Strong and long lasting postdrome effects
I'm new here. I just found this forum in search of answers and a sense of understanding from others. For well over a decade I've been having migraines at least once or twice a week. The actual headache part of it only lasts about a day or two but the symptoms that follows that for several DAYS or even WEEKS later is just as debilitating. I feel tired in so many ways. Weak. Lathargic. Short of breath. So sleepy that I have to keep taking naps. As well as that, I feel as though brain is just not fuctioning properly at all. It's so sluggish and confused. I'm lacking a good sense of awareness for my surroundings and I feel in a way that I can only describe as being really drunk and not in a pleasant way. It makes me clumbsy and careless. I feel tingly, my vision is really splotchy and I occasionally have ringing in my ears. I can barely do anything in this state and I feel at times like it's taking what could be precious moments of my life away from me that I could be doing valuble things with. My last migraine was 3 days ago and I still feel horendous with all of these symptoms. I feel like I can barely fuction when I'm like this. Is it normal to have such postdrome effects to this extent? Also does anyone know of any tried and tested ways that might help it all go away faster?
Hi
, we're glad you found us! Postdrome is different for all of us and can last from hours to days. Have you ever tried journaling to find the patterns of your migraine disease? It could go a long way to helping you and your doctor figure out a strategy that works for you. - Warmly, Donna (team member) Appreciative for sharing such mind blowing information.
So glad you are here and learning from us. Thanks for posting, it really helps to hear when we are helpful! -Melissa, migraine.com team
Hey there
. Thanks for posting and sharing your experience with us. These are all great questions about postdrome. We have a few articles about postdrome which may be helpful, and I encourage you to give them a look at when you have the time. We have this article about "the migraine hangover" available here: https://migraine.com/living-migraine/hangover-postdrome. There is also an article about navigating postdrome when it's happening. You can find that here: https://migraine.com/living-migraine/postdrome-stages.
Unfortunately, I don't think there is a way to make postdrome go by faster. However, I do know that there are lifestyle changes one can make to make it more bearable. Those types of skills could be learned on your own, or also with the help of a mental health provider like a therapist. Learning how to be patient with yourself, having compassion for your level of function, and learning mindfulness strategies to cope with the pain can all make a big difference.
Wishing you well, - Cody (Team Member)Thankyou all for the helpful advice and information.
I try not to beat myself up about it either. It's not like we can help it. It's just really frustraiting on those days when I can't really do much of anything, yet there are things I either want or have to do but can't and it all just mounts up into a big cumbersome pile. So on a lot of the days that I'm well, I'm often actually just playing catch up or pre-setting up things to make future tasks easier should they ever become difficult again. I also do a bit of meditation from time to time. I'd like to beleive it's made me a little more tolerant at least. 
These are great points. Learning how to pace ourselves in the days following migraine can be so challenging. Faced with those cumbersome piles of to-do's can make it very tempting to jump back in quickly to catch up and even perhaps get ahead before the next attack hits. The problem in doing this, of course, is that we may end up overdoing and triggering another attack. The neverending lesson of pacing is a hard but important one for this reason. Figuring out how to tend to some of the items on our list, but not all means perhaps getting comfortable with not having that clean slate where everything is checked off. Meditation is a great approach to easing off of those expectations and thinking instead of the bigger picture to remember that moving slower on the day following an attack may result in an additional well-day. Thanks for bringing up this dynamic that is so common for those of us living with migraine. Warmly- Holly -migraine.com team.
