Migraine is a type of chronic primary headache characterized by throbbing pain, generally on one side of the head, with moderate to severe intensity. However, this disease is actually complex and is not only characterized by headaches.
"The general concept of migraine in the general population is that it is a headache syndrome," said neurologist, dr. Hamid S. Hamdi, quoted from The Times, Friday, April 10, 2026.
"People don't know about all the other symptoms that can be caused by migraines, so they are very surprised at first," he added.
The symptoms of migraine other than headaches that must be known are as follows.
1. Craving for certain foods
A few days before the headache actually strikes, migraine sufferers usually first enter the initial or prodromal phase. At this stage, the body triggers drastic mood changes, fatigue, and difficulty focusing.
In this phase, many also suddenly crave snacks with salty, sweet, and chocolate flavors impulsively. This is due to drastic fluctuations in glucose and changes in metabolism.
"In general, it is believed that chocolate can trigger migraines, but what we believe now is not the chocolate trigger, but people crave chocolate as a prodrome of migraines," he explained.
2. Temporary visual changes
Migraine symptoms also occur in vision, known as visual aura. Symptoms vary, ranging from seeing flashes of light, zig-zag lines, to temporary loss of vision due to temporary electrical activity in the brain.
3. It's hard to communicate
Migraine can also be characterized by aphasia, which temporarily inhibits the ability to speak. Sufferers will often babble, say irregular words, and it is difficult to string a sentence to communicate.
Thus, doctors will usually do a CT scan or MRI. This is done to rule out other possibilities, before confirming that the patient suffers from migraines.
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