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Migraine Hangover (aka Postdrome)
By Kerrie | April 6, 2007
The migraines that have been visiting the last couple weeks finally gave way to a 40-hour affair that’s tapering off. I’m now in what’s considered migraine hangover (or postdrome). I was reassured when I first learned that this is a normal event at the end of a migraine:
“The postdrome is a constellation of symptoms that persist beyond the
resolution of headache. Many of these symptoms appear initially during
the prodrome or with the headache phase. Commonly, patients report
anorexia [loss of appetite], nausea, muscle tension, fatigue, and cognitive impairment.
This phase has been termed the migraine hangover and can last
and produce disability up to 1 to 2 days beyond the headache phase. The
pathophysiology of the postdrome is unknown, but likely represents a
gradual recovery phase from the extreme neurologic disruption that
occurs during migraine.” — Clinical and Pathophysiological Anatomy of a Migraine Attack, Medscape
I particularly like the phrase “extreme neurologic disruption.”
The clinical explanation is helpful, but I’ve been trying to describe what it actually feels like to have a migraine hangover. Here’s my attempt to put it into words:
I’m still shrouded by a bad headache. The pounding doesn’t seem to cover as much of my head as it did, but it hasn’t changed location at all. In a sense its like an echo of what it was, but it feels different while feeling the same.
Instead of having trouble thinking, finding words or making decisions, like I do in the rest of a migraine, I’m lightheaded. Not in an unsteady on my feet kind of way, but that my thoughts are so airy and inconsequential they could just float away.
It’s a weak description, but I have no idea how to truly explain how I feel. Can you help me out? How do you feel when you have a migraine hangover?
To read the Medscape article, use one of the user names and passwords from BugMeNot. The World Headache Alliance summarizes a study that found that the “majority of migraineurs experience disabling post-migraine symptoms.”
Topics: Biology |
April 6th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
I feel fuzzy and wiped out post-migraine.
April 7th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
My best friend and I have a term we use, which is “nana head”. It derived from her grandmother who had dementia and on some days she couldn’t remember how to button her shirt or her own name. That’s me after a bad cycle of migraine attacks. My head gets fuzzy and even simple tasks become complicated. There have been days when I can’t open an overly complicated juice bottle.
I mentioned in a previous post that I was trying neurofeedback. Turned out not to be the treatment for me. Not only did it not help my headaches, but it triggered a major depressive episode for me. My doctors and I have adjusted some of my meds to start undoing the damage, but I spent a good part of the last three weeks thinking about ways to kill myself. So now it’s on to find something else.
Hope this bad phase of yours passes soon. Hang in there.
Kelly
April 7th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
I get apathetic and fatigued post-migraine, which tends to be made worse by the tryptan hangover from Relpax, but I’d rather have that than the migraine. It also seems to make my ADD symptoms - inability to focus on something, or to start any task - worse, even with my ADD meds.
A side effect during the hangover that’s entirely due to the Relpax is a flat affect - I get no expression on my face unless someone directly interacts with me. I just sort of switch off, with none of my internal emotional states reflected on my face when I don’t need it to communicate. A bit odd, but it doesn’t affect my life in a serious manner and it’s better than the migraine.
April 9th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Thanks for helping describe this weird phenomenon. It makes me feel like what I’ve experienced isn’t so strange!
Kerrie
April 10th, 2007 at 9:11 am
I’ve tried many times to describe a migraine hangover to my friends and family, but unless you’ve had one, I don’t think you can grasp how it feels.
I sort of feel like I was just in a fight - the inside of my head feels a bit bruised or tender and my head and entire body feels exhausted and groggy. I’m glad to be out of the intense pain, but I still can’t focus or get fully back into my routine.
*********
That’s a perfect way to describe mine too. Thanks!
Kerrie
April 12th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
I’ve never had a hangover, but post-migraine, that’s how I feel. I have to admit, there’s always a teeny bit of euphoria, like YAY that headache is finally gone! But wiped out, heavy, like when the humidity is so oppressive you just don’t want to move.
August 17th, 2007 at 9:18 am
I’m in the midst of a migraine hangover now and I can describe it as almost being inside of a dense fog that I can’t escape from. Not only can I not think clearly, but its hard to move my body. I have to force myself to do things and when I do it is like moving through mud.
*******
Yuck. Moving through mud is a great comparison. Hope you’re doing better now.
Kerrie
September 16th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Does a list exist of famous people, for instance, celebrities, who suffer or suffered from migraine? I know of two possible ones: Elvis Presley and Anna Nicole Smith, but I am wondering if there is a list somewhere. Thanks.
******
Here’s a good list: http://www.migraines.org/myth/mythgood.htm
Take care,
Kerrie
September 30th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
I am currently in a migraine hangover. I feel tired, lathargic, and my arms feel like limp noodles with weights tied onto the ends of them. I also feel like my head is too big, & that if my eyeballs get any tighter, they will pop out.
*****
Yuck! I’m fascinated by the idea that body parts can feel too big. It happens to me, too. There’s a lot of evidence that this sort of body awareness (for lack of a better word) is another sense, just like smell or taste. Interesting, huh?
Take care,
Kerrie
Kerrie
October 3rd, 2007 at 4:51 pm
I too have experienced the migraine hangover for years. There is something about dealing with a migraine for hours on end that takes a tremendous toll on the body, mind, and spirit. I am in the mist of a migraine hangover right now, and reading others accounts just so I can let up on myself a little bit. I always have a lot of work to get done, but many of my days following a migraine are simply rest and recover days. I try to fight the fatigue, dizziness and fogginess in the head, but the combination of the after effects of the migraine and the side effects of the Zomig I take for my migraines wipes me out.
*******
I know what you mean about it taking its toll. You’re definitely not alone and you’re in no way to blame for having a migraine hangover. I hope it didn’t last long.
Take care,
Kerrie
October 28th, 2007 at 10:47 am
Migraine hangover cheats you out of joy. I’ve had a four day migraine, which every morning I treated successfully with Imitrex and naproxen, only to have the pain return the next morning when I woke up. I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about. Anyway the first two days I was able to carry on. Yesterday and today I feel whipped. Just plain exhausted. Just like walking through mud as the earlier post said. I’ve always thought of it as quicksand. Anyway I sought this site to see if other people get that weary misery following the pain withdrawal. So thank you. I know I’m not alone.
December 2nd, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Going through one right now…it feels like I have the flu without the runny nose or soar throat. I even had to stop and think where the keys were on the keyboard. I’m 33 and I just went through a 3 day migraine. This is my first one so this is really freaking me out…it just plain sucks.
December 16th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Going through it now; finding it hard to spell. Head is foggy, hazy and heavy and find it really hard to focus on anything. Making decisions becomes very difficult and on top of it all i feel tense, agitated and on edge, as if somewhere deep inside, someone is perpetually dragging fingernails down a blackboard. I find i overreact to things and can’t get past things. God i hope this passes quickly, but i know its only day one and there’s at least anotehr to go.
February 20th, 2008 at 4:27 am
I’m in one right now…
It’s really a numbness; a physical heaviness, and that sense that your mind could just “float away” at any moment….some relief that the migraine is nearly over, but this is accompanied by guilty feelings about taking yet another day off work…that could be the depression bit, huh?
