’ve been in postdrome now for a few days..I was panicking to be honest. I had the worst migraine ever a few days ago. I feel sluggish, brain is foggy, insides feel like a giroscope/washing machine. Unable to concentrate, its made my arthritis/fibromyalgia symptoms worse. So glad I’ve read this article and comments below, still intend to visit GP as migraine was a sudden one, and of late, my migraines have increased.
I am currently in one of the worst migraine hangovers of my life. In the past, I have had everything ranging from a mild sleepiness to a eurlphoria so intense I got out of bed at 4am to clean the entire house, right down to vacuuming behind the furniture, to work off all that crazy, almost jittery, energy. Yesterday, I had an intense migraine centered around my left eye. It came on in a matter of a few minutes, and it felt like someone had stabbed a pencil in between my eyeball and eyebrow. It hurt to even move my eyes. And I made the mistake of kneeling for something at one point, and when I stood up, I didn’t know whether I was going to throw up or pass out.
Today, I feel like I was punched in the face. That whole side of my head aches, as do my hands and back and neck. I’m twitchy, and I keep drifting in and out of sleep with extremely vivid dreams. It’s scary, but it’s good to know I’m not alone in this. It’s so easy to panic and make things worse otherwise.
I am so glad to have found this site!! I suffered my first migraine 21 yrs ago when I was in 5th grade. Not only did I not know what was happening to me, but my teacher did not believe me. In my teen years I suffered from at least one migraine a month. I have even have had multiple migraines in one day!!! As I have gotten older the migraine hangovers or postdrome and not only set in, but have started lasting longer. I do worry about any long term side effects or damage that the actual migraines themselves might cause. Has anyone else ever wondered about that or have any information on it? It just seems like something so debilitating and painful would have to cause some sort of permanent damage…..it worries me constantly.
I’m in the hangover phase of my 2nd ever migraine…I didn’t have any visual auras during the first one, just a really intense sensitivity to sound for about three days. Then the headache itself lasted for about two days but acetaminophen/caffeine seemed to be enough to ease the symptoms. Then this one has been much, much worse, I know it was triggered by the stress of a very traumatic event two days ago, the headache itself lasted about 10 hours before it started to improve, and during that time I was really high up on the pain scale, like an 8/10. Couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe without pain, couldn’t function at all. Now I must be having the hangover because I’ve been nauseous for two days. I was totally fine prior to the trigger, and since then have been sick as a dog. Not fun. Merry Christmas to me.
I’m feeling pretty lucky that I get migraines once every 3-6 months. I went 10 months without a migraine this last time. Each migraine is different now. 10 months ago, the left side of my face went numb out of the blue, then my whole left side of my body, then came the aura, then the confusion (I couldn’t even figure out how to unscrew the top to the OJ), then the pain and then a day of hangover.
This last time (4 days ago), I felt like my hands weren’t connected to my body. Then the aura came while I was driving home (scary). I managed to take my Naratriptan and go to sleep. Pain wasn’t all too bad and didn’t last nearly as long as usual. The next day I felt foggy, like everyone else says. The only new symptom I have is that I feel nauseous. The slightest movement or bending down makes me want to barf. It’s more a car sick feeling. Eating helps the nausea. Anyone else have nausea days AFTER the migraine?
*******
Nausea without other symptoms so long after the migraine isn’t something I’ve heard of. Could it be related to something else? It might be a good idea to check with your doctor.
Take care,
Kerrie
I am post-migraine after an 18 day headache. It feels as if my neck, shoulders, head, and face had been beaten with logs days ago and like I’m just now starting to really feel the damage done.
Or maybe as if I had been run through the dryer with a pair of sneakers?
I continue to have light sensitivity but am actually feeling super-hungry, after not having much appetite at all during the migraine itself.
I am post migraine from this morning after taking one the triptans. My body feels super tender to the touch – even clothes seem to hurt. Very tired and lethargic and cannot seem to concentrate. I agree with others, however, that it is better than the migraine pain. Blessings…
OH sorry just a quick question how long after the pain hits do most find they are back to normal, no pain or other symptoms?
Man the severe pain usually lasts about a day for me until i take pain med. But afterwards I have a sore spot on the side of my head always rightside. I still cant move to much or it seems to aggravate the pain, little appetite, dizziness just miserable. Since this summer Ive started having 6-8 migraines a month… been a crappy year.
How do I feel after 3 days post migraine?
“Like a military academy,”
“bits of me keep on passing out.”
With thanks to Douglas Adams…
Just going through hangover period , started on Saturday , vomiting , fuzzy lines , dizziness , headaches no appetite no fluid or solids in me until Monday . 28 weeks pregnant , not experienced anything else like this . Thought I was feeling better on Tuesday however did too much feel ill again, weak and frustrated as I am never ill . Just found site and feels good to think others have experienced this awful feeling .
I’m in hangover stage now. Terrible headache, neck pain, left hurts & dry,mental confusion,smell senitive,
Total exhaustion & fatigue, can’t force self to get up, nausa, vomiting,dizzy, irritation, guilt, hallucinations-this is new can’t get out of bed weak completely exhausted in this wake sleep cycle w hallucination for hrs. If someone talks to me I say things pertaining to the hallucination & make no sence to anyone. I am aware of not being asleep while in this faze. But can’t get up or out of the hallucinations. This goes on up to 3 hrs.
I’m in hangover stage now, I feel fuzzy, tired and generally weak like I’ve come down with something. I had a intense migraine with auro last night, lasted about 9 hours. My main side effect which I always get but can find nothing about is what I call the “bruised brain”. Whenever I have a migraine, the part of my head that is effected always feels bruised afterwards, a constant throbbing and if I shake my head, move it suddenly, it feels as if I can feel the brain moving inside my skull and its covered in a giant bruise and the pain is intense when I ‘hit the bruise by moving my head’. Does anyone know what this is? If so email me RappingBlues@hotmail as I’m dying to know what it is and why it happens?
I just got over one of my migraines. The first step in the hangover for me is always euphoria. I feel light and airy and like the vice on my head has finally been removed. Then, the real hangover sets in, and I just feel sore, mostly in my head and neck, but all over really. I’ll get little pangs of pain on the migraine side that will flash over to the other hemisphere of my brain…strange and something that doesn’t happen during the rest of the migraine. The shoulder on the side that my migraine was on always has a huge knot in it during and after the migraine. My head feels fuzzy, but not as bad as when the migraine first hits. I usually explain the hangover as an “aftershock” like after an earthquake. But I like what you said about the echo of the migraine. That’s exactly what it feels like.
I haven’t had a migraine in 15yrs, I am 52 now. 4 days ago I had a circle of lighting in my left eye. Told my husband I had lights in my left eye wonder if that means I am going to have a migraine? Monday, Tuesday went by felt fine thought I was fine. Wednesday morning woke up and felt like I had been on a bad drinking binge. Felt hungover. Weird feeling. went all day like that and then around 5 oclock boom head pain. bad, bad, bad. Left side where the lights were. took pain pill and advil and headache meds. I did Ice and heat and put my sunglasses on and threw up most of the day. Put sunglasses on and then slept 12 hours. Felt great when I woke up. did some chores and boom headache is back not as bad but, still there. Going on 2 days. Just wondering if it is possible to have lights in eyes days before the pain comes on. Also, was wondering if anyone get the hangover before the headache and how long do they last? Feel better than yesterday no throwing up and no stomach ache and little appetite. Just wondering what is good to treat these other than meds. Coffee, Juice or stick to one thing until better. so glad I am not alone. feel guilty not doing chores and taking care of family. would love some input.
Soooo many helpful comments make me feel like I am not alone… Fuzzy, exhausted, yawning, inability to complete simple tasks properly, twitchy eye, neck and back irritability, head feels heavy. Did anyone else mention vertigo? That is also common for me. Sucks. In postdrome right now, that is how I found this blog in a Google search. Tired but can’t fall asleep, very nervous. Thank you for helping me understand I am not dying.
Hello. Just getting over a four day migraine. I should be feeling happy that the pain has gone, but I don’t. I want to cry my eyes out. I am frightened that if I do anything too energetic the pain will come back. Thank you so much to all those people like me out there who have taken the time to write their experiences with migraine down. I can now sit here happy in my hangover fog and know that I am completely normal 🙂
I would say to me it feels more like a charlie horse does in my head than a hang over. the extreeme pain leaves me motionless it hurts to do anything and I can’t move. then once the pain is gone my whole upper body aches and is sore….just like when I get a charlie horse in my calf. I have to be careful because if I do something to hurt my head/neck/shoulders/spine area of my upper back the migraine comes back in full force…
Wow, this blog is a savior! I had my first migraine on Tuesday – terrifying! The worst thing was the confusion and the inability to say even the simplest phrases. I could not figure out how to tell my dog to do do her business – something I have said thousands of times before!
The hangover was there for sure! In fact, it’s still there with intermittent dizzy spells and muscle spasms along my arms. I still feel like not all of my cognitive capacity is back – lack of concentration, inability to promptly respond to jokes, forgetfulness, inability to retrieve some less common words. It seems like the hangover does not generally last past 48 hours. Has anyone had it drag on for longer?
Thanks for being here! I never knew …
Polina,
I recommend you see a doctor. It is always important to get checked when migraine first begins or when symptoms change just to be sure nothing else is going on. It is unusual for a hangover to last more than a day or two.
Take care,
Kerrie
Here I am… Laying on the couch covered in my husbands jacket as getting a blanket is far too much effort. I am recovering from a migraine that started on Sunday and looked up migraine recovery and found this site. You would think that after 25 years as a migraine sufferer I wouldn’t need to research but that’s 1 of the odd things…. In my recovery phase I get quite confused about the whole episode. My head is sore to touch and feels like someone has hit me a few times with a baseball bat, my face is sore in the migraine side, my eye that side blinks slower than the other altho my husband tells me it’s not noticeable to others. Nausea comes in waves but not as bad as when migraine in full flow, I’m cold, and I’m tired. I was supposed to be in work today but lay in bed for 90 minutes “trying” to get up until I admitted defeat and realised I wasn’t fit to drive and could barely lift my head. I can’t think straight and when i speak words get ‘lost’ mid-sentence. I hate to be really mean but I wish everyone would have a migraine once in their life as trying to explain it to non-migraine sufferers is impossible and sometimes I think they look at me and in their heads are thinking “she just had a headache”. If only they knew…..
I am in the midst of a migraine hangover now…after one of the 3 worst migraines I’ve ever had. The only way I can describe the feeling is that my mind isn’t working with my body as quickly. Thoughts take effort, words are difficult to produce, and as I was reading these comments, I finally saw one that isn’t commonly mentioned – but one that happens to me every time! Twitches. My eyelid has been twitching for 2 weeks since since the 1st of my last 2 migraines came on. The eye twitch is non-stop – every 10 or 20 seconds…in fact, I forget about it because it just becomes normal after so long. In addition to my eye twitches, there are other parts of my body (some of which I didn’t know could even twitch) that occur – like my forearm, the backside of my shin, my knees (knees twitch!?), the back of my neck and as embarrassing as it is to admit, my buttox. Thanks for all of these posts – It’s scary sometimes…people who’ve never experienced a migraine, can’t understand the extreme pain and effects. On one hand I’m glad I’m not alone, and on the other hand, I’m sorry to know so many of you out there are suffering like me.
Thanks for telling us your story, Annie. I’m sorry you have to deal with migraine, too. I know what you mean about being reassured that others know what this is like, but not wishing so many people had to go through it. I hope your symptoms lift soon.
Take care,
Kerrie
Had a migraine yesterday evening, luckily its weekend so no problems with my school. After survivng through killing headache I still could not fall asleep. So hangover is rather bad, still feeling a slight headache and nausea. Surprisingly enough my mind doesnt get so foggy as others report. Yes exhaustion and other symptoms are distracting but no to the level that I could not think straight. Worst thing about migraine is not the pain(it can be killed with medicines) but that it disrupts daily life, especially school and work. Good luck to everyone surviving this nonsence 😀
Thanks for sharing your experience, Leo. I’m glad this migraine wasn’t terribly disruptive. Still, they are no fun!
Take care,
Kerrie
So glad I found this site; through Google searching “residual migraine pain” as latest attack reached its peak last Thursday, but even today I have head pain (left side) numbness in my left arm and hand (often a warning of an approaching attack)and brain fuzziness; I can move about slowly, have a shower, read a bit…but little more. I’m a teacher (UK) and have hardly been able to work since March this year, though I’ve had migraines for about 20 years, though never this bad. Beta blockers and various triptans are barely controlling them; Zomig nasal spray is miraculous for the pain, but leaves me wiped out physically and mentally. Work keep asking when I’m coming back,no concerns or offers of help,I see a different GP each time the receptionists will let me. I’m now considering ill-health retirement though I’m only 53. At present, I cannot commit to any job, let alone teaching. Sorry about the rant, but am at wits’ end as to what to do. Oh, and photophobia and phonophobia are much worse, and I’ve seen a neurologist, am trying acupuncture, have removed all triggers (sob) taken up a fitness routine; in short, what else is there? Anybody out there able to offer a grain of hope?
I’m sorry you’re suffering so much, Sue. I checked the Migraine Trust, a UK non-profit, for information and saw they have a list of migraine clinics: http://www.migrainetrust.org/migraine-clinics, which might be helpful for you. There are a lot of preventive meds beyond beta blockers, like anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants and calcium-channel blockers. I’m not sure what’s usually prescribed in the UK. If you haven’t looked around on the Migraine Trust’s website, I recommend it. There are helpful lists of medications, guides for getting the most help from visiting a doctor and other treatment options. I hope this helps!
Take care,
Kerrie
After several months, yest I had a vvv bad mig.Today morning am down with sev fatigue n lightheadedness.. had been getting all bad. thots of having those extreme illnesses:(
I’m sorry you’re suffering so much. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Take care,
Kerrie
Does it bother anyone else to bend over? I get a throbbing pain whenever I bend over or sneeze during or after a migraine.
Pain when you bend over or sneeze is a key characteristic of migraine and it often lingers once the worst pain passes.
Kerrie
wow this is me totally. i was getting worried. i had horrible migraine all day tues n since almost feel likesomeone who has had small mild stroke to explain it befter. glad found this site i never geard of this after migraine. now im not so worried just wanna feel normal again.
I’m just coming off a four day migraine and I’m left with awful vertigo, exhaustion and some of the head pressure and nausea is still lingering. I’ve never had my symptoms last so long. I’ve been so anxious that I’ll never be myself again…. It’s good to know we’re not alone.
Danielle,
Sorry you’re suffering so much. Hang in there… it will let up!
Take care,
Kerrie
It’s such a relief to read these comments – how do you try to explain to people who have never had a migraine how absolutely horrendous the whole experience is? I’m in the first day of a migraine hangover, having just had a migraine that lasted 72 hours. My situation is quite unusual in that I had a benign brain tumour in 2005 and the migraines started a year or so after that. There were complications after the initial surgery though, so it’s taken a referral to a specialist Neurology hospital for me to be diagnosed with vestibular migraine – all the symptoms of normal migraine but with vertigo as well. Am hoping that a neurologist will suggest preventative medication as no pain killers even touch it. Now that I’m in the hangover phase I’m so relieved that the pain and nausea have finally gone, but whilst I don’t feel sick anymore I have no appetite and feel like my head has been removed from my body and is floating above it. I managed to wash up this afternoon and went outside for the first time in 3 days. Both took huge amounts of concentration – being around other people is the most surreal experience as I feel like a zombie, and almost invisible. I’m so incredibly tired I actually feel like I’ve had surgery, and am so weak from having eaten next to nothing in 4 days. For about 3 days after I exist in body only and doing the routine of tasks is difficult. How do you explain this to people who think migraine is just a bad headache, and that once the headache has gone it’s over?
Sarah,
It is always difficult to know what to tell people. I usually say that headache is only one part of migraine, which is a neurological disorder that affects the entire body, the symptoms of which often last for days. Some people are receptive to that response, others are not, but it is a succinct way to summarize how complicated migraine is. I’ve found that a lot of people are curious to know more. It is up to all migraineurs to let others know that this isn’t just a headache.
Best wishes on finding an effective preventive.
Take care,
Kerrie
To put it bluntly, I feel how I imagine it would be to have a lobotomy. Thoughts just don’t happen. I still have a sore head, and I still have auras, sparks, and spots, but I can pretend to go about daily life. However, performing simple tasks feels like a grueling battle, I feel as though I could fall asleep on a bed of nails if I just put my head down, and my equilibrium is off by about two inches, so I can’t do anything quickly or I will drop things/fall over. I also (apparently) get extremely ill two days later from the medication the doctor put me on, and even when my stomach is empty it continues to throw unbearable painful fits that feel like intestinal seizures. Is it painfully obvious I’m suffering today?
Stephanie,
May I ask what medication you take? Some are know to cause nausea, but most can be replaced with similar medications for effective migraine relief without the nausea. I hope you feel better very soon!
Take care,
Kerrie
Nearly had a migraine attack yesterday but took the meds my doctor prescribed when I noticed the symptoms. Prevented a full blown migraine but now I am still feeling the hangover… The head is in a constant state of mild headache and like others, it feels like walking on a tight rope, 1 wrong move and I can be looking at another migraine attack.
I am getting over a 36 hour migraine and I feel very drained, and tired and still feel like I have to try and regain my strength back. I do have a question dose anybody’s stomach start to feel sick before there migraine starts as a sign that you are getting one?
I am curintly Havering my first mingraine hangover yesterday I had two right after each outher today when I woke up I felt really light headed when I walk everything spins reading words that r close together really gets too me slightly a small headache barely noticeable though really tired and slightly hungry
I am suffering from this right now. Initial migraine was 5 days ago, and I still feel horrendous. It just doesn’t want to go away! I have always referred to it as a “Migraine Hangover”, Mostly because it kind of mimics the worst day ever after a night out when I was much younger. As I get older, the migraines seem to be less severe, while the hangover part gets worse/lasts longer. The nausea is the worst part- I feel so sick, and the RX med they have given me for nausea can only be taken at home, as it makes me sleep. I always feel very fragile during this hangover period, as it take very little to get the headache rolling again- sounds, smells, lights, noise,movement etc. I feel that most people don’t understand it, and some even laugh when I have referred to it as migraine hangover. I feel so sick, that sometimes I just wish I’d die. Not fun- Going to the doctor in a little bit to see if she has any suggestions…
I’m on day 1 of the hangover after my first migraine which lasted 4 days. I thought I had come down with the flu due to the nausea & vomiting. My head felt like it was in a head trap like the one in the opening scene of the first Saw movie. I went to the Dr. yesterday and was given a shot of Imitrex & Zofran which helped decrease the throbbing and pressure within minutes. Woke up today feeling incredibly shakey, weak, and foggy with a residual headache. It took me forever to walk down stairs and 20 minutes to drink my coffee hoping that would wake my brain up, it didn’t. Feeling like a zombie. Hoping things get in gear so I can at least do the dishes.
Wow! Iv been having migraines now for 12 years. On average I have anywhere from 3-6 per week and always feel “funked out” in between. Given that all this started when I was 14 I was never game to start drinking alcohol but have always said that the funked out feeling is what I expect a hangover would feel like… Guess now I know why I feel like sh*t 24/7! When it’s not a migraine it’s a hangover!
