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 think it is worth seeing your GP. Mine prescribes me rizatriptan wafers that dissolve in your mouth ( I was vomiting and bringing up tablets). When I take them I know that a) the unbearable pain that leaves me wanting to smash my head against the wall will disappear within an hour and that I can then sleep it off. I know I won't feel 100% the next day but nearly normal and a lot better than I would if I'd waited to let it resolve naturally.

IME migraines radiate pain out from behind either the left or right eye.

You don't have to have them everyday. Not many have them everyday but maybe for 2 or 3 days at a time. I'd just pop to your GP for advice if nothing else. The first time I had one which was excruciating my GP sent me for a scan to rule anything else out. You have nothing to lose and will be prepared if you have one in the future but hopefully you won't.
I also tend to get them if stressed or lacking sleep.
Dispersible aspirin is better than regular aspirin btw as works quicker and is what a neurologist recommended to me initially.

A couple of people have mentioned coke which I agree can help. But you can actually buy paracetamol with caffeine (paracetamol plus) which works well for me. Normal paracetamol does nothing.

When I get migraine, I cannot do anything except lie in bed and stagger to the bathroom to be sick. They are completely debilitating.

Someone said to me that if someone said they would give you a hundred pounds if you could walk to the end of the drive and you cannot do it then you have migraine! Our bed is around 4 metres from the en-suite and that feels like a 100 miles when I get migraine - they are just awful.

Absolutely see a doctor. Prescription medicine is Triptans, I tried a couple of types and the ones I have now stop a migraine in its tracks and I can keep going at work. There are also preventive medications you can try but these did not agree with me

Lifestyle changes helped me - good sleep no alcohol, and 2l of water a day, at least. I wear sunglasses a lot as bright lights are a trigger for me. You can work out over time what sets you off - migraine buddy is a good app to track migraines, triggers, and what works for you.

My rescue plan is to take a Triptan at the first signs, washed down with a can of fat red coke - the sugar and caffeine help and the fizz aids absorption. 9 times out of 10 it works.

I would definitely say go to the doctor - not just for treatment but also to rule anything else out for your peace of mind.

I used to get migraines when I was pregnant and I literally wouldn't be able to function during one. I'd just lie in a dark room and try to sleep as much as possible so as not to feel the pain. I took propranolol and it helped but I think they go for triptans mostly.

It definitely sounds like migraines but I thought I was having a weird type of cluster headache and turned out to have a brain tumor so my advice is to always get checked, even if all it does is give you peace of mind!

for me, a migraine has a build up and a hangover. Plus very visual disturbances too.

what you had sounds a lot like a cluster headache to me, I think that has pain in one eye.

You can buy migraine tablets from the pharmacy.

Migraleive or ibuprofen lycine

You can even get sumatriptan which if that helps is definitely a migraine as true migraines can often only be relieved with Triptans (although be warned triptans don't cure all migraines)

That's likely to be a cluster headache.

They are absolutely sole destroying and feel like someone is poking you in the eye with a hot needle

I'm generally very sick with a migraine but not with a headache, I also get a strange feeling in my face sometimes

A normal headache I can take paracetamol for and it will mostly go away.
A migraine is me feeling like my head is stabbed with something sharp, no painkillers will touch it, I experience nausea and vomiting. I have to lie down in a cool dark room. I can't tolerate noise or read as I can with a standard headache. It effects my eyes. The day after I feel very drained and foggy headed. Thankfully they are not frequent.

Another vote for it being migraine. I had them for years before twigging that that was what they actually were. I have them mostly under control now but the things that work for me are:

1. Knowing my triggers: dehydration, booze, physical exhaustion, very bright light (eg. being out on a sunny day without sunglasses), emotional stress, hormones. Some of those I can manage, some I keep an eye on.
2. First-line of prevention when I start to get symptoms (aura etc): icy-cold can of full-sugar Coke, 3 x 300mg aspirin, something salty (crisps, fries). Take those, get to a dark room. Most of the time that catches it in its tracks.
3. Triptans. If Coke etc doesn't work, I have triptans on prescription from the dr. Take one, go to bed, am usually out the other side within 3 hours.

