To wonder how Migraines can be harmless?

[FranksBank]

I know they are, and don't cause damage. But the mind boggles as to how when it must impact my brain in such a huge way.

My face drops to one side, one side of my body goes numb. I cannot read and make of sense; my speech slurs. I can't recognise faces and lose my eyesight in one eye

These are just a type of migraine (confirmed by a Dr) and they're horrible. I am baffled now they can have no lasting impact on the brain

Anyone else find it shocking that you can't seen any physically evidence for them on an MRI? I'm not medical. So I'm just talking nonsense really - but it is true they cannot be 'proven'

I the post drome symptoms are nasty too.

Argh! Be grateful if someone could join me in moaning

I have Basilar type migranes, or MBAs as they are known now. The pain is horrendous, I can't cope with daylight, have constant nausea and vomiting, numb hands and feet, pins and needles all over.

I also have Epilepsy, which doesn't help, between both I currently have such a bad headache I genuinely want to smash my face in with a big brick. It's fucking hideous, and my current treatment is amytriptaline and a fuck load of levetiracetam. Which make me exhausted and a bit fucking crazy.

My migraines have never been assessed or looked at by anyone.

I was given sumatriptan and just sent on my way. To be fair when I was having them more regularly, it did the job, although knocked me out

I hate migraines. I get it so my head pounds, it hurts to move and I get no appetite at all despite being starving hungry. I cannot eat cos it makes me want to throw up…which makes my head worse.

There was a theory a few years back that migraine was a form of epilepsy, but I don't think they've gone further with that research - no idea why. It would explain a lot to me!

Another chronic migraineur here.

Hemiplegic attacks in me look like a stroke. My first one was so horrific and I was living in my own in a flat. I couldn't think straight, I was in so much pain, unable to speak, facial paralysis and no upper body strength that I actually lay down on my bed convinced I was dying and wouldn't wake up again. Felt a bit daft when I woke up a few hours later 😂. I'd take a triptan when it began, so it must have kicked in while I was sleeping.

A brain scan showed nothing unusual, but marginally more white matter than the average bear. But white matter isn't a problem.

I have them with aura
and think that puts me at higher risk of strokes …./cardiovascular disease

Oh but mine have actually caused some brain damage though. Well either the migranes or the seizures, Neurologist can't be quite sure, but I have a few little lesions on my brain.

Have you tried antisickness meds? I find if I can get the nausea under control my migraine isn't as severe and with my stomach working again the triptans have a better chance of working against the migraine.

You shouldn't take triptains more then x2 a week, as they can cause migraine overuse headache 😫.

Migraine has to be one of the worse pain conditions in that you have to suffer with the pain. I've had six months off work recently. The first 3 in constant pain, as my botox treatment had stopped working, but no your not allowed to take triptains more then x2 a week or painkillers more then x3 times a week or they will class you as being in Medication overuse headache. So thanks for that we just have to put up with the pain. I'm not sure I even remember much of those 3 months now.

Really? My GP refused me the combined pill as he said as a migraine sufferer I was at increased risk of stroke.

Solidarity to all. And sympathy to @ButtSurgery because I have had a similar experience of total paralysis and weakness on one side where I fell down in the bedroom returning from vomiting and couldn’t get myself up, just lay there thinking ‘This, then, is where my cats come in and eat me.’

Yes if you have migraine with aura you are at a higher risk of stroke so they won't give you the combined pill. I've no idea what @FranksBank neurologist was talking about. 🤔

Try wet cupping therapy. I know many who have been suffering with migraines feeling much better and some even cured. I used to get very bad throbbing headaches, it all went after a session. Give it a go guys...even acupuncture is good 👍

I’ll give it a go

Sorry, @LostOnTheWayToManderley, but I had to laugh at this "This, then, is where my cats come in and eat me". Yup, I've been there. Had a really bad migrane with aura walking down the stairs, promptly sat down on bottom stairs, had a seizure which left me black and blue all over from all the banging my limbs against things. And literally lay there thinking "I'm going to be found dead here with cats licking me". Luckily one of the cats was very good at looking after me when postictal.