Does any one else get really shaky during their migrain hang over? I can hardly even type right now.
@Lisa: this website may help you. http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/headaches/hic_migraines_in_children_and_adolescents.aspx
I also continue to take OTC meds for the headache on the hangover days. I try to get as much rest as possible. I am drinking more fluids than normal too. Still having trouble forming sentences and finding the correct words. I’ve gone over my comments 3 times to make sure everything is spelled right!! The whole migraine experience is miserable. I also take Topamax daily to keep these things under control – and still have too many if you ask me!
I am also in the middle of a migraine hangover. I had the actual migraine for 4 straight days and this is day 2 of the hangover. I can describe myself as walking on a tight rope…being on the edge of getting that headache again. Fragile almost. I am in the fog you all speak of. Not able to quite do my daily functions that should come normally without thinking. You feel like your brain is jelly, just not working right. I still have a mild headache, and I am so afraid to move wrong, read too much or do anything that may tip me over to the wrong side of that tight rope I am walking.
my migraine hangover seems to be the opposite of some of yours. I have been getting migraines since i was 2 I am now 21, they seemed to stop when I turned 19, but I use to get cluster migraines that would last days and weeks causing me to miss school and I spent most of the time inside my house. I couldn’t play with any of the kids often so I spent most of my time when I wasn’t having a migraine reading, but even after a attack it seemed like my mind was clear . I had an unusual clear mind right after my migraines.
I too started with classic migraine and now have atypical/basilar migraine. as for postdrome, it is almost a constant companion for over 2 years. too much movement really sets it off, as well as stabbing pain. a relief to find out it’s part of the package and not something degenerative, even though i’ll argue that migraines are, my memory has gotten worse, as well as my ability to “think out side the box” so to speak. studies show that atypical/basilar migraines are oxygen strokes to the brain, localized points of oxygen deprivation, potentially causing brain damage. i’ve started getting headaches that enter the cluster headache pain levels, they typically last for 6hrs, the neurologist said this crossover/mutation was not unheard of, and ultimately is all the same thing. no meds have ever worked for long, and it’s always a cycle of trying them over and over again. i am now reading treatments of magic mushrooms for preventative care, and LCD for cure potential. there are surgeries that seems viable as well.
I’ve always compared it to wires in my brain being crossed wrong, and it takes a couple days to get a technician in there to rewire everything.
There is this phase of euphoria, a cloudy haze over everything, I can feel my breathing through my entire body, like its in my ears, I can notice every motor skill, I can hear my eyelids go up and down, I can feel individual hairs on my head. It’s quite a surreal experience.
Where the pain once was (usually it starts on the left side of my forehead, covers my eye, and extends to my ear) becomes quite tender, my eyesight is very limited and I can barely hear out of that ear. I cannot eat for a couple of hours, and if I do it’s a hard go.
it usually only last me about 24-36 hours, sleeping is light and minimal. So amazing to have found this blog (a good friend shared it on facebook, thank you!) and to hear other peoples experiences.
I have described so many of the symptoms about which I have just read to so many doctors and they are not aware of all how all these symptoms go together. This blog has been very helpful.
During the postdrome phase I have been helped a lot by reverting back to my days of Transcendental Meditation in the 1970’s. I sit cross legged with my back supported against a wall and my hands resting on my thighs with my palms upward. I sit for at least twenty minutes starting with a little made up mantra in my head or a little prayer (whatever works). Then I let my thoughts drift. I breathe in and out slowly yoga style and the systems of my body all seem to get a little back into sync. Don’t stop before at least twenty minutes go by, and repeat as often as necessary. It’s a good idea to do it every day even when you feel well.
I had classical migraines which stopped as I approached menopause. Now in my 60’s I have Atypical or Basilar Migraines. Caused my heart to stop. Now on pacemaker. Lost speech, use of left arm, confusion, blindness. One arm, one cheek red. Also migraines more like seizures lasting 20 secs, 20 min to 6 hours apart. Very painful. Like blood vessels in arms and chest squeezing. Just had many of them over 24 hours. Now in postdrome. Still know phone number and address. Did not have good conscious recall of basic info for 1.5 weeks last time. Feeling down. Was having them 1x mo, now every 1-2 months. Glad to find this site!
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Wow, that’s scary. I’m glad you’re finding the blog helpful. I’m also glad your migraine frequency has decreased somewhat. Best of luck in your search for a treatment.
Take care,
Kerrie
What a relief to find this place. I have had migraines since my teens but this last one was quite awful. Losing chunks of vision and sparkling half circles of sarkling lights with my head and functions feeling soo weird. Each migraine I have had is different. Is that the same for everyone?
Now having the hangover which I don’t remember being this bad be fore. Scary stuff so good to share. Thanks
I’m in the middle of a migraine hangover today. I feel tired, wiped out, fuzzy and unable to focus, but happy that I am no longer in pain or nauseated! Nothing I took yesterday seemed to help…usually Excedrin does, but I think I waited too long to take it.
A four day migraine ended two days ago.
Am new to migraines and this site has helped – thank you. Worried the light headache I now have will flare up again – but sounds like this is part of the postdrome scenario.
Have just held a party – anxious it would be successful and woke with headache the day before.
Headache just became intolerable with nausea. Somehow I kept going, welcoming guests and trying to be a good hostess. Crazy. Finally, when everything was working, had to excuse myself and go to bed. Did the anxiety cause this?
I’ve suffered with migraine attack since Monday. Finally got migraine under control last night. I’m now back at work on Thursday. All I can say is that I am functioning in a fog… I’m here in body but that’s all… After such a stuggle I feel very, very moody, a little depressed, confused, and drained. Perhaps a bit catatonic!!!
Had a 6 hour long migraine last night complete with chills, vomiting and diarrhea. All day I felt like I was sleeping through the day. The concerta I take didn’t even help. Don’t want to eat, very thirsty, eyes hurt, still have small headaches here and there. Today at a training, there was a flickering light and I couldn’t think of anything other than “this light is going to give me another migraine.” The mere thought of getting migraines makes me depressed, and I find myself hyper-focusing on anything that could be a trigger. I wish I could just sleep it off for 48 hours from the very first glimmer in my eye. Thank God my husband gets it and keeps the kids quiet and occupied during these events.
I am 27 and just had what I think is my first migraine on Friday morning. I woke up with a severe “headache” — although as people above have pointed out, that term does not do it justice… more like “my head is about to explode” — and also had vomiting. Advil and Aspirin (when I finally kept it down) did nothing. At 4 pm, still in blinding pain, I went to the ER and they gave me pain reliever and fluids via IV and told me to make an appointment with a neurologist… they said they had ruled out aneurysm because my neurological signs were fine and I had responded to the analgesic. For the last four days (Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues) I have been really weak, dizzy, nauseous, and have no appetite. It’s frustrating because I feel semi-functional but yet I really can’t function properly. I’m a freelancer so in a way it’s better, since I don’t have to go into work, but it’s also scary, because I can’t really miss all this work from a financial perspective and I have no sick days or vacation days.
I haven’t been officially diagnosed yet but just reading the comments here made me feel better… everything I read elsewhere said that these are supposed to last 2 days but I’m already in day 4 and still in bed. I had never realized that migraines could be so debilitating — before this week I just thought that they were a “bad headache.”
I also am so glad I found this. I am in a migraine hangover right now. I had the worst migraine of my life last night and was almost in the ER, nothing touched it. Today I feel like I have a helium head and cartoon legs. I feel like I am in walking in quick sand. No one understands it. I have been expressionless all day. I just want to sleep for days now, If I sit down I swear I start snoring. thanks for all the replies to this, I know I am not alone. I feel like I had a stroke and am 110 years old in this 43 year old woman’s real body.
Thanks to the many who have posted to this blog and shared their post-migraine experiences. Thank God for the wonderful gift of digital technology (Eg. Internet, blogs etc.) which allows so many to share so much so quickly.
As a few have stated, the echo is a very appropriate analogy for the symptoms experienced after the ground zero of the migraine. I am 55 and this is only my second migraine. My first occurred in July of 2010 and lasted for about 5 days.
I would like to add another metaphor to the mix to describe what I have experienced during the past 5 days. My 9.0 ‘mindquake’ (migraine) occurred on New Year’s Day. Symptoms that led up to the mind quake included a stiff neck and overall feeling of anxiety.
I am now entering the 4th day of aftershocks and symptoms have included: nausea, neck pain, anxiety, a motion sickness-like sensation – especially when moving head too quickly up, down or side to side and an ADD-like inability to focus beyond 10 minutes at a time.
What is different this time around is that I also have tinnitus – that I can only describe as a low vibration-like sound, kind of like the sound of a lightsabre from the Star Wars movies.
As far as treatment goes, an ice compress, some extra strength Ibuprophen and quiet room with soothing music helps. My heart goes out to those of you who must endure the migraines and still care for young children.
The good news: I am gradually feeling a little better each day; though, at times, it’s still one step forward . . . two steps back. I appreciate life and family more and have a much deeper appreciation for those who have suffered with migraines and concussion-like symptoms. Carpe diem!
Came across this web site by accident. I didn’t realize so many were suffering as I do. I have been suffering from migraines for the last 10 yrs or so. I found out a few months a go my sister also suffers from migraines and since we live in different parts of the country, we never really discussed what ailed us . I just finished a 2 dayer and now in what has been termed “the hangover stage”. I am glad I found this site and would like to thank those who have posted before me for educating me. Unless you have experienced a migraine, you just don’t understand how it steals time from your life and how painful it is to experience one.
I am so happy to have found this site. 2 years ago in nursing school i had such severe migranes where I couldnt speak, my brain was talking but jumbled words were coming out! They thought i might of had a mini stroke, but I remember having really horrible migranes where I threw up for weeks beforehand. I never got the hang overs at that time. After I had my baby back in april Ive been getting migranes again. I guess they could be due to stress, I will get an aura where I see squiggly lines, lights are very bright and intense,etc. they cause me to have panic attacks! I had one where I was in a brain fog for 2 weeks then i got better, but now im having migranes so often several times a week, the brain fogs arent going away. I went to a psych thinking I maybe had a tad of postpartum anxiety disorder, but he did not knwo what I was talking about fog related, he just prescribed me zoloft and said It must be depression, but i only get depressed when Im in these fogs! otherwise im happy!!! ive been in brain fogs for several weeks now, but I thought maybe I was going crazy or something, but im so happy to see this! everyday my head is throbbing sometimes with no headache though! so strange! I want to go to the ER but im in fear they wont even do anything, i need to take care of my kids, go back to work, I cant do these things in “the fog” i was going to try 5-htp has anyone used this?
I am so glad I found this site. I had my fist migraine with aura when I was 15 and I am now 33. I go through stages when I have them month after month and then I can have a “gift from God” and go a year without any. I was thankful to not have a migraine for over a year and the other day I had one, I knew it was coming. While at work
I started to have my aura symthoms, but the headache never came, but when I woke up the next morning there it was! I usually go straight to the hospital and get a shot to knock me out, but I braved through it. It is now day 3 of the “so called hangover”. I feel better than yesterday but still feel abnormal. Its taking everything out of me to not have a anxiety attack! The sad thing is my daughter who is 10 is already starting to have them!
Is there any effects in a person who is suffering with the postdrome stage…What will be happened to that person after the postdrome stage.. If there is any effects could please give me reply to my email id..
I can;t believe there are so many souls suffering out there as I do! I have just got over a 3day’er – and woke up this morning actually feeling the pain spreading through my brain as I surfaced from sleep. This has happened after the last few migraines I have had, it is so debilitating after fighting the pain for days, this is the final straw which totally exhausts me. It leaves me with a dull aching head for days. I have been taking Maxalt – but find I now get no relief with it – now the hunt is on to find something that will give some much needed pain relief, so am reading this blog with great interest. Anyone who is not a sufferer cannot undestand how awful the attacks are, and that includes my doctor!
I am so happy that I came across this blog. I hate migraines and it helps to know that I’m not alone. I’ve suffered migraines for over 12 years, and the migraine hangover is awful. The hangover seems to be getting worse as I get older. Lingering/dull pain (less intense than the migraine), intense nausea, feeling completely disoriented, dizzy, confused/lack of comprehension. I recently was going through a migraine hangover, and actually hit the bumper of a parked car. I remember thinking, “I cannot believe I didn’t see that car” and felt so disconnected. It’s crazy!
Already posted one thing but thought I should mention a theory of mine. I dont think the postdrome phase actually feels any worse than being in a painful migraine.
I know, I know, it does feel terrible. I know this very well…But I think it may be the same feeling exactly as during a migraine. But during the migraine, a cloud of WTF PAIN covers all that up. The evaporating pain leaves the longer term symptoms. Like the pain was displacing a huge amount of water in the head-pool. When it got out, the water level sunk, and the minor squiggly head-pool agents now had to struggle their way out.
I dont think ive ever used the phrase “head-pool” before. But I literally mean, as if it was a water filled substance. God I hate postdromes, I sound like a crazy person.
The post-migraine used to be tolerable to me, but then I developed a panic disorder. Though this was never the cause, panic doesnt really care if it makes no sense whatsoever.
A slow pulsing ache in my head, around the temples. a severe sadness or low feeling, as if the darkness were now the way my world would be forever. Confused, annoyed. Want to be happy but cant. Dont want to give into sadness, but have no choice.
I feel tired but dont want to sleep ut dont want to stay up. Im afraid of going to sleep, im afraid of doing anything. Because thats how sick I feel. Everything is wrong. Everything is broken. Nothing changes. Feelings of isolation.
Even though this state fades in and out over a couple days after hte migraine, every time it feels like the end of happiness. Feel attacked from all angles.
And a constant, drilling, agonizing terror of my own mortality. I want to scream, or cry, but theres no point.
And then it randomly stops and im back to normal. sometimes it needs sleep, sometimes it just winks off like it was never there to begin with.
So glad to come across this blog while looking for information on my post-migraine feelings.
I had a bad attack at the weekend, due to tiredness, and a long drive home. The pain was so bad I wanted to tear my eyeballs out, or just remove my head! Anything to get relief from it.Everyone on hear will understand.
Since then, and generally for 3-4 days after an attack, I feel totally wiped out. I’ve read the posts above and agree with everyone regarding this ‘hangover’ phase. It’s better than the pain of a migraine, obviously, but is a part of the whole unpleasant experience, and now I can recognise it as such, and know I’m not the only one.
Oh, and for me, the guilt can be quite unbearable. I should be doing this, I could be doing that, when I can’t do ANYTHING for days because I’m either in agony, or so tired, lethargic, battered and bruised, it’s all I can do to stay awake for the day. Again, judging by the posts above, I’m not the only one.
@Erin – yes that’s normal for most migraine sufferers. Don’t worry, it will pass. You just need plenty to drink plenty of water and rest. If you are vomiting at all you may some need gastrolyte. The duration of migraines vary… sometimes only 2-3 days, and other times they can go on for a week or more.
I am 19 and I just figured out what that I have migraines. I was at home and started seeing zigzaggy colorful lines in the corner of my vision and thought i was either dieing or having a seizure. This has been my first day of the “hangover migraine” portion. Does anyone else continue to have nausea for a few days afterward? It is not enough to make me want to throw up but I am very gasasy and burp a lot and have an upset stomach. I was wondering if the nausea was normal? its only been one day so far but im scared dealing with this new disorder….
Well this has been very interesting reading and apparently my headaches aren’t nearly as bad as they could be! Yesterday I had what I could only describe as a migraine hangover. I’m glad to know that I’m not going crazy…because that’s a little how I felt yesterday. All of the grogginess and fuzziness and jelly legs made me feel like I was trying to have a panic attack (I’ve been on Paxil for 7 months) but I knew that wasn’t what it was.
Now if I could only figure out how to not have exertion headaches after Zumba. That was the cause of the headache before the hangover yesterday.
I am currently coming out of a 3 day migraine, today being the 4th hungover day. This was a miserable one, with nausea so bad I have been living on chamomile tea and vanilla pudding. I spent 3 days in my bed, not able to move, not really able to sleep but at least it was quite and dark. Today, the worst of the pain and the nausea are gone but they are still there a little bit. My arms and legs are sore, like I worked out too hard. I have been sitting here for 3 hours trying to make a grocery list and crying because I just can’t do it. I just feel so fuzzy, I can’t concentrate. I feel awful because during this time my husband has had a pretty bad head cold but he has had to take care of me. The guilt of not doing the things I should be sucks. Sometimes I really do feel like I must be dying or I am alone, so reading that other people feel the way I do helps.
PLEASE ANYONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED THIS OR KNOWS SOMEONE WHO HAS, LET ME KNOW. *You can email me personally @ ashnicbla19@gmail.com*
Does anyone else have “autonomic dysfunction” related to migraine? I have not been able to find any posts on sites I’ve visited that talk about this. I have episodes for weeks where my temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory function, etc. (all vital bodily functions) fluctuate drastically throughout the day.
I might have a fever close to 100, heart rate of 140, blood pressure of 140/95 & troube breathing, be checked ten to twenty minutes later with results of temperature of 97.6, heart rate of 90 (my hear rate is always slightly high), blood pressure of 110/65, and perfectly normal respiratory function. In case you need to know, I am 29, 4’10”, and weigh 125.
I was just diagnosed with having complex migraines. They have been occuring monthly, mimic a stroke, and vary in severity. They can throw my life out of control for weeks at a time. After ruling out all life threatening, fatal possibilities, it has been concluded that I am having complex migraines, a rare, often genetic type.
The doctor said that my system is very sensitive & that the complex migraine causes such a shock to my brain that it gets confused and loses control of my autonomic system (part of nervous system that controls involuntary function). This causes it to misfire & send mixed electrical signals to my body which trigger the drastic fluctuations in vitals.
This has been very scary for me. I find some comfort in his reassurance that it is not life threatening & that my brain will continue to fully recover, but it seems strange that I cannot find any documentation on this type of reaction to a migraine. I understand that it is considered rare, but I was hoping to find at least one other person who has this reaction. I also have the same symptoms others have described as the “the migraine hangover”.
PLEASE ANYONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED THIS OR KNOWS SOMEONE WHO HAS, LET ME KNOW. *You can email me personally @ ashnicbla19@gmail.com*
@Robbie – the last one I had lasted 8 days. I’ll share a funny story (if you call it that). I was at a fireworks show and I had gone there quite prepared with everything for myself and 40 others to be fed and watered for the afternoon/night. The one thing I didn’t have was painkillers. I arrived 2pm and found a spot for everyone with a good view. I already had a headache when I arrived there… by 6pm I was getting desperate for a painkiller and my friend who is a nurse showed up and I for a brief moment I felt relief thinking she may have a painkiller… no she didn’t either. I wound up at the ambulance post asking for a painkiller. Well it wasn’t that simple was it! They told me my pupils were not responding to their pen light and my pulse was way too weak. I was ordered to lay down in their tent after they gave me a panadol. The fireworks started and my head was thumping and I felt sick… that panadol wasn’t doing anything. They asked if I wanted an ambulance? I said ‘no’ afterall it was just a headache. I was asked an hour later again… this time I was strongly advised to get in the ambulance… I wound up in the middle of an emergency floor surrounded by drunks (people were drinking too much at the show) with no call button for the nurse. I couldn’t get my mouth to open as noone had thought to give me any water to drink and I just laid there with my arm over my eyes and a drip in my arm. At 2am another nurse found me and moved me to a darker corner for the night. Well that was embarrassing! I had that migraine for 5 days… felt aweful… but being taken in an ambulance for a migraine was definitely not what I had planned. I missed the fireworks after all that. My friends wondered where on earth I went to (only a few of them knew what had happened). So don’t go anywhere without painkillers… I’ve learnt my lesson!