Thanks to you all for reminding me that I’m not alone in this, that it is serious, and it most certainly isn’t “just a headache”.
Good luck to you all.
********
It could be depression, but could just be guilt. Many people with migraine or chronic daily headache struggle with it. I fight guilt all the time and have never beat it! Here’s a post about it that got lots of comments: http://www.thedailyheadache.com/2006/10/guilt.html. Searching my blog brought up 19 posts with the word guilt (http://www.thedailyheadache.com/?s=guilt). That’s actually fewer than I expected.
Hang in there. What you’re feeling is a normal “symptom” of migraine and of chronic illness in general. I hope that doesn’t sound like I’m minimizing what you’re going through. Really I’m saying that lots of people are in the same boat and there are a lot of resources to help work through it.
Take care,
Kerrie
February 25th, 2008 at 3:56 am
For me, I have trouble concentrating, my energy levels are low and I feel tired and drained. I constantly yawn and oddly my nose starts to run. My head has a dull feeling and my eyes are sore and strained. I try and battle through it with the hope that a good nights sleep will do the trick but sadly that is not always the case.
March 5th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I stumbled upon these comments while looking up the term ‘migraine hangover’ on the web. Amazing how clearly everyone has explained this very real condition. I frequently feel guilty about closing myself off from my husband and boys because of a migraine and then even more so because of how drained and exhausted I feel afterwards. Weakness, feeling groggy, heavy arms and legs, dizziness…it’s all there.
March 10th, 2008 at 2:43 am
Does anyone feel nauseous for days afterwards? This is the first migraine i’ve really distinctly sensed prodrome and postdrome phases. I’m 5 days post-migraine now and I keep getting feelings of seasickness sweeping over me and i find it difficult to focus my eyes…kind of feels like I’m going to go again…Nighmare.
March 29th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
I’m just coming off an 8 day migraine. I had a doozy of a prodromal light display that went into scintillating scotoma with a full curtain effect over one eye. That has happend twice over the last three weeks. I’ve been doing migraines for over 25 years, and the post-drome (other than for the afore-mentioned brief celebration that the BIG PAIN is going away at last)is about as big a bummer as the migraine itself, cuz I end up always feeling guilty and get up too soon to takecare of family and WHAM back comes the migraine…..
March 29th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
i thought i was dieing or had Alzheimers.just couldnt think, driving on a road ive alway drove felt like the first time though i knew it wasnt. felt weak dizzy confused. Ive had migraines since i was ten.Now 35 the day after was just as hard with out the pain.went to the doctor. i was blown away migraine hangover. Migraines are hard eough
April 2nd, 2008 at 9:20 am
I had my first attack in several months yesterday, triggered by the extremely bright light beaming into my office (no blinds, thank you very much.) After vomiting in my office trash can, I decided it was time to go home. I fell asleep at 1:30 pm and slept until 7 this morning. I still feel the headache, it’s there in the back of my head and neck, as if someone has scooped out my brain and poured concrete into my skull instead. My right eye is twitching continually and I feel like I spent 17 hrs running on a treadmill rather than sleeping in a dark room. I have zero energy and zero motivation. The only thing I really felt committed to doing this morning was climbing onto my desk and taping manila file folders all over my window. Nobody has said anything yet and I hope they don’t because I feel evil and I might say something inappropriate. I should be at home taking care of myself and I’m so far behind that this day is a total loss anyway. But I guess I should stop blogging and get to work. But thanks for reading, I do feel a teeny bit better for having shared my experience.
April 9th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Thank you so much for saying that your right eye twitches. I have found that my right eye twitches right before an attack and continues for a few days later.I have my migraines on my right side so I wonder if that is doing it. I am currently in a migraine hangover and feel better hearing about how you all have them also. I relate to the feeling of being in mud and it is taking alot of energy to even type this. It sure does make my day so hard and I also have the guilt of how my family is affected by my pain.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:29 am
This blog is great. I’m in the midst of my annual 6 - 8 week long change-of-season migraine. I get a break from the severe headache a few days at a time, but otherwise, the pain is fairly constant with varying intensity. I just spent the last day and a half in bed. I’m back at work today. I’m still very sick, but well enough to sit up at my desk and at least make an effort to accomplish something. I never thought that maybe I could be having migraine hangovers in between full fledged migraines. I can relate to everything everyone has stated here in their migraine hangover descriptions. I’m about due for my regular monthly migraine, too, though. I feel like I’m only partially aware of what’s going on. I’m in a fog and can’t concentrate. The thoughts in my mind are as scrambled as my physical brain feels. Am I rambling here? Oh dear, I just wish I could be headache free.
April 26th, 2008 at 5:48 am
I am recovering from a migraine last evening. I cannot imagine those of you who have the 2 or more day migraine. I attribute the hangover to the meds that I take to make it subside. THANK GOD for IMITREX and FEVERFEW. I usually have no vomiting NOW as in the past. My hangovers make me very lethargic, feel like I am in a time warp and NO motivation. I have had migraines since I was about 16. The first one I had, I knew I was near death. The doctor I saw years ago would give me morphine and I would sleep for hours, followed by throwing up and dry heaves. I used to have them about every two week but now I get one every couple of months. I attribute mine to STRESS, some foods, bright lights, air pressure (changes. I have even had them broght on by wind. Excuse this rambling. I say all this so you will know that you are not alone. I wish you luck and good health.
May 1st, 2008 at 12:56 am
I am having my first attack. Scariest thing I ever went through. The intense pain seems to have eased but I’m still in a headachey cloud. hangover stage I guess. Still getting numbness and my hearing sounds weird. Foggy and uncoordinated. Like hell. Is there anything people take to ease these symptons??
May 4th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
I just had mu first migraine this past wed, I thought I was having a stroke, a headache on just the left side of my brain, left facial tingling, left arm tingling and left leg tingling, I was so scared, EMS tok me to the hospital, all tests done, atypical migraines they diagnosed, I also had another migraine yesterday, I’m trying to recover, my brain feels different,like mush, I can’t get enough sleep, I wake up feeling drained , my brain feels like I’ve been running a marathon, I feel like I’m loosing my mind, no appetite, tired, loud noises just annoy me, I hope this phase passes by quickly.
May 14th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Wow! Thank you to everyone for helping me feel like I’m not actually going crazy! Bad migraine last night (I get about 4-6 a year) and today I just feel like I’ve run a marathon (or two). Also, Thank goodness the pain and nausea are gone, but this is bad, too. Still mild headache, weird equilibrium, extreme fatigue,foggy brain, and constant fear that the migraine might come back at any time. I hope someone can eventually find an effective treatment for this. All they’ll give me is Midrin, and it doesn’t do squat! Best of luck to all of you fellow sufferers!
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:43 pm
I am so glad I found this blog. I am having a migraine hangover. I’m a stay at home mommy with energetic toddlers. It is taking all I have to keep them and myself together.
