It varies from person to person but a migraine hangover can last from hours to a day, or even multiple days. Most people find that their migraine hangover resolves within 24 hours.
A migraine hangover or postdrome may involve symptoms like feeling drained, mood changes, and trouble focusing. It could feel similar to an alcohol hangover, with a few differences. After the intense pain from a migraine episode subsides, you still may not feel 100% just yet.
Studies show that postdrome usually lasts one or two days. 1 However, some patients may experience symptoms for longer. If you suffer from lengthy migraine hangovers, you should speak with your physician about options that are right for you.
Postdrome is actually part of the migraine attack itself. The profound changes in activity and blood flow that occur during the aura and head pain phase of the attack, persists even after the pain has ended.
Some people may find that over-the-counter pain relief like Aspirin is enough to relieve migraine hangover symptoms. These can help with general body aches and pains, neck stiffness, or any mild discomfort you feel during this period.
Status migrainosus is a headache that doesn't respond to usual treatment or lasts longer than 72 hours. It is a relentless migraine attack that can require medical attention and sometimes a visit to the hospital. Thankfully, most of the time, treatment options are available to stop the pain and help you recover.
But a migraine that lasts for more than 72 hours is called status migrainosus. A typical migraine can sometimes turn into status migrainosus if: You don't get treatment early enough after the attack starts. You don't get the right treatment.
It is therefore clear that from before the headache starts, through to even days after its resolution, migraine can be associated with dominant fatigue, mood, and cognitive change, among other symptoms.
Go to the ER if you are experiencing severe migraine symptoms, or symptoms such as confusion, fever and vision changes, neck stiffness, trouble speaking or numbness or weakness, even if other symptoms of migraine are present (e.g. light sensitivity, nausea).
Migraines, which often begin in childhood, adolescence or early adulthood, can progress through four stages: prodrome, aura, attack and post-drome. Not everyone who has migraines goes through all stages.
The International Headache Society defines chronic migraine as headache occurring on 15 or more days per month for more than three months, where at least 8 of those headache days have migraine features: The pain is moderate or severe and often intense. The pain may be on one side or the head or both.
What is the difference between a migraine and a postdrome?
A migraine hangover, also called postdrome, is the last stage of a migraine. It can linger a few hours to more than a day after the headache goes away. Postdromes don't always come, but experts believe that they happen up to 80% of the time. There's also no way to know how intense your postdrome will be.
Triptans. Prescription drugs such as sumatriptan (Imitrex, Tosymra) and rizatriptan (Maxalt, Maxalt-MLT) are used to treat migraine because they block pain pathways in the brain. Taken as pills, shots or nasal sprays, they can relieve many symptoms of migraine.
Pain relievers like ibuprofen or naproxen might help with postdrome head or neck pain, but ask your doctor first. Overdoing them could lead to rebound headaches.
“Bananas are a great food for quick energy recovery, and they're high in magnesium, which can be helpful when people have headaches,” she says. Bananas are about 74 percent water, so there are hydration benefits as well, Brown says.
Even sleeping for just an hour or two can be beneficial. Sleep also appears to be particularly good at helping children recover from a migraine attack. If you're having an attack and are able to lie down and get some rest, taking a nap may help you feel better.
Silent migraines, also called acephalgic migraines or migraine without headaches, are the types of migraines that do not involve the typical head pain. Instead, people with silent migraines experience other symptoms such as aura (visual disturbances), dizziness, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound.
Cluster headaches are considered by many experts to be the most painful type of headache a person could ever experience, affecting an estimated one in 1,000 people in the United States.