'I have to call in sick every month because I have a hangover. It's not from alcohol.'

For a few days every month, I come into work with red eyes, all the colour drained from my face, my body aching and a feeling of dread. My mood is also a mix of rage, tiredness, dull and b*tchy. 

I'm going through a migraine hangover and it's extremely embarrassing. 

I've suffered from occasional migraines my whole life. It was only when I turned 22 that they became more regular and more severe.

At the time I had been on a combination contraceptive pill for my PCOS for seven years. 

5 things to know about migraines. Post continues below.

I remember sitting in my doctor's office like I did every three to six months impatiently waiting for her to give me a new prescription to my pill.

 "Have you been experiencing any new symptoms?" she asked me, like she always did.  

This time, I said, "I have been getting really bad migraines a few times a month."  

She then told me she had to take me off my current pill as being on a combination pill while experiencing migraines increased my chances of having a stroke. Something that completely took me by surprise. 

We weighed up my options before I decided I'd try going off the pill altogether to see how I felt. 

While every woman's experience doing this is different, mine was pure chaos. 

I gained weight, I lost weight, I got back acne, my hair thickened, my face cleared up, my general mood was so much happier, my anxiety got a little worse and I was hungry all the time. These fluctuations went on for a few years. 

It was only last year that I could confidently say, "I guess this is my normal."

There was just one pain point (literally) — I was still getting migraines when my period arrived. 

I usually have to take at least one day off of work during this. 

There have been times where I've tried to push through and continue to go about my day, but it just made my migraine last longer and forced me into taking more days off. 

If you think this sounds like hell, you're right. 

There have been a few things that have helped me elevate my migraine symptoms such as avoiding alcohol, dairy, citrus and chocolate. I also try to limit my screen time (or wear blue light-blocking glasses), go to sleep early and increase my water intake. 

I'm also a 27-year-old who loves all of those things, so it's hard. 

The worst part for me isn't the migraine itself but the few days after. 

What are migraine hangovers? 

Migraine hangovers (also known as postdrome) are the symptoms that occur when the migraine is gone. They can last anywhere between a few hours to a few days. 

The symptoms are eerily similar to an alcohol-induced hangover — weakness, tiredness, inability to concentrate, sensitivity to light and loud noises, physically drained... the list goes on. 

For me, migraine hangovers are more embarrassing than anything else. 

When I return to work, it looks like I've been lying about being sick and instead went out drinking and personality and overall mood are less than favourable. 

So I spoke to GP and women's health expert Dr Tanya Unni to get her advice on dealing with migraine — and the aftermath. 

Can you stop migraines? 

"Migraines are tricky to actually prevent, but we can definitely do something to help reduce the issues," Dr Tanya tells Mamamia. 

"Make sure you have pain medication, or something ready so that it doesn't go into a phase where the medication doesn't work. Take it before [the migraine] sets in and get on top of the hydration. Rest is important — don't overwhelm yourself with a lot of things. Be realistic of your goals and don't be too hard on yourself." 

According to the National Institutes of Health, 20.7 per cent of women suffer from ongoing migraines compared to 9.7 per cent of men. 

Dr Tanya says: "I have a lot of female patients who suffer from menstruation pain and I think out of those people who suffer from menstruation-related issues, at least 50 per cent of those have menstrual migraines."

"There's a lack of understanding because it is not something you can measure. If you have fever, you can check the temperature, and there is no confusion on that. But [with migraines], it becomes hard to measure objectively because you can't what are you measuring. It's an experience that you're measuring, and it's hard. So [male doctors] don't understand because they don't have that experience."

The main issue I face with my migraines is that because I look fine afterwards, I always feel embarrassed asking for sick leave to help recover. 

Dr Tayna put my mind at ease: "It is a real thing and it is a process. It can go up to one or two days, unfortunately depending on person to person. It's a medical issue, it is not your imagination so don't blame yourself for that. If somebody looks at you and thinks that you're making it up, it's not on you."

"But if it goes beyond 48 hours, always seek medical attention."

If you want more lifestyle content from Emily Vernem, you can follow her on Instagram @emilyvernem.

Image: Canva.