To worry about migraine with aura?

[Safiyah2020]

Hi everyone.

For the past 6 years I have suffered with migraines with aura around 3 or 4 times a year.

I get tunnel vision which starts with a blurry zig zag spot in the middle of my eyesight and it slowly works it's way to the outside on both eyes. It will usually last an hour and then goes away and then the migraine will start. So it's like a warning it's on it's way, but it's quite scary. This week I've had two in succession. I've never had them so close together before.

Does anyone else suffer with them? I work at a laptop all day and am wondering if I should get my eyes tested, even though my vision seems fine day to day?

Should I go and see a doctor?

Any advice would be appreciated.

I've had these since I was a child. Like PP, they start with the tunnel vision, bits missing from vision, then flashing zig-zags etc. They are followed by the most horrendous headache, and I'm wiped out for about 2 days.

They are in my case always caused by particular lighting (often flickering lights, or sunlight catching on something), and by stress/over-tiredness. I do wear glasses (v short sighted), but I'm sure it's nothing to do with my eyesight.

Weirdly, I had them every day when I was pregnant with DC2. However, I just had an hour every day of the flashing lights, no vision etc - but no headache, thank God. I just had to sit very quietly and wait for it to pass (which is fun if you're driving and have a toddler in the car as well).

They were presumably hormonal in some way. They went back to the normal lights/stress pattern afterwards.

I get them occasionally, not often enough to work out triggers, though as I had more when pregnant it could be hormonal.

Blind spot or zig zags, followed by a numb/tingly feel sweeping across my face and possibly arm. Then the pain - hopefully by then I've taken painkillers and retired to a dark room. Takes two days or so for my head to recover, longer to get over the IBS flare up it triggers.

They are in my case always caused by particular lighting (often flickering lights, or sunlight catching on something)

That's interesting as I have suspected that as a trigger for mine, but don't have them often enough to be sure.

I suffer from them as you describe, but I also get a numb arm and face /mouth too. They don't seem to be triggered by periods, but I've noticed I get massive carb cravings just before one hits.
I'm going to see a Neurological specialist next month to try to get some answers.
I got that referral through mentioning it to my dentist in passing, no doctor has ever taken them seriously.

I get them. Had one today. Normally get them once every couple months so not too often. I usually get the aura, then I get tingling down my left side of face and arms it all goes numb, then I get a headache. Today I only got the aura and nothing else. My dr said it's just a type of migraine and that I don't need to be concerned bout them 🤷🏻‍♀️

And I wear contact lenses and glasses... my eyes are healthy though

I started getting them for the first time aged 41. They are becoming a bit more regular now - think it might be the peri menopause. Keep wondering if I should go to docs to get checked out.

I get them. I am actually very scared to have one when I am driving. I have more than enough time to stop safely, even on motorways, but I'd be stuck somewhere for hours - and the pain is horrendous.

I have been told they are hormonal... Very little help to be add, and now is not the time to ask any doctor for anything anyway.

I get them. I have also suffered with photophobia and phonophobia so I sometimes have to avoid bright lights, patterns, fast moving images, loud music and screens. I suffered really badly with extreme stress and anxiety and got three in a month last year (I normally get 2 or 3 a year) including losing my sight in one eye for appx 20 minutes. It was scary. I got lots of tests (mri etc) because I was getting other physical symptoms too and I was worried I had a brain tumour. Turns out extreme anxiety and stress can have much stronger physical affects than I knew. Have you been stressed lately? Are you having problems sleeping? X

I get them once a month or so. Starts with the visual disturbance, then my speech goes and I get pins and needles. It's been happening for years and I still absolutely hate it and find it quite frightening (It's happened a couple of times when I've been driving and I've had to pull over)

I'm under a neurologist who thinks that they're 'infrequent' so doesn't want to put me on anti-seizure medication, which is the only way to treat them. If they are affecting you twice a week though it would be worth getting referred, and maybe taking a daily medicine.

I don't wear glasses, but definitely any flickering lights/glaring sunny days will set me off.

They're horrible and I hope you get some answers.

I get them too - starts with the zigzag, get numbness in my hand and arm (and worst case tongue and throat), when I look at my hand it looks as if it is someone else's, people's faces melt (that's a recent one!), I speak back to front and get super hot. I do get the thumping headache, but it's the aura that is nauseating to me.

When mine changed I got checked out by GP and neurologist (who confirmed migraine!). Mine are generally stress or dehydration. The zig zags in the eyes are caused by lack of oxygen to the smallest capillaries in the eye (or so i've been told), so i drink water and deep breath. Doesn't always work.

I can't take triptans for them as they affect my speech for days, so its now pink migraleve and an aspirin - but that doesn't touch my auras.

I get them and have only recently linked them to my hormones. I now take amitriptyline and from having 1-3 per month I haven't had a since one in a year.

