39 million people in the US suffer from migraine, and it is 3 times more common in women than men.
Most people who suffer from the disease suffer from 2 to 4 migraine attacks per month on average.
Types of migraine
Migraine without aura
This is sometimes called a common migraine because about 3 in 4 people with migraine experience this type.
Some symptoms may include:
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Stabbing pain on one or both sides of the head.
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Moderate to severe headache that worsens with normal physical activity.
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Nausea and/or vomiting
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Sensitivity to light, sound and smell.
Migraine with aura
About a quarter of people with migraine receive a warning sign, called an aura, that an attack is coming. This can occur between 5 and 60 minutes before a migraine attack.
Symptoms include:
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See flashing lights, wavy lines, bright spots, or zigzags
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trouble seeing
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Tingling or “pins and needles” sensation
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Trouble speaking clearly
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Weakness
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Headache
Migraine without headache
Also known as silent migraine, it is a migraine with aura but without a headache. It affects about 4% of people with migraines overall, but may become more common in people with migraines as they approach middle age.
About 4 in 10 people who suffer from migraine with aura will have aura without headache in the future.
Symptoms include:
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See flashing lights, wavy lines, bright spots, or zigzags
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trouble seeing
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Tingling or “pins and needles” sensation
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Trouble speaking clearly
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Weakness
vestibular migraine
Vestibular migraine involves vertigo (dizziness) in addition to headache. It is more common in people with a history of motion sickness and migraines.
Symptoms include:
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Dizziness that lasts minutes to hours (or even days)
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balance problems
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Stabbing headache, usually on one side of the head.
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Nausea and/or vomiting
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Sensitivity to light, sound and smell.
retinal migraine
Retinal migraine causes visual disturbances in one eye. It is rare and typically affects women of childbearing age.
Symptoms include:
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Seeing blinking or blinking lights in one eye
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Decrease or loss of vision in one eye.
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Headache that may be present from the beginning or begin up to an hour later.
chronic migraine
A person has chronic migraine if they have a headache for more than 15 days (with migraine symptoms for at least 8 of them), 3 months in a row. If you have migraine attacks less than 15 days a month, it is called episodic migraine.
Symptoms may include:
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Frequent moderate or severe headache attacks.
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Pain on one or both sides of the head.
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Throbbing, throbbing, or throbbing headache
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Nausea and/or vomiting
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Sensitivity to light, sound and smell.
menstrual migraine
This migraine is related to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle. Attacks usually appear just before or when your period begins and are often worse and last longer than at other times in the cycle.
Symptoms may include:
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Stabbing headache, often on one side of the head.
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Nausea and/or vomiting
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Sensitivity to light, sound and smell.
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Chills and sweating
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Sore or sensitive scalp
Hemiplegic migraine
This rare type of migraine involves weakness on one side of the body, sometimes with an aura and not always with a headache. Because of these symptoms, this type of migraine attack is sometimes confused with a stroke and should be examined by a healthcare provider (HCP).
Symptoms include:
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Weakness on one side of the body.
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Headache
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Vision changes
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Numbness
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Tingle
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trouble speaking
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Coordination problems
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Nausea and/or vomiting
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Sensitivity to sound and light.
Worried about migraine? Talk to your doctor.
This educational resource was created with the support of Pfizer.
