Anyone suffer from aura migraine? How do they leave you feeling afterwards?

[BorntoDillyDally]

Even though I have experienced these for 20 years they still never fail to terrify the hell out of me.

I got my first migraine with aura during my pregnancies then at the beginning of each period. I am now in perimenopause and they come randomly, so must be a hormonal trigger for me.

I hate them with a passion. Starts off as a blind spot in my vision which becomes a weird flashing zig zag which lasts half an hour or so. I often have no choice but to go and lie down in the dark.

I often don't get much of a headache after but they leave me feeling really weird, anxious, spaced out and so so tired. Sometimes I will very confused too.

I woke with one this morning and now feel so weird, 3 hours on. So tired and spaced out.

Does anyone else get this? After all these years I don't think there is anything I can do to prevent them happening (my mum always suffered from them and so does my sister).

I’m wondering if I’m getting some kind of migraine. I have ME and Fibro so have had sensitivity to light/noise anyway, but yesterday, I was out for a sit in the fresh air and it was quite bright (I was wearing sunglasses)…when I went to go back to the car I felt awful. Nauseous, a bit not with it (like I was sooooo drained), and like I just wanted to lie down, which I did when I got home and slept for hours. Is it possible to have them without headaches and aura or would you always have one or the other at least?

I have had three other aura migraines in my life (all before my ME and Fibro) where I had the flashing lights and one sided really, really bad headache and they passed by the end of the day I had them. However, the next day I felt absolutely wrung out.

Migraine 'hangover' is definitely a thing. I get non-aura migraines and after I've had one I'm exhausted and usually need a little nap. And sometimes I will feel generally a bit weak and run down for a day or so after the pain and nausea have gone away.

This has oddly been a really reassuring thread as I always had a vague worry that something was terribly wrong with me as I don't know anyone else who gets these sorts of migraines. Here you all are!

And yes - feel terrible for a couple days after. Not the debilitating pain others have but my vision is a bit funny and everything feels too bright and difficult. The new headlights are triggering for me so I'm struggling to feel safe driving at night.

I am in my 70s and my migraines have changed during my life, with varying triggers and symptoms. I would say it is important to recognise your triggers, but also be aware that triggers can change. At least I no longer have very painful headaches.

Are there other people here who also have travel sickness? My travel sickness has got much worse in recent years and I know there is a link.

Completely visual, don’t normally get head pain, completely wiped by the end of it. None since going gluten free (GP recommended for a series of other symptoms; this was an unexpected benefit)

Interesting to read these. I get them without any pain but I would describe it as a blind spot in centre vision for one eye combined with a moving kaleidoscope pattern off the side of my vision. Always disturbing at the time but passes in about 30 mins. I feel normal afterwards and hadn't noticed any change in subsequent days but will now watch out for it.

I get them and also have ADHD. I take sumatriptan once the aura goes, as directed by my doctors and neurologist. The aura is much rarer nowadays since I've been taking methyfolate (homoygous MTHFR, common with ADHD/ND) and getting reflexology.

If I get aura, half the time I go on to have my worst migraines and half the time the aura goes and I just feel a bit nauseous and confused. Just visual migraines. I still get classic migraines and migraines without aura. I get them around ovulation and my period. The next day I feel exhausted, bed bound/severe hangover-level exhaustion (I never drink alcohol, it's just how it feels).

My travel sickness has got much worse over the years too, even a short drive makes me nauseous.

Mine seem to be triggered by very strong coffee. I get the blind spot followed by zig-zag lights. I don’t get any pain, but I do feel spaced out for a while after.

My mum suffered with full-on migraines, so I’m grateful that - so far! - I don’t get that aspect of it.

I used to get migraine regularly when I was having periods. No aura but a sudden piercing headache over one eye which dulled to a throbbing headache that lasted 48-72 hours. I used to take Cuprofen which was the only thing that touched it and invariably try and work through.

Once I hit perimenopause they changed to an aura migraine with a light headache after. The first time it happened I was walking to the office and I suddenly felt a swimmy feeling in my head and felt as though I was walking through water. It was really strange. It lasted about an hour and then I got a light dull headache. I've had them since where my head feels as though it's full of water sloshing around. I've seen the doctor who diagnosed migraine. Thankfully they seem to have receded now and I don't get them so often. Usually now there's a feeling as if something 'misses' in my head, I get a swimmy feeling and then the headache. Lasts a couple of days.

DH gets them where he gets flashing lights, like he's been looking directly into a camera flash. He then gets what he calls a 'muzzy ' head and feels tired. He doesn't often get a headache. When it first happened he went to see the optician and she said it was ocular migraine.

