It’s Getting Hot in Here (So Hot)

By The Migraine Girl

1 min read

Does anyone else feel a slight increase in body temperature when a migraine has set in (or while it's beginning to set in)? I don't know if this is something new with me or if I've just begun to notice it in the past several months, but it's probably something I should take note of.

An increase in body temperature

The other night I was talking with my friend J., who has had her bouts with migraine disease for quite a while now and only recently has become more informed about her ailment. She has a perhaps related (perhaps unrelated), as-of-yet undiagnosed thing going on where her temperature will suddenly go up and she cannot concentrate. Is this part of a migraine aura? Is it connected to migraine at all? She says her temperature only goes up one or two degrees, but it's enough that she cannot focus on whatever task is at hand and she feels immediately flustered and out of control. She has had lots of blood work and tests done; no doctors have figured out why her body temperature is so out of whack.

Is there a connection?

Since she was only recently diagnosed with migraine, I'm wondering if the body temperature fluctuations are indeed related to migraine - but since she hadn't been an "official" migraineur until recently, doctors didn't have the wherewithal to connect the two elements. Or maybe I'm just making this leap since my own temperature has been up a degree or so during migraine episodes in the last few months (or longer).

Any thoughts?

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Feeling hot (with no actual rise in temperature) is part of the aura and migraine for me. Ideally, I start shedding clothes, get a big glass of ice water, and sit with a fan pointed directly at me. I can hardly stand it, otherwise!
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I often feel as though I've got a fever, sometimes with chills and sweating when I have a full-blown out of control migraine. When the migraine is just beginning to develop and/or is building though, yes I start to feel hot and as though I have a low-grade fever. This happens to a lot of us migraineurs.
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i'm a random reader who was browsing the web to see if anyone else gets hot with migraines! i'm generally a cold person, but not when i've got the headache.
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Me too, I just googled "temperature fluctuations with migraines" to see if it was normal and got this webpage- guess it's normal. Okay, head huts too much, have to go now.
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This is the second time I've been feverish with a migraine. Seems to me it is fairly normal but relieved to see others have the same systems.
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I almost always check my temp when I have a migraine to make sure I'm not coming down with the flu, b/c I feel feverish. My temparature is usually normal. So I'd say it's probably "normal" for a migraine headache. Today, i had a migraine and my temperature was 1 degree below normal. I think I was underdressed outside. Anyone know if low body temperature could bring on a migraine?
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I just Googled up "body heat and migraine" and this came up. I wore something cool, but it's still really hot.
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When I googled "migraine with low-grade fever," your blog appeared. I didn't recognize the connection between my 1-2 degree rise in temperature and my migraines until recently. Right now, I get one or two auras per month and rarely get a full-blown headache. When I get the headache, I feel very hot. Thanks for the blog... It made me feel more 'normal.'
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The very first thing I do when I get a migrane is something cold to drink, ice pack and fan (window open if cold inside) I feel like I am cooking from the inside out!!
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Interesting...I googled migraine with low grade fever, and hit your website. Even though my I feel hot, my temp is usually around 98. or 97.8. normally i run around 98.6. My face feels hot and my and neck usually feel swollen.
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Anytime I get a headache or migrane I take my temp just to check because I always felt that I was running hot. Sure enough I am always running 99 to 100 with a migrane. I am normally 98.5. I always complain about feeling cold too. Glad to know other people are like me.
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i feel certain change i my body temp.feels hots,burning sensation,sometimes cold as well.i fell warm mostly but my temp.usually normal.
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My actual temp doesn't seem to change however I feel hot and flushed in the face and neck. as soon as that happens I know for certain I'll be getting a full blown migraine within about 10-20 minutes
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I've had migraines for the past 25+ years and I'm 37 now. Over the past year I've noticed as a migraine is building I get very hot and sweaty although my temperature does not actually rise. About 2 hours later I am very cold, but the head pain is gone and I'm very drowsy. I'm sad to hear others have to deal with this, too, as I would not wish this on anyone, but I'm glad I'm not the only one. Has anyone done anything to help?
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I don't feel this is especially problematic (especially when I compare it with the other discomforts of migraine), so I've not really worked on anything to "fix" the problem, anonymous. I'd imagine that a cool cloth on your forehead would feel awesome!
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Good lord, am I glad to find this page. I googled 'fever and migraine' and got big bold warnings about menengitis and rushing to the ER. I have been getting migraines for a few years, and this time took my temperature because I feel feverish. I'm usually 98.6 and now I'm 99.9. So it definitely counts as "low grade fever" but now I don't feel like I have to rush to the ER wtih a migraine.
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Douglas, I hope you're feeling on the mend! I'm sure there are times when a visit to the ER is necessary, but I hope this wasn't one of the times for you. I have been reading articles recently on how web search results about health issues tend to focus on the most serious ailments first, rarely highlighting the simple explanations for symptoms. Cheers!
