Some people dismiss migraines as nothing more than a normal headache exaggerated in the telling.
Migraines usually begin between the ages of 5 and 35, and their peak prevalence is between the ages of 35 and 45 Dr. Silberstein, speaking at a seminar sponsored by NIH's Office of Research on Women's Health, stressed that migraines have real physiological causes and effects well beyond those of the common tension headaches most people have. Classic migraines begin 10-30 minutes before the arrival of the actual headache, with a phenomenon known as an aura. People experiencing an aura may feel pins and needles, have trouble speaking, have muscle weakness, and commonly have visual disturbances seeing things such as flashing lights, zigzag lines, bright spots, or a loss of part of their field of vision. Common migraines aren't preceded by an aura, but people may experience some mental fuzziness, mood changes, fatigue, and the unusual retention of fluids beforehand. Both types of migraine bring intense pain, often along with an increased sensitivity to light.