Headaches and Migraines - what's the difference?

I experience both headaches and migraines. There is a significant difference, although many people use headache and migraine interchangeably.

Everyone knows what a headache is...an ache in your head. Tylenol, Advil, Aspirin, and other over the counter drugs work for headaches. (They don't for migraines.)



So, what exactly is a migraine?

What's the difference between a migraine and a headache?

 

A migraine has different phases. Of course, not everyone experiences all of these phases, because all patients aren't the same.

I do not have an aura, but I do have the rest. I experience prodrome, pain, and postdrome. Since mine are continual, I am unable to predict when one is coming (kind of like an earthquake). Sometimes I feel it creeping in and others I'm hit full on without warning. I have a heightened sense of smell and sound. At times, I can hear the second hand ticking on my watch across the room. Any smell can trigger one, or make it worse. Sometimes I have migraine symptoms without pain (called a "silent migraine"). Most people who do not experience migraines do not understand that once the pain is over, you are still feeling bad. It really is a migraine hang over!