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hello..I was diagnosed as suffering from mograne almost 10 yrs ago. My body temperature does rise before I get a migrane and stays the same during the migrane and after until my headache disappears.( I have not checked my temp till now). I can actually feel a burining sensation in my skin and my insides feel extra warm too. This is been going on for years now, but no doc knows why..Earlier I used to only have teh fan on my face n sleep..but nowadays I prefer taking my clothes off and I have the fan on my face.
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I have had migraines for 20 yrs now (I'm 32) and only noticed that my neck, face, and forehead have been warm enough to feel like I have a low-grade fever. I'm pregnant now and cannot take my prescription meds (Relpax). I'm hoping that Tylenol works for the pain and the fever!
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Anonymous #9: I've heard that pregnancy can help with the frequency and severity of migraine attacks. I'm hoping you're finding this to be true!
charlie1210 Member
I definitely get the "hot" thing with most of my migraines, and I always have. My neuro says it's a release of adrenaline during the migraine attack. Sitting in front of a fan or wearing one of the cold patches (sold in the fever isle) helps.
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Don't forget to check out the 20+ comments on the "Comment on Migraine.com" tab as well as Dr. Mauskop's Expert Answer on this topic here: <a href='https://migraine.com/blog/sensation-of-heat-during-migraine-attack' target='_blank'>http://migraine.com/blog/sensation-of-heat-during-migraine-attack/</a>.
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Yes, I always become hot when I feel a migraine coming on. Even more so when I'm in the full event. I have to lie down in a dark, quite room that "cool", to sleep it off...
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I do feel hotter just right before a migraine, but during a migraine I have cold chills and shiver and really cannot seem to get warm until 3 days after the migraine has left me.
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I definitely get "hot flashes" when I have a migraine. My neuro says it is from a release of adrenaline during the migraine attack.
1. not found
 Exceridine isn't good for ur stomach. Soon it will create problem if using long term. Even Advil too.
2. erbear Member
 First I myself have heard the adrenaline theory. I don't feel the usual feelings that come with an adrenaline rush though, I just get hot...
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I've had migraines for almost twenty years and my hands get clammy and my temperture raises. I can relate to this completely.
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I have had Migraines for 33 yearsnow. I always get hot, and my eyes get light sensitive, and the noise starts to bother me, and of course the nausea. It is then that I take my meds and go into a dark cool and quiet room to lay down, and hopefully sleep.
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the top of my head gets hot during a migraine and of course I get the light, noise and smell sensitivity. a cool, dark and quiet room and a bag of ice on my head really help.
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yes migraine, everytime I get a migraine I get so hot, I begin to sweat profusely, and now that you mentioned it, I never really took notice of it, so I never documented it, or said anything to my doctor about it. I have no idea of what it means or why it happens, but I too get very flustered. But I do thank-you for mentioning it so I can talk to my doctor about it.
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I have a question, an it is unrelated to this topic, but I don't know where to go to ask my question. I have a friend she is 56 yrs. old, and she has never in her life suffered from a migraine. Now she has had this headache for about 4 days now, and what she describes sound like a migraine. she has tingling on the left side of her head, near her temple, the headache is only on the left side of her head, and eye, she has the neaseau, but she doesn't have the sesitivity to light and sound, she has a few more symptoms which I cant call right off hand, but my question is: is it normal for a woman of her age, with no history of migraine to suddenly develope one? thank you for any information you can share with me on this. I need to be able to tell her something, cause right now she is suffering without any answers. the medications aren't working for her, and I would like to be able to give some info.
1. erbear Member
 A change in hormones can bring on migraines, that is why a lot of women get them around menstruation. Although, she really needs to see a doc so the proper tests can be performed to rule out other causes.
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htYes I get very hot during a full blown attack been suffering with migraines my whole life I am 44tp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001991788369.
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I go between hot flashes and chills. I welcome the chills though as it usually indicates that I am moving through the migraine. I also get what I call hungry stomach. It feels like my stomach is empty despite it being plenty full and I throw up all meds it seems these days. Anyone have a suggestion for some relief besides drugs? Or one that is a bit easier on the stomach? Advil and Naproxin seem a no go anymore.
1. erbear Member
 Try going to your doc for suppositories. I have to take one when I have nausea with my migraines.
2. annequin-harkin Member
 My stomach gets like that, too - the only thing that helps are fast food french fries. I don't know why, but it settles my stomach. I also carry dramamine for nausea. Over the counter pain meds are too weak for me - Relpax seems to work well.
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I also have a slight increase of temp before migraine and sometimes its accompanied with flashes of light. they call it Aura before a migraine.
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yes I also am noticing this symptom.
tinamontgomery Member
I have noticed my face feels hot at the beginning of a migraine.
