Do migraines make you feel generally unwell?

[Neonprint]

I've just been diagnosed with migraines, bruxism (teeth grinding/ jaw clenching) and tmj by a consultant.

I thought it was sinus pain/issues which is why I was refferd to ENT. Anyway it was quite a surprise as I when I get headaches (which he said ar migraines) and facial pain I will often have general body aches, feel exhausted and just run down so thought it was a virus / sinus issue. But the consultant said migraines can do this and then said something I've slightly forgotten about migraines causing a change in blood vessels which can effect the whole body. Obviously a consultant knows their stuff but after searching online about the blood vessel thing and effects on the body I still feel a bit unsure if this is the right diagnosis. I'm obviously not expecting anyone here to diagnose me!

But I'd really appreciate anyone who has experienced migraines sharing if they have this generally unwell feeling and if you know anything about migraines effect on blood vessels. Also anyone with similar issues caused by bruxism and tmj I'd live to hear your experience.

I do understand migraines aren't just headaches so I don't want to sound skeptical that they have an impact on people and their lives. I'm just trying to get my head around an unexpected diagnosis.

Also, craving carbs and sugary things in the hours before a migraine.

I had “postdrome” after a hemiplegic migraine recently and I felt weird and crap for about a week. That’s the worst I’ve ever had it and although I’ve felt spaced out before, had real body aches and fatigue this this time.

@KurtWilde

I was diagnosed with hemaplegic migraines - stroke mimic. I get weakness at one side, unable to walk straight, visual and auditory problems. It also feels as if I'm drunk but also hungover at the same time, and I'm pretty much functioning at 20% throughout an attack which can last up to 3 days. I also have tmj and neuralgia which often flares up before a migraine and comes with an eye twitch. Great fun.

Do you get speech problems too @KurtWilde? The last one I had I couldn’t speak/remember words or read text. Was horrible .

Hate migraines. I'm always physically sick with them and need to wear sunglasses as my eyes feel like they are bleeding.

@PammieDooveOrangeJoof oh god yes, my speech gets slurred like I'm drunk! I find it hard to focus on what I'm saying or what I need to say/words to use. The last time I had a really bad one I was staying at my brothers for the weekend and he was convinced I'd had a stroke. It took me about a week to fully recover from that, I couldn't walk straight and was unsteady on my feet!

It frustrates me a little when my DM describes them as 'just a bad headache' despite never having had one and clearly not listening when u explain how debilitating they can be!

I get migraines too with aura, speech issues (I forget words or mix them up, can't string sentences together), memory difficulties, nausea and vomiting, light sensitivity, sugar/carb cravings, dizziness, neck and shoulder pain, flu symptoms and days long 'hangover'. I'm sorry to everyone experiencing the same.

@PickAChew

Yes, I feel like I'm wading through treacle, get quite achy and brain foggy and my guts play up.

Very much this. It's like there's a lag between my brain and my body, like when there's a delay on zoom calls due to shit internet connections.

I suffer with Silent Migraines. All the symptoms of a migraine but without the headache. I have regular Acupuncture and chiropractor appointments to help with the tension (mainly neck and shoulders).

to all of you who get them frequently, it makes me feel lucky that I only get them once a month or so.

For me, it starts with extreme clumsiness before any pain, like literally walking into door frames rather than going through the door, which is apparently because the inner ear can be affected. My depth perception is totally off. Then the pain will come, along with feeling very nauseous and dizzy. Sometimes I get quite severe vision disturbances. My skin always looks very pale. The only cure is to lie down in a dark quiet room and wait for it to go. Luckily they tend to only last a day, however I still have the clumsiness for a few days afterwards.

I think there's a genetic component, my dad gets the same migraines as did his mother!

I think people who have never had migraines don't really understand. The closest approximation is a really nasty bout of flu

Hi Neonprint,

Sorry to hear you have been suffering with this but I'm grateful you posted.

This is a condition which has had a big impact on my life since it started affecting me about 3 years ago. I have been to 2 different specialists privately but neither has really helped to resolve it.

I'm afraid I don't know anything about how it affects blood vessels but I can totally appreciate the general unwell feeling you get. Personally sleep and stress play a big role in how badly I feel because if I'm stressed I'm more likely to bite my teeth when I sleep which causes a stiff jaw and a painful headache. Unfortunately I also suffer with vertigo/dizziness for some reason. The pain I get feels dull on my temple and raw on my teeth.

I've tried medicines but I've stopped taking these because I found the side effects are not worth it. I have to say though that amitryptiline was a great pain killer and did help me sleep well without biting. Historically it's an anti-depressant but nowadays It is quite a commonly prescribed medicine for chronic pain including back pain in a low dose (5-15mg). I also tried a beta blocker called propanol which is used to treat migraines and did help but unfortunately it exacerbated my asthma so I had to stop.

I do take vitamin b12 daily (400mg) as suggested by my migraine specialist. This prevents migraines but takes about 3 months before it works on average. There are no side effects (other than making your urine luminous green) and it is safe to take but obviously go via your GP before starting it.

I also have a night guard for sleep. Do you have one?

Hey OP I used to get migraines every day of the month. I had a very severe case and it completely disabled me. I also had no idea that it was migraines that could do this, I was throwing up and absolutely exhausted, I couldn’t make it out of my house most days and lost so much weight. I now get them a couple days a month after seeing an amazing neurologist who put me on some tailored treatments. I promise you it can get better. In answer to your question about where I felt it, it was all over my head and down my neck often into my back and stomach.

