8 Types of Migraine Attacks

39 million people in the U.S. have migraine disease – and it’s 3x more common in women than men.

Most people with the disease get 2-4 migraine attacks/month on average. 

Types of migraine 

Migraine without aura

This is sometimes called common migraine because about 3 in 4 people with migraine experience this type. 

Some symptoms may include: 

Throbbing pain on one or both sides of the head

Moderate to severe head pain that gets worse with normal physical activity 

Nausea and/or vomiting

Sensitivity to light, sound and smell

Migraine with aura 

About a quarter of people with migraine get a warning sign, called an aura, that an attack is coming. This can occur 5-60 minutes before a migraine attack. 

Symptoms include: 

Seeing flashing lights, wavy lines, bright dots or zigzags 

Trouble seeing

Tingling or “pins and needles” feeling 

Trouble speaking clearly

Weakness

Head pain

Migraine without head pain

Also known as a silent migraine, this is migraine with aura but without head pain. It affects about 4% of people with migraine overall, but may become more common for people with migraine as they approach midlife. 

About 4 of 10 people who have migraine with aura will have aura without head pain later in life. 

Symptoms include: 

Seeing flashing lights, wavy lines, bright dots or zigzags 

Trouble seeing

Tingling or “pins and needles” feeling 

Trouble speaking clearly

Weakness

Vestibular migraine

Vestibular migraine involves vertigo (dizziness) in addition to head pain. It’s most common in people with a history of motion sickness and migraines.

Symptoms include:

Dizziness that lasts from minutes to hours (or even days)

Balance problems 

Throbbing head pain, usually on one side of the head

Nausea and/or vomiting

Sensitivity to light, sound and smell

Retinal migraine

Retinal migraine causes visual disturbances in one eye. It is rare and typically affects women of childbearing age . 

Symptoms include:

Seeing twinkling or flashing lights in one eye

Decreased or lost vision in one eye

Head pain that may be present from the onset or start up to an hour later

Chronic migraine

A person has chronic migraine if they have headache pain for 15+ days (with migraine symptoms for at least 8 of them), 3 months in a row. If you have migraine attacks fewer than 15 days a month, it’s called episodic migraine. 

Symptoms may include:

Frequent moderate or severe headache attacks 

Pain on one side of the head or both

Throbbing, pulsing or pounding head pain

Nausea and or vomiting

Sensitivity to light, sound and smell 

Menstrual migraine

This migraine is linked to hormone changes during the menstrual cycle. Attacks usually hit just before or when your period starts, and are often worse and last longer than at other times during your cycle. 

Symptoms may include:

Throbbing head pain, often on one side of your head 

Nausea and/or vomiting

Sensitivity to light, sound and smell 

Chills and sweating

Sore or sensitive scalp

Hemiplegic migraine 

This rare migraine type involves weakness on one side of the body, sometimes with an aura and not always with head pain. Because of these symptoms, this type of migraine attack is sometimes mistaken for a stroke and should be checked by a healthcare provider (HCP).

Symptoms include: 

Weakness on one side of the body

Head pain

Vision changes

Numbness 

Tingling

Trouble speaking 

Coordination issues 

Nausea and/or vomiting

Sensitivity to sound and light

Concerned about migraine? Talk to your HCP. 

This educational resource was created with support from Pfizer.