The intense, throbbing pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and occasional nausea and vomiting are telltale signs of a migraine. But for someone going through their first experience with the torturous headaches, migraines are often not so easily pinpointed.One aspect of migraine pain theory explains that migraine pain happens due to waves of activity by groups of excitable brain cells. These trigger chemicals, such as serotonin, to narrow blood vessels. … When serotonin or estrogen levels change, the result for some is a migraine.