Did get nausea and sensitivity to light/noise but only whilst having head pain not before. Strange euphoria after an attack though. Like the world was washed clean. Probably endorphins or something, some relief of not being in sickening pain. I always thought your veins swelled or something (cause of pain), hence more at risk of something weird going on in brain.

Can you tell I'm not a scientist. Someone more scientifically minded may be along soon to explain coherently.

Pretty much don't have them now I am on mini pill. Was hormonal, and sleep/stress/dehydration related. Still have to keep a watch on sleep and drinking through the day. If I miss one its not good.

Mum had, and her dad as well. And my sister. Mum had awful ones.Laid out on the sofa, sick in a bucket ones. Grew out of them after meno.

I have gone through phases of having migraines since I was a child. Probably only get them every couple of years now (thank GOD), but I have always wondered what the hell they are all about?! I get aura migraines, and quickly go temporarily blind one one eye and sonetimes both. Then a headache lasting a few hours. Then nausea and eventually I vomit and rapidly start to feel better (although wiped out with exhaustion for 24-48 hours afterwards). They’re so weird and scary,

The last migraine I had was terrifying as I was driving on the M1 and started to get the aura in one eye and within minutes in both eyes. I managed to get to a junction and find a place to stop before I lost vision, and then luckily a short nap and something to eat staved it off (sometimes does), but it was extremely bloody hairy for a bit!

Sumi makes me feel as bad as the migraine. Honestly it is just horrendous. Only benefit is the misery is not as long lasting as the migraine would have been.

@MigGril GP also refused mini pill so I suffered for another 3 years before I went to a different GP who said GP1 was talking out of his rear end.

Could have happily dropped something heavy on GP1's toes. But problem sorted ...in the end.

Why does eating or drinking sometimes help? I get urges to eat chocolate, salty things and drink coke. Not v healthy but does sometimes help ward off the bastards.

For me it proves its hormonal and its hormones seeking what the body needs

I also get cold, hot, cold, hot and then hot and cold at the same time.

I used to get them regularly, linked to hormones. I did have less frequent attacks for a couple of years post menopause but they're ramping up again now. Fortunately they only seem to last a couple of days now rather than 4 days like previous ones.

I've been using the migraine buddy app for a while to see if I can find any triggers (other than weather) but I haven't come up with anything definite yet.

The triptans I've tried haven't helped much.

Ask for a different triptain, sumatriptain has the worst side affects of all of them. Most people don't realise there are like 7 different ones and they come in different forms as well.

Doctors always prescribed sumatriptain first as it's the cheapest one. But is also normally doesn't work as well especially if given in tablet form as sumatriptain was designed for the injection form of the drug and isn't very well absorbed by the stomach when given in tablets.

I know way to much about this stuff.

Interesting. I get no side effects from suma or 50 mg of ami apart from sleepiness but even then I can take one at work and be fine (obviously I am not driving a tractor or anything). I must be built of resistant stuff.

Isn't sumatriptan just 50mg of ami?

I get both - one for sleeping, but use both if I get a bad head.

Same here. Used to have terrible pain,couldn't walk in a straight line and could see half of everything. If I happened to look at anything with with a light display in this phase before the pain arrived would see the numbers imprinted on my vision .
Had the MRI scan . Was made aware of changes . That was 30 years ago. Nothing else happened . The migraine pain disappeared after menopause but I still get visual disturbances if I eat cheese or chocolate or am very tired.

I’ve been in the stroke clinic at the local hospital as the GP thought I could be having a stroke. I wasn’t.

ive had migraines almost 9 years, but they have got steadily worse since Covid. I started getting speech issues when having a migraine a couple of years ago. I now have speech issues all the time