I’m so glad to read all of your posts. I’m in the middle of a migraine hangover right now and feel so guilty about not being able to function. I’ve always described it as my head being fuzzy, I can’t concentrate or make decisions. It’s almost as if I’m a little drunk and my family has to take care of me. My neck hurts so much and feels so weak, I keep expecting my head to fall off. My eyes really hurt, they feel “tight” and like they might burst. (Yuk.) My arms feel like wet noodles. The worst thing is that I feel like I should be jumping in and doing all my Mommy/Wifey jobs, but it’s extremely painful, feels like my migraine will come back and I really just want to curl up in a ball and cry! Then I get mad at myself for feeling sorry for myself.
I’m starting to figure these Migraines out. I’m 32, have had maybe, 4 or 5 in my adult life. First one, I thought was a stroke. Couldn’t see, felt numbness and blindness. Went to hospital and they found no stroke. Just a spot in my brain- too little to be concerned with they said. So, since then, every other time it has happened, out of no where, I will have partial blindness. Sometimes its flashing lights in the corner of my eye, but can’t see computer screen or phone screen yet I “feel” fine. Give it about 30 minutes and the headache comes on like a ton of bricks. You take Excedrin thinking that will help. It only gets worse. Then you can’t speak well and you’ll do anything to lay down in dark room with cold stuff on your head. My boyfriend is in minor shock because I am fine one minute, next I am begging to not move or talk. Even laying in the dark with ice doesn’t help, I just almost concentrated on making myself sleep, yet I wasn’t sleepy 35 minutes ago. The pounding and the pain is Nothing like a headache- you can almost feel your head swelling. I get very nauseated but refuse to move because you know it will hurt worse if you throw up. Out of my 4 or 5, I am lucky that I know they will go away after about 5 – 9 hours. I will wake feeling the “hangover” and don’t feel like working out or doing much, but grateful I don’t feel the intense pain anymore. Defiantly still a lingering head ache though. I have read that Niacin might help, so perhaps work that into your daily vitamin intake. But I am still on the search for how to make it stop once you know its coming. This one yesterday caught me off guard cuz its been a while, but before, I get that flashing blindness and I know I must get it handled ASAP. NOT fun.
I didn’t have my first migraine until I was in my mid 20’s. I called my Dr, and went to his office. He said I was having a migraine, and treated me with the Imitrex nasal spray. I ended up having an allergic reaction to the medicine! I was hospitalized for a day, sicker than a dog! I had a migraine for a whole week afterward. I couldn’t even lift my head off the pillow, yuck! I now get maybe 2 or 3 a year, it varies. I can usually tell by the onset including loss of perephial vision. I, however am in the “hangover” stage of the worst one I have had since my first one! I did not get any signs it was coming? Weird? It lasted for 2 days, and I had no relief, as I cannot take any migraine meds, due to the reation before, and Motrin just wasnt working this time. In the past, they have linked mine to dehydration, hormones(menstrual), neck and back issues, and oddly from my ephidural many years ago?? I am glad to be pain free as far as the headache, but today I feel soooo tired, lower back pain, pain in my right arm, and little tinges of pain throughout my head. I am disoriented, my eyes are sore if I look up or to the side. They actually looked blackened on the inside by my nose! I am just drained, no one understands, I feel as if they think I am being overly dramatic! (my family) It is a scary feeling isn’t it? Hurts so bad, you really do think you might not wake up, that your head is going to explode! I don’t get them often, but when i do, I am out of commission for at least 4 days! we sure don’t do this on purpose do we? Who in the heck would want to feel this way? Sighhh..hang in there i guess! Take care!
I just came off a five day migraine with the last day being the point where I felt like my head would explode. Today I can’t get over the feeling of nausea. I’m exhausted but can’t sleep and my head doesn’t feel like it belongs on my body. I’m living on peppermint gum, crackers and water. Its nice to know I’m not losing my mind and that there are others going through the same type of migraine hangover. Whew!
I feel foggy and stuffed up within portions of my head, kind of like a congested feeling. My memory is poor and I cannot seem to follow a thought which makes it very difficult to do my job as a software engineer.
I am so glad I found this site. I suffered my 1st migraine 8 days ago but still feel like I am totally exhausted and unable to do anything. My eyesite still seems a little blurry every now and then but nothing like the visual auras I suffered for the first 2 days. Does anyone know how long is too long to suffer with this before I go to see my local Hospital ? My doctor told me 2 days ago to just ride it out but I can’t seem to find any energy to do anything. Help
PRODROME: severe depression, craving for sweets, irritability, freezing cold hands and feet, numbness and “squeezing” feeling in arm on same side as headache, eye twitching on same side as headache, my whole body will feel like I’m burning up from the inside out/sweating.
AURA: Flashing light at center of vision, then flashes around the periphery of vision (like a pie-shaped piece lights up all around the edge of the eye), strange lace-like pattern in vision, dizziness
HEADACHE PHASE: Nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, pulsating/pounding pain in left back of head, left jaw, left temple, over left eye, and left sinus area, left-sided sinus congestion and runny nose on right side, sensitivity to light, sens. to sound (sounds become distorted and unbearably loud), sensitivity to odors, severe abdominal pain, ringing in ears shaking/twitching/jerking/tremors
POSTDROME: Severe fatigue (can sleep 12+ hours) and don’t feel safe to drive my car, slight headache and off-and-on nausea. The strangest part is that everything seems to be brighter and in such vivid detail. The only way I can describe it is like things being in “Technicolor,” like in The Wizard of Oz when everything suddenly becomes in color. I get incredibly artistically creative in this phase, though I have great difficulty concentrating enough to get anything done. I feel like I’m floating and watching myself from a distance. It’s all so strange.
PRODROME: severe depression, craving for sweets, irritability, freezing cold hands and feet, numbness and “squeezing” feeling in arm on same side as headache, eye twitching on same side as headache, my whole body will feel like I’m burning up from the inside out/sweating.
AURA: Flashing light at center of vision, then flashes around the periphery of vision (like a pie-shaped piece lights up all around the edge of the eye), strange lace-like pattern in vision, dizziness
HEADACHE PHASE: Nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, pulsating/pounding pain in left back of head, left jaw, left temple, over left eye, and left sinus area, left-sided sinus congestion and runny nose on right side, sensitivity to light, sens. to sound (sounds become distorted and unbearably loud), sensitivity to odors, severe abdominal pain, ringing in ears shaking/twitching/jerking/tremors
POSTDROME: Severe fatigue (can sleep 12+ hours) and don’t feel safe to drive my car, slight headache and off-and-on nausea. The strangest part is that everything seems to be brighter and in such vivid detail. The only way I can describe it is like things being in “Technicolor,” like in The Wizard of Oz when everything suddenly becomes in color. I get incredibly artistically creative in this phase, though I have great difficulty concentrating enough to get anything done. I feel like I’m floating and watching myself from a distance.
I’m so pleased to have found this site. My son has suffered migraines for about ten years (since he was 12) and we know the routine – blinding headache followed by hours of sickness and sleep. However, he came to me tonight after suffering a severe migraine two days ago saying he felt as if he was in a dream, senses very cloudy and although he had gone to work (he is being monitored for absence because of his time off due to migraine attacks) he couldn’t function properly. Jobs that would normally take half an hour took three hours to complete. I was very concerned on listening to him and was about to make him an appointment with the doctor, but I’m pleased that it seems to be normal to suffer this ‘hangover’ thing. His latest migraine seems to have been brought on by lack of sleep and a late-night, long session on computer games with friends! I’m comforted that it’s quite common to have the after-effect feelings he is having. It helps to know he’s not alone, but I do sympathise with all of you who suffer. Take care everyone.
Hi Folks,
Well we all don’t sound like we’re having a good time do we! I’m 51 now and have had migraines on and off since I was in my early 20’s. Maxalt Melts work well for avoiding the worst of the pain, but the post-migraine fog that everyone is describing seems to be getting worse for me. All of the prophylactic drugs designed to stop the attacks make me feel like someone else or totally knackered – or both.
I run my own technical imaging company so there’s always deadlines to worry about even when laying in the blessed darkened room that we all seem to shuffle off to. Lately I seem to have had endless headaches and migraine attacks,; a pattern which curiously seem to have been suffered by other migraine sufferers I know. I feel like a puppet when I walk now – slightly dis-associated achy arms and legs – and my head is really swimming. Yawning and sleepy, I constantly want to go and have a lie down. The curious thing about the fuzzy head thing is that when the ‘phone goes – or when clients come in – I can often be quite lucid. Then I can drop straight back into a complete stupor again once I’m on my own again. Not nice. Keep smiling.
I actually likda like what I call the post-migraine buzz. Don’t know if it’s the absence of excruciating pain but for me it’s a nice relaxing feeling. Foggy and groggy, but peaceful. And for some reason, it allows me unusual focus and clarity.
Glad to find this blog. I feel so isolated with a migraine once again..get these about 7 days a month..it was double this, I think I am learning to manage my thoughts when stress comes in. I have not mastered this at all — I had some pre warning signs of heightened smells the day before, good or bad just everything seemed strong..sounds were louder, and I missed a full dinner meal..and wonder if this was a trigger, on top of that I did not sleep well for two days, and this might have triggered this. Completely wiped out..taken Amerge 2 X today as nothing was helping me – took ibuprofin as I think it helps, took excedrin migraine earlier in day, and took vicodin at a few intervals…put ice packs on my head…and still could not escape the pain. Finally tonight right now…I am having a slight break…but still feel it in my head on the left side, and somehow am noticing a nerve from my mouth, nose and side of my head. I wonder if something else triggers these same nerves. Glad to know I am not alone in my suffering as I don’t know anyone who get’s migraines as intense or as often as I do – it really affects ALL PARTS of my life…Thanks for providing this space for all of us. Yes I do have the migraine hangover which is me in slow mo for a few days, dragging my feet and resisting doing too much. Wish I had a cure for all of us…it’s a hard cycle of pain, and I get so tired of the battle of the migraine attack. I’m so frustrated.
Woke up to a migraine at 2:30am. Took several hours before pain subsided enough to sleep. Currently at work and in a fog. Glad to see others suffer from residual pain that intesifies when coughing, sneezing or bending over. Thought my head would explode when feeding the dogs this morning. Arggh! But you know, if so many people suffer from these things, why can’t they figure out how to cure them? I am so glad I only get one every few years.
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So many people — and medicine in general — have dismissed migraine as “just headaches” for so long that there’s been little research on them. This has been changing over the last few years, but is progress is painfully slow (no pun intended!). I’m glad you don’t get them very often!
Take care,
Kerrie
I’m so glad I found this blog. I just had an intense migrain that only lasted about 40 minutes yesterday afternoon. I really terrified that I would pass out from the pain. This has happened over the past 8 years. I never feel the same afterward. I slept for after leaving work, and I now feel like I’m from another planet. I can’t think straight, and I’m feel wiped out. I had in the past tried to express this feeling to my then doctor, but she looked at me like I was crazy! In the past it has sometimes taken me about a few days to a few weeks to feel “normal”. I’m glad that I’m not crazy. I worry that I can’t function at my normal level and that it could become a permanent fog.
Oh yes. Also one of my eyes will start twitching about a week before I have the migraine and its always been the eye on the side that is affected.
After my migraines I feel fatigued but not tired. Like if I lay down I will be comfy but can’t sleep. I also get a very dull taste in my mouth and can’t do anything too mentally challenging. Also I may ache and my vision focuses in and our quite often.
My migraine hangovers often feel worse than the migraines themselves (which are relatively mild – I take syndol and sleep). During the hangover I feel heavy and lethargic and I struggle to manage things like counting out money in a shop. My head is fuzzy and I feel like a giant pair of hands is pressing on my forehead and sinuses. I also crave sweet things, which is unusual for me.
I’ve had migraines on & off for since my early 20’s and I know the cause… can’t be helped. I just had one that lasted 5 days, this is the 6th day and I’m in the hangover phase where I’m nauseated and groggy. I put up with migraines mostly and don’t tend to take time off work very often. Yesterday I couldn’t take it anymore and went to doc… I have diabetes and undiagnosed stomach problem so have to be careful what painkillers I take. I didn’t take painkiller so I could drive yesterday to doc and boy was I sorry… cried on my doc as pain was so intense… thought I was going to vomit on him too. Also I noticed this time I had more hypos… it was hard to tell if it was my head, but it was my sugar levels dropping. Very unpredictable. Hypos I think made my migraine worse… it drains my brain of energy and I’m already struggling with the migraine. Possibly this is why I was so bad yesterday… too much going on. Both my eyes have been twitching for months… so fatigued too. I just praying I get out of this phase quick now as feeling really yuck.
Has anyone experienced mild tingling weeks AFTER their migraine? I get migraines with auras, and have since I was 6 yes old. Recently, the tingling / numbness has started to reoccurr days after the headache. Anyone experienced this?
I am 40 years old and I started to get migraines when I was in my teens. I was not really sure what they were at first, but they were certainly scary. I always know when they are about to occur. My vision becomes spotty, my peripheral vision on one side is normally lost, tingling sensation in my mouth, numbness in my fingers, difficulty speaking, and on occasion I am unable to recall or associate a name with a face or object to include my wife. I recognize them, but I cannot associate the name. Very disconcerting. In reference to the hangover, I am generally tired but relieved to be out of the “pain” stage, although I still experience pain. Generally, the “hangover” will last one or two days after the initial headache occurs. I usually have a sense of euphoria the day following the headache, but if I sneeze, cough, or bend over to pick something up it feels as though somebody cracked me in the temple with a bat. I have started taking Maxalt and it appears to be effective in reducing the time of the initial symptoms for which I am thankful, but the “hangover” still exists.
To Penny — I also get the visual effects before a migraine. Very bright, vivid flashes of white/blue spots. It seems as I get older, these visuals are turning into the spots and going into a tunnel effect.
I suffered from migraines beginning in my 20’s and they totally disappeared when I had a hysterectomy when I was 40. They reappeared in my late 50’s. I have tried to describe them to my husband as “my head exploding” when I am in the throws of the headache. Actually, the term “headache” does not do this justice – to me it is a “head explosion.” I was really surprised and relieved to read that others have the “after-effects” that I have tried to describe to my husband. I describe it as “my head IMPLODING” because that is what it feels like. It feels like my head is in a vice grip – being squeezed – THAT is my after affects. I can feel the headache – like it is at a distance – an after thought. And the back of my neck and back of my head (my scalp) feel sore to the touch. I feel dizzy, my thoughts are fuzzy, my vision is cloudy – like I cannot focus my eyes at all. I just want to sleep – but usually just lay there with my eyes closed. During the headache I think I would try ANYTHING to get rid of it. Mostly I just go to bed and sleep – that helps more than most things for me.
Hi all, yesterday had the mother of all migraines. Told my husband that if I did not wake up in the morning when they were doing the autopsy just check for brian haemorrhage – it was that bad. Have been suffering these attacks for about 10 years. Imigrain does the job if taken immediately when symptoms appear. The migraine just came out of nowhere – but I think it was from watching too much tv. Anyway today feel totally drained, tired, nauseous and just want to sleep. Its good to know that I am not imagining these symptoms. When the doc askes me now how I feel after an attack I will be able to tell her exactly! Best wishes to all sufferers.
Everyones information is really helpful. I have suffered with the odd Migraine for 15 years, maybe one or two a year, but this year I have had 4 really big ones. Starting with bright blue and silver flashing lights for about 15-30min and then I have had it for at least 4-8hrs. I tend to get really paranoid as I had a rather bad head accident when I was child, but this doesnt kick in till the day after!! not been able to focus on objects, like all the colours I see are fighting to make a picture, sometimes when I look at things it is like they are out of a cartoon with every shadow shinning, and then I have to quickly look away, and not forgetting the thump I get if I move my head quickly, does anyone else have any problems with colour and the way things look?
I am currently in the migraine hangover phase after suffering a week of cluster migraines. I normally suffer a migraine for a day and then may feel groggy for a day or two, but this has been and continues to be the worst. Doctor concerned I may have sufferred a stroke and just come home from hospital after two days of tests. Interesting that some abnormities were found from MRI scan that consultant said was common in migraine suffers! I also have low blood pressure and wonder if this is also common as could explain some of the hangover symptoms? Have read that for some people taking feverfew, magnesium and B2 supplements every day can reduce or even stop attacks. I plan to give it ago. Currently just giving in to the fact that I feel like hell and am not safe to drive, but like everyone else I feel depressed that I cant just get on with my life. I hope they find a cure soon, currently take Maxalt once attack starts. Wishing you all good health.
I had my first migraine at 17-didn’t know what was happening because all of the sudden my periperal vision was gone from one eye. My math teacher asked if I had “taken anything” that day-nice. Figured out later it was aura. I always get aura-starts with a missing spot in vision, progresses to a jagged lightening bolt thing that cuts across my vision, I get tingling and numbness in my hand and arm and sometime in my mouth. Yesterday I had this weird feeling where it was like my arm wasn’t mine-I could control it but when I watched it moving it was like watching someone else’s arm-crazy and scary. Anyway, I am now 31 and have 1 to 2 migraines per month-usually one near menstration starting. I also get a bad muscle ache in my shoulder blade and upto my neck before I have one-anyone else? I take Maxalt, but I don’t really know that it helps-it seems hit and miss. Today I just feel like jello. My body is limp-I am uber crabby and my lower back, neck and left leg muscles are sore. Plus, I have the residual heachache-I usually describe as a charlie horse in my brain-you have the HORRIBLE pain of the initial migraine and the icky achy pain afterward. I wish there was something to be done-I feel pretty worthless the day of the migraine and for days later, but I have no choice but to keep going. I am a stay at home mom of a 4 year old and a 1 year old and my husband has no sympathy because he never even has a regualr headache and he thinks I am just being dramatic. Migrains are just awful-hope I didn’t pass them on to my children.
I am going through the migraine hangover right now and this is defiantly the worst so far, usually I get the head ache go home sleep and wake up tired but usually ok to go on, I get the Aura’s usually 20 mins before the headache comes, this time I got the Aura’s with tingling dizziness and the feeling like i was going to fall over, when the headache hit I got sick 3 times and slept on and off for the entire day, My migraine came on my walk to work. Today is the day after and I too feel as though i got beat up, my head is pounding in the on spot so bad its still making me feel like I’m going to get sick and my back is in terrible pain now too?, the only relief I have found is when I take a shower, the heat of the water hitting my head seems to take away all pain for the time I’m in the shower however when I get out of the shower it seems to come back in full and somewhat more painful. The few minutes of relief though does seem to make it worth it. I too would like to know what I can do to try and stop these or lessen the frequency.
I do not know if I am in the right place or not. I was struck on the head about 30 years ago and my life has not been the same ever since. It took many years for me to regain an analogous representation of my past life to the point that no one would, for the most part, be suspect of any mental and/or physical disablity upon my everyday performance. It has been recently brought to my attention that my memory lapses during a MAJOR migraine is not a good thing. I need to know if this is common to post concussional migraine people. Please help me, I am starting to doubt myself.
