Overview
Migraines and headaches both involve head pain, but migraines are often more severe and can include nausea, visual disturbances, and sensitivity to light and sound. Headaches are usually milder and may not have these additional symptoms.
Disease Summaries
Migraine: Migraine is a type of headache that typically presents as throbbing, pulsating pain on one side of the head, sometimes with associated nausea or sensitivity to light and sound. Sometimes, sensory disturbances, such as vision changes (seeing flashing lights or zigzag lines), can occur before the headache. The pain may worsen on exposure to bright lights or loud noise. Triggers for migraine include stress, poor sleep, caffeine, and hormonal changes in women.
Headache: Tension headache is a type of headache with a band-like, pressing sensation at the forehead and sides. Causes include physical stress, such as long periods of desk work and driving, or mental stress.
Comparing Symptoms
Overlapping Symptoms
- Headache
- Sensitivity to light
- Neck stiffness
- Fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating
Migraine Specific Symptoms
- Aura symptoms
- Nausea or vomiting
- One-sided head pain
- Visual disturbances
- Lasts 4-72 hours
Headache Specific Symptoms
- Bilateral head pain
- Pressure-like head pain
- Responds to OTC pain relief
- Related to obvious triggers
- Shorter duration
Treatment Approaches
Migraine Treatment Approaches
Treatment of this condition aims to stop attacks and prevent future attacks. Medicines to stop an ongoing migraine include painkillers, caffeine-containing pills, and anti-nausea drugs. Knowing your own triggers is important to prevent future attacks. The doctor may prescribe migraine prevention pills as well.
Headache Treatment Approaches
Treatment involves lifestyle changes and medications. Getting more sleep, improving your posture, and reducing workload may help relieve symptoms. Medications like painkillers and muscle relaxants can also help.
Reviewed By:
Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc (Family Medicine, Primary Care)
Dr. Taylor is a Japanese-African American physician who grew up and was educated in the United States but spent a considerable amount of time in Japan as a college student, working professional and now father of three. After graduating from Brown, he worked in finance first before attending medical school at Penn. He then completed a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control before going on to specialize in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he was also a chief resident. After a faculty position at Stanford, he moved with his family to Japan where he continues to see families on a military base outside of Tokyo, teach Japanese residents and serve remotely as a medical director for Roots Community Health Center. He also enjoys editing and writing podcast summaries for Hippo Education.
Shohei Harase, MD (Neurology)
Dr. Harase spent his junior and senior high school years in Finland and the U.S. After graduating from the University of Washington (Bachelor of Science, Molecular and Cellular Biology), he worked for Apple Japan Inc. before entering the University of the Ryukyus School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Okinawa Prefectural Chubu Hospital, where he received the Best Resident Award in 2016 and 2017. In 2021, he joined the Department of Cerebrovascular Medicine at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, specializing in hyperacute stroke.
Content updated on Mar 27, 2024
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33767185/Ha H, Gonzalez A. Migraine Headache Prophylaxis. Am Fam Physician. 2019 Jan 1;99(1):17-24. PMID: 30600979.
https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2019/0101/p17.htmlDieterich M, Obermann M, Celebisoy N. Vestibular migraine: the most frequent entity of episodic vertigo. J Neurol. 2016 Apr;263 Suppl 1:S82-9. doi: 10.1007/s00415-015-7905-2. Epub 2016 Apr 15. PMID: 27083888; PMCID: PMC4833782.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00415-015-7905-2