Loss of speech during a migraine, anyone experienced this before?

[Lila0403]

On Tuesday I suddenly developed blurred vision in my peripheral vision which then started spreading across my right eye. Around the same time I started feeling really “off”, almost like I wasn’t fully in control of my body or myself.

I joined a work Teams meeting and although I was speaking mostly ok, I was noticeably struggling to find words and formulate sentences properly. Afterwards the nausea kicked in alongside a headache, and then the nausea intensified quite quickly to the point I felt like I could be sick.

Around three hours after the blurry vision started, I joined another Teams call. I started speaking and then suddenly just couldn’t find words at all. It was like my brain knew exactly what I wanted to say but my mouth physically just froze and wouldn’t cooperate. My colleague actually said “what are you doing?” because I had just gone silent mid-conversation, and then I started panicking which understandably panicked her too.

My manager rang my husband, he came to collect me and took me straight to hospital. On the way there I became terrified it was a stroke because I still couldn’t speak fluently. I could get some sentences out but it felt like enormous effort.

Even while being triaged in hospital I still wasn’t speaking properly. Whenever I could get words out I just kept saying “I think it’s happening because I’m panicking.” After about an hour in hospital my speech slowly started coming back and by the time we left I was mostly back to normal.

Since then I’ve been absolutely zapped of energy. I still have a thick/heavy headache, stiffness and nausea. My speech is mostly back to normal but I still feel slower than usual and keep muddling words up (for example saying things like “Sam Handwich” instead of ham sandwich!).

I’m having an MRI to rule out a TIA but I am confident it’s more likely a migraine from what I’ve read since. I’ve never suffered with migraines before and have never experienced anything remotely like this.

My question is, is this kind of speech issue actually common with migraines/auras and has anyone experienced similar? I’m almost second guessing myself now and driving myself mad wondering “did I somehow imagine this?” even though logically I know I didn’t. I think I’m just in disbelief that something like that actually happened to me.

I’m also still off work which is bothering me because I keep having the classic “am I actually sick enough to be off?” thoughts.

Any advice or similar experiences would honestly be really appreciated.

I had something similar but to nowhere near the same extent as you.
I only get aura migraines, no headache/nausea, but a few years ago had one where I struggled to think of the correct word, was slow in my speech. Lasted about an hour or 2 and then back to normal.
I did visit the GP afterwards and they referred me for brain MRI but nothing abnormal seen and no episodes since.

Yes, I had this and the specialist said is was a TIA. I don't think sn MRI will show a TIA as there is no damage with TIA. It is a stroke which leaves the damage.

Try not to worry, I had a TIA in 2013 and then nothing at all until November 2025 when I had another one. I now take low dose aspirin, statins and BP medication and feel very lucky to gave had the TIAs and not strokes.

Sounds more like a TIA. You need to see your GP. You might need BP meds

It does sound like a TIA

I should have said that I briefly lost sight on one eye and my DH said I was talking Klingon

I lose the ability to find my words during a migraine, I can't recall people's names and struggle to form sentences. It's awful but I'm used to it. My son had similar for the first time a few years ago (when under a huge amount of stress), he went to A&E and they thought he had had a TIA. Months later after neurological investigation over a period of it was decided it had been a migraine after all.

The EXACT same thing happened to me about 8 years ago - my speech went slow and slurred and I couldn't form sentences, my vision went weird and my blood pressure skyrocketed

Turns out it was an Aura Migraine, I work at a hospital so, not knowing what was happening to me, my colleagues made me go to A&E and they sent me for a head CT, which showed nothing untoward thankfully

I get an aura migraine every 6 months or so, with the weird kaleidoscope thing across my vision - I know when one is coming because when I look at someone I can't see all of their face (which is weird as fuck!) thankfully I don't get the associated headache and it usually passes within an hour

I had this once in my early 20s. I couldn't recall my home phone number so I could be collected from work. I also couldn't make the call (no mobile then!). It really scared me. It lasted about 8 hours, turning into a "normal" migraine later that day.

Ive not had a migraine like it since. I normally have aura and a tingling tip of my nose and my fingers. Now I have triptans and they tend to head a migraine off fairly quickly.

So that's my only migraine like it in 40 years. I hope it doesn't happen to you again.

My husband gets optical migraines. He had one where he looked vacant, couldn’t get words out and just didn’t seem with it. He got an emergency appointment with the GP who thought it was likely a severe optical migraine but sent him to the stroke unit as a precaution. He got a scan of his neck an MRI and a couple of other tests and all came back clear. The conclusion was it was a severe optical migraine.

Yes I also suffer with this to the extent I now know a migraine is coming when I start mixing up/struggling to get words out. A couple of times I have also lost the ability to read. I could recognise letters and sound them out but not recognise words, as though I was reading a foreign language I didn't know. The first time that happened really scared me. It does disorientate me and takes a day or so to feel normal. Definitely worth getting checked out, as you are doing, but try not to worry too much.

