Migraine & Stroke Symptoms

Some people worry when they are suffering from a migraine that they are actually having a stroke, especially when the head pain is severe and debilitating. While the two conditions share similar symptoms, they are very different problems, with symptoms presenting in different ways. How do you know if you're having a stroke or suffering from a migraine?

Pain

• Both migraines and strokes share the symptom of a severe pain that is usually isolated to the head. Yet, a migraine will typically come with a "warning sign" of an aura, which is a visual disturbance of flickering lights or spots. With a stroke, this pain comes without warning.

Nausea

• Another common symptom shared by both a migraine and a stroke is nausea. This nausea may cause a person to actually vomit. With a migraine, however, nausea is usually accompanied by some sort of pain in the head.

Visual Disturbance

• If someone is experiencing a migraine or a stroke, he may suffer from a visual disturbance. With a migraine, the visual disturbance will take the form of an aura. In a stroke, this disturbance will be a blurred, fuzzy or doubled vision.

Sensitivity

• A migraine sufferer is quite sensitive to both sound and light. This symptom is not present with a stroke.

Paralysis

• A person who has suffered from a stroke or is experiencing a stroke will usually find a numbness or paralysis to one side of her body. This is not the case with a migraine.

Impediment

• An impediment is exclusive to a stroke and would manifest as a difficulty in either speaking or moving. Depending on the severity of the stroke, a person may suffer from both. Much like paralysis, this is something an individual would not experience with a migraine.