Migraine with aura

[Kaylasmum49]

My first visual migraine was about 8 years ago. I had the zig zag lines in my peripheral vision that lasted about 20 minutes followed by a moderate headache. I had about 6 over the next 2 years.

7 weeks ago I had one again, the same as before. I have severe health anxiety and have been highly anxious for the last 18 months. I've had another 2 this week and i'm trying to stay calm.

I'm 51 and haven't had a period for over a year and a half, not sure if my hormones are still flucuating or not, I do still get occasional flushes but they haven't been too troublesome.

Anyone else had these types of migraines? Please dont tell me any horror stories as that won't help. I intend seeing the optician and gp this coming week

Yes, my symptoms are different but amount to the same thing. Mine are not hormone related. I've had migraine since a young teenager, and the visual disturbance started in my 20s.

It's very common, please be reassured. What do you take when you get a migraine?

I've had them for years. I used to get severe headaches with them but now I tend to just get parts of my vision 'missing' before the onset of a kaleidoscope burst of colour (occasionally zig-zags) which i can see on the left periphery. I was prescribed Zomig for these but there was a shortage of them so was prescribed Almotriptan instead which I prefer as there's minimal side-effects. They work well but I often feel a bit 'hungover' after one of these attacks. I've still to discover the cause of them but I do have a strong family history of migraines.

I get migraines with aura, though it has been possibly a year now since my last proper one.

Do you know your triggers? If lack of sleep is one of them then have you thought about how well you're sleeping right now? Any stresses in your life at the moment?

Have you been checked for epilepsy?

I have several types of migraine some rare, most without headache. Im not a dr this is not medical advice.

www.migraine.ie/types-of-migraine/migraine-with-aura/

www.migraine.ie/migraine-in-women/menopause-and-migraine/

Simple stuff first when it happens get yourself down somewhere, sofa, bed, chair, ground if there is a chance of collapse as your vision starts to close in and zig zags and vertigo takes over.

Try and tell someone if possible you are having a migraine attack and you may lose your sight esp if out and your vision starts to close in suddenly (you can have a pre written txt in your mobile ready to send to loved one to alert them, then you only need to say where you are and what help you need if any),

Glad you are seeing GP and optician,

make a full list and timeline of symptoms and include there are a lot of symptoms which we dont necessarily attribute to migraine but is part of it, (attachments arent working right i believe on mn this morning but i can send you 1 jpeg pic with a full list of possible migraine symptoms on it if you wish by pm).

When you see the GP ask them to check your BP and also as your migraines have ramped up their attack in recent times how would they feel about maybe prescribing a triptan (which can stop some migraines) or a beta blocker (which also works on migraines but also on anxiety). Do you have any vertigo like symptoms? In my personal experience prochloperizine (stementil tablets) help me with that as I cant take triptans or beta blockers.

Does anything make it better, worse - when you lean forwards, head back, stiff neck, temples pain, pain behind face, do you clench your teeth,

Also sign up for a free ebook called "is my headache dangerous" by Dr Raeburn Forbes who is a nhs neurologist with special interest in headache, no spam and various interesting bits of info
severe headache expert is the website

If there is pain or pressure in your head, try putting a cold pack on the back of your neck and plunging your feet into a bowl of the hottest water you can stand, it will draw the blood that is trying to pump thru narrowed vessels in your head away

Cant offer any thoughts re hormones but here is my hand to hold in the meantime

This is what i mentioned but MN is letting me attach now, I get the paralysis / weakness but all the rest are also migraine symptoms which people may not be aware of

Hope this helps someone

I've had them for about 40 years. Not as frequently as you've been getting them but you say you've been anxious/stressed? That can be a big trigger as can hormonal changes and your at the right age for that.

I had my first one last weekend. I had terrible dizziness following the aura and that has come back sporadically throughout the week. For me, I know it’s exhaustion. I’m just so tired and have been for years - my youngest is a terrible sleeper and I have a tiring job, in the past few weeks I’ve had extra stress and a lot of extra work. I couldn’t really get any rest following the migraine and had to get through the week with regular dizzy spells, headaches and fogginess and now on my first day off I have spent the day mostly in bed. Finally feeling a bit better! The migraine itself was very scary and it is an unsettling experience. I know other people who get them though, it’s not uncommon.

Regular migraine sufferer here 👋

Try not to panic OP. Migraines can come on for all sorts of reasons - my triggers vary from cheese / white wine / caffeine to too much (and not enough) sleep. Mine are also linked to my high blood pressure.