I get this with aura migraine, it's very embarrassing and hard work. Hope it's found to be nothing OP. I've had all sorts of tests including lumbar punctures but now I just accept it!

Yes my best friend experienced this. It was a migraine, not a TIA.

Yes, once. I had a headache, then my eyesight went very tunnel vision, then when I spoke it was gibberish and then I couldn't find the words at all, even gibberish ones.

Work thought I'd had a stroke, rang my partner, and got me to A&E (five minutes away). They said it was a complex migraine. Was fine a few hours later and while I've had migraines since, never had the speech issue again.

When I first started getting migraines at about 14 years old this was exactly what happened to me. First was the aura, then the nausea, then vomiting, then unable to speak, then agonising headache. Every single time.

as I’ve got older I tend to just get aura, then headache, and feeling wiped for several days and the odd visual disturbance.

I think if the speech thing happened again to me now I would find it worrying. When I was a teenager it was just part of the migraine situation. And those days were horrible because I’d be at school, my parents couldn’t pick me up for hours and I’d be sat in the sick room. The minute I get aura now I panic and cry, think it’s from these early experiences.

hope you feel better soon OP

I get migraine with aura. No pain. This is one of my (many!) symptoms. It’s very scary. Go gently with yourself. Maybe book into your GP and ask about medication.

Yes, I have experienced this as part of migraine with aura but I have a long history of migraines and had them more or less monthly from the age of about 13 until I had my first child, when there seems to have been some kind of hormonal reset which stopped them. They also left me with the sort of hungover feeling that you describe. In your case as a first event it's vital that other causes like TIA are ruled out.

Yes me! I have severe hemiplegic migraines. Mainly affects my hearing, sight and speech.

The symptoms are so similar to a TIA my face even droops on one side when it happens. (Sometimes it doesn't though).

It's very scary. I have opted out of driving as I get so confused and unable to communicate. And unable to see.

Hope you feel better soon OP 💐 Hope it's a one off for you

The thing that goes for me is the ability to read and find words, I get the visual symptoms, a feeling of being bigger or smaller or too far away from everything, then the headache either starts on one eye or 1 side of the back of my neck and comes with nausea and extreme light and noise sensitivity. I've had a few where my motor skills are impacted but not severely. I'm glad they are ruling out TIA though

I get visual migraines and often have problems getting the words out. They're there in my head but won't come out. I can say the odd single word. Last time it happened I stood tongue tied but managed to blurt out "migraine" and point to my head. Afterwards I look at my hands to make sure all my fingers are visible, and recite Peter Piper under my breath until I am confident I can speak again.

My adult daughter gets them too.

My mum gets migraines like this and has done for years - hemiplegic migraines. When she gets them sometimes she just can't find words, and other times it makes her speak completely weird gobbledegook. There's a YT video of a newsreader having the same thing, and it sounds really alarming until you realise it was a migraine and nothing more serious -

Same as my DH.It affects his left side every time.It begins with visual disturbance then complete paralysis and confusion follows and his speech becomes slurred before he becomes totally unable to communicate.Again,it can sometimes be difficult to differentiate between a migraine and TIA.As he's aged,the symptoms have changed in that there is now less nausea and actual head pain than there used to be.

He will sleep for anything up to half a day before waking in a 'normal' state and will be wiped out for many days after.

That must be bloody awful 💐

Yes I have ocular migraines, although thankfully less often now. It comes about 6 hours after an aura. My face drops and I lose speech during the really bad ones, though have been reassured that it isn't a TIA. I should think you should get check out though.

My daughter gets this. She has terrible migraines. The initial symptom is tingling / numbness in her left arm and fingers. This spreads and causes left side weakness and numb / droop in the left side of her face. She also suffers with aphasia (inability to speak). This then morphs into nausea, sight disturbances and finally the bad head but the first few hours is all about the strange stroke-like symptoms. We now have meds for her to prevent migraines as they last 3 - 4 days and were coming up once a week!

Visual migraine stomach migraines vestbluer migraine classic migraines.

Im diagnosed with migraines my symptoms are a long list.
From flashing lights cant get words out, almost fainting, sicking up, forgetting things in seconds confused, cant remember simple things, one eye will drop, my face looks different sometimes pain sometimes none, dizziness, ear ringing skin tingling, eye floters.
And plenty more.

I live in sunshades, and try to avoid noise flashing lights and busy places and strong smells.

I try to avoid going in to shops as I can deal with walking down the aisle every thing seems to be rushing past me.
I cant look up quickly or move to fast.
The list gose on with me.
One moment I look fine the next im pale and ready to drop to the floor.