Has anyone heard of basilar migraine?

[Saltire]

I've suffered with migraine with aura pretty much all my adult life, luckily I don't get them too foten.

Just recently, have had a wierd headache - like a migraine but different to the ones I usually get. I've been getting faint feeling and double vision.

I ahve had very high BP - 164/110 at one point, 142/106 today.
I thought this was causing the ehadaches, however, teh doc today said that I have "basilar migraine", which I'd never heard of. he said stress - of which I'm under a lot - causes it.
Does anyone else have it?

I've just read up on them. They are prety rare and can mimic a stroke

I've had migraines since I was a child, but I found this type the most frightening. I have only had one so far, (one was more than enough!)

I usually get migraine with aura like you but this felt different. It came on much faster and it felt like the base of my skull and my brain underneath were on fire and being hit very hard. I had sensory loss and couldn't speak, I thought I'd had a stroke.

I couldn't tell dh what was wrong with me, just sat there with tears rolling down my face. For whatever reason, he didn't ring for an ambulance, but called my G.P. who came out to see me. They diagnosed basilar migraine and told me to mention it to the neurologist (who I am seeing for something else) the next time I went. The stress thing certainly would fit here, too.

deepbreath- thank you. This is definately different to a "normal" migraine. It feels like something has bashed the back of my head, and I keep getting this wierd eye feeling.

It's must definately be stress then

If its the one that minic strokes, yep i get them. I get them so bad i have been shipped off to A&E on serveral occasions to be checked out. cant speak properally, can use one side of my body, lose my balance when they are bad. if you didnt know you would think it was a stroke.

On a plus note i have a very low dose of amytriptalyn (5mg) per night that stops them happening. Although it makes me feel so bad and sluggy in the morning i dont like to take it. Its a balancing act between being able to function and not having the migraines. In the last week i have had 3 attacks in 6 days. I am going to have to take the stuff tonight but am worried that i wont be able to get ds up in time for school tomo.

For me my main triggers are stress, sleep deprivation (trigger this time due to asthma meds) and sometimes blue colouring.

You can learn to live with this and you can learn to deal with this. Now that i know what is going on i know that it is not a stroke as I have several minor warning signs that i can look out for that build up together to the migraine hitting, this can happen over hours if not a day or so. But I have have serveral scans MRI etc to check me out. And it always freaks other people out when they dont know it is coming. For me i have to be very careful about stress, sleep, exercise and diet. when i dont i am at more risk.

Saltire what have they given you to treat the attack?
Zomig is the only thing that i have found that touches it but even that isnt alsways strong enough.

Thanks for the info. When I get "normal" migraines, (which have been happening more frequently) I know I am getting one as the aura starts a good hour before the headache kicks in. This seems to ahve bulding up for a few days though, don't know if that's common or not.
My normla migraines don't seem to have a trigger either, but you wouldn't believe the stress I (we) are under at the minute

I take Amityrptiline- 10mg- for my Fibromyalgia. It helps sleep and helps with nerve pain, so i don't know if that is stopping it from developing a full on attack.

You sya yours make you feel sluggy - I take mine at about 7.30/8.30 a good 2-3 hours before I go t bed, and find that I do feel less sluggy in the morning.

I am super sensitive to stimulants and other chemicals. I am also severally sleep deprived. I suspect that the amytriptlyn last my body relax to get the sleep it needs and the sluggyness wont improve until the sleep deprivation improves. due at docs in 10 to resolve the no sleeping reaction to asthma inhaler so will speak to him to see if a 2.5mg dose would be a half way point.

i suspect that you are very lucky if you are already taking the med that stops it getting full blown. No matter how many times i suffer it, it is always the scariest thing to go through.

Hope that there is a way to reduce the stress and thus migraines soon.