# Do you feel weird the day after a migraine? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 11, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264 "2007-08-11T16:11:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/1 "2007-08-11T16:11:51Z")
Yesterday I woke up with a bad headache that got much much worse when I tried to get up and moving. I ended up staying in my dark bedroom for approximately 22 hours, and slept for most of it. I had the light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, etc. all of the classic signs of a migraine. The headache is gone today, but I feel very weird, like kinda dizzy and disoriented or something. This was only my second real migraine ever, and the last one was when I was 18, so I forget if I felt this way after that one. I feel so out of it that I don’t know if I’ll be able to go to work at 6:00 tonight. So, migraine sufferers, do you feel weird the day after a migraine? If so, what symptoms do you experience? Thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![Stainz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/2 "2007-08-11T16:22:18Z")
I’ve only had one migraine with a headache (I get headache-less ones fairly often), but yes, I had almost a migraine “hangover” the day afterwards. It took a full 24 hours \*after the migraine ended \* before I felt somewhat normal, as in, I felt okay to drive, my appetite came back, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/3 "2007-08-11T16:55:34Z")
Yes. After a migraine leaves, I feel disconnected and punchy, like I’m not really present. Sometimes I feel fragile, like I’m made of glass, like the way you feel when you’re just getting over being really ill. I don’t know what else to describe it as – really bad jet lag, maybe. It’s not tired, exactly, because for me migraine recovery always involves being asleep for about 12 hours, but it’s a sort of worn out feeling. For me, that feeling lasts about 6 to 8 hours. FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Della](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c68b51/32.png) [@Della](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Della)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/4 "2007-08-11T18:28:27Z")
Oh, yes. I call it a migraine hangover, too. I would describe it as feeling kind of dissociated. It’s almost like having a milder version of a migraine, but without the pain… ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/5 "2007-08-11T18:42:23Z")
Yeah, the way I feel matches those descriptions very well. I still feel like crap, and I’m worried the headache will somehow come back, in fact, I can still kinda feel its presence. Or maybe I’m just paranoid. Whatever the case, if I ever have to have another migraine, it would be fine with me if I could wait another 15 years for it. ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/6 "2007-08-11T18:51:39Z")
[QUOTE=Jodi] Yes. After a migraine leaves, I feel disconnected and punchy, like I’m not really present. Sometimes I feel fragile, like I’m made of glass, like the way you feel when you’re just getting over being really ill. I don’t know what else to describe it as – really bad jet lag, maybe. It’s not tired, exactly, because for me migraine recovery always involves being asleep for about 12 hours, but it’s a sort of worn out feeling. For me, that feeling lasts about 6 to 8 hours. FWIW. [/QUOTE] This is how I feel. Almost like I’m a shell, hollowed out… fragile. It’s a very strange feeling, but definitely better than the agony of the migraine. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/7 "2007-08-11T20:15:42Z")
Yeah it happens to me too. I feel like the migrane fried my brain and it takes a bit for everything to get back to normal. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/8 "2007-08-11T20:28:29Z")
Serious question, that you don’t have to answer: have you done amyl nitrate (poppers) recently? I know a lot of strippers get into using it to keep up during long shifts, and they can totally fuck with your blood pressure leading to migraine-like symptoms. Even worse, if most migraine medicines and amyl end up in your system at the same time, you could straight-up drop dead. Be careful out there. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/9 "2007-08-11T20:58:30Z")
I’ve had some really violent migraines in the past (one that lasted 10 days), and have experienced the day-after effect. I think it comes with having spent so much time and energy focused on your brain pain; then, when it’s over, you can step outside yourself and experience things from a different perspective. Plus total exhaustion. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/10 "2007-08-11T21:00:51Z")
[QUOTE=Jodi] Yes. After a migraine leaves, I feel disconnected and punchy, like I’m not really present. Sometimes I feel fragile, like I’m made of glass, like the way you feel when you’re just getting over being really ill. I don’t know what else to describe it as – really bad jet lag, maybe. It’s not tired, exactly, because for me migraine recovery always involves being asleep for about 12 hours, but it’s a sort of worn out feeling. For me, that feeling lasts about 6 to 8 hours. FWIW. [/QUOTE] Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/11 "2007-08-11T21:05:41Z")