I used to get really bad aura migraines in high school and throughout my first years of college. I started my menstrual cycle quite late (age 16) and attributed these debilitating headaches to hormonal changes. I am now 29 and have not had a migraine for years. Then, last Tuesday happened, and I was reminded of how truly scary migraines can be.
I am in day two of Postdrome symptoms. I am glad to have come across this blog because I have had a lingering headache, fatigue, that “beat up feeling” and what I like to call the “stupids” (which is just all in all being ditzy).
I can’t help but feel anxious as I thought this phase of my life was behind me. I feel really angry and scared that I will be victim to frequent bouts of migraines like I used to be.
I am glad that there is a community of people out here in the blogosphere that can relate to how I am feeling. I’m not alone and that makes me feel better.
Has anyone done any extensive research on cures? There has got to be some brilliant Doctor out there that has been through a migraine and postdrome and is fixing this for all of us.
I want to feel like me again…I am trying to be positive.
Sending good health vibes to you all.
OMG, I am so pleased to have found this site. You have all made me feel normal for the first time in over 4 years. I had a few aura migraines in my 30s with a slight headache that always disappeared the next day. Then 4 years ago I was dizzy, badly dizzy. During the attack I was exhausted and didn’t like bright light. I had had dizzispells when I was 9 and then throughout my adult life, a couple of times each decade but only lasting up to 2 weeks and then they would go away. When the attacks started 4 years ago, they thought I had menieres disease and it was only last summer my ENT surgeon said he thought that I had migraines, possibly a baslar migraine. I am now on pizotifen. Which has helped alot. I get the attacks at the end of the first and 2nd weeks of my menstral cycle. Sometimes I am able to carry on a life to a point, other times like last weekend, I am useless. It is so comforting to hear you all talk of ‘feeling like your brain is bruised’, ‘wiped out’ ‘foggy headed’, ‘flu like symptoms’ slow reactions’ – my mother is very ill with altzheimers and there are times after attacks and before attacks were I feel like I just can’t remember anything and I thought maybe I was getting altzheimers but I now am sure I am not, its the migraine hangover and the migraine itself. This site is such a relief. I wish I could meet you all and have a big huug from people who understand. My migraine hangover has put my marriage under such strain, I get anxious, irritable, can’t cope with my own thoughts, let alone my husband talking loudly and I am short tempered and exhausted. He has just read this and we cried together with relief. I am not going mad, just suffering from migraines and migraine hangovers. I can’t thank you enough for putting this site up.
I am told that in my case hormonal fluctuations, stress, hayfever are triggers and I fear that sadly chocolate might also be a no no for me.
Thanks so much for this – makes me feel so much better – plus excuse my ditzyness, had migraine from hell at the weekend and am still hungover! 🙂
I call that post migraine drome period, the Vapor interval. Ok, let’s see if i can explain that. If a normal thought occurs for instance like writing on a blackboard in vibrant white on black, when i am post migraine my thoughts occur almost in wisps of smoke that dissipate quickly. The same way it’s hard to recall a dream, I have trouble recalling the thought I just had, because it vaporized.
I get severe fatigue and intense mental fogginess that can go on for more 10 days after only experiencing a visual migraine and not the full-on headache. I get the usual visual problems in my left eye that lasts for about 20 to 45 minutes and looks sort of like looking down from above on a roulette wheel that has multi-colored reflective glass where the slots would be, jiggling and spinning slowly. I feel normal after the episode, then I become spacey, disconnected, and feel like I’m not all there after a few hours. After I wake the next day the symptoms are even worse and continue to get even worse and more pronounced over a 3 day period until I feel like I have this really horrible alcohol hangover without the intense headache. I feel like I have mild brain damage, or like I’m drugged by some kind of hallucinatory chemical. I also sometimes feel weak in the legs at times, my eyes often get very red and sore, and I feel pretty tired too. The symptoms while not as severe as a bad migraine are sometimes fairly scary because I feel like maybe my brain is damaged and I will never feel normal again. Once it starts clearing up it takes several days before I feel normal again, and it sometimes feels like I have a flu without the fever or vomiting. Very spacey, wiped out, mentally very foggy. I would rather have a migraine for a day and 2 day hangover than this. At least it wouldn’t go on for 10 days, or even longer.
I started having migraine with aura 3 years ago, but thankfully I have no pain. I get about 1 a month. I started experiencing postdromal symptoms this january, and the symptoms lasted about 2 weeks. I felt completely depersonalized. The best way I can explain it is that I constantly felt like when you’re awakened in the middle of the night, and you have a hard time putting your thoughts together. I felt completely emotioneless. I even forgot that I had a cat!!! I love our cat, but for some reason, i just suddenly lost my normal habits of greeting my wife when I got home, and petting the cat. Its like I forgot who I was completely. Extremely stressful, like your losing your mind. Anyways, i just got a migraine with aura today, triggered by non stop irritating construction noise (hydraulic hammer), and 6 hours later, Im starting to get that depersonalization feeling. I hope it doesnt last. I remember taking an ativan pill 2 weeks into this phase last january, and the day after I felt better. I’ll see how things go tomorrow morning, I’ll try to sleep it off. Oh and I was sleeping 12 hours a day, and could have slept even more. I never get more than 7 hours a night usually. Anyways.. Postdrome migraine sucks. I want to feel like myself again. I feel like a freaking zombie who has no feelings or personnality, spaced out in a crazy jetlagged time vortex.
“I would be awesome if we could make some kind of poll. List everything: duration/meds/diet/symptoms/how it affects relationships & employment/when they started/etc., etc…
Also, I was wondering how many of you had childhood migraines that manifested themselves as stomach aches. I was one of those. My parents used to tell me ‘it was all in my head’ or nervous stomach (HaHa!); little did they know it really had something to do with my ‘head’.”
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I had stomach issues as a child too. It usually presented after I ate, but not always. I wasn’t a nervous child but was prone to worry and anxiety at times. I was an “over-worrier”. 🙂 As an adult, the stomach issues have changed. I was diagnosed with IBS years ago but the IBS like symptoms occur fairly infrequently now and when they do I just have to deal with them as they come. I believe the IBS has been controlled by my low dose of anti-anxiety medicine (just my own theory).
I began having panic attacks when I was 19. They lasted for about 5 years and then I decided to seek treatment, which helped greatly. Now I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I take Lamictal and Klonopin.
On to migraines…I have classic migraine with aura, and sometimes clusters (a week or so with 2-3 per day, each with full aura). The clusters are pretty rare thankfully. I am 35 and had my first migraine at 17. I have been on several triptans which have worked and then stopped working. I am now taking Maxalt as needed. I had my most recent migraine 2 days ago and took a Maxalt during the aura phase. It prevented the migraine pain but gave me the tightness in my throat, fatigue, general malaise. The “hangover” has been pretty bad since. I cannot even muster the strength to shower. I have been in bed, sleeping off and on for almost 48 hours now. I have lower back pain. I have had the opposite effect that most of you describe with regards to loss of appetite – I have been starving. I am so hungry, constantly. Very odd. Anyway, if any of you remember the movie “When A Man Loves A Woman” – the line where Andy Garcia says to Meg Ryan – “I think we have all we can handle with our little cup and little spoon” or something like that…that pretty much sums up my postdrome phase. I’m ready to feel normal again. I hate migraines. I hate that so many of us suffer.
“duration/meds/diet/symptoms/how it affects relationships & employment/when they started/etc., etc…”
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duration – 18 years
meds – Maxalt as needed, ibuprofen to help with the throat tightness
diet – nothing special
symptoms – aura begins with small dot or small jagged line, jagged line gets longer and wider and I cannot see, then migraine pain sets in unless I have taken medicine. without medicince, or if the medicine does not work: horrifying, stabbing, pulsating pain in my eye and side of head, sensitivity to sound, light, smell, slurred speech, sometimes numb/tingling in face/lips for about 3 hours.
relationships/employment – i currently do not work and am an online student. thankful for the flexibility if/when anything happens. the cluster episodes put a strain on my marriage. not sure why. maybe b/c my husband cannot fix it.
(i will add triggers) – stress, strong floral smells, hormonal changes, possibly weather changes – not sure. almost seems like a perfect storm situation; if i’m pre-menstrual, and stressed, i will likely get a migraine. if i’m stressed, and smell a strong perfume, i will likely get a migraine. etc.
Thank you for posting your comments! I have been suffering from migraines a long time with irregularity but they have become more frequent in the last several years after entering my 40’s. The intensity and duration has also increased significantly.
Only today, I learned the term “migraine hangover” from my son’s teacher. I told her of my 5 day migraine and she told me she has the same feelings after of not feeling quite right. She told me of the term migraine hangover and not even having read anything about it, it made complete sense and said that’s exactly how I feel! I feel like my head is bruised, I’m exhausted beyond belief, and there is still an echoing head pain although I can’t say it’s really a headache anymore. I can relate to so many of these posts and it felt reassuring that I wasn’t going crazy nor alone dealing with these weird symptoms.
Thank you for sharing!!!
I am currently in the postdrome phase and your description of light-headedness is spot on! I feel light headed (brain) but my head (physically) feels heavy. I feel extremely tired and my head is painful. The headache (I assume was a migraine) lasted 2 days (the only time it has extended for more than a few hours).
I have had migraines for the 20 years but yesterday was the first time it actually made me vomit. I always felt like I would but stillness and darkness always helped. Today I have the hangover, but never really understood it until I found this site. Thank you all for posting your experiences. It has helped me understand these feelings and why I feel so drained.
I had my worse migraine yet that lasted 2 days. I was in urgent care for 6 hours. I am so frustrated that they do not do more then pump you with pain releiver. I am now in my 2nd day of the “hangover”. I feel like I have been in a fight, dizzy, not able to drive yet or cook for my family. I am depressed and feel guilty for missing work for the migraine. It’s nice to know that through this I am not alone.
After having my first migraine two years ago, I finally came out of the bedroom after 10 plus hrs of pucking in a dark room, my husband asked how I felt? I responded….” I feel like I just gave birth to my brain.” Wow, he said, I never had anyone describe it that way.
Yes I have this anxiety at times in the postdrome period. I am Never an anxious person usually but the fear of not being able to function would cause anxiety for anyone. Even when you know what is causing it, it is scary. I find myself foggy, working on about 60 percent brain capacity, unbalanced and depressed. Totally out of character. Today I decided I will no longer drive when I am like this as I nearly didnt see a car right in front of me and almost had a bad accident.
I too have had the postdrome period on and off for 3 years now. I have had migraines with aura since the age of 10 (26 years). I used to get the postdrome part of the migraine for only a day or so but since having my last child the postdrome has hung around. It does for a week or so at a time and then comes back. I have had two MRI’s and seen numerous specialists as I didn’t acknowledge that it was a migraine hangover since it lasted so long. I had a massive Migraine on the weekend and now it is back. Does anyone have any hints to get out of this postdrome period. It is simply dehabilitating and no-one understands.
well….had to go to the dr for the after effects of the migraine. Major anxiety attack shot my pulse up to 101 and blood presure went sky high.
Dont have hardly any motor coordination (have to concentrate hard to do things). Not to mention all the other problems that come with anxiety alone.
Was in the emergency clinic for over 2hrs of monitoring to be sure was not a heart attack or such. Told dr that I am overly sensitive to ANY type of stimulation …etc, light, sound, touch, temp.
Am wondering if others have this lvl of extreme sensitivity after the migraine goes??
Dr. gave me some ativan and am hoping it works.
Bye for now.
I have suffered from migraines since around age 10…and am now almost 45….just got over the pain stage of one that has had me disabled for the past 3 days….never knew that what I experienced after the pain goes was common….Thank you all for sharing…makes me feel more normal.. Wishing you all quick recoverys (since we cant abolish migraines)..
Will update the blog as I can so we can all see happens. I just cannot do so now…still have to try to take care of my kids and husband (I have a total of 9 kids…only 4 at home now)
Hello, I experienced my first 3 day migraine in Dec 2010. I was a nervous wreck about this headache that would not go away with the regular pain medication like paracetamol. After 3 days the hangover feeling was pretty scary because it felt like there was a background lingering headache somewhere in my head. The doc prescribed Rizat for me which I took for another migraine that I had in January…I hate Rizat. It took the pain away BUT the after effects were terrible! Nausea, cranial pressure, panic attacks,fear…just horrible. I just had a minor migraine three days ago and I had to bear it out with Syndol which doesnt really work because I was too afraid to take the Rizat again. Reading this forum really helps to know that I am not alone…
Wow. Reading all the previous posts really does help-I’m not alone or crazy! My migraines typically last 3-5 days. The postdrome phase I feel particularly depressed partly because I’ve been in pain for several days and my life has been on hold, but also because the lethargy, the fatigue is genuinely the most difficult part for me to work through. I can push through pain but not fatigue. My cognitive abilities and ability to focus are shot, too-which causes much grief because it interferes with every aspect of my life. The hangover metaphor seems to light for my postdrome phase-more like being wiped out like a blank slate thus in limbo until my abilities slowly come creeping back…I usually sleep many hours (like losing a couple days) during the postdrome phase.
wishing everyone more migraine free days and hoping for a cure someday!
Got a migraine hangover at the moment. I have got head pressure and my eyes are sensitive to the light.
I have been taking the vitamin migralief – i am finding that this helps with migraines.
Isn’t the internet great sometimes? Finding other people and situations like your own really helps. Sucks that we’re suffering but it’s a comfort knowing there are others out there experiencing the same thing.
Suffered my first official migraine yesterday. I’ve had some REAL DOOSIES as headaches over the years but none that were anything like yesterday. The headache itself was not the worst I’ve had, actually. The other symptoms though….that’s what really made everything so bizarre. Luckily after 3 showers and 15 hours of sleep the migraine is gone. Today is the hangover. Like everyone else, I’m a little out of it, groggy, ever so slightly dizzy even. I’m guessing just like with a traditional alcohol hangover I really just need to wait this thing out. Can’t wait to get back to bed. Best to you all…..
Im excited I came across this blog. I was about to go to the doctor because I had a migraine yesterday. I hadn’t had a migraine in over 2 years. It lasted for about 3-4 hours. But afterward, I still had a slight headache, nausea and felt extremely weak. Thought a good night’s sleep and some alleve would help. But, I woke up feeling the same way with a headache, nausea, weakness and a dizzy feeling. Like I have a true hangover from alcohol. Thought I was crazy and a little scared. Now from reading this blog, I see that I am not alone and what I am feeling is pretty normal. Thanks everyone. Wish you great health in the future. Going to lay down and relax and wait for these feelings to pass.
So glad I came across this site. I had my first known migraine 4 days ago. I don’t recall having a headache since the ER docs pumped my full of meds. I may have had a non-headache migraine. Anyways I am now in a state of fuzzy headed, queasy stomach.. and got a heck of a neck pain to make things extra fun. I had never heard of migraines like this, what an eye opener.
I can relate to what Kym says about the feeling of doom. I do not have anxiety attacks or anything of this sort and am not on any medications, except for the imitrex for the occasional migraine. I was wondering how many others feel this after taking imitrex as it’s not listed on the side effects that I could find, but I feel it pretty much every time I take one. I have 100 mg pills, but split them into approximately thirds, mostly to avoid this feeling being too strong.
I have suffered with migraines since I was 13 yrs old with an average of 1 a month until I turned 27 and then 1 every 3-4 months until 5 yrs ago. When they stopped completely. On July 29th this year, I had a really severe 2 day migraine, needing Pethadine to finally bring it to an end. This was bad enough, but ever since then and it has been almost 6 months, I have had major postdromal symptoms. I have been to the doctors and because I was complaining of the Nausea, vomiting, lightheadness and stomach cramps, I have had every digestive symptom test (which have all come back with nothing wrong). On reading this blog, I have finally realised that what I have been saying to my doctor could quite possibly be true. That it has something to do with that original migraine on the 29th of July. Reading Jon’s paragraph on having the postdromal symptoms for 400 days. I actually have a much more positive feeling about how I am feeling. (I am not going crazy or turning into a hypochondriac after all) Thank you so much, who ever starting this blog. I have now put it on my favorites.
I am in the recovery phase of a 3-day migraine right now. I have suffered from migraines for 20 years but they went away when I went off birth control pills. I haven’t had one for 5 years and now they are back. I missed two days of work and now feel foggy and unmotivated. It helps to read this blog. I’m looking for anything that will help speed up this recovery process. I want my life back too!
Yesterday I experienced my first 9 hour migraine. The beginning of the postdrome phase started at 6pm and consisted of: feeling “fuzzy” in the head, moderate headache, body aches & feeling weak. Walking made all of these symptoms worse. Today (around noon) I feel like there is a 2-3 second delay between my brain and my body. I’ve dropped multiple things throughout the day (including coffee on my pant leg). Has anyone else experienced decreased hand-eye-coordination after an attack?
My migraines began at about age 12 and persisted through puberty which lasted until about age 22. I discovered that chocolate was a trigger and did not eat any chocolate, ever, for about 20 years. That helped and of course I avoided red wine and only drank white wine sometimes. I was able for a while to eat chocolate again during my 40’s but now it seems to be a trigger once again–unless it’s cheapo milk chocolate which isn’t really chocolate. In any case I am still in a 5-day migraine-warp which seems to coincide with the menstrual cycle. I have eaten lots of roasted almonds this past week, as well as a peanut butter sandwich. It occurred to me that perhaps nuts are a trigger. Lo and behold, I discovered this web forum and saw that nuts are indeed a trigger for many of us. That the migraine still lurks, waiting to attack, is an image I have in my mind long after the acute episode is over. It sucks.
Had my first migraine 2 days ago at age 30yo. Very wierd/ scary 45min visual disturbance followed by a nasty headache. IMy Mother was a long time migraine sufferer, and i had no idea what she was going through. Now i know! Anyway, now the headache is gone but i seem to have this migraine hangover thing.. For me it a feeling like the flu with nausua and a very tender head. I also feel like I am on the verge of crying..! It was mentioned above, but i feel like i’ve been on a drug/ alcohol bender, and am now on a terrible come down. I hope this is a once off.
Just had first full blown migraine in 5 years. I say “full blown” because I have an aura episode once a year that is not followed by a massive 48hr migraine. Afterward I feel extremely weak, lightheaded, slow, and very tired for 2-4 days afterwards. I look around in fear that my vision will be lost again and the whole thing will repeat itself. I am truely convinced that migrains are so much more than they are said to be, whether it be cardiac or neuro related. I know I have an irregular heart beat when I get my migrains. It’s like an attack against the whole body which is why it takes so long to recover from
My post migraine hangover is like riding in the passenger seat of a speeding convertible with the sun glaring onto the lids of my closed eyes. I can’t see anything, can’t think clearly (don’t really want to for that matter), can’t do anything but feel the wind hitting me.
Glad to see this sight. Had a migraine yesterday and this morning felt like I was on a hangover. That was the only way I could decribe it. On the on set of mine, which I usually wake up with them, is a dizziness. I feel like I’m in another place then the rest of me. Silly I know! but today my left side feels strange, still alittle dizzy, and my left cheeks hurts. I yawn alot, don’t know what that is all about. Depressed and feel alone. But after reading this site it has made me realize I’m not alone. Thanks for it.