Hormones can bring them on, stress can cause them, becoming over-heated, dehydrated or letting my blood sugar drop can cause them, and sometimes they just seem random.

A few things to consider - are you drinking enough water? Sleeping ok? Are you more stressed than usual? When did you last have your eyes checked? All these things can have an impact.

They sound exactly like the type I get. Mine are mainly brought on by stress and low blood sugar as far as I can make out. I think they may also be hormone related as I got several during pregnancy.

Silverhairedcat, have you had frequent migraines? When it first happened years ago I wasn't too worried but because they've been close together it's scared me and my anxiety is taking over.

Grouchkiwi, i'm not really sure what my triggers are but due to my anxiety i've not been drinking or eating well, sometimes I only have one drink until teatime. My sleep is awful too, I average about 5/6 hours per night. I fall asleep ok but wake up numerous times a night. I still have a niggling headache today despite taking paracetamol.

Tantpoke, do you think this sounds like epilepsy?

Smurfy2015, the visual disturbance is'nt too severe so I dont have to lie down.

Thedevil, how frequent are your migraines?

Captain, your migraine sounds horrendous, hope you feel better soon. Are you going to see your gp about it?

Yes, I will see the GP mainly because the after effects have been so prolonged. And I should probably get my eyes tested, limit the time I spend looking at my phone and generally look after myself better! It coincided with my period so probably hormonal as well.

Well, it could be that dehydration and lack of sleep are taking their toll. Gently, I think you need to try to make sure you're drinking enough during the day, and eating properly and see if that helps. The lack of sleep is harder to fix, but getting enough drink and nutrients might help that too.

Migraines are awful, and the aura part can be scary. Just try to take care of yourself and see how you get on.

Yes I get the visual disturbances. About 2 out of 3 times the disturbance resolves itself in about 30 - 40 mins, the other times I get a migraine headache. I'm nearly 50 and have been having them for about 3 years. GP thinks they are hormone related, I've started suffering from insomnia so don't get enough sleep - this seems to be the trigger. I suspect the insomnia is related to the menopause.
It's shit and you have my sympathy!

I get these, only aura and almost never a headache. Usually starts with a blind spot that turns into lights passing over my eyes for about 30 minutes, sometimes longer. At its worst I cannot see. Afterwards I feel very tired.

I've been having them for about 15 years, about one per month. Being tired, dehydrated or looking at a screen too long sets them off.

This may not be everyone’s advice, but as a long term sufferer I say get thee to the doctor and ask for Zolmitriptan! I have similar migraines and they are debilitating. I can’t allow them to affect me due to my job, which has a lot of travel. If I take a zolimtriptan as soon as I see the aura and lie down for about a half an hour, I will usually escape a migraine and just have a kind of fuzzy head for the rest of the day. That is a million times more preferable to the full blown migraine.

I agree with all the posts re keeping hydrated etc, but sometimes I just can’t pin mine down to one particular trigger and I am so happy to have found a drug that works for me!

My migraines go through phases - from the worst at 3-4 a week, to one every few months. The only triggers I've identified are red wine (not had a glass in 20 years), and overheating in my sleep. I have the window open at night, but I go away with work a lot and stay in hotels, so I struggle with that.

Thankfully it's usually months between mine. Disruption to routine is a trigger, as is dehydration or missing meals. These I can try to manage - as can you - start with keeping hydrated. My other trigger is seasonal changes. Not much to be done there!

Another sufferer (and health anxiety sufferer too). I’m 45 and got my first auras when pregnant with ds 12 years ago, then again when pregnant with dd 10 years ago. They scared the hell out of me. They went, then all of a sudden about 5/6 years ago I started to get them on the 3rd day of my period, so must be hormonal. I only get them about 4/5 timers per year but I hate them, they scare the life out of me and I never know which month I’ll get them as I can’t find a trigger. I get a sudden small blind spot which turns into a flashing, zig-zag line which takes about an hour to go (I have to lie in a dark room as I get so panicked with them, which makes me feel a million times worse!). It’s weird though as I never get much of a headache.
I’m dreading going through the menopause in case the hormones make it worse.
My 75 year old mum has had them since pregnancy too. She has been on beta blockers for anxiety for the last couple of years and hasn’t mentioned a migraine since so maybe the do help migraines.
You have my sympathy, I find them so frightening, nothing worse than it affecting your vision.