It's worth chatting to a dr - the triggers are different for everyone, tho mine are the same as my mum so probably a genetic element.

If I go to the doctor and say I think they're because of stress, will they automatically jump to signing me off? I can't really be off, the team I work in is very much of the persuasion that if you don't have kids you can't be stressed, so I feel like it would just make everything worse

No I don't think they will do that at all.

It's good to see the doctor because there are some prescription medicines that work very well for many people. I am prescribed them and currently only have an attack once or twice a year.
The severity of the headache isn't necessarily an indicator though. Nine times out of ten I don't have a headache at all, and there are other conditions that give an equally severe headache (I know it's a migraine because I have complete aphasia that disappears with migraine medication.) Its the nausea and feeling freezing cold that would make me think that you probably have migraine.

@ForTealBee You can't be signed off without your permission! You should advocate for yourself with the doctor though, ie. Go in there and say, "I think I'm having migraines because of X, Y and Z. Would it be possible to try a medication routine for a month?" The GP will probably say yes, explore your options, prescribe something for you, and then you'll check in again in a month's time. If you go in and say "Work is unbearable, can you sign me off", that's a different conversation.

My migraines make my eyes feel like they're about to burst, I also get kaleidoscope vision and feel really fuzzy and kind of out of it, almost like a daze. Add nausea and it's horrible.

This thread has been so eye opening, it might have changed my life! I've always been so hard on myself for getting these weird nauseous headaches where all I can do is sleep or lie very still for a day, just told myself I was being flaky or lazy. They come every couple of months or so, I had to have a sick day last week with one. And the more I'm reading all your posts and looking at lists of migraine symptoms the more puzzle pieces seem to be falling into place. Maybe it's not my fault for being wweed.Maybe they're migraines.

You say you get them every month? Is around your cycle? Have you had your eyes checked recently? If not that might be a good place to start.
I think if you have had an eye test then go to the gp its not a waste of an appointment as you can say this is what you have done and you still have them regularly

Migraines for me started when i started puberty and tend to be hormone related (luckily none while pregnant!) or when my thyroid is playing up. But i also get awful cluster headaches over one eye that sometimes feel worse than a migraine

Now whenever i get a hint of a headache i take painkillers (either paracetamol or ibuprofen) and drink as much water as i can because i know if i dont it will turn into a migraine/cluster headache and will be hard to shift, usually only co-codamol will work when its full blown.

Sorry just realised you said 3-4 months but still worth noting if its around your cycle

Mine are always left temple. Best relief - cold, flannel, anadin extra (for paracetamol, aspirin & caffeine) & best of all triptan nasal sprays. Neurologist told me if you have any nausea or vomiting you’ll struggle to absorb oral meds. I was a 48hr vomiter - now if I take spray as soon as I know it’s a migraine it’ll generally be gone within 3hrs without vomiting. Still get that horrible hangover feeling tho.

I’ve just read that you’re still really young, so revising my opinion on going to the doctor to say you should definitely go. Medication is available to stop them so take advantage.

ive been having them since I was 11/12. I’ve only realised my biggest trigger is hormones. I’ve taken exams with them, suffered through working days, had ruined days out, they were almost a daily occurrence when I was pregnant. I wish meds had been available to me when I was younger.

What you describe can overlap with migraine symptoms, especially the nausea and how intense the pain feels, but it’s hard to be sure without a proper assessment. Some people also get headaches with similar features every few months. I’ve found a health blog that explains these patterns in simple terms and shares weekly tips. If you want a clear breakdown, click here.

This isn't always true though. My migraines aren't that painful, I can usually pop a couple of paracetamol and get on with the rest of my day. They're defo migraines though because I get the aura and other neurological symptoms as well.