Migraine and Nausea: My Dynamic Duo

“Pull over, pull over,” I yelled.

Following my panicked instructions, my husband pulled over on the highway and I vomited on the side of the road. I took a breath and climbed back into the car.

My migraine had started that morning — on the last day of our vacation — and it was time to drive the 2 hours back home. If my head pain wasn't enough to deal with, the car's motion left me feeling like I was on a tiny boat riding the big waves. There was no time to pull off the road and find a cozy bathroom to barf. Stomach issues and migraines go hand in hand (or head and stomach) for me. Anyone else?

Did I always feel nauseous during a migraine?

When my migraines first started, I had no queasy symptoms. Sure, my head hurt like it was burning in the fires of Mordor, but that was the only bodily pain I experienced. I remember thinking, “Well, this can’t get worse.” Until it was.

As my migraine frequency increased, nausea started showing up and my migraines became even more unpleasant. I’d heard of people experiencing nausea with their head pain but thought I had missed that boat. Clearly, I had not.

How do I manage the nausea and vomiting?

Trying to manage a migraine while simultaneously feeling like my stomach is riding a roller coaster is pretty impossible. My migraines make it difficult for me to do anything — add to that an upset stomach and the motion of rolling over in bed makes me vomit.

If vomiting eased my migraine pain, maybe I wouldn’t mind so much, but the action of retching makes it skyrocket. My head vibrates with a pain level higher than 11, and while my stomach might feel better for an hour or so, the queasiness is sure to come back. This cycle repeats until I reach the final phase of my migraine.

What has and hasn't worked for me?

Yes, I’ve tried anti-nausea medications. But other than making me sleepy, they don’t make me feel less nauseated. Eating is, of course, out of the question when I have a migraine, so there’s nothing that settles my stomach – except on occasion a vanilla milkshake. I'm not sure if it's the cold or the vanilla, but sipping a shake during a migraine keeps my stomach slightly more settled.

Tiny ice chips or popsicles are also helpful, and they serve a double purpose since they also work to keep me from being totally dehydrated. Still, I haven’t found a true solution to stop my belly from flying and flip-flopping while I deal with migraine pain.

How am I managing?

Studies have shown that over 60 percent of people with migraine say nausea is their most bothersome symptom. Waking, driving, and rolling over in bed make my nausea significantly worse and lead me to vomit, so I try to clear my schedule when a migraine takes hold. Lying in bed in a dark, cool room is my best option. If that doesn’t work, well . . . I always know where the closest bathroom is in case of emergency.¹