symptoms before the migraine begins (prodromal) in the day or two before a migraine starts you may experience symptoms such as fatigue excessive yawning food cravings (such as for chocolate) irritability or restlessness. aura some people (about 1 out of 5) experience a warning sign called an aura within 30 minutes before a migraine headache develops. symptoms of an aura usually develop gradually over 5 to 20 minutes. during an aura you may see wavy lines flashes sparks of light blind spots or distortions. you may also feel tingling or a "pins-and-needles" sensation in your hands arms or face. less commonly you may temporarily be unable to put words in proper order or have difficulty finding the right words. you may also experience short-term weakness on one side of your body. if you have these symptoms and have not had them before call your doctor immediately so he or she can rule out a transient ischemic attack (tia) stroke or other serious condition. onset of headache and accompanying symptoms a migraine usually starts with throbbing pain on one side of the head. but it’s not uncommon to have pain on both sides of the head. or you may experience the throbbing pain behind your eye. without treatment a migraine headache lasts from 4 to 72 hours. the pain from the headache may be moderate to severe and can be disabling. other symptoms that commonly occur with the headache include: extreme sensitivity to light noise and smells. nausea and vomiting. symptoms that get worse with physical activity. less commonly problems with speech; tingling in the face arms and shoulders; or temporary weakness on one side of the body can occur. symptoms after the headache (postdromal) after the headache eases you may experience symptoms such as muscle aches fatigue or even a brief period of elation. these symptoms may last up to 24 hours after your migraine headache ends. webmd medical reference from healthwise this information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information. © 1995-2011 healthwise incorporated. healthwise healthwise for every health decision and the healthwise logo are trademarks of healthwise incorporated.
what happens to someone when they get migraine headaches?