May 25th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Does anyone ever feel depressed and apathetic even after successfully averting a real migraine with any of the SSRI-based meds (imitrex, etc)? I notice that even if i manage to take some medicine and go to sleep before a real migraine kicks in, I feel really emotionally run down, nervous and depressive the next day or so. Its still worth it to avoid a migraine, but any suggestions or ideas?
May 25th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Hi psykee - While Kerrie is away, I’m responding to comments so I’ll do my best to answer your question. I would suggest that the forum would be a great place to post this question and get the variety of everyone’s experiences.
What I understand is that a migraine attack is a process; the headache is only one phase of it. When you take a Triptan (like Imitrex) to abort the migraine, you aren’t completely averting the process, which was going on before you even experienced symptoms. You are ending the part of the migraine that causes head pain, and shortening the whole process.
However, as Kerrie quoted above: “The pathophysiology of the postdrome is unknown, but likely represents a gradual recovery phase from the extreme neurologic disruption that occurs during migraine.”
I have also read that the migraine itself depletes the serotonin in our brains, so we feel depressed from the lack of serotonin.
In terms of what to do about it - take great care of yourself. Do want comforts you. Share on the forum for support. And please know you’re not alone!
- Megan (www.meganoltmanfreemybrain.typepad.com)
May 30th, 2008 at 2:15 am
I’ve gone through periods where I had a migraine every day or nearly every day for weeks. I feel such relief that I now get them only about 2-5 times a month.
Hangovers:
* If I stop moving, I fall asleep. Literally. This lasts for about 12-36 hours. Bathrooms are dangerous because I fall asleep on the toilet and fall off (yes, I’ve hurt myself a couple of times), plus since I fall asleep as soon as I sit down, I could sit there a while before I can concentrate enough to get my business done.
* I usually go one of two ways: Even though I am incredibly sleepy, I don’t want to go to sleep and sometimes can’t stay asleep for long periods OR I will sleep for up to 36 hours with breaks only for food, water, and bathroom.
* I don’t eat right because I’m too tired to care and don’t have much of an appetite.
* My right eye begs me to close it. (Why is it everyone is talking about migraine on the right side, I wonder? Is migraine more common on the right side than the left?)
* I don’t want to have to concentrate enough to hold a conversation with anyone. I can get a migraine hangover even if I don’t get a full-fledged migraine. The muscle tightness that accompanies the migraine continues.
* My brain is in a fog; I can’t seem to remember what it was I intended to do just moments ago. Umm…what was I saying? Yes, I’m in the post-migraine period right now, so it’s both easier to describe (because afterwards I can forget what the symptoms were), and it’s harder to organize my thoughts and think of the word I want to use.
June 4th, 2008 at 8:41 am
For me this is the worst part of the migraine. Sure the headache is terrible…but the post period (postdrome)…agh! Usually, a 36 to 48 hr period of comeplete listlessness and nausea. I feel like I had a lobotomy and my head is a empty vessel…Nicholson’s character at the end of One Flew Over… comes to mind. I’m literally not there.
But in real terms…it’s really the absense of cognitive faculties and motor skills. All I can do is pray for time to act quick.
June 8th, 2008 at 11:43 am
I am coming off a week long migraine. I woke up every morning for the last week with the worst headaches i have ever had. Now i think i am in the postdrome stage. I have an achy feeling at the base of my head and blurry vision in my left eye. It makes it difficult to do anything. All i want to do is sleep. Hopefully this ends soon!
June 10th, 2008 at 9:20 am
I am so relieved to know I am not the only person who goes through this. I have for so many years tried to explain it to family, friends and co-workers…with not good results. I was convinced I was either nuts or had a rare disease. I even told my doctor about it and got a no where. THANK GOD FOR THE INTERNET It is the migraine that makes me feel like I have poison under my skin and 100lb weights on my arms and legs. And a brain that resembles the one frying on the sidewalk in the hot sun.
June 25th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
This blog is fantastic! I am just coming off another (now weekly) vicious migraine, and it occured to me I get the same “drained” feeling afterwords each time. I’m not sleepy, just drained and fuzzy-headed. I also get strange prickly skin sensations that set in a few hours after the pain subsides. Does anyone experience this?
June 26th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Colleen - that drained feeling is very common. I get it big time myself! As I understand it, the migraine depletes your serotonin, and low serotonin is responsible for feeling down, drained, etc. I am not personally familiar with the prickly skin sensations, except on my scalp, where I get prickliness and tenderness after the migraine.
- Megan
http://meganoltmanfreemybrain.typepad.com
June 28th, 2008 at 11:43 am
I have been a migraine sufferer since I was 15: that makes almost 45 years now. I find that during the migraine hangover it is so necessary to love and coddle myself a bit. Esp. when there are pressing tasks to be done and I’m not up to it, I start being down on myself. I’ve found one thing that helps me is having a simple meal at an “Old Lady” restaurant, the kind of cute place my mother used to favor when she was still alive (and I thought was Dumb as a twenty-something.) Give me flower gardens and gazebos, pretty prints on the walls, the attention to niceties and little things. Rose teacups and thin green ice tea glasses; a twist of lemon. I am always cheered.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:42 pm
You guys really reassured me. I’ve had migraines once or twice a year since junior high. I had a nasty migraine this weekend and for the first time am experiencing the hang over you describe. Feels great to know that I’m not alone and that it should pass soon.
July 16th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
if any of you who experience migraines spends the majority of the night lying with their neck in a twisted position, you are lucky…….if you experience the majority of pain on the contralateral side of the head, and sometimes the ipsilateral, you can relieve problems by simply sleeping with your neck in a nonstressful position!…..
July 16th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
when an area of the body is the site of projected chronic pain….or lesser, also chronic symptoms….all of the tissue within the body beneath the area of perceived pain will not function normally…..the majority of perceptual problems experienced by migraine patients, visual, auditory, cognitive (especially), muscular, and psychological (especially) are caused simply by the projection of pain that is the typical areas of pain experineced by the patient…..the intense cranial symptoms effect all areas of tissue beneath and within the areas felt by the sufferer…..is it any wonder that pain felt over the area of the head that the frontal lobes lie beneath would cause distracted and confused thought processes and other mental mistakes….of course they would, its completely normal in the framework of the pathological process of the development of the fibromyalgia part of the musculoskeletal process we refer to as osteoarthritis……
unfortunately, each time the headache pain shifts location typically discloses another musculo-neuro-skeletal problem that has to be diagnosed and treated….hate to tell ya but musculoskeletal problems are complex and can’t help but involve several parts and pieces….
July 21st, 2008 at 10:16 am
I’m in the midst of a migraine hangover as well. They seem to be coming more frequently now that I’m in my second trimester of my pregnancy. Unfortunately, I can’t take the one drug that has always helped (Excedrin) because of the risk of miscarriage. Last week I had a four-day migraine which was relieved briefly by a visit to my doc and some IV Reglan + Tylenol.
