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The prodrome phase can begin up to three days before the start of headache pain. In some cases, people mistake their prodrome symptoms for migraine triggers.
Common symptoms include:
Phase 1: Prodrome
Excessive yawning
Neck soreness
Sensitivity to light, sound,
and/or smell
Irritability and other
mood changes
Fatigue and lethargy
Thirst and food cravings
The aura affects approximately 25-30% of people with migraine. Aura symptoms can have visual, sensory, language or motor characteristics. Aura symptoms can last several minutes or
up to an hour.
Common symptoms of migraine aura include:
Phase 2: Aura
Visual phenomena, like flashing
lights or a hole in the vision
Tingling sensations like “pins
and needles"
Numbness
Garbled speech
Clumsiness or weakness
Migraine is most commonly characterized by a
severe headache, which occurs during the headache phase. The headache phase can last from 4-72 hours.
Common symptoms of the headache phase include:
Phase 3: Headache
Sharp, throbbing, pressure-like or
drilling pain in the head
Nausea or vomiting
Mood changes
Neck pain and stiffness
Nasal congestion
Sensitivity to light, sound,
and smell
Motion sensitivity
Dizziness
Brain fog
In the postdrome phase, some of the regions of the brain that were activated earlier in the migraine attack continue to be “switched on” even after the headache has resolved. This phase can last for 24-48 hours.
Common symptoms of the migraine postdrome include:
Phase 4 : Postdrome
Cognitive challenges with
concentration or comprehension
Fatigue
Mood changes, like
depression or euphoria
Replay
The Four Phases of Migraine