It's not the solution I'd been hoping for because I don't like to take anything long term but from the first month it solved the problem so I'm fully functioning again.

Mine was definitely hormonal. I had my first migraines post birth and thought my head was going to explode.

Since then I had the painless, but sickness inducing auras. I was then taken off my combined pill auras is something that means that you need to stop taking them. I swapped to the POP pill instead and have not had a single migraine/aura since.

I get them when I'm stressed, I mentioned it to the optition (although I don't wear glasses so it wasnt an eye sight thing) and he said they were pretty normal. Especially in women, so I assume they are hormone related in some way

I have had these since I was 12 and now get these roughly once or twice a month. I understand they are quite common. In fact I had one yesterday. Mine starts with a small pin prick of distorted light, like when you’ve been dazzled by someone shining direct light into your eyes. This gets steadily bigger until it covers my entire right eye and I lose vision and then the headache kicks in. . I take Co-codamol as soon as I am able to when the aura starts and if I’m lucky the pain that follows is a dull ache but sometimes, it doesn’t work and I have to ride it out. I am always sick afterwards and feel drained the next day.

I used to get several stacks a month and when I was pregnant with my eldest, I also suffered with cluster headaches. I have been on many different triptan medications over the years and none of them have worked for me. The only thing that has made any real difference is taking Amitriptyline 10mg everyday. This has reduced the number of attacks I get but the attacks I do get seem to feel more intense.

It sucks but it’s not something I worry about it to be honest, it’s just part of my life. I would much rather a migraine everyday than live through the 6 weeks of hell I endured with the clusters. I don’t know how I survived that, was the first time in my life seriously considered suicide.

I had my first at university, my second I was driving down the M1 in the dark, I turn to check over my shoulder and when I turned back I couldn’t see! Drive myself to A&E thinking I had a brain tumour

I get zig zag eyes - starts a bit like when you’ve looked at the sun directly - numb mouth and fingers down the left side of my body, and more recently I sometimes get dysphasia - which is scary AF because I can think the words I want to say, but something else comes out of my mouth!!! That phase passes and then I get a headache. Usually makes me feel hungover or like my brain is bruised the following day.

I get them 3 or 4 times a year - never thought they were hormone related, but when I was miscarrying I had 3 in 2 days, so maybe they are.

I’ve discovered I get carb cravings beforehand, and also I have trouble finding the word for things.

No obviously triggers, but lack of sleep, stress and flickering lights sometimes seem to bring one on.

The best solution I’ve found is 2 x solpadine as soon as it starts, seems to knock it on the head pretty quickly, shortens the aura phase and I don’t usually get a headache. Apparently soluble meds are best as your stomach shuts down when the migraine starts.

They are rubbish. And always happen at the most inconvenient times!

i wouldn't worry, however... first rule of thumb with migraine is if they do ANYTHING unusual/new/out of the ordinary for you... see your GP and get your eyes tested!

I get them a few times a year and have seen a neurologist about them. I can't take any form of prescribed contraceptives anymore and take propanol daily. I do get them less frequently now

Propranolol** autocorrect did not like that

I also get them. 2-3 a year maybe. Im not concerned.

You have my sympathy OP! I started getting these in my early twenties. Was eventually referred for a CAT scan but all was normal so I didn't know the root cause.

They more or less went away for a decade (perhaps 2 or 3 in that time) but came back with a vengeance after I had my second child. So it's most likely a result of hormones/chronic sleep deprivation/poor diet/ stress or all of the above! Often bright light triggers them.

My vision goes completely blurry with black spots, my face and arms go numb, I start vomiting and occasionally my speech gets completely jumbled and slurred - so scary!

Hope yours ease up soon!

and more recently I sometimes get dysphasia - which is scary AF because I can think the words I want to say, but something else comes out of my mouth!!!

Oh there's a word for it! This is what happens to me. It was terrifying the first time

I started getting them in my late 40's. I had a private MRI scan done and the consultant concluded that it was a symptom of the menopause.

I get them frequently, anywhere from once a month if I'm lucky to 5 or 6 a month if I'm going through a bad phase

Sometimes it's just the aura and sometimes a full blown migraine

Mine seem to have various triggers...certain electric lights, sunlight flickering through trees, sleep deprivation, stress, hormones...all sorts really

I've tried Triptans, Propranolol, Pizotifen, antidepressants and Pregabalin but no luck. The doctor said the only other option is Topiramate but it's not safe during pregnancy and I want to TTC again soon so it's not an option currently

I sometimes get them. Mine can be tiredness but lights definitely set them off. Someone in work had a desk lamp which I kept glimpsing out of the corner of my eye- migraine within an hour.
Often if I take painkillers when the aura starts that stops the migraine full developing but it will be in the background for a day or two.
I do wear glasses.