As for the Postdrome, I get that tired, fuzzy-brained feeling too.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:01 am
I stumbled across this blog while doing a little research on prodrome/postdrome before I submit myself to yet another visit to the neurologist. I’ve been in what I would call “migraine funk” for going on 2 weeks. I’ve hit bottom and begged the dr to see me today. I feel like I’ve tried everything and nothing works or the side effects are intolerable. The postdrome descriptions I’ve read about here are very similar to the way I feel. I don’t know if another headache is coming or if this is the end of the one from yesterday. I’m either in pain or feel this migraine “shadow”. It’s constant, it’s relentless and it sucks.
July 29th, 2008 at 6:27 am
I suffer from migraines atleast twice a month. I’ve been seeing a chiropractor for almost a year but before that I was having migraines twice a week. Imagine having that fuzzy, nausea, blah feeling, not only during the migraine but a day or two afterwards for more than twice a week. I’ve seen multiple specialists and non of them could explain my feelings. It’s nice to see other have the same symptoms. To bad they can’t be corrected.
August 7th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
For me, the main post-migraine issue is up to 3 days of somewhat painful pounding on the affected side of the head whenever I bend, cough, strain. It’s scary - it makes one think a vessel is gong to “pop.” I don’t want to even stand up/sit down, because it sets off the pounding.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:13 am
I’ve had migraines since college, but I always though that they were some combination of back and sinus problems (because my neck gets stiff and my nostril gets stuffy on the side that hurts.) But last night I had my worst one ever, and my boyfriend, who’s had terrible migraines since he was a teenager, told me that this was typical of migraines. Especially considering I was nauseous and all my senses seemed “poorly calibrated.”
Finally after my digestive system flushed itself with admirable efficiency, the headache changed and went almost away.
Today I feel like my brain is a useless, swollen lump throbbing in my skull. There’s this incredibly fragile membrane between me and the pain. I’m mentally exhausted and can’t bring myself to concentrate on anything.
August 25th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I’m new to migraines since I passed “the Change.” Brain fog and strange physical symptoms are par for the course, so I sometimes feel like this on a non-migraine day.
But, yes, today am postdrome and head is swollen, I feel bilious, nauseated and completely “blank.” Also having sinus upsets as described above. No energy whatever. Made the mistake of drinking some half-decaf. Bleah. Sticking with lots of water ice water.
Here’s the weird thing: I get the same nauseated and headachy feeling during and after a migraine that I feel when I smell a skunk that’s sprayed close by. In fact, skunk spray can throw me into a migraine-like headache, but without the preceding light show of auras and glitter.
In fact, just thinking of skunk and certain types of perfume can bring on a headache.
Anybody else have odor triggers or is this sensitive to smell?
*********
Odor triggers are very common. They are a huge problem for me.
Kerrie
September 24th, 2008 at 7:31 am
I have been fighting migraines since childhood, for almost 30 years now (I have MWA, migraine with aura), and have always had the migraine hangover. It’s just part of the cycle for me. My brain and head feel sore, especially if I have to bend over or, heaven forbid, if I cough of sneeze. It’s almost like I can feel my brain against my skull. And, I also feel tired and foggy from the headache itself and all the medication. Plus, I’m always on edge and for days, with every twinge, I panic and think “Is this it, is another one coming???????”
October 27th, 2008 at 5:17 am
I have just had my first migraine in five years last night and now I have my first post-migraine malaise. I wonder if I’m alone in that - aside from a dragging feeling of unutterable depression - my main worry is that I can’t read (online or off) without the words and letters dancing around and playing hide-and-seek. How I’m managing to type this is a mystery to me! I also find it a little troubling watching television as half the faces of the actors almost seem to disappear. Does anyone else experience this weird kind of “blindness”/visual confusion? I assume it has something to do with the severe aura visuals I get at the onset of migraine.
November 11th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
I am currently in the hangover stage of a 4 day migraine. I get them about twice a month now and have just recently started a new (my 5th) medication called Topomax. However, it hasn’t quite worked for me yet! I was so happy to read some of these blogs (not happy to read that people were not feeling well) but happy to read that I was not crazy! It was so comforting to know that my symptoms are common and that I’m not dying of some unseen brain tumor! I always feel so depressed after a migraine, I feel like I have taken away precious time from my husband and children, I keep reminding myself that it’s not me, but these awful headaches that are completely out of my control. Good luck to everyone…
November 14th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
I was comparing notes with my sister-in-law, another migraine sufferer and we couldn’t thing of any way to describe how we feel after our headaches. Hangover was the only word that came to mind.
My son has started experiencing the same migraines that I have. I picked him up in a parking lot tonight (he called because he couldn’t drive from the pain). He was throwing up all the way home.
What I wonder is if the hangover is a result of the Imitrex or the actual migrain. Hmmm…
November 17th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I have suffered from migraines for about 12 years now. I just started experiencing the visual aura phase about 2 years ago. I remember my first in 7th grade, my left hand went numb and I threw up , then overcome by throbbing on right side of my head, though at the time I thought I had a brain tumor or somethng, I had another about 6 years later. And have had them on and off for 2 years now. My god thw visual aura ias the worse. I get the glimmering zig zag in the corner of my eye which then fills in everywhere and I also get the partial blindness. Last week I had one, I looked at the clock and could only see 1:47 though I knew it was 11:47, so I knew I was in trouble and something was coming on. I had been migraine free for over a year! Now I have had 2 in two weeks and just don’t feel right. It’s been a few days, but I am still in a foggy daze and am very sensitive to light and sound, worse is that I am panicked about getting another one at any moment and being debilitated all day, I feel so useless and horrible when that happens. No one can understand how terrifying and mood altering these are unless they experience. I think focusing too much on the bright computer screen and lack of sleep are triggers for me (like I am doing right now :)). Anyone else experience that? I’m 24 and I would try anything to never get another one, does anyone have any successful remedies that have been prescribed to them?
Thanks!!!
November 18th, 2008 at 11:26 am
I am in a the hangover stage of a 4 day migraine right now and feel like i have been run over by a truck. Aside from feeling fuzzy, flu-like and lethargic beyond belief, I am struggling for words and can’t organize my thoughts. I have been suffering for 10 years now and it is so frustrating to be so helpless. The new Treximet (Imitrex+Naproxin) works well to cut the pain but the hangover period is agony. I too feel guilty about not being able to be helpful and attentive to my children and husband. Has anyone ever gone through a successful detox regime to speed this phase along?
December 1st, 2008 at 11:06 am
I’ve had plenty of one day migraines in the past, but am currently in the hangover phase of my first 4 day migraine. I feel so anxious, like something I do may inadvertently trigger the migraine once more. It is a strain to focus on the screen while typing, and I have the sensation on someone pulling my eyeballs back toward my skull. The headache pain is still there in a modified form, mostly when I move my head. My head feels precariously perched atop my shoulders, but that the heaviness of my sense organs might pull it down to the floor. Facial expressions hurt. How does anyone carry on with their life with these postdrome symptoms?
December 10th, 2008 at 4:59 am
OMG! That is it! I thought maybe it was just me but these migraine hang overs which have been described here is exactly how I feel after a migraine. As though I just can’t function at all. Can barley stay awake but the uncontrollable napping effects my night time sleeping terribly. I was proscribed imitrex and it works wonders for the pain and sound/light sensitivity. If I could just stay home from work and sleep for a day or two after a migraine I think it might help but who’s job allows for that…thanks for making me feel like i am not nuts.