I had my first one when I was sixteen revising for my GCEs. (That dates me). I lost the vision on my right hand side and screamed thinking I was going blind! After that I got them regularly once a month ( always seemed to be a Tuesday) and definitely linked to hormones. Now post menopause I still get them. I now get two sorts, if the aura is zigzag lines, I will get the headache and if it is pinprick black dots if will be more stomach based. I also get joint ache and heaviness in the body and feel washed out for a day afterwards.

I get these. Mine are caused by hormone changes. I had them in puberty, pregnancy and now menopause. Low dose HRT has helped and I have sumatriptan to take if I feel one coming on. It doesn't stop it but it seems to make it pass quicker.

I lose my sight and speech so I've ended up in hospital several times as it can seem like a stroke.

I don't get pain but I have to go to a dark room and sleep it off. I get very light sensitive. With lots of flashing lights. Mine can be triggered by sunlight catching my eye.

Afterwards I'm exhausted. Just absolutely no energy and my brain feels very fuzzy. It takes me a couple of days to feel normal again.

I get them often, tbh I didn’t even know what I called ‘vision episodes’ were until a few years ago. When it comes on I try to focus on something. Sometimes I have to go to a darker room. I sometimes feel tired after but that’s about it. I’ve been having them since I was a kid. Tbf most of the time they start as I’m laying in bed so it’s easier to manage as I’m already laying down.

its interesting people are saying about hormonal changes as I have hypothyroidism so it actually makes sense. And I’ve just looked it up and this is also a symptom, which I didn’t even notice….like k did with the other 100 symptoms.

I've had aura migraines for years, never any pain and the only way I can get rid of it is to sleep it off. If I can't do that and it continues then it makes me feel really sick. Mine is like a circle of flashing light that follows my line of vision. Even when I've slept it off I feel rubbish for the rest of the day, can't focus on much and feel almost fuzzy headed and groggy.

I yell while out shopping ‘Don’t the Christmas Lights look lovely’ then remember it’s March 😀

That's the aura. Day of headache and nausea, sleep it off for at least a day.

One Perfect Sneeze! And back to normal.

I can relate to most of this…

Does anyone find they get chest pains too, central? Heart checked and ok.

And problems going from very bright to dark places, and sun flashing through trees? And problems with noisy places but then again when it goes quiet? Basically transitions.

Oh and does your blood pressure go high?

Mine are similar to yours OP.

I haven’t RTFT so sorry if someone’s already said this, but it’s worth trying supplements especially vitamin B2 which is in the NICE guidelines. I follow this advice and it seems to be helping: www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/uploads/25396.pdf

Not sure if someone else has mentioned this but an ocular migraine is not the same as a migraine with aura. There's some good YouTube videos that explain the difference.

I get them.

Quite a few years ago I was getting the aura for about half an hour and then no more than 10 minutes later I'd get another. I remember ringing the doc, explained to receptionist what the problem was, was put through to my doc, started explaining, said they were constant and then another started up, at which point I just burst into tears . I couldn't cope with any more. My doc gave me an appt for that day.

I had kept a diary of when they started and ended so I took it with me. He asked me how often I had them as with migraines you get one, it lasts for hours and you probably have to lie down most of the day. I said mine were a bit diff and showed him the diary. He went white and exclaimed "but this means they're CONSTANT".

Also, by that time my visual cells were so confused they were firing at almost anything. I was having hallucinations - mostly of things moving in my peripheral vision which I always thought were cats, but there was a massive blue disco ball parked by my bed one night (absolutely beautiful, recall it with fondness), and one evening I had Hugh Fearnley Wittingstall and George Bush sitting on my sofa!

Anyway, doc rang my neurologist (I have MS) and I was put on propranolol. Been on it ever since. I do stll get the aura from time to time but quite rarely now. The dose has gone up and if the migraines were to get going more frequently again I imagine the dose will increase again. So far so good.

And yes, they leave me confused and spacy and oh so tired.

It leaves me feeling tired and hungover & just wanting to eat crisps/chips. However, that feeling is also the sign for me of recovery and another sleep and it's normally over for me.

I drank red wine once when I was young and that set off a migraine so I never drank it again, it's the only drink/food item that I've found is a trigger. Like some PP I get them if I get the sun in my eyes - im very attached to my sunglasses now.

Hi OP I had one once when I was going through an incredibly stressful time and it terrified me as I didn't know what it was. Like you no headache but felt like I'd been hit by a truck the next day.

Interesting about the ADHD and anaemia.

I feel like I've got one coming on today, and I don't know how many times I've been for a wee!! That's such a strange symptom, I wonder what causes it.

I think this happens to me. I had a stressful day on Friday so maybe that's why?
I also have IBS and find I'll have a big flare up a few days after a stressful time yet can be fine during.