Migraine or Hangover: How Do You Know?

hangover (Photo credit: xooorx)

As well as the dreaded alcohol induced hangover, it is possible to have a migraine hangover or postdrome, that is affected by a migraine.

It should be obvious if you tie one on (drink heavily) the night before and wake up in the morning with light and sound sensitivity, dizziness, nausea, and a headache, you are probably suffering from a hangover and not a migraine.



But what if you haven't been drinking at all and you find yourself suffering in a similar fashion to the alcohol induced hangover? You may be suffering from migraine hangover or an actual migraine.

Wikipedia describes a migraine as;

The typical migraine headache is unilateral (affecting one half of the head) and pulsating in nature and lasting from two to 72 hours; symptoms include nausea, vomiting, photophobia (increased sensitivity to light) and phonophobia (increased sensitivity to sound); the symptoms are generally aggravated by routine activity. Approximately one-third of people who suffer from migraine headaches perceive an aura—transient visual, sensory, language, or motor disturbances signaling the migraine will soon occur.

A migraine hangover is typically The effects of a migraine that may persist for a day or more after the main headache has ended. Many postdrome sufferers report feeling sore in the area where the migraine headache had been. Some also have impaired thinking, head pain, cognitive difficulties, gastrointestinal symptoms, mood changes, and weakness for a few days after the headache has passed.

So, what do you do to overcome the hangover? In many ways you may do the same thing as any other hangover. Read my previous article, Do You Have A Migraine Hangover?, for ways to overcome your hangover.

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Do You Have A MIgraine Hangover?

Migraine gone or 'nearly' gone, but you still feel like you got run over by a bus?
You might have a migraine hangover.
Runny or stuffy nose? You might have a migraine hangover.
Sensitive to even the slightest beam of light?  You might have a migraine hangover.
Dry mouth that tastes like a monkey's butt? You might have a migraine hangover.
Vertigo? You might have a migraine hangover.
Migraine over but still too tired to get out of bed? You might have a migraine hangover.

Their can be many other hangover-like symptoms that hold us down. Don't ask me how I know what an monkey's butt tastes like.  It is true that many of the migraine hangover symptoms are very much like having drank too much alcohol. You spend hours or days living inside your emergency lair, unable too sleep, can't hardly open your eyes, and vomiting or feeling like doing it. Then just as suddenly, or over time, you start to get your senses back. Only it may not be that you feel like 100% you.

Your friends and family may see you up and around, trying you're best to appear normal. But, they fail to realize the physical strength it takes to overcome the attack and approach anything near normal. The beast may never leave your shoulder, and threatens to return at any time. So, what do you do to overcome the hangover? In many ways you may do the same thing as any other hangover.

Drink plenty of water! Alleviate dry mouth and dehydration.

Avoid sudden bright lights and loud sounds. They just hurt.

Keep the ice pack or cool compress on your 'spot' or back of the neck. Speed up the recovery process, by decreasing the inflamation of blood vessels, and aching muscles.

Avoid the hair of this beast entirely! Since you probably did not abuse alcohol and the beast is a ...

Have a hot shower or bath. Relaxing aching muscles helps to recover more quickly.

Take your migraine preventatives and other prescriptions as prescribed. 'nuff said.

Take your vitamins. B-Complex, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and vitaminn C, may help with your symptoms.

Eat healthy. Skip the sweets you have hidden from the kids on the top shelf of the pantry, and have a banana. Bananas have potassium, which aids in overcoming nausea, and magnesium to relax blood vessels.

Or just sleep it off. Making sure you get plenty of rest, is important, especially if you haven't gotten any sleep for the last few days.