December 13th, 2008 at 8:13 am
I just had a bad migrane lastnight. i get very jumpy crawling out of my skin afterwards. also , yesterday i presented with aphasia. i never had this before and thought i was having a stroke.
January 4th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Hi Guys,
I am also just in a Migraine hangover.
I used to suffer with these twice a week till I found I needed glasses. This reduced the amount I get down to amount 5-6 a year, thank god.
I get a really strong aura before my migraines start. It starts as a single flashing dot in the very center of my eye, it then moves back like a circle over my eye until it moves completly out of my vision. I then get the pain.
At present during my migraine hangover I am having trouble with my vision, flashing spots and sensitivity to light.
The worst feeling is I keep constantly checking my vision for flashing spots because i am terrified that the migraine will start again.
Has anyone else had prolonged vision issues after the Headache phase is over? it is quite worrying hope it goes soon.
January 6th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
My 9 yr old son has been hospitalized for transient blindness in both eyes. After alot of tests, they have determined that he has abdominal migraines and atypical migraines. He has slept for 15+ hours today. Has anyone experienced this type of migraine in a child and is it normal to sleep so much. He also said that he could not concentrate to catch up on missed school work. Any thoughts out there?
January 18th, 2009 at 11:51 am
I can’t eat after migraine. Somehow food seems to make the postdrome nausea worse. Anyone else have problems eating after?
What foods soothe your nausea, if any?
February 14th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Postdrome for me is like I have been in a fistfight with the same area of my head each time (top on down to my left ear and left cheek bone) is tender and hurts when touched. Much like a bruise. Mild nausea and lethargy while this sympton resolves itself over 24-48 hours.
February 26th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
In the first couple of days after a migraine has subsided, I too experience what we all call a “migraine hangover”. The most prevalant symptom for me is the pain behind and around my eyes and temples as well as extreme sensitivity to light. The area around my eyes is literally tender and sore to the touch, almost like a bruise would feel. Same with my temples. It’s strange, its almost as if the vessels and sinuses are recovering from all the stress they experienced when the migraine occured. Like they went to the gym and worked out for 4 hours
or something. I also experience complete lack of appetite for 2-3 days after a migraine. Just absolutely no desire to eat anything at all….which I must say is really uncharacteristic of me becuase I like food. Alot. I usually lose about 5 pounds in the days after a migraine. And I experience alot of fatigue also, and just overall don’t feel like myself.
From what I’m reading I guess these things are common amongst migraine sufferers. It makes me feel better knowing there are people out there that can relate.
I hope this information helps someone that experiences the same thing.
February 28th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Glad to know I am not alone….but slightly depressing knowing this is so common…and still no cure. My first migraine was 3 years ago…3 episodes over 1 week. Terrified me…did loads of research…felt bit more empowered…Nothing then til last week! have had 4 episodes,took Solpadeine, codeine and caffeine and am in the hangover stage now…Menopausal too…drained,blurry thoughts and words, in a tunnel, heavy headed, uncoordinated, wrecked, lack of energy..not good as I am a Health Coach and Fitness Instructor! dead legs, out of body, cotton wool feeling!is it the meds? we need a cure..Good Luck and keep healthy
February 28th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
I really hate having these migraines, mine last a day and I can only lay in bed and hope to sleep. I have rizatriptan but I seem to sick it back up
I usually take a 10mg Valium so I can try and sleep without moving around.
If I keep my head perfectly still then my headache gets a lot better, when I move it even slightly the great pain comes back
I can’t eat at all through it.
postdrome means I can’t seem to concentrate on much - reading the news for example I just skip though all the pages reading the headline and nothing else. A good sleep will sort me out hopefully. but yeah, it does feel like the aftermath of being bashed around the forehead with a bat.
March 3rd, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Has anyone experienced tingling in their feet and nausea as the early indicators of the migraine? I have experienced twice and it always starts that way. I am currently in the hangover phase, and just feel heavy, as if I was carrying another me. My doctor prescribed phenergan for the nausea, but that makes me extremely sleepy, and weak. Please comment.
March 5th, 2009 at 4:12 am
I don’t get the nausea before, but I do during and a lot afterwards. I am in the post-phase now - but actually it is all mixed up as I get headache and pains in my head and nausea for days - sometimes weeks afterwards. Actual ‘attack’ was a wekk ago - I feel sick most of the time, stuffed up, tired, very headachy, like I’ve been hit round the head. Like others - complete stillness is best - but impossible to acheive. Can’t take asprin or NSAI’s- though I have heard that a paracetamol/asprin mix is the ‘latest thing’. I feel uttterly depressed with waking up every morning feeling no better, often worse. It is reassuring to read everyone’s experiences though - I don’t feel so alone. People just don’t understand what its like.
Annie
March 6th, 2009 at 8:19 am
I have had blurry distance vision in my right eye for about two weeks now along with pins and needles and prickling feeling in arms and legs that comes and goes. I Had a cracking Migraine a few days ago (thought my head was going to explode) and ever since I still have the pins and needles and prickling and blurry right eye distance vision. My head has eased but still hurts as do my eyes. I hate it, so worrying all the time. Has anyone had symptoms that last for 2 weeks?? It’s as if I have had symptoms leading up to the migraine, had the migraine and now i’m coming down from it.
March 16th, 2009 at 10:24 am
In one right now… you ever had one of those dreams where you are trying to run from something, but all of a sudden it’s like all your limbs got really heavy and you can’t move them fast enough to get away. Feels like that. Does anyone else’s speech slur afterwords?
March 17th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Usually i get a rush of energy and an upset stomach in the postdrome phase but for the first time I’ve had exhaustion, poor concentration, irritability and, most noticeably, depression for the last two days since a migraine on saturday night. Probably lucky to still have a job after these two days!
March 18th, 2009 at 7:17 am
I found this page because I asked a friend who gets chrinic migraine if there was anywhere on the web where the migraine hangover is chronicled as it seems to be overlooked in the web mining I have done about the course of migraine. I usually just get my monthly migraine 3 or so days before mentruating, but last week I got one out of the blue (like what used to happen before I was on the pill). It was much worse than my monthly migraine and my medication (Midrin) only kept it from escalating and made me drowsy to sleep through the worst of it. Oh, I had also had a more mild migraine 2 days before hand. Anyway, after the really bad one I had the migraine hangover. For me it was all the cloudiness and lack of affect that comes with the migraine, but without the other symptoms. However I also felt likeI got beat with a stick I was so sore. The best (not) part about the migraine hangover for me is that I am also susceptible to rebound headaches so that once the migraine itself is over, I cannot take ANY pain meds to get thorugh the hangover/postdrome or else I will end up prolonging a chronic pseudo migraine. I’m sure there are those of you out there who are in a similar boat. I am lucky that my migraines don’t usually last more than a day (discounting postdrome). I also get chronic headaches of varying types so even though I’m not always in amigraine state, itis a rare day that I don’t have some sort of headache.
Thanks for posting this. I don’t feel like such a malingerer now.