I am just in the midst of a migrane hangover mine is like someone has emptied every bit of energy out of me and i can sleep for hours after a migrane i call it mushy brain syndrome because i am just dazed and in a world of my own the day after my migrane and i feel tender like if wind blew i would fall over. but i was reading there is def a elation that the pain in the head has gone. I hate migranes they rule my life so often and i get the little lights in my eyes and i know its time to get into bed turn of the lights and get a cold compress ready.
I’m to the point where I DREAD the onset of a migraine. I’m in the postdromal phase as I type this. I cannot sleep at all during the migraine phase. They usually last three days and then the postdrome lasts another day. Everything seems out of control. I cannot take care of any day-to-day things (housework, pets, family, cooking), everything piles up. My mind tells me to do things, and my body won’t let me. I am SO tired of people telling me to go to the doctor “surely they have a ‘pill’ to make it better”. They don’t get it. We all have tried EVERYTHING! If someone has never had a migraine they do not understand. It is not like a typical ‘bad’ headache. Migraineurs get both with each episode. Seriously, I would rather be in labor than have a migraine. No meds work, and they all make me hurl. I have had them for over 30 years – hoping they will go away with menopause. I now hear that they actually can get WORSE with menopause. Tell me that isn’t so! I could cry reading all these posts, because I truly understand.
I would be awesome if we could make some kind of poll. List everything: duration/meds/diet/symptoms/how it affects relationships & employment/when they started/etc., etc…
Also, I was wondering how many of you had childhood migraines that manifested themselves as stomach aches. I was one of those. My parents used to tell me ‘it was all in my head’ or nervous stomach (HaHa!); little did they know it really had something to do with my ‘head’.
Reading everyones comments gave me a great bit of knowledge and comfort. I have two close friends who have been experiencing migraines for years, but I never understood how a “headache” could be so tough. I was at work last night, and out of no where, started feeling “odd”. I had a slight pain in my head from the back of my left eye straight around the top of my head and along my skull. I tried ignoring it, and slowly noticed that the computer screen and dim lights were bothering me and causing a “halo” effect in my vision. I became easily distracted, and was suddenly screwing up in the report I was writing and felt as if I couldn’t speak properly. Long story short..er…, It became so bad that my partner asked if I was ok and told me I was extermely pale. I ended up having to go home, and called a very close friend who is a trauma nurse as I was now very nausious and fearful that I had a blot clot or something. She asked me several questions, and assured me that I was most likley experiencing my first migraine. I have been through serious injuries, surgeries, etc… and last night was the most painful experence of my life. I vomitted, experienced extreme pain for hours on the left side of my head, and nothing made it better. Today, I feel like I have a remainder of what I experienced last night. My head still hurts, I am still a bit “off”, and feel as if I am recovering… for lack of a better term. I now have a much greater appreciation for the people who deal with this on a normal basis, and never knew something like this could exist. Again, thank you for the knowledge and comfort.
I have never been so relieved to read a blog in my life! I have read all 124 comments and feel less alone than I think I ever have. Originally, my search was to see if anything came up under “bruised feeling on base of skull after migraine” – since this is a newer symptom for me. I have been suffering from migraines for about 10 years. Typically, they start with a flash of light (as if someone just took a picture of me with a flash). I call that my “warning” and I quickly try to find a place to go and “hide” for 25-30 minutes. From there, the symptoms progress into more intense strobe light-like flashing, zigzags, loss of peripheral vision in one eye for about 28 minutes or so and then is usually followed by pain, confusion, exhaustion, finger numbness, and sometimes extreme hunger. If people talk to me during the onset of a migraine, I can’t see their mouths, and sometimes can’t understand what they are saying – or what they are talking about. Once in a very great while – those symptoms result in nothing but being very tired, and then the next day the rest of the symptoms kick in – the depression, disconnected feeling, pain when moving head back and forth, the feeling like my eyes are dry but won’t stop tearing. These symptoms last anywhere from 1 day to a week, may go away for a day or so, and then start up again with the flashes.
The migraine hangover is probably worse than the initial symptoms for me. Feeling like I’m in a dream, very depressed, and very confused, like my brain is having a hard time making connections. Everything is a chore.
Pre-migraine symptoms I’ve noticed are – sweating profusely, euphoric feeling for most of the day up until the migraine hits, or extreme exhaustion to the point where I can’t keep my eyes open.
Once in a great while – the onset does something different or gives me no warning. I just go into full force migraine out of nowhere. This has only happened a few times. One time, I was in the middle of writing something and noticed that the pen kept falling out of my hand. That is when I realized that my fingers were numb. One after the other, they would go numb. It was really scary!
I wish there were answers for all of us. My main concern is – since this has started happening 10 or so years ago, I have really spotty short term memory and notice that in a lot of recent pictures of me, one of my eyes seems to look a lot smaller than the other. I just wonder what, if anything, these episodes are doing to our brains. Are they causing damage?
I am disturbed by Jon’s comment regarding the 400 day migraine hangover. I had a nine day attack, (longest ever) now i’m in the postdrome phase, day 2 of it. It feels a bit like an elephant is stepping on my head, extreme pressure and heavy head. A bit of nausea, though I’m eating. It’s not the worst migraine I’ve ever had, just the longest, and the longest recovery. I’d rather have the shorter more severe to be honest. Anyways, to answer the orginal question, my head feels like it weighs a million pounds. Very tired. I keep wondering if I should take a Maxalt if that would take this feeling away. My blood pressure and pulse are normal although BP is a bit on the low side. I also get twinges in the trigeminal nerve too and head is physically sore. Neck and back sore too.
I also wonder if this is partly anxiety, anxiety that its going to come back at any moment, I don’t know. I just wish it would stop soon. I want my life back.
Interesting reading peoples experiences.
I am over 400 days into my migraine hangover – it has never fully gone away. My last migraine was May 15th 2009. Been to see top migraine specialists, two MRI’s. A migraine hangover is due to the disturbances in the brain but from all accounts here quickly resolves itself.
Dr Mark Weatherall is the specialist in London UK that I have seen, he see’s 3 prolonged cases like mine a month. They don’t know why it happens or what cures it. All they have said that it can last up to two years but should eventually start to get better then go completely. Improved dramatically a few weeks ago and i thought, hoped it had totally gone. But regrettably over the last few weeks it has come back with a vengeance – terrible today…..
It’s great to know I’m not the only one that feels weird after a migraine. I’m 18, and my migraines started a little over a year ago. They usually last about a week, though I’m just coming out of my shortest migraine ever. It started yesterday. My mind works perfectly well throughout the migraine, but there’s this fog separating me from the world and I feel entirely apathetic. The only thing that really helps me is staying in bed and reading. I always feel guilty relaxing in bed after the actual pain has dimmed and there’s lots of stuff to do, but I just can’t bring myself to care. I feel so weak and sore. My ears ring, sometimes I’m shaky, I have no appetite, and my vision is funny in a way I can’t even describe. I HATE migraines!!! Sorry for venting, but it does help a bit.
I reviewed all 110 comments before adding mine (above), and my conclusions are that this postdrome period is a REAL phase of a migraine headache, there are MANY SYMPTOMS migraine sufferers have in common; and with knowing that, we can SUPPORT EACHOTHER while enduring our “hangovers” even though we do not know eachother. The next time I feel that “helpless hangover”, I will just think of the people who took the time to write on this blog…the best medicine ever!
.I,too,googled “migrain hangover”, never thinking I would find anything at all…..and I discovered, not only is there a term for this phase of a migraine, but there are also many others who have experienced similar symptoms during this hangover phase. I can only describe the extreme sensitivity I experience as “twinges” or a series of quick “shocks” (like you might feel when putting a plug into an electrical outlet), anywhere throughout my body. I explained as best I could to my GP, and he acknowledged it as a hypersensitive nervous system…..a blanket term….and on my office visit statement it stated “unspecified anxiety”
Thank god for this blog!! Glad to know I’m not on my own! The aura I get before is horrible, zig zag lines and blurred vision. After this passes I begin to feel sick. But most of the time, my headaches are not actually that severe but I do suffer from nausea and the migrant hangover for days after. Is this normal???
Had a migraine yesterday evening. Get them very rarely nowadays but when they happen are completely disabling.
All day today I’ve been light headed and foggy. Been trying to work but spent most of the day sat at my desk struggling to keep my mind from wandering off. If I close my eyes I have the feeling of falling backwards and fainting.
Experiencing the hangover right now. I was in the hospital for 3 days with a terrible migrane – had to resort to morphine which didn’t even fully work! Anyway, the hangover feeling is relative to a concussion – fuzzy, fatigued, maybe a still a little headachey. Also, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I was unable to eat during my migrane, so it’s tough getting my appetite back. Each meal makes me a little queezy. Hope you’re all okay!
Every migraine I’ve had started with the aura. It starts by the center of vison being blocked for about 15 to 20 minutes. Then the area I can’t see become what I refer as the “wiggly” that stretches out and slowly moves closer to the edge of my vision. Once it gets beyond my vision is when my head starts to hurt and my stomach gets upset. An eye doctor told migraines were due to allergies but I have my doubts when I can have one any time of the year. Another doctor told me some studies may link migraines to a higher risk of stroke. I hope that study is wrong.
I drag for a day or two after a migraine. I yawn a lot and feel extremely sleepy. Feeling like I’ve been run over is usually how I describe it. I have maxalt to interrupt the pain phase, but it doesn’t do much to help with the hangover. I went back to bed this morning after taking the kids to school because I just couldn’t keep my eyes open. I just started topomax 2 weeks ago and am hoping for some relief from the frequency so I can get back to having a life.
the worst from a migaine hangover, for me, its the anxiety. After a strong drinking night, I have in the morning thoughts of sadness, lost, the yearning for something that is beyond solution; in my case being with someone that is gone. I have been trying to move on from a relationship, she left me, its being 2 years; and after drinking I have strong feelings of anxiety because I know that I miss her, during the migraine my only thoughts are about her and the fact that is gone. Before when I used to have that anxiety it was worst because I had to call someone to ask for help, a friend, even her mother, just to tell her, “really I can cope with this, what can I do? I cant”. And well that is hangover migraine for me.
I didn’t know there was a term for this post migraine I would tell people that I felt wreaked for two days after. Head not clear,loopy. I would at times get random ice pick headaches like after shocks.Takes two days after all that to get back to normal life.This two days of hiding in my quiet dark cave sucks.I will one day outgrow this thing..
Came across this site as I’m in my hangover stage. Just came out of two day extreme migraine attack. Thursday woke up with it increasing strength over a few hours even after immediately taking Amerge. Then took vicodin for pain, and caffeine. Light seemed very bright, and voices sounded like yelling. Friday awoke again with migraine this time took amerge and Excedrin migraine (I read caffeine in pill form can have better affects) chose not to take any vicodin as I wanted to think I would better function and not lose my energy (this turned out to not be the case). Both days I had made an ice pack hat (all over my head) and ice pack on my neck. Eye mask during the daylight, and was agitated from sounds,smells, and dealing with people or dialogue. Today -Saturday woke up feeling better, although no energy. I wasn’t sure if I was depressed today or just lethargic, tired out, sluggish (& a little bored at the same time!) So after reading all your comments I feel less depressed. Thanks for all your feedback – I don’t feel so alone. Oh – for me it’s my left side -always..I know someone had asked if it was always on right side – Not me.
I am the midst of my migraine headache. I have been suffering from migraines for the past 20 years. I try to explain how I am feeling to my husband but he doesn’t seem to understand. I am thankful that I found this website and now I don’t feel like I am crazy and that people are going through the same thing that I am going through.
Right now I am just feeling a little out of it and having a hard time concentrating on anything. The lights in my office are too bright and I just want to go back to bed. Alas, I know this is only temporary and I will be better tomorrow.
Hang in there everyone.
I’m having it now, and I’d say it’s like having a buzz and a bad case of eye strain at the same time along with a general feeling of fatigue and lack of motivation. But I’m more or less always functional after migraine. Sounds like many others are not as fortunate. Hope mine don’t get worse over time. Excedrin Migraine still works great for me and a lot cheaper than the perscription stuff.
Day after migraine triggered by beautiful weather.
Bright sun? Started yesterday morning. I feel totally limp, can’t do anything, very sleepy, hard to concentrate. Head swollen. I take verapamil daily and it has lessened frequency. I take Maxalt at onset and ibuprofen and sudafed PE for pain. Today I also feel like I might get another migraine. Fortunately don’t have to work these two days but what a waste of beautiful, warm weather.
Am in the middle of the postdrome and feeling like I just lost a particularly brutal boxing match, after being run over by a bus. ‘Punch drunk’, I think is the best way to describe it.
Residual headache right behind the eyes, having to wear sunglasses to just look at the computer screen. The emotional flatness/depression is the hardest – it feels as if it will never end. The last migraine I had was over 12 months ago and it was a real doozy – took me several days to get thru the postdrome. I’m on day 2 of it this time and no sign in sight of it letting up. Most of the other stuff I’ve been reading indicates I should be feeling better by now.
Probably went back to work too soon – driven by a sense of guilt and also the knowledge that other people believe a migraine is nothing more than a particularly bad headache. Driving to work this morning I was struck by the thought that, actually, it’s not safe for me to be in control of a car right now. A very sobering thought – one that kept me in the inside lane and not exceeding 60mph!
Good luck to everyone here.
It is very distressing when you cannot fathom out words or faces and even recall the names of people and places. All part of the evil of what we call migraine. Trying to cope with it is very stressful. I am always in a meeting when it happens. Advice is to ‘retreat’ immediately (dont worry about others)and get to a safe place where you can be with just yourself as no one else understands. My migraine hang over lasts 4 weeks (i get only a slight headache). I suffer chronic nausea, anxiety, lethargy and fatigue. No motivation at all. I just want to curl up. Be strong and true to yourself.
Hey Tony, my migraine postdrome is going on 15 days now with similar symptoms to what you describe. Thanks for sharing your experience as it gives me hope mine will go away! Thanks, Jason
Too LaurenAnn. I am 19 and have been getting frequently the last few years. Yes I have trouble seeing before and after it is hard to describe it really, sometimes it just in one eye though. Things just don’t look right like it feels like I’m not even looking at them when I do or I am going cross eyed.
I also currently have a hangover from a hardcore migraine last night too. I woke up knowing I was going to have one cause sometimes but not all the time my hands feel numb (or delayed to the touch of things) such as when I stick them in my pocket to get something or grab a sweatshirt and it just feels really numb or delayed to the touch (I really don’t know how to describe this feeling).
Has this ever happened to anyone??
(i also get other symptoms; like nothing ever sounds good to eat before or after,feel somewhat confused, neck hurts, of course the migraine headache starts later on, and light headed)
I had my first migraine last night. Wasn’t really sure if that’s what it was until I researched. I still have a dull ache and feel exhausted and my head is in a fog…….like one said, much like the flu but without the sore throat and runny nose.
I found this site when looking for post migraine info because I wasn’t sure if I was getting sick or what. I pray tomorrow is a better day. Thanks for all the helpful information!
I’ve been plagued with migraine for over ten years in the earlier years I would suffer migraines that lasted 2-3 days. In the last few years the migraines generally last about 24-36 hours with an equally long hangover period. For me the hangover entails weakness, achy joints, mild dizziness, tired eyes and general fatigued. It’s so hard to explain to other that even though the migraine is over that I still have trouble getting out of bed. I feel guilty that I can’t get back up and back in to the swing of things.
I am in the middle of a post-migraine hangover and even concentrating on this comment is proving difficult. I take both imitrex and treixmet for my migraines which seem to help, but they dont get rid of them.
I find that these hangovers make me afraid to do anything that could trigger another. Icing my head with a bag of ice and a washcloth always seem to help and staying out of too much light works well too. I also take ibuprofin ever 3-4 hours and drink alot of powerade the day after a massive migraine.
Does anyone have trouble seeing when they get a migraine? That’s my first sign that i’m going to get one; my vision gets distorted and then all of a sudden I can’t make out words or people’s faces.
I’m so relieved to have found this site. Perhaps I’m not loosing my mind, after all.
I’ve tried to explain this feeling to my husband (just sent him this link) but could never accomplish what I thought sounded like a sane explanation for how I feel.
My migraines have become far more frequent this past year and the hangover is somewhat new and has become the worst part. I told my family it was like being plagued by Dementors (the wraith-like creatures from Harry Potter that suck all the joy out of the world). I’ve only recently made the connection. I didn’t know this feeling was part of my migraines. In the last six months, I just thought I was sick all the time.
I’m in the second day of a hangover now. I love the explanation of your head feeling bruised. My eyes are so sore, closing them gives some relief. I feel like they’ve been jiggling in my head for days. That dizzy feeling in my head is still there. I prayed it would be gone this morning when I woke up but it’s still here and I have to tell my family I’m STILL not feeling well. I feel like if I move my eyes too fast or look at something too bright, my headache could come back. My body feels like I have the flu. I’m lethargic, pathetic, really. I don’t feel like I have the energy to do anything, which makes me so sad. Usually, I’m trying to do everything and the only challenge is how to choose what’s most important. : ) I say usually, but I’ve only had a couple of usual days this month as this is my second headache in February. I’m just learning that these symptoms are common for migraine sufferers. I’ve been so scared. I’ve actually wondered if had leukemia or something worse. I’ve had blood work done and am getting a CT scan tomorrow. But I must share that I’m somewhat relieved to read that the super-fatigue, dizzy, sad, limb-heavy, brain-bouncy, am I going nuts feeling is part of something tangible.
The dizzy part, in particular, has been unnerving. I’ve tried to describe it to my doc. I know someone on this site will understand. It’s not a dizzy, I’m gonna pass out feeling. More of a feeling inside my head, as if my eyes are dizzy and when I move them it takes a while for them to catch up and then to stop moving. I’ve recently felt this before a headache. It’s become the sign that I’m going to have a DOOOZY.
Thanks so much to all of you. I hope someone reads what I’ve written and feels the comfort I felt while I read the contributions of others.
In regards to the migraine hangover, I always describe it as being in a movie of sorts. Everyone else is moving at regular speed, but I have slowed to almost a standstill. Everything that I experience during this time does not feel as though it is happening to me, but that I am watching it unfold. It leaves me frustrated. l am bruised, emotional, tired, etc. My list could go on and on. I am thankful to know that I am not alone in this feeling.
Most people do not understand, and this can be doubly frustrating. I have been dealing with migraines now for 22 years, and they do not see to be letting up.
Has anyone found anything that helps relieve the hangover aspect?
I will keep all in my thoughts and prayers.
Hello to all. I am 25 and just started getting migraines in November but have been having a small headache that is always present for about 1 and a half years now. I’ve been to many doctors and even had two sinus surgeries which haven’t done a thing. Every time I get one, I get a diamond like aura sensation for about 30-45 min then the pain comes. After that, I always get this so called migraine hangover. I wanted to look this up and see if it was real and I’m at least thankful like the rest of you to know that I’m not going crazy. The best way for me to describe this feeling is soreness and disorientation. I’d like to associate the feeling from sleeping for over 12 hours but I’m stating to accept that its the migraine. All the suggestions are great for getting rid of the discomfort. I also feel guilt for having to take so many days off at work and it financially hurts me. I can only pray that some doctor will figure this out one day for everyone. I’ll be praying for everyone.