erbear Member
I have had migraines for 20 years, increasing in severity and almost untreatable in the last 6 years. I always get hot and sticky. Usually I sit in the recliner with a cold drink, maybe ice pack or cooling eye mask, with a cool blanket or sheet (I know I'm going to be chilled later) and just wait it out... Sometimes I get panic attacks too. A coworker has such bad fevers (up to 104 degrees), he has to go to the hospital for a morphine drip and ice bath...
lovehockey2 Member
Be careful with some of the medications that you are taking as a preventative. My daughter had high fevers 104+ that would last 7-10 days and return every 8-10 weeks. Of course the fevers would increase the migraines, body aches etc. After a year of this and every test imaginable by Rheumatology and Infectious disease Doctors, we found out it was a side effect to the Zonegran she had been on for 14 months as a preventative. We found out totally by accident on the Pharmacy side effect sheet and even her Migraine Specialist couldn't believe it. When talking to the Pharmacist about it, he said a fever is a side effect of quite a few meds. We are now off the Zonegran and she still gets an occasional fever with her Migraines, but they are low grade, nothing like she was suffering with before. So if you have high recurring fevers, please check the side effects of your medications, so you don't have to suffer for over a year like she did.
1. jane-ashby Member
 So sorry to hear your daughter suffered so long with medicine induced fevers. 104 is dangerously high, especially for that long. Thank goodness you discovered the cause. I was getting chills and high fevers too and suspected the abortive that I was taking. However, when I stopped taking it, I still had fevers, though not quite so high. I started taking Amitriptyline and the fevers stopped.Frequency was much less and intensity too.
rebeccaklie Member
Yes! I feel like I have a slight fever and my forehead feels warm to the touch. I wondered if this was common, glad to have found this post!
jane-ashby Member
Twice a week, for about three months, I would get terrible chills, shaking violently for an hour or so. It would start just as the head pain was easing. This was always followed by a high temperature of about 102. Since taking Amitriptyline, this has stopped, along with several of the other symptoms. My hands and feet still get cold, though.
abby Member
Definitely. Almost every time before and during the beginning of a migraine my forehead gets really hot, and many times my body feels hot. I've never taken my temp (not sure what good it would do!) but the sensation of heat is very much happening to me!
harmonyh Member
Yes, I usually use an ice pack under my neck and one over my eyes & forehead too during attacks. However, I also have a coexisting chronic pain illness (for which migraines are a symptom) that causes my body temp not to regulate properly. I've always 'ran hot', but it's become more pronounced in recent years (and now I know why). I can be in air-conditioning, exerting little to no energy, with sweat pouring off me. It's awful, and I can relate to feeling flustered and unable to concentrate on anything else! My point is that the 'overheating' sensation could be migraine related, but could also be a symptom of another condition entirely. So a good idea to consult with a doctor, and keep monitoring triggers.
wendyd Member
Yes! Well, I used to when I started getting migraines when I was 19 thru early 20s. I wasn't chronic at that point, and while my menstral cycle has always been erratic, I could take a calendar and "plan" on the first migraine that month in a 3-5 day time and the next 5-7 days after that has higher likelihood of having a migraine. I never took my temp, but I described them as hot flashes (and of course, all my friends would look at me and laugh), shortly before a migraine would begin. (I guessed if my migraines were hormone related, why not have hot flashes?) Since I started having aura with my migraine, the hot flashes have disappeared. Now I am usually cold, especially hands and feet.
lll128 Member
I get cold before I get a migraine, opposite to you guys.
nmsherrick1115 Member
Over the past few months I've gotten heat flashes with my chronic severe daily migraines. Sweat pours off of me. It's gross. That's how I can tell I'm getting one. Did a bunch of tests and everything was normal.
hildagilda Member
I endured a traumatic brain injury 3++ years ago with damage to the inner ear, ocular nerves and cervical spine as well. Although I have been slowly healing over the years, I still suffer from migraine almost daily (at different intensities). What is most peculiar though are the fevers that come with it. Rather than the telltale aura most people get as their migraines are coming on; I start to get a light fever every time...my temperature will spike instantly a degrees or two with the slightest trigger and then I know the rest of my migraine symptoms will follow. This can and will happen multiple times a day, regardless of how badly the other symptoms get for me (migraine head/face/neck pain, vertigo, light sensitivity, ears popping of muffled, nausea, inability to focus, disorientation, and some others)... regardless of what’s coming, it always starts with fever. The fevers; although never higher than 100.3, always feel like a full on fever: feeling too hot, then getting chills, fatigue, body aches, cloudy thinking. I even feel My eyes, the inside of my mouth and the air I breathe out very hot. All the symptoms of have a fever because I’m sick - but I’m not! And this is on and off on an almost daily basis. I’ve seen tons of doctors and taken all kinds of tests, and still no one can figure out why exactly I get the strange fevers that come with my migraines. About 6 months ago I started on Aimovig, a monthly shot for migraines. It is the first medication that almost made me feel normal again and gave me most of my life back! It seemed to halt or hide all of my migraine symptoms - including the fevers - until it would wear off at the end of the month. Unfortunately for me, the effect of the drug stopped working all together last month, so now I’ve just started on Emgality, which similar. I think my body just builds a resilience to products and medications quickly, but for now, I still have more better days on it then without it. Hope it may help anyone else reading this. Open to more ideas and hearing other people’s experiences with dealing with fevers.