April 15th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
I am suffering right now from this horrible migraine hangover. My 7 year old is hanging out watching TV while i suffer her from this nightmare and the guilt is incredible. I write from my left eye, as my right it a lighthouse glittery heavy heavy nightmare. I feel like i have been beaten w/bat. I am sore to the touch and my eyesight is flashy, my eyeballs feel like they are being pushed in or out of my head and i feel like i am going to puke again. i hate food today. i want help after the headaches. They come almost by number at night…early morn and dark thirty and then..wham!!!! I need IMITREX. My poor 7 yer old daughter has been taking care of m; bringing me ice chips which i need so much and taking care of me.. talk about guilt! she shouldn’t have to worry about me for csakes. migraines suck and worse yet are these post-symptoms we suffer. Please, all you sufferers….go to hemmacher schellmer..spelling (check your google) they have a product which i bought which is a headband of ice packs. it feels really good w/the pressure on the head….right side for me. Feel better everyone cause i know right now, I need to get off of this computer screen and close my bulging aching eyes.
May 15th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Wow , what aperfect way to describe the postdrome part of a migraine. “ehco” perfect, i always have said it is almost like a memory of the migraine lingering there, but echo is so much more precise! b/c memory seems to imply it is gone, but i can remember, which it is not….
I love it , Echo!!!
Ok i have a question for all you suffers, does anyone experience anxiety, or a doom feeling afterwards? I do, but i never connected them to miraines, b/c i have depression, and anxiety anyway, but i believe it accompaines the postdrome phase, for about 2 days…. how about anyone else?
May 21st, 2009 at 11:00 pm
I stumbled across this site while searching for symptoms I am currently experiencing post-migraine. In the past my migraines have lasted for 12-24 hours (can sometimes abort with Cefagot) and 24hr ‘hangover’, usually once every 1-2 months. This time my migraine started on a Sunday afternoon and wasn’t stopped with Cefagot, persisted Monday - Wed (managed with OTC codeine). Thurs was painfree but had no cognitive function at all and was completely spaced out at work. During the hangover phase (last 1-2 days) I have had a prickly/burning sensation and dull pain (both in my head) coming and going. I’ve never had this before and was considering a visit to my GP. Is the prickly sensation common? There doesn’t seem to be much info about this. Also, it’s reassuring (although not pleasant!!)to know that others are experiencing multi-day migraines. I thought I might have some other neurological problem - it’s scary!
May 29th, 2009 at 9:09 am
I am suffering from a post drome (10 days and counting) No meds have worked so far. Imitrex, Migranol, maxalt etc… has anyone tried excedrin migraine?
I read a post that suggested: paracetamol/asprin mix, what is that?
Anyone with success? I appreciate reading all the posts, helps to know that I am not alone, however the lack of ways to combat these lengthy Post dromes is discouraging.
June 16th, 2009 at 10:19 am
I get the opposite – I feel euphoric after waking up from my Maxalt “coma”. I feel extremely light, and a bit like a wet noodle – my muscles don’t want to do much so I don’t really move around much, and after a six hour nap I’m suprisingly not hungry but thirsty for water. Its a bit like slap happy meets happy exhaustion a la running a marathon without any pain. I used to think it was just because I forgot what it felt to not have a migraine (mine tend to creep up on me and last for about 3-5 days) but now I realize that its actually a part of the migraine itself.
Whatever it is, its by far the thing I look forward to when the pain begins.
June 17th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Just finished a horrible 2 day migraine. Now feeling extremely lethargic/drowsy/heavy/stuffy head. I’ve had migraines for 15 years - 37 now. Have used Imitrex 25 mg. off and on. Haven’t taken it in 5 months. Now that the patent on Imitrex has expired my ins. co. won’t pay for the brand name. Took 2 - 25 mg. of generic which only worked briefly on day one. Finally took a 50 mg. of brand Imitrex and that knocked it out (along with me!) last night. Completely hungover (I’m sure from both meds and migraine) but glad migraine/nausea is over! I would rather experience the hangover for 2 - 3 days than the actual migraine!
Anyone else experience less results with generic sumatriptan vs. Imitrex???
Also, why isn’t more research done on migraines? If it’s costing millions upon billions of dollars every year to employers and such, and one out of every 3 women suffer from one, then why isn’t more research done??? I’ll tell you why… because the majority of migraineurs are WOMEN! Our medical/pharmaceutical industry is too busy making sure men can have erections at age 80!
June 29th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
I feel like my brain synapses aren’t firing on all cylinders which makes it hard to complete sentences.
August 4th, 2009 at 10:45 am
I’ve tried to describe these symptoms to people for a long time and just now found this term “migraine hangover”. It makes so much sense! I’m in the middle of one now. I’ve had migraines since I was a teen and have tried to explain this post-trama experience before. Can’t think, can’t remember, not all there mentally. I go to work and can’t think of what I’m supposed to do, but I know I should be doing something. I left a message for someone and then later thought I had left it weeks ago. It makes me feel much better to know that I’m not the only one that suffers from this and that my head isn’t really turning to much b/c of a migraine.
August 5th, 2009 at 10:03 am
I’m just coming up to what I hope is the end of the postdrome stage after a migraine (one of the nasty ones that struck twice in two days). After a migraine, I have the odd sensation that although I am seeing with both of my eyes, and my mind is resolving the two pictures into one, I’m not perceiving things by sight as I normally would. I’m acutely aware that the image from my right eye is not the same as the image from my left eye (which is normal because that’s why we can see three dimensions!). I’m one of those people who has visual disturbances (auras) before a migraine, so it could be related to that - I don’t know. Does anyone else ever have this curious sensation after a migraine?
August 6th, 2009 at 10:00 am
I can really empathize with everyone here. As I’ve gotten older, my migraines have become more frequent - 2 a month right now - and the postdrome fog/fatigue/hangover is almost as bad as the actual migraine! I’m into day 2 of the postdrome now. Weather changes have been my big problem this year. I could sleep and sleep and sleep! The other day, I could barely write a check without error!
August 11th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
I’m in post migraine state now just at this very moment wondered if I am feeling what I should be…wanted to see what ‘post migraine’ is…and WOW! Lots of us out there!
I feel like I have not slept in days (well, if you count sleep with pain, guess I haven’t!) I feel dizzy, no appetite and I wander around the house trying to pick up or something and nothing really seems ‘right.’ I feel like I am existing out of my head/body…just slight bruise of pain where it once felt like an ice pick. I feel like staring at the wall, pretty much just relieved that the worst is over.
tomorrow I will have that eupphoria, that ‘high’ because life is back!!!!
August 13th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Boy I’m glad I found others with the same postdrome feelings! I often tell people that I feel extremely fuzzy headed, confused and lethargic…mentally and physically. Imagine doing a grueling triathalon while taking the SAT’s or some other harrowing exam…at the EXACT SAME TIME.
I was officially diagnosed at 16. I’m now 40. My parents recall times as a very young child when they didn’t find me playing and after a search, found me in bed with my pajamas on and the curtains closed. Upon waking the next morning, I would tell them my head hurt and I just wanted to sleep.