Well this is my second migraine this month. I usually get a migraine with my monthly visitor or changes with the weather (barometic pressure). Now i am in the so called hangover phase i am so weak and tired. My head still hurts and i cannot concentrate on anything. For me what helps a little is cold packs i place them all over my head of course it dosnt take the pain completely away but it does numb the areas that are causing pain, i was wondering if anyone else out there uses cold packs and if it helps them.
I am new to migraines and I am still trying to figure them out. I find myself in denial when I wake up with the headache and hope it will go away after a cup of coffee. That didn’t work and instead of taking my relpax, I waited too long and the symptoms became very bad. Sharp headache, nausea, complete cleaning of the digestional area, and muscle ache. Went to bed (should have done in the beginning) and slept which helped somewhat. I am definetely learning the hard way. I don’t have the aura but I do have the “nausea” and “headache” as my warnings. I have no appetite and woke up the next day with my first major “hangover” or “nana head” as listed in this blog. No appetite, feel down, eyes sore, and depressed because I can’t accomplish anything and I don’t like my teenagers to see me like this. I think my headaches are being caused because of hormonal changes along with stress. What kind of doctor do I see for this? I just see my general practitioner. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Allot of this sounds familiar. Fortunately only get a migraine once every 6 months or so since I was 14. Have gone a few years between, down to only a few weeks between them. The only thing that gets rid of the headache is sleep. No drugs work. The postdrome is almost worse though, for 2-5 days after lethargic, tired, dull headache thta gets worse if i move my head too quick. Always pinpointed above me right eye near the nose. Very strange. I really hope this mystery is solved in my lifetime!
I googled “migraine postdrome” and came across this site. I had a migraine, but oddly the pain wasn’t so bad, it was the symptoms that got to me. I have been really depressed today and discovered it was because of my migraine. I walked into the Verizon store because I need a new phone, but it was too busy in there so I left. Then I drove around and cried. I think I should be back to normal tomorrow. I am counting on it.
I’m sorry for the smiley, it was inadvertent. (The animated versions of these little animated devils can trigger headache. )
I’m very glad to read all this personal experience with intense postdrome symptoms.
I always feel like a dishrag, and have a sensation of bruising behind my temple and inside the side of my head. Can’t make facial expressions, neck feels like a rock. I have no motivation and often, it seems like there is no energy in my limbs. This goes on for as long as the migraine or longer for me.
Unlike others, I am hungry for comfort-type foods, and have a thirst that isn’t satisfied by drinking, if that makes sense.. I am completely unable to make the words I want so I choose substitutes. I could go on 🙂 I’m grateful to read all of this.
I bet research could help, I wish there was more of it, but right now I’m pretty grateful for triptans and codeine.
I just had my latest migraine yesterday evening. I had my first one when I was 17. I did not have hangovers until I turned 40. Some are worse than others but all have the same dull headache that lingers a couple or three days. My Dr. prescribed Axert several years but I normally take three Advils and lie down in the dark ASAP. One thing that seems to help I have discovered this year was cut out caffeine. Migraines have been less frequent and not as severe.
I feel like I’m watching a movie. I see what’s going on but am only observing rather than participating in what’s going on around me. My eyelids don’t feel big enough to cover my entire eye, i’m craving sweets and am seriously bummed out. Is there anything I should avoid so I don’t trigger another migraine? Alchohol, smoking, certain foods etc?
Reading back thru earlier postings, yes, I get tingling, numbness in the extremities (usually left arm/hand), and nausea as part of prodrome – in fact, if I start feeling nauseated and there’s no good reason for it, I figure a migraine is coming – it’s a helpful but unpleasant “sign” in place of an aura. Peppermint (sucking on one) is a good settler of a queasy stomach. I save Christmas candy canes and keep them in my desk at work. I also recommend Altoids – they help nausea, too.
I’m also thankful to have found this blog and description from everyone. I get about 2 migraines a month and this one I’m recovering from was a 36-hour mother of migraines. I love the term “nana head”! I never really understood til finding this blog and newer information about migraine “hangover” why I felt so wiped out after a migraine – now I understand, and it makes it easier to deal with. I get the residual dull headache, scalp tenderness, apathy, extreme fatigue, trouble concentrating (but not as bad as prodrome). I wish I could spend another day at home recovering from the postdrome, but I have to use so much PTO (paid time off) for the migraines this year that I hate to use any additional time if I don’t have to. It’s already bad enough that I don’t have enough time/PTO to take a real vacation because of all the time the migraines take.
thanks for this site.
in the midst of “hangover” now.
incomplete thoughts, ringing in ears, sound/smell sensitivity, nauseous, loss of appetite, fatigue, feeling of needing sleep, hard to focus (almost like ADHD), the ‘flu-like’ symptoms of achyness, heaviness in limbs, difficulty or slowness in movement, the “echo” is an excellent representation… and more i’m sure i’m missing.
thanks again for everyone’s thoughts.
Am amazed to find others like me who suffer from problems after migraine – I thought I was on my own. It feels like someone’s turned my ‘dial’ down and my body & mind works at 75%?.
After pestering my doctor for years, I now have an appointment to see a neurologist – I will let you know what happens – watch this space
I can’t believe that something that hurts this much doesn’t do brain damage. I mean afterwards(for about 1.5 days) I feel super tired..exhausted. I tried yesterday to get back about my day but just wanted to crawl back into bed in the dark and quiet. Smells and bright lights still are very intense to me afterwards. I was at a restaurant @8 hrs into my postdrome and had to unplug the glade plugin that was in the waiting area because it was making my head throb!! Also evertime I bend down or stand back up my head pounds so intensly I wince. Does anyone know if it means something bad if I wake up with one? Never happened before yesterday. Also never could time imitrex very well..but hydrocodone is the only thing that will dull the pain enough to sleep for me. Talked to my MD about it and she actually wrote me a script.
Had a terrible migraine yesterday. Today I feel as if I have been on a week-long drink and drugs bender (I definitely haven’t!) and about an hour ago I had a very anxious episode, almost like the beginnings of a panic-attack. Now my heartbeat is very slow, my shoulders are tense and my eyes are tired.
Yes. that’s it, droopy draggin myself through this unbearable day, I’m upright but barely here.
I am relieved by rootbeer, don’t recommend it necessarily for anyone else, but it’s working for me. Spaced out, feeling like a freak faking the “work” while inside I’m dying.
I wish for a cure, we all wish for a cure. I am also on the verge of tears, feeling so sorry for myself and anyone else who is experiencing this now. I do know it will pass and become a fading memory, thank God.
i was just looking up migraine hangover because i’m in one right now. i’m experiencing some similar symptoms as described as well as pretty significant skin sensitivity…. kind of like my skin just hurts. my body is so achey and slow. it’s brutal but much more tolerable than how i felt last night. my muscles felt really weak and almost immobilized.
I have had migraines since I was 25, now 51. They have been extremely bad the last 2 years. Losing my job as I can not keep up. Wondering if any women out there have decreased migraines as they got older. Looking for some hope.
Hi folks,
Haven’t read the whole blog so not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet.
For any of you migraine sufferers, get your hormones checked – especially if you are female.
Hashimotos thyroiditis (underactive thyroid) can be an underlying cause of migraine.
Too much Estrogen and Progesterone deficiency can also trigger migraines.
Being on the Pill if you are prone to migraines is a bad idea – it will make them worse.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can help moderate hormone imbalance if this is the cause of your migraine.
Mine began at puberty so I knew there was a link.
I’ve successfully controlled them for three years with bioidentical hormone treatment.
Get tested! and good luck to all of you.
Ive had so many of these postdromal periods, that I decided to research the subject and found this blog. My migraine hangover typically lasts 2-3 days with gradual (way too gradual) improvement. Its never like I wake up and feel fantastic. In reading many of the posts, for me, I agree with the one poster that described it as a “flu without the runny nose and sore throat” My body aches, especially my legs and my upper back, so much that I can feel each footfall when I walk. Also, I am an intense exerciser and the postdrome really interferes with my lifestyle which is my appetite for long and regular periods of exercise. (I am an amateur Ironman Triathlete) In the postdrome phase, I simply cannot physically or even mentally find the will to workout at any level. For us that do this kind of thing, that says a lot about how severe this phase is.
Hi. I have had migraines on and off for about 10 years now. I know my triggers – not eating properly, stress, certain strong smells, and sleeping with a crooked neck, but my most recent migraine came after driving while the sun was glaring off the wet road. I’ve never had to worry before about the sun, I even lived in the tropics and had no troubles. My post-migraine hangover has been 4 days now of a very foggy head, I’m slow to think and it hurts when I do, which isn’t good as I am studying and have an essay due tomorrow. My sensitivity to bright lights is ridiculous and I still have a vague headache. My sweet 11 year old daughter brought me ice water and panadol (I don’t have anything else) and a cold face washer which helped. My migraines aren’t that bad compared to others on this blog but my post-migraine hangover lasts for days and days. If it weren’t for my daughter I wouldn’t even get out of bed, so tired and depressed/ flat affect.
I’m really glad to have found this blog and to see that others have the same/ similar effects. Take care everyone.
Forgot to mention….anyone have problems with smells? I don’t mean a smell triggering a migraine, but in more severe ones with me certain smells, good or bad, can leave me wanting to vomit! There’s no one thing, each migraine can be different…although I know Doritos/Fritos are just a killer on me if I smell them nearby!
Boy I’m glad I found others with the same postdrome feelings! I often tell people that I feel extremely fuzzy headed, confused and lethargic…mentally and physically. Imagine doing a grueling triathalon while taking the SAT’s or some other harrowing exam…at the EXACT SAME TIME.
I was officially diagnosed at 16. I’m now 40. My parents recall times as a very young child when they didn’t find me playing and after a search, found me in bed with my pajamas on and the curtains closed. Upon waking the next morning, I would tell them my head hurt and I just wanted to sleep.
Here’s hoping that migraines will be a thing of the past one day soon! And LOL to Michelle about the pharmaceutical companies! How are these men gonna have their sex if we’re hampered down with a migraine? Did they ever think of that? Nooooo!
I’m in post migraine state now just at this very moment wondered if I am feeling what I should be…wanted to see what ‘post migraine’ is…and WOW! Lots of us out there!
I feel like I have not slept in days (well, if you count sleep with pain, guess I haven’t!) I feel dizzy, no appetite and I wander around the house trying to pick up or something and nothing really seems ‘right.’ I feel like I am existing out of my head/body…just slight bruise of pain where it once felt like an ice pick. I feel like staring at the wall, pretty much just relieved that the worst is over.
tomorrow I will have that eupphoria, that ‘high’ because life is back!!!!
I can really empathize with everyone here. As I’ve gotten older, my migraines have become more frequent – 2 a month right now – and the postdrome fog/fatigue/hangover is almost as bad as the actual migraine! I’m into day 2 of the postdrome now. Weather changes have been my big problem this year. I could sleep and sleep and sleep! The other day, I could barely write a check without error!
I’m just coming up to what I hope is the end of the postdrome stage after a migraine (one of the nasty ones that struck twice in two days). After a migraine, I have the odd sensation that although I am seeing with both of my eyes, and my mind is resolving the two pictures into one, I’m not perceiving things by sight as I normally would. I’m acutely aware that the image from my right eye is not the same as the image from my left eye (which is normal because that’s why we can see three dimensions!). I’m one of those people who has visual disturbances (auras) before a migraine, so it could be related to that – I don’t know. Does anyone else ever have this curious sensation after a migraine?
I’ve tried to describe these symptoms to people for a long time and just now found this term “migraine hangover”. It makes so much sense! I’m in the middle of one now. I’ve had migraines since I was a teen and have tried to explain this post-trama experience before. Can’t think, can’t remember, not all there mentally. I go to work and can’t think of what I’m supposed to do, but I know I should be doing something. I left a message for someone and then later thought I had left it weeks ago. It makes me feel much better to know that I’m not the only one that suffers from this and that my head isn’t really turning to much b/c of a migraine.
I feel like my brain synapses aren’t firing on all cylinders which makes it hard to complete sentences.
Just finished a horrible 2 day migraine. Now feeling extremely lethargic/drowsy/heavy/stuffy head. I’ve had migraines for 15 years – 37 now. Have used Imitrex 25 mg. off and on. Haven’t taken it in 5 months. Now that the patent on Imitrex has expired my ins. co. won’t pay for the brand name. Took 2 – 25 mg. of generic which only worked briefly on day one. Finally took a 50 mg. of brand Imitrex and that knocked it out (along with me!) last night. Completely hungover (I’m sure from both meds and migraine) but glad migraine/nausea is over! I would rather experience the hangover for 2 – 3 days than the actual migraine!
Anyone else experience less results with generic sumatriptan vs. Imitrex???
Also, why isn’t more research done on migraines? If it’s costing millions upon billions of dollars every year to employers and such, and one out of every 3 women suffer from one, then why isn’t more research done??? I’ll tell you why… because the majority of migraineurs are WOMEN! Our medical/pharmaceutical industry is too busy making sure men can have erections at age 80!
I get the opposite – I feel euphoric after waking up from my Maxalt “coma”. I feel extremely light, and a bit like a wet noodle – my muscles don’t want to do much so I don’t really move around much, and after a six hour nap I’m suprisingly not hungry but thirsty for water. Its a bit like slap happy meets happy exhaustion a la running a marathon without any pain. I used to think it was just because I forgot what it felt to not have a migraine (mine tend to creep up on me and last for about 3-5 days) but now I realize that its actually a part of the migraine itself.
Whatever it is, its by far the thing I look forward to when the pain begins.
I am suffering from a post drome (10 days and counting) No meds have worked so far. Imitrex, Migranol, maxalt etc… has anyone tried excedrin migraine?
I read a post that suggested: paracetamol/asprin mix, what is that?
Anyone with success? I appreciate reading all the posts, helps to know that I am not alone, however the lack of ways to combat these lengthy Post dromes is discouraging.
I stumbled across this site while searching for symptoms I am currently experiencing post-migraine. In the past my migraines have lasted for 12-24 hours (can sometimes abort with Cefagot) and 24hr ‘hangover’, usually once every 1-2 months. This time my migraine started on a Sunday afternoon and wasn’t stopped with Cefagot, persisted Monday – Wed (managed with OTC codeine). Thurs was painfree but had no cognitive function at all and was completely spaced out at work. During the hangover phase (last 1-2 days) I have had a prickly/burning sensation and dull pain (both in my head) coming and going. I’ve never had this before and was considering a visit to my GP. Is the prickly sensation common? There doesn’t seem to be much info about this. Also, it’s reassuring (although not pleasant!!)to know that others are experiencing multi-day migraines. I thought I might have some other neurological problem – it’s scary!
Wow , what aperfect way to describe the postdrome part of a migraine. “ehco” perfect, i always have said it is almost like a memory of the migraine lingering there, but echo is so much more precise! b/c memory seems to imply it is gone, but i can remember, which it is not….
I love it , Echo!!!
Ok i have a question for all you suffers, does anyone experience anxiety, or a doom feeling afterwards? I do, but i never connected them to miraines, b/c i have depression, and anxiety anyway, but i believe it accompaines the postdrome phase, for about 2 days…. how about anyone else?
I am suffering right now from this horrible migraine hangover. My 7 year old is hanging out watching TV while i suffer her from this nightmare and the guilt is incredible. I write from my left eye, as my right it a lighthouse glittery heavy heavy nightmare. I feel like i have been beaten w/bat. I am sore to the touch and my eyesight is flashy, my eyeballs feel like they are being pushed in or out of my head and i feel like i am going to puke again. i hate food today. i want help after the headaches. They come almost by number at night…early morn and dark thirty and then..wham!!!! I need IMITREX. My poor 7 yer old daughter has been taking care of m; bringing me ice chips which i need so much and taking care of me.. talk about guilt! she shouldn’t have to worry about me for csakes. migraines suck and worse yet are these post-symptoms we suffer. Please, all you sufferers….go to hemmacher schellmer..spelling (check your google) they have a product which i bought which is a headband of ice packs. it feels really good w/the pressure on the head….right side for me. Feel better everyone cause i know right now, I need to get off of this computer screen and close my bulging aching eyes.
I found this page because I asked a friend who gets chrinic migraine if there was anywhere on the web where the migraine hangover is chronicled as it seems to be overlooked in the web mining I have done about the course of migraine. I usually just get my monthly migraine 3 or so days before mentruating, but last week I got one out of the blue (like what used to happen before I was on the pill). It was much worse than my monthly migraine and my medication (Midrin) only kept it from escalating and made me drowsy to sleep through the worst of it. Oh, I had also had a more mild migraine 2 days before hand. Anyway, after the really bad one I had the migraine hangover. For me it was all the cloudiness and lack of affect that comes with the migraine, but without the other symptoms. However I also felt likeI got beat with a stick I was so sore. The best (not) part about the migraine hangover for me is that I am also susceptible to rebound headaches so that once the migraine itself is over, I cannot take ANY pain meds to get thorugh the hangover/postdrome or else I will end up prolonging a chronic pseudo migraine. I’m sure there are those of you out there who are in a similar boat. I am lucky that my migraines don’t usually last more than a day (discounting postdrome). I also get chronic headaches of varying types so even though I’m not always in amigraine state, itis a rare day that I don’t have some sort of headache.
Thanks for posting this. I don’t feel like such a malingerer now.
Usually i get a rush of energy and an upset stomach in the postdrome phase but for the first time I’ve had exhaustion, poor concentration, irritability and, most noticeably, depression for the last two days since a migraine on saturday night. Probably lucky to still have a job after these two days!
In one right now… you ever had one of those dreams where you are trying to run from something, but all of a sudden it’s like all your limbs got really heavy and you can’t move them fast enough to get away. Feels like that. Does anyone else’s speech slur afterwords?
I have had blurry distance vision in my right eye for about two weeks now along with pins and needles and prickling feeling in arms and legs that comes and goes. I Had a cracking Migraine a few days ago (thought my head was going to explode) and ever since I still have the pins and needles and prickling and blurry right eye distance vision. My head has eased but still hurts as do my eyes. I hate it, so worrying all the time. Has anyone had symptoms that last for 2 weeks?? It’s as if I have had symptoms leading up to the migraine, had the migraine and now i’m coming down from it.
I don’t get the nausea before, but I do during and a lot afterwards. I am in the post-phase now – but actually it is all mixed up as I get headache and pains in my head and nausea for days – sometimes weeks afterwards. Actual ‘attack’ was a wekk ago – I feel sick most of the time, stuffed up, tired, very headachy, like I’ve been hit round the head. Like others – complete stillness is best – but impossible to acheive. Can’t take asprin or NSAI’s- though I have heard that a paracetamol/asprin mix is the ‘latest thing’. I feel uttterly depressed with waking up every morning feeling no better, often worse. It is reassuring to read everyone’s experiences though – I don’t feel so alone. People just don’t understand what its like.
Annie
Has anyone experienced tingling in their feet and nausea as the early indicators of the migraine? I have experienced twice and it always starts that way. I am currently in the hangover phase, and just feel heavy, as if I was carrying another me. My doctor prescribed phenergan for the nausea, but that makes me extremely sleepy, and weak. Please comment.
