Although migraines usually involve severe headaches, migraine attacks are not just headaches. There are two basic types of migraines: With aura and without aura. Both types often produce symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and noise.
A migraine with aura will start with visual problems and dizziness before the head pains begin. This was once termed a classic migraine. For a few, the dizziness and visual distortion of a migraine with aura does not precipitate headaches or nausea.
A migraine without aura used to be called a common migraine. This type skips the visual and goes straight into the dull head pain that often becomes constantly throbbing or pulsating and debilitating often with nausea and vomiting, sometimes for days at a time.