Introduction

Sure we all get headaches from time to time and sometimes the headaches are severe. However, what many people may not realize is that headaches and migraines are not the same thing. A migraine is not just a severe headache but actually another condition all together.

When a person experiences their first migraine, it is like a pain they could have never before imagined. This pain is unlike any other. It is excruciating and relentless. A person can suffer an assortment of other symptoms with the pain. Each person’s experience with migraines is different. People experience different symptoms and to different degrees.

Migraines With Aura and Migraines Without Aura

More common symptoms of migraines include: throbbing, pulsating and other severe pain, nausea and often vomiting, dizziness, sensitivity to light and noise. The two main types of migraine headaches are migraines with aura and migraines without aura.

Auras are often visual in nature and can include things like seeing flashing lights, seeing zigzag lines or losing part of all of your vision. Other aura symptoms can include: muscle weakness, difficulty talking, or numbness somewhere on the face or body. There will normally be head pain following the aura after about 15 to 30 minutes. However, sometimes people experience only an aura. About 15% of migraine suffers have migraines with aura.

The majority of individuals suffering from migraines do not experience an aura. They suffer from migraines without aura (also known as common migraines). These migraines often come on a person more slowly. Common migraines are often the migraines that last for a longer duration. The pain associated with these migraines is sometimes one-sided.