I really hate having these migraines, mine last a day and I can only lay in bed and hope to sleep. I have rizatriptan but I seem to sick it back up 🙁 I usually take a 10mg Valium so I can try and sleep without moving around.
If I keep my head perfectly still then my headache gets a lot better, when I move it even slightly the great pain comes back 🙁
I can’t eat at all through it.
postdrome means I can’t seem to concentrate on much – reading the news for example I just skip though all the pages reading the headline and nothing else. A good sleep will sort me out hopefully. but yeah, it does feel like the aftermath of being bashed around the forehead with a bat.
Glad to know I am not alone….but slightly depressing knowing this is so common…and still no cure. My first migraine was 3 years ago…3 episodes over 1 week. Terrified me…did loads of research…felt bit more empowered…Nothing then til last week! have had 4 episodes,took Solpadeine, codeine and caffeine and am in the hangover stage now…Menopausal too…drained,blurry thoughts and words, in a tunnel, heavy headed, uncoordinated, wrecked, lack of energy..not good as I am a Health Coach and Fitness Instructor! dead legs, out of body, cotton wool feeling!is it the meds? we need a cure..Good Luck and keep healthy
In the first couple of days after a migraine has subsided, I too experience what we all call a “migraine hangover”. The most prevalant symptom for me is the pain behind and around my eyes and temples as well as extreme sensitivity to light. The area around my eyes is literally tender and sore to the touch, almost like a bruise would feel. Same with my temples. It’s strange, its almost as if the vessels and sinuses are recovering from all the stress they experienced when the migraine occured. Like they went to the gym and worked out for 4 hours 🙂 or something. I also experience complete lack of appetite for 2-3 days after a migraine. Just absolutely no desire to eat anything at all….which I must say is really uncharacteristic of me becuase I like food. Alot. I usually lose about 5 pounds in the days after a migraine. And I experience alot of fatigue also, and just overall don’t feel like myself.
From what I’m reading I guess these things are common amongst migraine sufferers. It makes me feel better knowing there are people out there that can relate.
I hope this information helps someone that experiences the same thing.
So glad to read this! I’ve suffered with classical migraine since 2006 but they are usually over in 24 hours with the help of sumatriptan and rest! This time I had a classical migraine and as I didn’t get the aura etc I missed the signal to take my meds! I’m on day 4 now and the bruised feeling all around my left eye and pain at my temples/left eye/head has been really concerning me! I have a really thick head too and can’t focus on much. My doctor is not concerned at all but I really have been!!
Postdrome for me is like I have been in a fistfight with the same area of my head each time (top on down to my left ear and left cheek bone) is tender and hurts when touched. Much like a bruise. Mild nausea and lethargy while this sympton resolves itself over 24-48 hours.
I can’t eat after migraine. Somehow food seems to make the postdrome nausea worse. Anyone else have problems eating after?
What foods soothe your nausea, if any?
My 9 yr old son has been hospitalized for transient blindness in both eyes. After alot of tests, they have determined that he has abdominal migraines and atypical migraines. He has slept for 15+ hours today. Has anyone experienced this type of migraine in a child and is it normal to sleep so much. He also said that he could not concentrate to catch up on missed school work. Any thoughts out there?
Hi Guys,
I am also just in a Migraine hangover.
I used to suffer with these twice a week till I found I needed glasses. This reduced the amount I get down to amount 5-6 a year, thank god.
I get a really strong aura before my migraines start. It starts as a single flashing dot in the very center of my eye, it then moves back like a circle over my eye until it moves completly out of my vision. I then get the pain.
At present during my migraine hangover I am having trouble with my vision, flashing spots and sensitivity to light.
The worst feeling is I keep constantly checking my vision for flashing spots because i am terrified that the migraine will start again.
Has anyone else had prolonged vision issues after the Headache phase is over? it is quite worrying hope it goes soon.
I just had a bad migrane lastnight. i get very jumpy crawling out of my skin afterwards. also , yesterday i presented with aphasia. i never had this before and thought i was having a stroke.
OMG! That is it! I thought maybe it was just me but these migraine hang overs which have been described here is exactly how I feel after a migraine. As though I just can’t function at all. Can barley stay awake but the uncontrollable napping effects my night time sleeping terribly. I was proscribed imitrex and it works wonders for the pain and sound/light sensitivity. If I could just stay home from work and sleep for a day or two after a migraine I think it might help but who’s job allows for that…thanks for making me feel like i am not nuts.
I’ve had plenty of one day migraines in the past, but am currently in the hangover phase of my first 4 day migraine. I feel so anxious, like something I do may inadvertently trigger the migraine once more. It is a strain to focus on the screen while typing, and I have the sensation on someone pulling my eyeballs back toward my skull. The headache pain is still there in a modified form, mostly when I move my head. My head feels precariously perched atop my shoulders, but that the heaviness of my sense organs might pull it down to the floor. Facial expressions hurt. How does anyone carry on with their life with these postdrome symptoms?
I am in a the hangover stage of a 4 day migraine right now and feel like i have been run over by a truck. Aside from feeling fuzzy, flu-like and lethargic beyond belief, I am struggling for words and can’t organize my thoughts. I have been suffering for 10 years now and it is so frustrating to be so helpless. The new Treximet (Imitrex+Naproxin) works well to cut the pain but the hangover period is agony. I too feel guilty about not being able to be helpful and attentive to my children and husband. Has anyone ever gone through a successful detox regime to speed this phase along?
I have suffered from migraines for about 12 years now. I just started experiencing the visual aura phase about 2 years ago. I remember my first in 7th grade, my left hand went numb and I threw up , then overcome by throbbing on right side of my head, though at the time I thought I had a brain tumor or somethng, I had another about 6 years later. And have had them on and off for 2 years now. My god thw visual aura ias the worse. I get the glimmering zig zag in the corner of my eye which then fills in everywhere and I also get the partial blindness. Last week I had one, I looked at the clock and could only see 1:47 though I knew it was 11:47, so I knew I was in trouble and something was coming on. I had been migraine free for over a year! Now I have had 2 in two weeks and just don’t feel right. It’s been a few days, but I am still in a foggy daze and am very sensitive to light and sound, worse is that I am panicked about getting another one at any moment and being debilitated all day, I feel so useless and horrible when that happens. No one can understand how terrifying and mood altering these are unless they experience. I think focusing too much on the bright computer screen and lack of sleep are triggers for me (like I am doing right now :)). Anyone else experience that? I’m 24 and I would try anything to never get another one, does anyone have any successful remedies that have been prescribed to them?
Thanks!!!
I was comparing notes with my sister-in-law, another migraine sufferer and we couldn’t thing of any way to describe how we feel after our headaches. Hangover was the only word that came to mind.
My son has started experiencing the same migraines that I have. I picked him up in a parking lot tonight (he called because he couldn’t drive from the pain). He was throwing up all the way home.
What I wonder is if the hangover is a result of the Imitrex or the actual migrain. Hmmm…
I am currently in the hangover stage of a 4 day migraine. I get them about twice a month now and have just recently started a new (my 5th) medication called Topomax. However, it hasn’t quite worked for me yet! I was so happy to read some of these blogs (not happy to read that people were not feeling well) but happy to read that I was not crazy! It was so comforting to know that my symptoms are common and that I’m not dying of some unseen brain tumor! I always feel so depressed after a migraine, I feel like I have taken away precious time from my husband and children, I keep reminding myself that it’s not me, but these awful headaches that are completely out of my control. Good luck to everyone…
I have just had my first migraine in five years last night and now I have my first post-migraine malaise. I wonder if I’m alone in that – aside from a dragging feeling of unutterable depression – my main worry is that I can’t read (online or off) without the words and letters dancing around and playing hide-and-seek. How I’m managing to type this is a mystery to me! I also find it a little troubling watching television as half the faces of the actors almost seem to disappear. Does anyone else experience this weird kind of “blindness”/visual confusion? I assume it has something to do with the severe aura visuals I get at the onset of migraine.
I have been fighting migraines since childhood, for almost 30 years now (I have MWA, migraine with aura), and have always had the migraine hangover. It’s just part of the cycle for me. My brain and head feel sore, especially if I have to bend over or, heaven forbid, if I cough of sneeze. It’s almost like I can feel my brain against my skull. And, I also feel tired and foggy from the headache itself and all the medication. Plus, I’m always on edge and for days, with every twinge, I panic and think “Is this it, is another one coming???????”
I’m new to migraines since I passed “the Change.” Brain fog and strange physical symptoms are par for the course, so I sometimes feel like this on a non-migraine day.
But, yes, today am postdrome and head is swollen, I feel bilious, nauseated and completely “blank.” Also having sinus upsets as described above. No energy whatever. Made the mistake of drinking some half-decaf. Bleah. Sticking with lots of water ice water.
Here’s the weird thing: I get the same nauseated and headachy feeling during and after a migraine that I feel when I smell a skunk that’s sprayed close by. In fact, skunk spray can throw me into a migraine-like headache, but without the preceding light show of auras and glitter.
In fact, just thinking of skunk and certain types of perfume can bring on a headache.
Anybody else have odor triggers or is this sensitive to smell?
*********
Odor triggers are very common. They are a huge problem for me.
Kerrie
I’ve had migraines since college, but I always though that they were some combination of back and sinus problems (because my neck gets stiff and my nostril gets stuffy on the side that hurts.) But last night I had my worst one ever, and my boyfriend, who’s had terrible migraines since he was a teenager, told me that this was typical of migraines. Especially considering I was nauseous and all my senses seemed “poorly calibrated.”
Finally after my digestive system flushed itself with admirable efficiency, the headache changed and went almost away.
Today I feel like my brain is a useless, swollen lump throbbing in my skull. There’s this incredibly fragile membrane between me and the pain. I’m mentally exhausted and can’t bring myself to concentrate on anything.
For me, the main post-migraine issue is up to 3 days of somewhat painful pounding on the affected side of the head whenever I bend, cough, strain. It’s scary – it makes one think a vessel is gong to “pop.” I don’t want to even stand up/sit down, because it sets off the pounding.
I suffer from migraines atleast twice a month. I’ve been seeing a chiropractor for almost a year but before that I was having migraines twice a week. Imagine having that fuzzy, nausea, blah feeling, not only during the migraine but a day or two afterwards for more than twice a week. I’ve seen multiple specialists and non of them could explain my feelings. It’s nice to see other have the same symptoms. To bad they can’t be corrected.
I stumbled across this blog while doing a little research on prodrome/postdrome before I submit myself to yet another visit to the neurologist. I’ve been in what I would call “migraine funk” for going on 2 weeks. I’ve hit bottom and begged the dr to see me today. I feel like I’ve tried everything and nothing works or the side effects are intolerable. The postdrome descriptions I’ve read about here are very similar to the way I feel. I don’t know if another headache is coming or if this is the end of the one from yesterday. I’m either in pain or feel this migraine “shadow”. It’s constant, it’s relentless and it sucks.
I’m in the midst of a migraine hangover as well. They seem to be coming more frequently now that I’m in my second trimester of my pregnancy. Unfortunately, I can’t take the one drug that has always helped (Excedrin) because of the risk of miscarriage. Last week I had a four-day migraine which was relieved briefly by a visit to my doc and some IV Reglan + Tylenol.
As for the Postdrome, I get that tired, fuzzy-brained feeling too.
when an area of the body is the site of projected chronic pain….or lesser, also chronic symptoms….all of the tissue within the body beneath the area of perceived pain will not function normally…..the majority of perceptual problems experienced by migraine patients, visual, auditory, cognitive (especially), muscular, and psychological (especially) are caused simply by the projection of pain that is the typical areas of pain experineced by the patient…..the intense cranial symptoms effect all areas of tissue beneath and within the areas felt by the sufferer…..is it any wonder that pain felt over the area of the head that the frontal lobes lie beneath would cause distracted and confused thought processes and other mental mistakes….of course they would, its completely normal in the framework of the pathological process of the development of the fibromyalgia part of the musculoskeletal process we refer to as osteoarthritis……
unfortunately, each time the headache pain shifts location typically discloses another musculo-neuro-skeletal problem that has to be diagnosed and treated….hate to tell ya but musculoskeletal problems are complex and can’t help but involve several parts and pieces….
if any of you who experience migraines spends the majority of the night lying with their neck in a twisted position, you are lucky…….if you experience the majority of pain on the contralateral side of the head, and sometimes the ipsilateral, you can relieve problems by simply sleeping with your neck in a nonstressful position!…..
You guys really reassured me. I’ve had migraines once or twice a year since junior high. I had a nasty migraine this weekend and for the first time am experiencing the hang over you describe. Feels great to know that I’m not alone and that it should pass soon.
I have been a migraine sufferer since I was 15: that makes almost 45 years now. I find that during the migraine hangover it is so necessary to love and coddle myself a bit. Esp. when there are pressing tasks to be done and I’m not up to it, I start being down on myself. I’ve found one thing that helps me is having a simple meal at an “Old Lady” restaurant, the kind of cute place my mother used to favor when she was still alive (and I thought was Dumb as a twenty-something.) Give me flower gardens and gazebos, pretty prints on the walls, the attention to niceties and little things. Rose teacups and thin green ice tea glasses; a twist of lemon. I am always cheered.
Colleen – that drained feeling is very common. I get it big time myself! As I understand it, the migraine depletes your serotonin, and low serotonin is responsible for feeling down, drained, etc. I am not personally familiar with the prickly skin sensations, except on my scalp, where I get prickliness and tenderness after the migraine.
– Megan
http://meganoltmanfreemybrain.typepad.com
This blog is fantastic! I am just coming off another (now weekly) vicious migraine, and it occured to me I get the same “drained” feeling afterwords each time. I’m not sleepy, just drained and fuzzy-headed. I also get strange prickly skin sensations that set in a few hours after the pain subsides. Does anyone experience this?
I am so relieved to know I am not the only person who goes through this. I have for so many years tried to explain it to family, friends and co-workers…with not good results. I was convinced I was either nuts or had a rare disease. I even told my doctor about it and got a no where. THANK GOD FOR THE INTERNET It is the migraine that makes me feel like I have poison under my skin and 100lb weights on my arms and legs. And a brain that resembles the one frying on the sidewalk in the hot sun.
I am coming off a week long migraine. I woke up every morning for the last week with the worst headaches i have ever had. Now i think i am in the postdrome stage. I have an achy feeling at the base of my head and blurry vision in my left eye. It makes it difficult to do anything. All i want to do is sleep. Hopefully this ends soon!
For me this is the worst part of the migraine. Sure the headache is terrible…but the post period (postdrome)…agh! Usually, a 36 to 48 hr period of comeplete listlessness and nausea. I feel like I had a lobotomy and my head is a empty vessel…Nicholson’s character at the end of One Flew Over… comes to mind. I’m literally not there.
But in real terms…it’s really the absense of cognitive faculties and motor skills. All I can do is pray for time to act quick.
I’ve gone through periods where I had a migraine every day or nearly every day for weeks. I feel such relief that I now get them only about 2-5 times a month.
Hangovers:
* If I stop moving, I fall asleep. Literally. This lasts for about 12-36 hours. Bathrooms are dangerous because I fall asleep on the toilet and fall off (yes, I’ve hurt myself a couple of times), plus since I fall asleep as soon as I sit down, I could sit there a while before I can concentrate enough to get my business done.
* I usually go one of two ways: Even though I am incredibly sleepy, I don’t want to go to sleep and sometimes can’t stay asleep for long periods OR I will sleep for up to 36 hours with breaks only for food, water, and bathroom.
* I don’t eat right because I’m too tired to care and don’t have much of an appetite.
* My right eye begs me to close it. (Why is it everyone is talking about migraine on the right side, I wonder? Is migraine more common on the right side than the left?)
* I don’t want to have to concentrate enough to hold a conversation with anyone. I can get a migraine hangover even if I don’t get a full-fledged migraine. The muscle tightness that accompanies the migraine continues.
* My brain is in a fog; I can’t seem to remember what it was I intended to do just moments ago. Umm…what was I saying? Yes, I’m in the post-migraine period right now, so it’s both easier to describe (because afterwards I can forget what the symptoms were), and it’s harder to organize my thoughts and think of the word I want to use.
Hi psykee – While Kerrie is away, I’m responding to comments so I’ll do my best to answer your question. I would suggest that the forum would be a great place to post this question and get the variety of everyone’s experiences.
What I understand is that a migraine attack is a process; the headache is only one phase of it. When you take a Triptan (like Imitrex) to abort the migraine, you aren’t completely averting the process, which was going on before you even experienced symptoms. You are ending the part of the migraine that causes head pain, and shortening the whole process.
However, as Kerrie quoted above: “The pathophysiology of the postdrome is unknown, but likely represents a gradual recovery phase from the extreme neurologic disruption that occurs during migraine.”
I have also read that the migraine itself depletes the serotonin in our brains, so we feel depressed from the lack of serotonin.
In terms of what to do about it – take great care of yourself. Do want comforts you. Share on the forum for support. And please know you’re not alone!
– Megan (www.meganoltmanfreemybrain.typepad.com)
Does anyone ever feel depressed and apathetic even after successfully averting a real migraine with any of the SSRI-based meds (imitrex, etc)? I notice that even if i manage to take some medicine and go to sleep before a real migraine kicks in, I feel really emotionally run down, nervous and depressive the next day or so. Its still worth it to avoid a migraine, but any suggestions or ideas?
I am so glad I found this blog. I am having a migraine hangover. I’m a stay at home mommy with energetic toddlers. It is taking all I have to keep them and myself together.
Wow! Thank you to everyone for helping me feel like I’m not actually going crazy! Bad migraine last night (I get about 4-6 a year) and today I just feel like I’ve run a marathon (or two). Also, Thank goodness the pain and nausea are gone, but this is bad, too. Still mild headache, weird equilibrium, extreme fatigue,foggy brain, and constant fear that the migraine might come back at any time. I hope someone can eventually find an effective treatment for this. All they’ll give me is Midrin, and it doesn’t do squat! Best of luck to all of you fellow sufferers!
I just had mu first migraine this past wed, I thought I was having a stroke, a headache on just the left side of my brain, left facial tingling, left arm tingling and left leg tingling, I was so scared, EMS tok me to the hospital, all tests done, atypical migraines they diagnosed, I also had another migraine yesterday, I’m trying to recover, my brain feels different,like mush, I can’t get enough sleep, I wake up feeling drained , my brain feels like I’ve been running a marathon, I feel like I’m loosing my mind, no appetite, tired, loud noises just annoy me, I hope this phase passes by quickly.
My symptoms came on about 2 1/2 months ago after a bad upper respratory infection, ear infection, and sinus infection that lasted almost a month. Prior to this i was a happy go lucky ball of energy, super motivated, very physically active, and a go getter. Then all of a sudden out of the blue after infection subsided i started getting severe migraines, ear pain and tingling, severe pressure in my eyeballs and very sore around my eyes, wake up tired every day like i havnt slept in a month w swollen puffy eyes, my heart races at night, muscles r sore and cant sleep through the night even w my ambien i just toss and turn, cant focus, severe brain fog and memory loss, feel like i am in space, disassociated, agitated easily, irratable, not happy, no motivation to workout always feeling fatigyed. My doctor cant tell me whats wrong w me he says all my tests came back fine so what thd hell is goinv on. I would just like to find out if there r any other things we all have in common that might help me in my pursuit of self evaluating. Were any of you taking any herbs or supplements prior to this onset? Health freaks? Workout freaks? Highly motivated ppl? On meds for ADHD? how old were u when u got your first attack? Anyone s Taurus? Birthday in May? First attack start in the month of July by any chance? Just trying to find any similarities i can to try to link us together, thanks!
