How do you tell a migraine from a normal headache?

[ForTealBee]

Just that really.

I got one of the worst headaches I've ever had last night, it was awful. I felt sick (to the point I was gagging over the toilet) and lying in bed in the dark didn't help. It's mostly gone this morning, little bits are hanging round but not that bad.

I get these maybe every 3-4 months, just out of the blue. How do I know if it's a migraine or just a headache?

I'm 25.

I'm not even looking for meds or anything, j guess just some reassurance that I'm not dying

Does sound like migraine. Worth being checked by doctor to exclude serious stuff though. You could try to discover triggers for you but they sound infrequent and liveable either way at present.
triggers can be flashing sunlight (I keep spare sunglasses in car) stress, lack of sleep, alcohol, cheese, choc, alcohol, dehydration etc though some foods now thought to be symptomatic of approaching migraine apparently.
Sumatryptan is life saver. Dark cool quiet room, total rest. I’m older and now on propranolol preventative medication so don’t have to waste three days a row in bed any more just odd one.

I happened to be seeing a GP about a completely unrelated issue when a migraine came on. GP did a load of neuro tests which is how I got the diagnosis. It is absolutely worth seeing a GP. You would not be wasting an appointment.
I used to panic so much because I didn't know they were migraine symptoms so seeing a gp really put my mind at ease and now I know to lie quietly and control my breathing

I'm in the middle of a migraine at the moment, I started with what I can only describe as a flashing snake in one eye, that has passed, now I have a headache on the opposite side but if I stay laid flat that isn't as bad. My senses have gone into overdrive, my sense of smell is turned up × 100, I think my mum has peeled an onion 3 closed doors away, I can smell it as if she was at the side of me & my hearing which is always super sensitive due to autism is turned up to full blast, I'm laid with my earplugs in just to block out as much as I can.

It's odd how it can be so individual. I get head 'prickles' usually the day before, sometimes with big black spaces in my vision. The headache sets in overnight, I wake up with an ache in the back of my neck which gravitates up until it's over my head on one side. If I can sleep I can sometimes get rid of it at the point, but otherwise I just have to lie down because I start to feel sicker and sicker.

Sometimes if I can get painkillers down me fast and early enough, just as the headache part is setting in, I can avoid the worst of it, but because it comes on overnight it's usually too late by the time I realise what it is.

Thanks everyone.

I'll keep it in mind but I don't think I'll bother the doctors yet as it's not an emergency

They're talking through the wrong hole (feel free to quote me on that 😁 ). You can see a doctor for anything that you know isn't right, normal, healthy for you to be feeling. It's up to you if you don't think you need to see your GP or practice nurse yet but a couple of things to think about - are you up to date with optician and dentist appointments? Is your blood pressure normally healthy? Eyestrain, referred pain from dental problems, and issues with blood pressure can all cause migraines and they're good things to rule out if you can.

I might try the private GP I have through work, I feel less like I'm wasting their time that way.

Really torn about what to do. My mum thinks I should just phone my GP and see when/if they speak to me

Just make an appointment with your GP. Take notes about how often, how bad, anything that seems to make them worse, and ask what they can suggest for management and pain relief. You're not saying it's the worst thing that's ever happened to anyone, just that you'd like some help with it.

I'm pretty sure they're stress related. Work have just got on our backs about billing - so it's seven and a half hours a day without much movement from the desk. I can feel how stressed I am at work, then I get home and don't manage to revise for my exams.

I'm following this with interest because it's literally just occurred to me today that the intense waves of nausea that I get every month or two, with headache, could be migraines. I get so nauseous I can't do anything but lie really still and my head pounds and feels pressured. I have to sleep and can sleep almost all day when this happens. I've never been able to make sense of what it is, and thought it was sinus infection but I don't get mucusy. And then I read something that said sinus pain can actually turn out to be migraine and I thought....
Sorry to crash your thread op! Just really helpful to read the responses.

I can function with a headache.

I'm exactly the same, it only occurred to me today that it could be migraines!

I’d go and see a doctor if you haven’t before just to rule anything else out. Sounds like a migraine though.

A headache can be just as painful or more painful than a migraine. Lots of people think migraines are just more painful headaches and that's not true.

Migraines are accompanied by visual symptoms, sickness, sensitivity to light and other symptoms. You don't need all of these symptoms for it to be a migraine. You can also usually feel them coming on before they get bad.

A migraine is a type of headache but not necessarily more painful than a tension headache or any other type of headache.

Your symptoms do sound more like a migraine. A one off I wouldn't worry about but if you get them regularly then definitely see a gp for medication.

Have you had any big hormonal changes, mine started after giving birth & having a total hysterectomy.

Your symptoms sounds like migraine. I get them but I also get cluster headaches (thankfully menopause has reduced them). They are similar in symptoms but the clusters are more painful and thankfully only a few hours; the migraines affect my vision and balance and I have to lie down, pain is of a lower level but lasts for a longer time.
I would definitely say go to the GP because there are some amazing prescription medications like triptans that specifically target migraine symptoms. It's not an emergency, but can help you to prepare and mitigate for the next one. Don't let it become an emergency!

A headache you can function with, you might need painkillers or you might not.

What you're describing op does sound like a migraine, I get them from time to time (hormonal) I find co codomol will take the edge off but not always.

I also cover my forehead and neck with Vicks vapour rub, sounds weird but this helps a fair bit.

I've lost a lot of weight but I got these before the weight loss too

For me my migraines are very visual. I get very sensitive to light, I won't be able to tolerate looking at screens, any light, I can't look out the window etc. i need to wear sunglasses or close the blinds. I sometimes get the aura and vision loss but that's not as common. It's different to a head ache as it's not just a pain, sometimes it can make you feel sick too, can't concentrate

Pain so severe it feels like my head might crack, then nausea and vomitting. Painkillers come right back up. only after vomitting i will start to feel better. DH knows to get a McD milkshake and portion of salty chips will then settle my stomach. next day head feels bruised.

My eyesight goes ‘wibbly’ and the I lose all front vision. These are warning signs and there’s no pain when these are happening and then anytime in the next 12h I will suddenly get a sharp stabbing pain in my head that can last hours to a day.

Talk to your GP (NHS or private) OP - maybe keep a diary so you can say how often they come. Triptans are great because you don't take them until you feel a migraine coming on, so you wouldn't have a daily pill to take or anything. It saves you suffering and it's worth doing. When I got triptans it changed everything, it was amazing.

For me, with migraine I'm often sick, can't bear light and need to keep still and cool. I used to get visual disturbances (beautiful zigzig multi coloured patterns - and sometimes not even with a headache) too. Afterwards, I'd feel totally wiped out but somehow cleansed.