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Vomiting during migraine

6 replies

cheesychips15 · 10/03/2025 10:19

I've never had a migraine before, but yesterday had what I think may have been one. Started with a really bad headache on Saturday evening, still there when I got up yesterday. Paracetamol and ibuprofen made no difference.

When I woke up yesterday morning I felt nauseous and was sick around 10am. After being sick my head felt a lot better, still painful but I could get out of bed. Felt like this for about 2 hours then had to go back to bed for the rest of the day.

From about 12.30 I was vomiting every 10-15 minutes for a few hours then about every 45 minutes until 7.30pm. I haven't been sick since then and my headache has mostly gone today.

Does this sound like a migraine or is it more likely to be food poisoning (or stomach bug)? The headache was like nothing I've ever had before and I'd definitely say that was the main thing and the vomiting was a minor inconvenience alongside it. I didn't feel particularly nauseous except first thing in the morning and then in the 5 seconds before vomiting. However I don't think I'd have expected to vomit quite so much with a migraine, however having never had one maybe that's normal.

OP posts:
MiraculousLadybug · 10/03/2025 10:25

It could be a migraine. I frequently vomit with them and I had one on holiday once where I couldn't get it under control in time and I ended up vomiting 5 or 6 times. We finally got to a supermarket and found some liquid calpol (the shop didn't have any paracetamol in stock) which was surprisingly effective and seemed to sort it out (I think it was in the tail end anyway though).

Was it a throbbing pain in one side of your head or was it across both sides? There's also something called cluster headaches which are as painful as migraines but across both sides of your head which improve then come back over and over during an attack, if I understand them correctly: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cluster-headaches/

Edit: Sorry I've just read on that page that they're usually on one side of your head as well. My bad.

nhs.uk

Cluster headaches

Find out about cluster headaches, which are severe attacks of pain on 1 side of the head, including the symptoms, when to get medical help and how they’re treated.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cluster-headaches/

cheesychips15 · 10/03/2025 10:38

It was across both sides but definitely more painful on the right side. When lying down it felt a bit better if I put my hand over my right eye. I think I vomited somewhere between 10 and 15 times, which is why I think it might have been something else, but having never had one before I don't know what "normal" is!

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MiraculousLadybug · 10/03/2025 10:42

That is quite a lot more than I've ever vomited with a migraine. Six times was my worst. That's not to say definitively that it wasn't a migraine but I think you're right to wonder if you had a vomiting bug or similar.

Octavia64 · 10/03/2025 10:45

Could be either

I've had migraines that bad.

Migraleve has an antiemetic in with it. You can buy at pharmacies.

cheesychips15 · 10/03/2025 11:15

Thanks, I'll have a look at that if I ever get it again! I'm breastfeeding so didn't want to take anything other than paracetamol and ibuprofen yesterday.

I've stayed away from taking the kids to playgroup today in case it is something infectious.

OP posts:
TheArtfulScreamer1 · 10/03/2025 15:10

Sounds like migraine to me I frequently get them when I get my period.

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