If you get Migraines with aura - do periods or dehydration or bright sun set you off?

[AbsentmindedWoman]

Posting for traffic as it made me so panicky.

My period's due and I feel crappy - woke up this morning starving which is unusual for me, ate breakfast and ended up back in bed, so didn't drink as much water as normal this morning.

We decided to go out and pick up a salad for lunch and it was extremely bright out - I thought I was ok but in the dark shop fucking hell, gradually about half my vision became vibrating shimmering zig zags.

Oddly, it started to resolve back out in the bright sunlight instead of getting worse and was ok after lying down for about twenty mins. Eyes seem back to normal now.

My mum and gran are familiar with these auras but they sometimes used to get a lot of pain - I think they are hereditary? I do notice an odd temporary shimmer now and again but only ever had one this bad before, again out in bright sun with no sunglasses, a few years ago.

Anyone got any experience of these? They are fucking awful.

Yes I have these and I'm aware that I should drink more water. Whenever I feel the migraine starting, I take paracetamol so it doesn't escalate to the point I can't even open my eyes
Take care OP.

I just posted about this . It was so good to listen too x

Yep I get a fairly typical 'zigzag' migraine aura with some numbness and sometimes other symptoms along with it before the head crush begins.
Sunshine is definitely a trigger. Other than that it is when a stressful period ends ie at the weekends that they seem to occur.

Since I was 16.

All sorts have set them off over the years. Flickering lights, blood sugar swings, dehydration, a relaxing bath after being stressed, periods.

But the headaches have also changed. From an afternoon in the dark on bed, to three days of sickness and splitting headaches and now just the visuals and a bit of a carb craving.

It's a bit shit, but my mum was similar, so wasn't really expecting anything different. Nothing really helps, just have to ride it out. I can barely see at all when the visuals are going, so have to be a bit careful, pull over if I'm driving and stuff.

Dehydration is my main trigger (along with strong scents) and I find a isotonic sports drink helps a lot more than plain water, especially if it's cold.

Three aspirin and a can of cold red coke helps massively too.

Yes, yes and yes.

Dehydration is my biggest trigger but all three together, especially the first light of the day is almost guaranteed to set me off.

Have you been prescribed anything for them? Triptans have really helped me to keep them from developing past a nagging headache.

Interesting.
Just a side question does anyone get audio hallucinations with their migraines? Very frightening

Yes, the sun or flashing lights on the television can trigger a migraine for me!

Yes definitely, the weather we've been having these last few days makes me susceptible too!

Bright sun and then heavy showers. No periods now for me but they always made them worse. I don't get much pain like traditional migraine but the visual effects can be debilitating

Chocolate sets mine off, but I never learn. And I get one two days before my period, every month like clockwork.

Like a pp said, a low GI diet really did help. I hadn't really noticed how much it helped until I started eating more carbs and the migraines came back. Mine aren't too bad as migraines go, I can usually function after taking strong ibuprofen, just need an early night. They do make me feel like shit though. I'll be going low carb again soon, partly to try and get control of the migraines.

Yes just. Looking. At a bright light can set me off sometimes

The way you describe the lights and visual disturbance is very familiar to me. It's been a lot better post-menopause! I find being well hydrated and eating sensibly keep things at bay but when the moving zig-zag lights or 'holes' in my vision start I just have to go somewhere dark and quiet and rest my eyes until it's over, then have something sugary like a chunk of chocolate or a sweet drink to feel on an even keel again.

If I get too warm it can trigger a migraine, also if I'm tired or haven't drank enough.

yes my triggers tend to need to be two or more things happening at the same time. Lack of sleep, dehydration, week before period, coffee, chocolate, bright sunlight / looking at lights too long

@limegreens
Yes to the auditory migraine effects too. Sometimes it's like things are massively amplified so someone walking across a carpeted floor would sound like crunching leaves.

Youve just described my ‘silent’ migraines. I too used to get painful ones but now mainly as you described, followed by nausea a dull headache and a hangover feeling for 24 hours.

Light - bright or fluorescent the main culprits, but also moving from contrasting light areas too. And I have layers of triggers - hormones, hunger, dehydration and then a flash of light and boom!

I avoid certain shops at the wrong time of the month because their lighting triggers me without fail. And I’ve covered all the medial trim in my car because the light can bounce off them wrong and cause the aura too.

Takes about thirty minutes for the aura to complete a circle of my eye and go, although staying in bright light can sometimes speed it up. Then it’s 24hours of feeling like crap.

I hate all the non-headache symptoms. I get splintered sound - it's like every auditory input is on a different channel and they're all competing. So I get one of my children tapping, one humming, the dog's nails on the floor, DH talking, etc.The nausea and fatigue. I just feel exhausted and drained. Heightened sense of smell and it all smells disgusting. The clumsiness. The loss of words and broken thought processes. I hate it all.

I've had these very rarely for a few years but this week I've had two of them. I think they're linked to tiredness and stress at the moment. I've started taking aspirin to try and help.

Really scary when they happen. I first notice my eyesight get blurry, then the curved flashing zig zag in my vision. It works it's way across from one side to the other. Yesterday it took 30 mins to pass and I was in class. I couldn't see writing in front of me. Then I have a headache for a long while after.

When I'm at home and have them, I fall asleep afterwards for a short while. Not possible in work though

Yes once in perimenopause .All zig zaggy and very frightening as i was awaiting my eyes being checked in the hospital for a blind spot and thought i was losing my sight.

Horizontal blinds, narrow stripes, bright sun and hormones.

In my teens/twenties i had these a lot triggered by stress/coffee/cheese - i would get a zig zag aura for 15 mins during which time i had to take painkiller or it would inevitably progress to severe migraine with vomiting.
Much reduced by my late twenties so i think it was hormonal.
Now in my late fifties and still occasionally get the zig zag aura followed by moderate headache but nothing too bad.

Forgot to say. Boots pharmacist advised me to keep simple aspirin in my bag. The one you can swallow with water (not the dissolvable one). Stops the aura fast then no need for expensive migraine tablets

I've had them with no pain. But really scary if you don't know what is happening. Mine was triggered by jet lag. I have also had a thing called jamais vu. You are in a familiar setting but everything seems strange. Very odd and frightening. Apparently it is a migraine thing. Has anyone else had it?

Dehydration, periods, looking at a computer screen, stress - all have given me this before.

Forgot to answer the Q! Trigger these days is the end of a stressful day.