Migraine is a neurological condition that causes repeated attacks of headache and other symptoms. Migraine is more than an ordinary headache and can affect work, study, sleep and family life.
When to seek emergency care: Seek emergency help for a headache that is sudden and extremely painful, follows a head injury, or occurs with weakness, facial droop, seizure, confusion, fainting, fever with stiff neck, new loss of vision, or difficulty speaking. Urgent review is also needed when an attack lasts longer than 72 hours or aura lasts longer than one hour. Call 1122.
Typical migraine symptoms
The classic migraine attack includes throbbing or pulsating head pain, often on one side, that becomes worse with movement. Nausea, vomiting and strong sensitivity to light or sound are common. An attack may last several hours and sometimes up to three days.
Some people experience an aura before or during the headache. This can involve zigzag lines, flashing lights, numbness, tingling, dizziness or difficulty speaking. Aura usually develops gradually and should not last longer than about an hour. A new speech problem, weakness or sudden visual loss must be treated as a possible emergency rather than assumed to be migraine.
Common triggers in daily life
Migraine triggers vary. Common examples include missed meals, dehydration, too much or sudden withdrawal from caffeine, poor sleep, stress, heat, strong smells, bright light and hormonal changes around menstruation. Fasting may trigger attacks in some people because of dehydration, sleep changes or altered meal timing.
A trigger is not the underlying cause of migraine; it is something that may make an attack more likely in a susceptible person. Keeping a diary of sleep, meals, periods, stress, weather and symptoms can reveal patterns without creating unnecessary food restrictions.
What may help during an attack
- Rest in a quiet, dark room when possible.
- Drink water in small, regular amounts.
- Eat regular meals between attacks and avoid long gaps if they are a trigger.
- Use medicines only as directed by a clinician or according to safe label instructions.
- Avoid taking painkillers on more than a couple of days each week without medical advice; overuse can create more frequent headaches.
Medical treatment
Treatment is individualized. A clinician may recommend medicine for the attack, medicine for nausea, or preventive treatment if attacks are frequent or disabling. Lifestyle regularity, relaxation approaches and cognitive behavioural strategies may also help. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, heart disease and other medicines affect which options are safe.
Which doctor should you see?
A general physician can assess a typical first presentation and begin treatment. A neurologist is appropriate when attacks are frequent, diagnosis is uncertain, treatment is not working, or neurological symptoms are present. An ophthalmologist may be needed for eye disease, but visual aura itself is usually neurological.
Which specialist to see
SehatGPT connects recurring or disabling migraine to a physician or neurologist, while displaying emergency guidance before any booking flow when red flags appear.
Frequently asked questions
Is every one-sided headache a migraine?
No. Location alone does not establish the diagnosis. The pattern, associated symptoms and examination matter.
Can migraine happen without headache?
Some people experience aura or other migraine features with little or no head pain, but a clinician should assess a first or unusual episode.
Can migraine be permanently cured?
There is no single cure, but many people achieve good control with trigger management and appropriately selected treatment.