[QUOTE=VCO3] Serious question, that you don’t have to answer: have you done amyl nitrate (poppers) recently? I know a lot of strippers get into using it to keep up during long shifts, and they can totally fuck with your blood pressure leading to migraine-like symptoms. Even worse, if most migraine medicines and amyl end up in your system at the same time, you could straight-up drop dead. Be careful out there. [/QUOTE] I’ve never seen a popper in my life and I have danced in several different clubs over a span of 13 years. Where have you actually seen poppers? What city? What club? I’d be interested to know where you get your information. [Sarcasm] Seriously, everybody knows that it’s the gays who use poppers! [/Sarcasm] If you want to ask me stripper questions then go find the 10-page thread I did about it, read all of it to see if your question has already been answered, and then fire away. I really hate to think that just because I have been open about my job people are going to bring it up in any thread I post, even totally unrelated ones such as this. Sometimes I love this board, and sometimes I hate it. For a place that is supposedly “fighting ignorance” we sure have our fair share of presumtuous asses. ---
**Author:** ![Idlewild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8491ac/32.png) [@Idlewild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idlewild)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/12 "2007-08-11T21:16:43Z")
Yes… I had a three day migraine this week -monday afternoon, tuesday, wednesday and thursday morning, and felt disoriented and fragile yesterday, and just plain exhausted today. Nasty buggers. It’s like looking through those wavy glass window blocks when it’s at its worst. Everything is distant. I was programming for most of the week, too, and there’s nothing worse than the feeling of detachment from reality - I couldn’t judge if anything I was doing was actually right. ---
**Author:** ![zelie\_zelerton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/59ef9b/32.png) [@zelie\_zelerton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zelie_zelerton)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/13 "2007-08-11T21:18:10Z")
Yes, there are aftereffects. I am fortunate in that mine constitutes an energy burst and wanting to do the happy dance but I don’t doubt that there are plenty of others who have the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![Dolukhanova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c68b51/32.png) [@Dolukhanova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dolukhanova)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/14 "2007-08-11T21:34:31Z")
Google “migraine postdrome.” What you’re experiencing is quite common. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/15 "2007-08-11T21:34:59Z")
I always feel crappy after, fragile, tired, hollow and weirdly enough, my skin is really sensitive, like warm water can feel achingly too hot. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/16 "2007-08-11T22:13:33Z")
[QUOTE=Jodi] Yes. After a migraine leaves, I feel disconnected and punchy, like I’m not really present. Sometimes I feel fragile, like I’m made of glass, like the way you feel when you’re just getting over being really ill. [/QUOTE] Yep, that’s exactly how I feel. I also call it the migraine hangover. ---
**Author:** ![shamrock227](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@shamrock227](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shamrock227)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/17 "2007-08-11T22:34:11Z")
I always equate the post-migraine hangover to the way my muscles feel the day after I do an extra hard workout. Not pain, exactly, just sore and achy and fragile. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/18 "2007-08-12T05:19:01Z")
[QUOTE=Indygrrl] I’ve never seen a popper in my life and I have danced in several different clubs over a span of 13 years. Where have you actually seen poppers? What city? What club? I’d be interested to know where you get your information. [Sarcasm] Seriously, everybody knows that it’s the gays who use poppers! [/Sarcasm] If you want to ask me stripper questions then go find the 10-page thread I did about it, read all of it to see if your question has already been answered, and then fire away. I really hate to think that just because I have been open about my job people are going to bring it up in any thread I post, even totally unrelated ones such as this. Sometimes I love this board, and sometimes I hate it. For a place that is supposedly “fighting ignorance” we sure have our fair share of presumtuous asses. [/QUOTE] All right, I’m going to go out on a limb - I’ve **done** poppers with strippers in Washington, D.C. and then again in Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/19 "2007-08-12T11:20:14Z")
As a sufferer of semi-frequent migraines (typically more than one per week), I feel the same thing, and have used the “hangover” term as well. Sometimes I still have a minor headache - probably most people who haven’t had a migraine would complain about how bad that headache was - and usually feel tired, out-of-sorts/not really myself, and generally just slow and weak. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264/20 "2007-08-12T11:43:00Z")
I describe it as having a numb brain. The pain is gone, but a numbness remains, including a complete lack of energy. It’s like your brain is relieved, but wary. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-weird-the-day-after-a-migraine/415264.md?page=2)