Migraine without aura
Migraine that doesn’t include aura symptoms as part of an attack.
About migraine without aura
Migraine without aura is the most common type of migraine. It means you don’t get aura symptoms as part of your migraine attacks.
An aura is a set of neurological symptoms some people get as part of a migraine attack. Neurological means it’s related to the nervous system. Aura symptoms include things like problems with sight, speech and sensory disturbances. You may get a mixture of migraine attacks with aura and without aura.
Migraine attacks without aura usually last between four hours and three days, if they are not treated or if the treatment is not effective. The frequency of these attacks varies. They could happen every few years or several times a week.
Symptoms of migraine without aura
You may get the following symptoms as part of a migraine attack without aura.
- A headache that is often on one side of your head. This is often a throbbing pain. It will worsen when you move, such as if you walk or climb the stairs. It is so severe that it means you can’t do your normal daily activities.
- Feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting).
- Being sensitive to light (photophobia), sound (phonophobia) and/or smells.
Treatment options for migraine without aura
Your treatment options depend on how often you have attacks and how severe they are. It will also depend on other factors such as other illnesses you may have or medication that you take.
Generally, treatment for migraine includes:
- Acute treatment such as over-the-counter painkillers, migraine-specific treatments (triptans) and anti-sickness medication. These treatments aim to help manage the symptoms when an attack comes on. Take them as soon as your head pain starts. You do need to be careful not to take certain acute treatments too many days a month as this can cause medication overuse headache.
- Preventive treatment such as beta-blockers, tricyclic antidepressants or anti-epilepsy drugs. These treatments aim to reduce how often you have migraine attacks and how bad they are. You take them regularly and build them up to an effective dose. Some people need to try a range of treatments, or may be referred to a headache specialist if the treatments don’t work for them.
Lifestyle changes
Alongside the treatments many people benefit from reviewing whether lifestyle changes can help with their migraine attacks. This can include things like sticking to a routine, waking up at the same time each day, practising good sleep hygiene, eating regularly and at similar times each day, not getting hungry and staying hydrated. Taking gentle exercise, such as walking and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help. If there are factors such as alcohol or lack of sleep that seem to trigger your migraine attacks, there might be changes that you can make to help reduce how often you have attacks.
About our information
This information has been written by The Migraine Trust Information and Support Services team. It has been reviewed by our panel of expert health professionals and people affected by migraine.
Our information has been awarded the PIF TICK quality mark for trustworthy health information.
If you have feedback on our information, please get in touch at: feedback@migrainetrust.org
References for our information are available on request.
Updated: June 2025