I am having my first attack. Scariest thing I ever went through. The intense pain seems to have eased but I’m still in a headachey cloud. hangover stage I guess. Still getting numbness and my hearing sounds weird. Foggy and uncoordinated. Like hell. Is there anything people take to ease these symptons??
I am recovering from a migraine last evening. I cannot imagine those of you who have the 2 or more day migraine. I attribute the hangover to the meds that I take to make it subside. THANK GOD for IMITREX and FEVERFEW. I usually have no vomiting NOW as in the past. My hangovers make me very lethargic, feel like I am in a time warp and NO motivation. I have had migraines since I was about 16. The first one I had, I knew I was near death. The doctor I saw years ago would give me morphine and I would sleep for hours, followed by throwing up and dry heaves. I used to have them about every two week but now I get one every couple of months. I attribute mine to STRESS, some foods, bright lights, air pressure (changes. I have even had them broght on by wind. Excuse this rambling. I say all this so you will know that you are not alone. I wish you luck and good health.
This blog is great. I’m in the midst of my annual 6 – 8 week long change-of-season migraine. I get a break from the severe headache a few days at a time, but otherwise, the pain is fairly constant with varying intensity. I just spent the last day and a half in bed. I’m back at work today. I’m still very sick, but well enough to sit up at my desk and at least make an effort to accomplish something. I never thought that maybe I could be having migraine hangovers in between full fledged migraines. I can relate to everything everyone has stated here in their migraine hangover descriptions. I’m about due for my regular monthly migraine, too, though. I feel like I’m only partially aware of what’s going on. I’m in a fog and can’t concentrate. The thoughts in my mind are as scrambled as my physical brain feels. Am I rambling here? Oh dear, I just wish I could be headache free.
I was wondering if you have ever been successfully treated for your migraines lasting that long. I have always had migraines, but they would only last 4 hours, then hangover for several hours. 6 weeks ago, I got one at work and it hasn’t gone away since. On top of the migraine, I’ve also had double vision and hearing off balance on and off. I’ve had 2 trips to the ER, CAT scan, MRI, spinal tap, all showing normal results. The neurologist had me do a steroid burst and a depacon infusion after trying midrin & immatrex…nothing works. I’m at the end of my rope, I’m a single mom of 3, in constant pain, unable to focus and still having to go to work or risk losing my job. I’m scared and frustrated that this will never go away and no one can figure out how to help me. If anyone has any advice or input I would so appreciate it.
hi tara I can sympathises with u so much..my migraines have taken over my whole life..I feel depressed with them..I feel guilty that my daughter sees me in bed so often with a cold cloth on my head..nearly everything triggers a migraine in me..from too much sleep not enough sleep..exercise..stress..the doctor has prescribed me so many different meds over the years and nothing worked until I was prescribed a new medication out a couple of years ago..sumatriptan 100mg..these tablets are a God send for me if u haven’t tried them already u should maybe look into it. They don’t prevent but if u take 1 as soon as ur migraine comes on the excruciating pain is gone within an he and I have also found that my migraine hangovers are not as bad either.
Lots of love
Jo xx
Try filing for fmla. I was just approved so at least I don’t have to worry about losing my job but know exactly how you feel. I’m a single mom of two so the guilt of not being able to take care of them or work to financially support them is as bad as the pain and absent mindedness.
I have been prescribed several different medications for the last 5 years only to find that the side effects were nothing I wanted to deal with on top of the migraines which wouldn’t go away. I finally accepted the fact that I was going to live my life in pain forever until I tried something called migrelief. It’s a combination of magnesium, riboflavin ( vitamin b-2 ) and puracol feverfew. I take two of these a day with plenty of water through out the day. I can’t stress enough how important it is to drink lots of water ( I drink around a gallon a day ) when you’re a migraine sufferer as you need to stay hydrated. Migrelief is not a prescription. It can be found online and in the more “natural” pharmacies. I have not seen it at Walmart, Walgreens, cvs, rite aid etc. Hope this helps!
This helps me a lot, I think I might have a vitamin b2 deficiency, so it explains maybe why I just had one of my worst migraines yesterday, I am now having the hangover with horrible nausea and flu feeling. I am going to try this.
Thank you for your info!
Thank you so much for saying that your right eye twitches. I have found that my right eye twitches right before an attack and continues for a few days later.I have my migraines on my right side so I wonder if that is doing it. I am currently in a migraine hangover and feel better hearing about how you all have them also. I relate to the feeling of being in mud and it is taking alot of energy to even type this. It sure does make my day so hard and I also have the guilt of how my family is affected by my pain.
I had my first attack in several months yesterday, triggered by the extremely bright light beaming into my office (no blinds, thank you very much.) After vomiting in my office trash can, I decided it was time to go home. I fell asleep at 1:30 pm and slept until 7 this morning. I still feel the headache, it’s there in the back of my head and neck, as if someone has scooped out my brain and poured concrete into my skull instead. My right eye is twitching continually and I feel like I spent 17 hrs running on a treadmill rather than sleeping in a dark room. I have zero energy and zero motivation. The only thing I really felt committed to doing this morning was climbing onto my desk and taping manila file folders all over my window. Nobody has said anything yet and I hope they don’t because I feel evil and I might say something inappropriate. I should be at home taking care of myself and I’m so far behind that this day is a total loss anyway. But I guess I should stop blogging and get to work. But thanks for reading, I do feel a teeny bit better for having shared my experience.
i thought i was dieing or had Alzheimers.just couldnt think, driving on a road ive alway drove felt like the first time though i knew it wasnt. felt weak dizzy confused. Ive had migraines since i was ten.Now 35 the day after was just as hard with out the pain.went to the doctor. i was blown away migraine hangover. Migraines are hard eough
I’m just coming off an 8 day migraine. I had a doozy of a prodromal light display that went into scintillating scotoma with a full curtain effect over one eye. That has happend twice over the last three weeks. I’ve been doing migraines for over 25 years, and the post-drome (other than for the afore-mentioned brief celebration that the BIG PAIN is going away at last)is about as big a bummer as the migraine itself, cuz I end up always feeling guilty and get up too soon to takecare of family and WHAM back comes the migraine…..
Does anyone feel nauseous for days afterwards? This is the first migraine i’ve really distinctly sensed prodrome and postdrome phases. I’m 5 days post-migraine now and I keep getting feelings of seasickness sweeping over me and i find it difficult to focus my eyes…kind of feels like I’m going to go again…Nighmare.
I stumbled upon these comments while looking up the term ‘migraine hangover’ on the web. Amazing how clearly everyone has explained this very real condition. I frequently feel guilty about closing myself off from my husband and boys because of a migraine and then even more so because of how drained and exhausted I feel afterwards. Weakness, feeling groggy, heavy arms and legs, dizziness…it’s all there.
For me, I have trouble concentrating, my energy levels are low and I feel tired and drained. I constantly yawn and oddly my nose starts to run. My head has a dull feeling and my eyes are sore and strained. I try and battle through it with the hope that a good nights sleep will do the trick but sadly that is not always the case.
I’m in one right now…
It’s really a numbness; a physical heaviness, and that sense that your mind could just “float away” at any moment….some relief that the migraine is nearly over, but this is accompanied by guilty feelings about taking yet another day off work…that could be the depression bit, huh?
Thanks to you all for reminding me that I’m not alone in this, that it is serious, and it most certainly isn’t “just a headache”.
Good luck to you all.
********
It could be depression, but could just be guilt. Many people with migraine or chronic daily headache struggle with it. I fight guilt all the time and have never beat it! Here’s a post about it that got lots of comments: http://www.thedailyheadache.com/2006/10/guilt.html. Searching my blog brought up 19 posts with the word guilt (http://www.thedailyheadache.com/?s=guilt). That’s actually fewer than I expected.
Hang in there. What you’re feeling is a normal “symptom” of migraine and of chronic illness in general. I hope that doesn’t sound like I’m minimizing what you’re going through. Really I’m saying that lots of people are in the same boat and there are a lot of resources to help work through it.
Take care,
Kerrie
Going through it now; finding it hard to spell. Head is foggy, hazy and heavy and find it really hard to focus on anything. Making decisions becomes very difficult and on top of it all i feel tense, agitated and on edge, as if somewhere deep inside, someone is perpetually dragging fingernails down a blackboard. I find i overreact to things and can’t get past things. God i hope this passes quickly, but i know its only day one and there’s at least anotehr to go.
Going through one right now…it feels like I have the flu without the runny nose or soar throat. I even had to stop and think where the keys were on the keyboard. I’m 33 and I just went through a 3 day migraine. This is my first one so this is really freaking me out…it just plain sucks.
Migraine hangover cheats you out of joy. I’ve had a four day migraine, which every morning I treated successfully with Imitrex and naproxen, only to have the pain return the next morning when I woke up. I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about. Anyway the first two days I was able to carry on. Yesterday and today I feel whipped. Just plain exhausted. Just like walking through mud as the earlier post said. I’ve always thought of it as quicksand. Anyway I sought this site to see if other people get that weary misery following the pain withdrawal. So thank you. I know I’m not alone.
Nancy,
You are the first person I have ever heard of having to deal w exactly what happens to me. I tend to wake up early in the morning w a migraine. I sometimes take some Aleve and shortly after end up having to take my imitrex. Lately though I have been starting my mornings like this for up to 4 days in a row!! Then the rest of the day I feel fuzzy headed and tired even though I try to work at me job. Thank God I am self employed and work from home. I have now learned to not make any appointments w clients until after 1 pm. That way I know that usually by then I’m feeling much more together.
I just don’t understand why I wake up in the mornings with these. I never know how I’m going to feel to make plans ahead of time!! I can have a week of feeling fine and then boom out of the blue its that sick icky headache in the morning.
Does anyone out there know why that is??
Anne in Tennessee
Yes, I know about the waking up with the migraine. I can just tell as soon as I wake up if one is coming on. I have found that if I oversleep at all I am in trouble. Also if I wasn’t able to get to sleep in reasonable amount of time the night before I often end up with a migraine the next morning as well.
Anne, there are a variety of reasons a migraine can happen in the morning. Maybe your sleep was disturbed (and you didn’t realize it), or you ate a trigger food the previous day and didn’t get a migraine from it until the next day, or you’ve had a stress release. It’s worth making note of what you did and ate in the 24 hours before the attack. A few times of this could show you a pattern that you haven’t seen otherwise.
Take care,
Kerrie
I do that all the time. I will be fine than wake up for 4 or 5 days with a migraine. Its awful because you just dread the morning knowing it will come with such pain.
I sometimes wake up with migraines. I woke up once with a severe migraine in progress! 3 days of migraine hell including the hangover. Yuck!! At times, I can be up for less than 30 minutes and “feel” the headache coming on. It’s like “Oh great, gonna have a migraine.” These are usually accompanied by sinusitis-like symptoms. Antihistamines do nothing. This is not allergy. My brain becomes quite mushy and I become fatigued. I have found no correlation between the previous day’s activities or food consumption. In fact, I’ve never been able to discover my triggers.
Ann, migraine is often confused for sinus infections, but 90% of “sinus headaches” are actually migraine attacks. That said, antihistamines do help some people with migraine, but it’s unrelated to allergies or sinus infections. I’m sorry you haven’t been able to pin down any triggers.
Take care,
Kerrie
Weather changes bring them on for me, it took a while to find the correlation. I hope you can narrow down the trigger. Good luck
I am having a migraine hangover as we speak. I do know that naproxen tends to make my headache worst. I know that aleve has that ingredient inside. You may want to cut back on the aleve. I can’t concentrate, my mouth is dry, and I feel foggy and tired.
Letosha from South Carolina
I too have experienced the migraine hangover for years. There is something about dealing with a migraine for hours on end that takes a tremendous toll on the body, mind, and spirit. I am in the mist of a migraine hangover right now, and reading others accounts just so I can let up on myself a little bit. I always have a lot of work to get done, but many of my days following a migraine are simply rest and recover days. I try to fight the fatigue, dizziness and fogginess in the head, but the combination of the after effects of the migraine and the side effects of the Zomig I take for my migraines wipes me out.
*******
I know what you mean about it taking its toll. You’re definitely not alone and you’re in no way to blame for having a migraine hangover. I hope it didn’t last long.
Take care,
Kerrie
I am currently in a migraine hangover. I feel tired, lathargic, and my arms feel like limp noodles with weights tied onto the ends of them. I also feel like my head is too big, & that if my eyeballs get any tighter, they will pop out.
*****
Yuck! I’m fascinated by the idea that body parts can feel too big. It happens to me, too. There’s a lot of evidence that this sort of body awareness (for lack of a better word) is another sense, just like smell or taste. Interesting, huh?
Take care,
Kerrie
Kerrie
Yes!!! I’ve often described my migraine as my brain no longer fits in my skull and its oozing into places that it doesn’t belong (think about the pressure in your ears during the migraine). It just feels like my head has so much pressure and is going to push my eyeball out of socket or pop like a coconut from the constant jack hammering on the top of my head. Then, it slowly, fades away leaving me feeling exhausted, numb, sore and like my thoughts and speech don’t always line up quite right. And my eyes!!! They don’t track together afterwards so driving is a no go and no one understands why you can’t just hop up and go since the stupid headache is gone now. Sorry, didn’t mean to be so long winded. I’m just there now and so tired of being in headache or recovery mode constantly now.
Susan
Does a list exist of famous people, for instance, celebrities, who suffer or suffered from migraine? I know of two possible ones: Elvis Presley and Anna Nicole Smith, but I am wondering if there is a list somewhere. Thanks.
******
Here’s a good list: http://www.migraines.org/myth/mythgood.htm
Take care,
Kerrie
I’m in the midst of a migraine hangover now and I can describe it as almost being inside of a dense fog that I can’t escape from. Not only can I not think clearly, but its hard to move my body. I have to force myself to do things and when I do it is like moving through mud.
*******
Yuck. Moving through mud is a great comparison. Hope you’re doing better now.
Kerrie
I’ve never had a hangover, but post-migraine, that’s how I feel. I have to admit, there’s always a teeny bit of euphoria, like YAY that headache is finally gone! But wiped out, heavy, like when the humidity is so oppressive you just don’t want to move.
That’s a great description for what I feel ! It feels like too much effort to breathe in and out – the energy isn’t there !
I’ve tried many times to describe a migraine hangover to my friends and family, but unless you’ve had one, I don’t think you can grasp how it feels.
I sort of feel like I was just in a fight – the inside of my head feels a bit bruised or tender and my head and entire body feels exhausted and groggy. I’m glad to be out of the intense pain, but I still can’t focus or get fully back into my routine.
*********
That’s a perfect way to describe mine too. Thanks!
Kerrie
Thanks for helping describe this weird phenomenon. It makes me feel like what I’ve experienced isn’t so strange!
Kerrie
I get apathetic and fatigued post-migraine, which tends to be made worse by the tryptan hangover from Relpax, but I’d rather have that than the migraine. It also seems to make my ADD symptoms – inability to focus on something, or to start any task – worse, even with my ADD meds.
A side effect during the hangover that’s entirely due to the Relpax is a flat affect – I get no expression on my face unless someone directly interacts with me. I just sort of switch off, with none of my internal emotional states reflected on my face when I don’t need it to communicate. A bit odd, but it doesn’t affect my life in a serious manner and it’s better than the migraine.
My best friend and I have a term we use, which is “nana head”. It derived from her grandmother who had dementia and on some days she couldn’t remember how to button her shirt or her own name. That’s me after a bad cycle of migraine attacks. My head gets fuzzy and even simple tasks become complicated. There have been days when I can’t open an overly complicated juice bottle.
I mentioned in a previous post that I was trying neurofeedback. Turned out not to be the treatment for me. Not only did it not help my headaches, but it triggered a major depressive episode for me. My doctors and I have adjusted some of my meds to start undoing the damage, but I spent a good part of the last three weeks thinking about ways to kill myself. So now it’s on to find something else.
Hope this bad phase of yours passes soon. Hang in there.
Kelly
I feel fuzzy and wiped out post-migraine.
I feel crazy anxious and overwhelmed by anything even small tasks. I just want to lay in bed and going to work is so difficult. Does anyone else get anxiety?
I do its really bad to im always looking for someone to talk to and work thru it i find it helps me calm down it makes it hard to leave the house work even simple tasks in the house
i currently just got over a 3 week migraine from hell cant work been in bed ever since now my head feels weird im foggy and dizzy i feel awful like i have the flu all i want to do is sleep i have no money from not working and i pray haven’t lost my job cant see a neurology doc till nov 9th ,im nauseated I don’t want to eat I cant go anywhere iv been to the ER 3 times and the doc 4 times they dont know whats wrong with me its a hard feeling to explain my head kinda hurts but not as painful its,like having an outer body experience I have to go back to work I dont know what to do
Did u get a answer I feel same I had migraine 4 days ago don’t feel right at all a feel the way u explained
Dawn- Did you ever get any answers? I’m going through the exact thing right now. I hope to hear from you.
I get anxiety the day after a migraine. I also feel shaky and out of it the next day.
Yes, I found my way here by Googling ‘panic attacks in migraine postdrome’. I’m geting horrible anxiety 24 hours post-attack.
I also get a lot of anxiety postdrome, and struggle between overanalysis, short-term memory problems, focus problems, and difficulty being able to do very routine things I knew how to do since long ago. It lasts several days.
Yes, I get horrible panic attacks after them too and don’t want to eat. It lasts for a day or two. It makes work hell for me since I work with people non stop with no breaks. Hate everyone else feels anxiety but there’s some relief I’m not the only one. I felt like I was crazy because I never see anything online about anxiety after a migraine.
I also get anxiety during and after the migraine. Migraines still freak me out. I dislike the aura which makes me feel like I’m going blind in one eye then the extreme pain hits my head and I’m out of commission then shortly after my left hand goes completely numb. Just a little scary for me, so anxiety only seems normal at this point; however, the day after I still have the headache (it’s not as painful, but it is definitely still hanging out and making me anxious). The anxiety for me stems from the unknown of the nasty migraine and the extended feelings and emotions It leaves behind.
I have been having “minor migraines” for the past four days. I say minor because the migriane I had last night was hurrendous. Those minor attacks were extremely sore but nothing compared to what I had last night. My head was so sore, my neck felt like it was swelling outwards it had so much pressure on it, my chest became very achy and arm n legs were tingling and numb. I was vomiting a lot and could not eat anything. This started at 5pm and lasted till 4:30am. Now the aftermath – my head isn’t sore but it’s heavy. My neck (only left side) is heavy and sore still feels like it’s swelling but it’s bareable. Arms and legs are still numb. I have no energy.
Iv already been to the doctors about it and my gp gave me medicine which made me feel 1000% worse! I’m now thinking of getting acupuncture ( cupping) for my migraine. Iv always suffered from migraine attacks it started when I was quite young. I’m now 24 and I can’t let this take over my life.
Anyone else get swollen necks or weird pain and heaviness in neck?