Here’s hoping that migraines will be a thing of the past one day soon! And LOL to Michelle about the pharmaceutical companies! How are these men gonna have their sex if we’re hampered down with a migraine? Did they ever think of that? Nooooo!
August 13th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Forgot to mention….anyone have problems with smells? I don’t mean a smell triggering a migraine, but in more severe ones with me certain smells, good or bad, can leave me wanting to vomit! There’s no one thing, each migraine can be different…although I know Doritos/Fritos are just a killer on me if I smell them nearby!
August 18th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Hi. I have had migraines on and off for about 10 years now. I know my triggers - not eating properly, stress, certain strong smells, and sleeping with a crooked neck, but my most recent migraine came after driving while the sun was glaring off the wet road. I’ve never had to worry before about the sun, I even lived in the tropics and had no troubles. My post-migraine hangover has been 4 days now of a very foggy head, I’m slow to think and it hurts when I do, which isn’t good as I am studying and have an essay due tomorrow. My sensitivity to bright lights is ridiculous and I still have a vague headache. My sweet 11 year old daughter brought me ice water and panadol (I don’t have anything else) and a cold face washer which helped. My migraines aren’t that bad compared to others on this blog but my post-migraine hangover lasts for days and days. If it weren’t for my daughter I wouldn’t even get out of bed, so tired and depressed/ flat affect.
I’m really glad to have found this blog and to see that others have the same/ similar effects. Take care everyone.
August 22nd, 2009 at 7:02 am
Ive had so many of these postdromal periods, that I decided to research the subject and found this blog. My migraine hangover typically lasts 2-3 days with gradual (way too gradual) improvement. Its never like I wake up and feel fantastic. In reading many of the posts, for me, I agree with the one poster that described it as a “flu without the runny nose and sore throat” My body aches, especially my legs and my upper back, so much that I can feel each footfall when I walk. Also, I am an intense exerciser and the postdrome really interferes with my lifestyle which is my appetite for long and regular periods of exercise. (I am an amateur Ironman Triathlete) In the postdrome phase, I simply cannot physically or even mentally find the will to workout at any level. For us that do this kind of thing, that says a lot about how severe this phase is.
August 24th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Hi folks,
Haven’t read the whole blog so not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet.
For any of you migraine sufferers, get your hormones checked - especially if you are female.
Hashimotos thyroiditis (underactive thyroid) can be an underlying cause of migraine.
Too much Estrogen and Progesterone deficiency can also trigger migraines.
Being on the Pill if you are prone to migraines is a bad idea - it will make them worse.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can help moderate hormone imbalance if this is the cause of your migraine.
Mine began at puberty so I knew there was a link.
I’ve successfully controlled them for three years with bioidentical hormone treatment.
Get tested! and good luck to all of you.
August 28th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
I have had migraines since I was 25, now 51. They have been extremely bad the last 2 years. Losing my job as I can not keep up. Wondering if any women out there have decreased migraines as they got older. Looking for some hope.
September 19th, 2009 at 11:15 am
i was just looking up migraine hangover because i’m in one right now. i’m experiencing some similar symptoms as described as well as pretty significant skin sensitivity…. kind of like my skin just hurts. my body is so achey and slow. it’s brutal but much more tolerable than how i felt last night. my muscles felt really weak and almost immobilized.
September 28th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Yes. that’s it, droopy draggin myself through this unbearable day, I’m upright but barely here.
I am relieved by rootbeer, don’t recommend it necessarily for anyone else, but it’s working for me. Spaced out, feeling like a freak faking the “work” while inside I’m dying.
I wish for a cure, we all wish for a cure. I am also on the verge of tears, feeling so sorry for myself and anyone else who is experiencing this now. I do know it will pass and become a fading memory, thank God.
October 2nd, 2009 at 8:45 am
Had a terrible migraine yesterday. Today I feel as if I have been on a week-long drink and drugs bender (I definitely haven’t!) and about an hour ago I had a very anxious episode, almost like the beginnings of a panic-attack. Now my heartbeat is very slow, my shoulders are tense and my eyes are tired.
October 4th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
I can’t believe that something that hurts this much doesn’t do brain damage. I mean afterwards(for about 1.5 days) I feel super tired..exhausted. I tried yesterday to get back about my day but just wanted to crawl back into bed in the dark and quiet. Smells and bright lights still are very intense to me afterwards. I was at a restaurant @8 hrs into my postdrome and had to unplug the glade plugin that was in the waiting area because it was making my head throb!! Also evertime I bend down or stand back up my head pounds so intensly I wince. Does anyone know if it means something bad if I wake up with one? Never happened before yesterday. Also never could time imitrex very well..but hydrocodone is the only thing that will dull the pain enough to sleep for me. Talked to my MD about it and she actually wrote me a script.
October 6th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Am amazed to find others like me who suffer from problems after migraine - I thought I was on my own. It feels like someone’s turned my ‘dial’ down and my body & mind works at 75%?.
After pestering my doctor for years, I now have an appointment to see a neurologist - I will let you know what happens - watch this space
October 10th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
thanks for this site.
in the midst of “hangover” now.
incomplete thoughts, ringing in ears, sound/smell sensitivity, nauseous, loss of appetite, fatigue, feeling of needing sleep, hard to focus (almost like ADHD), the ‘flu-like’ symptoms of achyness, heaviness in limbs, difficulty or slowness in movement, the “echo” is an excellent representation… and more i’m sure i’m missing.
thanks again for everyone’s thoughts.
October 22nd, 2009 at 9:35 am
I’m also thankful to have found this blog and description from everyone. I get about 2 migraines a month and this one I’m recovering from was a 36-hour mother of migraines. I love the term “nana head”! I never really understood til finding this blog and newer information about migraine “hangover” why I felt so wiped out after a migraine - now I understand, and it makes it easier to deal with. I get the residual dull headache, scalp tenderness, apathy, extreme fatigue, trouble concentrating (but not as bad as prodrome). I wish I could spend another day at home recovering from the postdrome, but I have to use so much PTO (paid time off) for the migraines this year that I hate to use any additional time if I don’t have to. It’s already bad enough that I don’t have enough time/PTO to take a real vacation because of all the time the migraines take.
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:02 am
Reading back thru earlier postings, yes, I get tingling, numbness in the extremities (usually left arm/hand), and nausea as part of prodrome - in fact, if I start feeling nauseated and there’s no good reason for it, I figure a migraine is coming - it’s a helpful but unpleasant “sign” in place of an aura. Peppermint (sucking on one) is a good settler of a queasy stomach. I save Christmas candy canes and keep them in my desk at work. I also recommend Altoids - they help nausea, too.
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:24 pm
I feel like I’m watching a movie. I see what’s going on but am only observing rather than participating in what’s going on around me. My eyelids don’t feel big enough to cover my entire eye, i’m craving sweets and am seriously bummed out. Is there anything I should avoid so I don’t trigger another migraine? Alchohol, smoking, certain foods etc?
October 27th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
I just had my latest migraine yesterday evening. I had my first one when I was 17. I did not have hangovers until I turned 40. Some are worse than others but all have the same dull headache that lingers a couple or three days. My Dr. prescribed Axert several years but I normally take three Advils and lie down in the dark ASAP. One thing that seems to help I have discovered this year was cut out caffeine. Migraines have been less frequent and not as severe.
