Get fast track relief by understanding the prodrome phase of a migraine attack

The early phase of a migraine attack is called the prodrome phase. Research have shown that if you identify your symptoms of the prodrome phase, you can treat your migraine earlier and more effective.

What is the prodrome phase?

The prodrome phase is the earliest stage of a migraine attack. The phase lasts a few hours or several days. The most common symptom is a headache but a number of other common symptoms have been identified. The 9 most common symptoms are:

1. Neck pain and stiffness
2. Vision changes
3. Dizziness and feeling lightheaded
4. Foggy thinking
5. Trouble concentrating
6. Moodiness and irritability
7. Fatigue
8. Yawning
9. Cravings for certain foods

A chance to alleviate migraine anxiety

Usually, migraine sufferers experience the same symptoms in every prodrome phase. For me personally, I always become sensitive to light and feel nauseated. If you track and identify your prodrome symptoms via a Migraine Calendar, you’ll be able to take your medication earlier, making the treatment more effective.

Being familiar with your symptoms can also lower your migraine anxiety. Migraine sufferers tend to worry about missing special upcoming events or are afraid to make plans because migraines are so unpredictable. By being aware of your migraine’s “warning signs”, you can reduce the unpredictable nature of an attack and hopefully alleviate some of your migraine anxiety.

Discover migraine “warning signs” by listening to your body

To be able to better predict a migraine attack, it is essential to actively listen to your body’s signals. It varies from person to person in terms of the ability to identify bodily sensations that can lead to a migraine. This means that some people are better at predicting an oncoming migraine than others.

One way of becoming increasingly aware of your prodrome symptoms is to track your bodily sensations and whether they lead to a migraine. When actively listening to your body’s signals and tracking them, a pattern will most likely appear. Hopefully, you’ll discover “warning signs” that can help you stop a migraine attack from further developing.

Researchers are increasingly aware of the importance of studying the prodrome phase. Their hope is that by documenting and understanding prodrome symptoms, doctors and migraine sufferers can more effectively manage symptoms, prevent attacks, and improve quality of life.