Migraines made me drop out of college and forced be out of doing my A-levels. They are far more debilitating than most people realise . You’re doing really well OP it’s a hard thing to deal with.

Apologies if I'm repeating anyone. The national migraine centre has a podcast called Heads Up which is very informative. The Migraine Trust has lots of information and a helpline.

The migraine brain is hypersensitive so that's why it reacts to smell, noise, light, sleep disturbances. One goal can be to calm down the brain and then you may see more clearly defined attack periods. I have read about attacks lasting up to 72 hours, in my case this is absolute rubbish and it can last weeks. My head pain isn't always one side, and the neck is seriously involved!

Hey, did any else get less migraines during lockdown? I think air pollution from traffic might be a contributing factor in mine, as it was really noticeable how they reduced. Lockdown made me pretty stressed and I actually drank more alcohol and exercised less, so better air quality is the only link I can think of.

I also had hyperemesis in pregnancy, which is actually much more common in people with migraine. The theory is that both are linked to an underlying issue with central nervous system.

I came on to say a lot of what others are saying - yes, it's definitely more than just a headache.

Been getting them since I was 12, and definitely more symptoms. Pain in my right temple, and right side weakness, problems with speech, colours seem super-saturated, increased urination, gut issues.

And, I've just a had a lightbulb moment, courtesy of Okunoshina - clumsiness!

It's a standing joke in my family that, for someone with years of dance training and hobbies like figure skating, I'm a right clumsy sod. I've a really excellent sense of balance, normally - I nailed my DD's balance board on tiptoe with position changes first time I tried it - but I periodically just... walk into walls, or fall down stairs, or trip over a flat floor in flat shoes. It'd never even occurred to me to link them, but thinking back over the past few times I've had a migraine, it's been pretty consistently preceded by me gaffing something like walking across a room a few hours before.

Thank you very much!!

@TotorosFurryBehind

I also had hyperemesis in pregnancy, which is actually much more common in people with migraine. The theory is that both are linked to an underlying issue with central nervous system.

My DD1 is expecting her first baby and she's had it throughout without any let up. She also has migraines and epilepsy.

Yes to the Pp descriptions, it's really debilitating.
Smells that are triggers for me are petrol and nail polish remover, strong glues, strong perfumes etc.

Triggers also include sun light, tiredness, hormones, stress, any big emotions etc.

I really suffered but have had great success taking 10mg of amitriptyline every evening as prevention. Migraine attacks have gone from several a week to maybe once a month. Took around three months of taking amitriptyline for this change to occur.

Does anyone else get a swollen/bulging eyeball?

My migraines are on the left hand side and my left pupil dilates more than the right one during an attack (which probably comtributes to the pain). I had a mega migraine once with my mum there and she was shocked to see the difference in my pupils and also noticed my eye ball was kinda bulging.

Once I had an appointment with an optometrist and mentionned this and also that I was currently having an attack (manageable thanks to meds) and he said the pressure on the left eyeball was higher than the right at that time.

Yet another fun symptom. Sigh.

Just reading all this with empathy as I am postdrome this morning. Had my first one in a while yesterday brought on by stress. I always feel as if my soft brain is being hurt by my solid skull.

Yes yes to the yawning, the exhaustion, the need for carbs and dark and quiet. Also yes to the digestive issues, sickness, flu-like feelings, vision problems and inability to do simple tasks involving motor skills. I am triggered by some perfumes and smells, tooth grinding, changes in neck position when I sleep (so less migraines during the pandemic because less nights away on different pillows) and dappled sunlight (also less during lockdown).

I am generally OK with triptans within a day, but yesterday was an exception. Sending my best to you all for finding some relief.

Just on last day of one and forgotten how awfully debilitating they are, trying to get daughter ready for school in between vomiting

The headache isn't the worst thing for me. It hurts, really hurts, but it's everything else. I get one sided head pain that then sometimes spreads to a generalised headache but with a one sided focus. Often the pain will migrate down the side of my nose, into my jaw.

The neurologist I saw said any neck pain with headache is migraine pain. I can hear my neck click if I rock my head from side to side when I have a migraine.

I get really sensitive to smell. I feel like every noise is on a separate channel and they're all clashing over each other. I can't filter out background noise - it's all there. The fridge humming, the dog's nails on the floor, the hum of traffic outside, people tapping and chewing.

I get so clumsy - I drop things, misjudge door openings, fumble. I can't coordinate cooking.

I get brain fog - can't do simple sums, open a cupboard door and can't remember what I wanted (salted my Dad's cup of tea instead of putting sugar in). Forget stuff.

I get a really heightened sense of smell and everything tastes of cardboard. I'm irritable and unreasonable.

Yeah, they suck.

TotorosFurryBehind

I also had hyperemesis in pregnancy, which is actually much more common in people with migraine. The theory is that both are linked to an underlying issue with central nervous system.

This is really interesting. I had HG during my first pregnancy but didn't develop migraine until my second, more than 15 yrs later. Incredible to hear they may be linked!

Mine is Ocular Migraine that begins with a bright flickering visual disturbance that expands into a prism-like rainbow circle over the course of an hour or two, effectively blinding me. I'm so lucky to not have the terrible pain experienced by so many migraine sufferers, but the brain fog, wobbly belly, and deep sleepiness puts me out of action until the next day.

That’s interesting the link between migraines and HG - suffered bad HG with both pregnancies.