November 1st, 2009 at 3:00 pm
I’m very glad to read all this personal experience with intense postdrome symptoms.
I always feel like a dishrag, and have a sensation of bruising behind my temple and inside the side of my head. Can’t make facial expressions, neck feels like a rock. I have no motivation and often, it seems like there is no energy in my limbs. This goes on for as long as the migraine or longer for me.
Unlike others, I am hungry for comfort-type foods, and have a thirst that isn’t satisfied by drinking, if that makes sense.. I am completely unable to make the words I want so I choose substitutes. I could go on
I’m grateful to read all of this.
I bet research could help, I wish there was more of it, but right now I’m pretty grateful for triptans and codeine.
November 1st, 2009 at 3:02 pm
I’m sorry for the smiley, it was inadvertent. (The animated versions of these little animated devils can trigger headache. )
November 4th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I googled “migraine postdrome” and came across this site. I had a migraine, but oddly the pain wasn’t so bad, it was the symptoms that got to me. I have been really depressed today and discovered it was because of my migraine. I walked into the Verizon store because I need a new phone, but it was too busy in there so I left. Then I drove around and cried. I think I should be back to normal tomorrow. I am counting on it.
December 14th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Allot of this sounds familiar. Fortunately only get a migraine once every 6 months or so since I was 14. Have gone a few years between, down to only a few weeks between them. The only thing that gets rid of the headache is sleep. No drugs work. The postdrome is almost worse though, for 2-5 days after lethargic, tired, dull headache thta gets worse if i move my head too quick. Always pinpointed above me right eye near the nose. Very strange. I really hope this mystery is solved in my lifetime!
December 30th, 2009 at 9:49 am
I am new to migraines and I am still trying to figure them out. I find myself in denial when I wake up with the headache and hope it will go away after a cup of coffee. That didn’t work and instead of taking my relpax, I waited too long and the symptoms became very bad. Sharp headache, nausea, complete cleaning of the digestional area, and muscle ache. Went to bed (should have done in the beginning) and slept which helped somewhat. I am definetely learning the hard way. I don’t have the aura but I do have the “nausea” and “headache” as my warnings. I have no appetite and woke up the next day with my first major “hangover” or “nana head” as listed in this blog. No appetite, feel down, eyes sore, and depressed because I can’t accomplish anything and I don’t like my teenagers to see me like this. I think my headaches are being caused because of hormonal changes along with stress. What kind of doctor do I see for this? I just see my general practitioner. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
January 17th, 2010 at 8:01 pm
Well this is my second migraine this month. I usually get a migraine with my monthly visitor or changes with the weather (barometic pressure). Now i am in the so called hangover phase i am so weak and tired. My head still hurts and i cannot concentrate on anything. For me what helps a little is cold packs i place them all over my head of course it dosnt take the pain completely away but it does numb the areas that are causing pain, i was wondering if anyone else out there uses cold packs and if it helps them.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Hello to all. I am 25 and just started getting migraines in November but have been having a small headache that is always present for about 1 and a half years now. I’ve been to many doctors and even had two sinus surgeries which haven’t done a thing. Every time I get one, I get a diamond like aura sensation for about 30-45 min then the pain comes. After that, I always get this so called migraine hangover. I wanted to look this up and see if it was real and I’m at least thankful like the rest of you to know that I’m not going crazy. The best way for me to describe this feeling is soreness and disorientation. I’d like to associate the feeling from sleeping for over 12 hours but I’m stating to accept that its the migraine. All the suggestions are great for getting rid of the discomfort. I also feel guilt for having to take so many days off at work and it financially hurts me. I can only pray that some doctor will figure this out one day for everyone. I’ll be praying for everyone.
February 4th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
In regards to the migraine hangover, I always describe it as being in a movie of sorts. Everyone else is moving at regular speed, but I have slowed to almost a standstill. Everything that I experience during this time does not feel as though it is happening to me, but that I am watching it unfold. It leaves me frustrated. l am bruised, emotional, tired, etc. My list could go on and on. I am thankful to know that I am not alone in this feeling.
Most people do not understand, and this can be doubly frustrating. I have been dealing with migraines now for 22 years, and they do not see to be letting up.
Has anyone found anything that helps relieve the hangover aspect?
I will keep all in my thoughts and prayers.
February 10th, 2010 at 9:53 am
I’m so relieved to have found this site. Perhaps I’m not loosing my mind, after all.
I’ve tried to explain this feeling to my husband (just sent him this link) but could never accomplish what I thought sounded like a sane explanation for how I feel.
My migraines have become far more frequent this past year and the hangover is somewhat new and has become the worst part. I told my family it was like being plagued by Dementors (the wraith-like creatures from Harry Potter that suck all the joy out of the world). I’ve only recently made the connection. I didn’t know this feeling was part of my migraines. In the last six months, I just thought I was sick all the time.
I’m in the second day of a hangover now. I love the explanation of your head feeling bruised. My eyes are so sore, closing them gives some relief. I feel like they’ve been jiggling in my head for days. That dizzy feeling in my head is still there. I prayed it would be gone this morning when I woke up but it’s still here and I have to tell my family I’m STILL not feeling well. I feel like if I move my eyes too fast or look at something too bright, my headache could come back. My body feels like I have the flu. I’m lethargic, pathetic, really. I don’t feel like I have the energy to do anything, which makes me so sad. Usually, I’m trying to do everything and the only challenge is how to choose what’s most important. : ) I say usually, but I’ve only had a couple of usual days this month as this is my second headache in February. I’m just learning that these symptoms are common for migraine sufferers. I’ve been so scared. I’ve actually wondered if had leukemia or something worse. I’ve had blood work done and am getting a CT scan tomorrow. But I must share that I’m somewhat relieved to read that the super-fatigue, dizzy, sad, limb-heavy, brain-bouncy, am I going nuts feeling is part of something tangible.
The dizzy part, in particular, has been unnerving. I’ve tried to describe it to my doc. I know someone on this site will understand. It’s not a dizzy, I’m gonna pass out feeling. More of a feeling inside my head, as if my eyes are dizzy and when I move them it takes a while for them to catch up and then to stop moving. I’ve recently felt this before a headache. It’s become the sign that I’m going to have a DOOOZY.
Thanks so much to all of you. I hope someone reads what I’ve written and feels the comfort I felt while I read the contributions of others.
February 17th, 2010 at 11:00 am
I am in the middle of a post-migraine hangover and even concentrating on this comment is proving difficult. I take both imitrex and treixmet for my migraines which seem to help, but they dont get rid of them.
I find that these hangovers make me afraid to do anything that could trigger another. Icing my head with a bag of ice and a washcloth always seem to help and staying out of too much light works well too. I also take ibuprofin ever 3-4 hours and drink alot of powerade the day after a massive migraine.
Does anyone have trouble seeing when they get a migraine? That’s my first sign that i’m going to get one; my vision gets distorted and then all of a sudden I can’t make out words or people’s faces.