Is this a migraine ?!

[namechangeforthiswun]

I’ve used ai to make the post, sorry.

● Persistent headache centred around my forehead and eyebrows.
● Described as throbbing pressure.
● The pain fluctuates in intensity but never completely disappears.
● Taking paracetamol or ibuprofen daily, which reduces the pain but doesn’t fully relieve it.
● Not aggravated by bending forward, coughing or straining.
● Less intense than migraines I experienced when I was younger.
● Experienced significant nausea yesterday, although the headache wasn’t particularly worse at the time.
Dizziness / Wooziness
● Recurring episodes of morning dizziness, occurring intermittently over the past couple of years.
● Usually wake up feeling normal while lying in bed.
● Dizziness begins immediately upon standing.
● Described as a physical fuzzy, woozy sensation in my head, rather than spinning or feeling mentally disconnected.
● Sometimes lasts around two hours before resolving.
● Today’s dizziness has continued even while sitting still.
● Previous episodes have often occurred without a headache.
● Blood pressure is generally normal, sometimes towards the lower end of normal.
Heart Palpitations
● Experienced two episodes yesterday.
● Felt like fluttering in my chest.
● Each episode lasted only a few seconds.
● No associated dizziness, breathlessness, chest pain or feeling faint during the episodes.
Other Relevant Information
● History of migraines and frequent headaches.
● History of anxiety.
● Taking escitalopram.
● Have previously wondered whether the recurring dizziness could be related to hormonal changes during my menstrual cycle.
Main concerns: Persistent headache with nausea, recurrent positional morning dizziness, ongoing wooziness and recent brief heart palpitations.

I am going to contact my doctors tomorrow about it but just wondering in the meantime what the hell is wrong with me, I feel really shit and it’s making me think I’ll never get better at this rate

I forgot to mention my appetite has been reduced this week too

Sounds horrible!! You poor thing. But only in my case, no I do not experience migraines like that. But I don’t think we all have them the same way.

Mine are less about my head although their is terrible pain there, it’s more a feeling my brain is not serving my functions anymore - hurts to contemplate the message to send to my boss “have a migraine cannot work today sorry” kills me to manage to bash that out, or thinking logically, or moving (physical symptoms scream) eyes hurt if I have to read something. My whole focus becomes doing nothing. Even speaking, intoning my voice, it hurts. It’s like a system shut down.

your symptoms remind me of panic attacks/anxiety, of which I have only ever had a short window of experience.

I hope you feel better soon.

Thank you for replying. Yes your experience is what I used to get when I was younger, really awful pain that I couldn’t think straight with.
I just want to know what’s wrong with me. Each month I get a couple of days or feeling woozy/dizzy and this time it’s coincided with my ovulation time, so I’m wondering if it could be related ? I need to start keeping a diary to check if it’s usually this part of my cycle it’s happening.

Look up medication overuse headache (the Migraine Trust have a good page on it) - stopping the daily paracetamol and ibuprofen may well help break the pain cycle.

Keeping a track of your cycle is a really good idea. I saw a neurologist recently for my migraines and he kept asking about this. I hadn’t been paying attention at all to my cycle. I hope you feel better soon! X

How long have you had the symptoms? Does it go and come back?

Thanks. I did consider this but as I’ve always suffered from headaches I didn’t think it was the cause. Some days I don’t need any painkillers at all, but this week I have had to have them daily.

The dizziness has been happening for years, only a couple of days then it goes away. Headaches I have always had my whole life, have an headache at least once a week. Everything else though has all started this week.

Thank you. It could be the cause, I’ve always been very sensitive to hormones and I have pcos too

Honestly I don't think it sounds like a migraine, some of the symptoms (heart palpitations and dizziness specifically on waking) don't really sound like migraine symptoms

Google vestibular migraines - I have these and a lot of the non standard migrain symptoms (the headache and aura) are around feeling dizzy/off balance and nauseous.

Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory and is not suitable to be taken regularly. Paracetamol is a much more benign but effective medication to take. Stop the ibuprofen.

Migraines are a weird thing and I’m sure they vary from person to person. However I know people who claim to have a migraine and still attempt to go to loud events like football matches or concerts, or carry on working at their computer. Now that might be a particular type of migraine, I don’t know, but when I have a migraine, my vision goes, sometimes I vomit, my headache is excruciating and I can’t speak or hear any noise at all and have to lie in a dark room, and having my head on the pillow causes pain.

You can buy the commonly used migraine medication, sumartiptan, over the counter. It's not a painkiller, so shouldn't work on a non-migraine headache. That might answer your question.

They vary massively. I never found mine terribly painful, but would vomit near constantly for up to 48 hours. I once went to urgent care and was so dehydrated that they stuck me on a saline drip for a few hours, and gave me a shot of anti-emetic.

Sounds like vertigo and overuse headaches- taking paracetamol or ibuprofen daily will cause headaches.

Have you had your sinuses checked?

Also, I'd advise you to stop taking OTC painkillers on a daily basis as you might get a gastro related problem such as gastritis.

That sounds awful you have my sympathies. That would be a good example of how badly but differently they can affect people. I suppose my point (which isn’t helpful at all to op, and is not very relevant sorry) is that I know people who claim to have a migraine but still go about their business, which to me is strange and I have to admit, I do doubt that they have a migraine if they are working at a screen or going to a concert. I’d consider that to be a headache, and not a very bad one at that. I know migraines can have different symptoms but being able to do normal
stuff while you have one surely then doesn’t meet the definition of a migraine

For me, I can’t do anything other than lie in a dark room and not move.

If I try to do anything else, I vomit.

Just checked my blood pressure on dhs blood pressure machine and it said 107/62, is that low ?

Sounds like Vestibular Migraine.

My husbands has been every day for over 9 months now. There are medications that help called Anti CGRPs but the NHS hates prescribing.

Id recommend an appointment with the National Migraine Centre.

That’s normal range.

I think with the dizziness and palpitations you need to be investigated for heart related issues, if only to rule it out. Your GP can organise an ECG.

Are you saying your head hurts all the time? Like all day every day? Or just all the time during an episode? How often are the episodes? It wouldn't explain all your symptoms, but have you had an eye test recently?

My migraines are generally 3 days long, but shorter if I take Sumatriptan. Then I'm OK in between. I get nausea but not dizziness. It's not a throbbing pain. I sometimes get aura but not always.

Migraines can be episodic or chronic. Some people never have relief from symptoms. It’s not true that if they are not episodic they’re not migraines.

That’s what made me question migraine as I read about vestibular migraines and saw you don’t even necessarily have to have a bad head with those ? I do have a headache but it’s not disabling, still painful though