Silent Migraine - menopause symptom?

[MinaPaws]

I just had one yesterday, out of the blue. Had a really stressful day and week. Went to bed and could smell weird smells of school dinners and burnt blackbnerries. Even had DH sniffing for them.

Cat was in the bedroom clawing my hair and drooling in my ear at about 2.30 am and I couldn't get back to sleep for hours, so had a very poor night's sleep. At about 6.30 I woke up and the room was spinning like a carousel. I couldn't stop it. Started feeling sick.

Got to the bathroom, so I knew it wasn;t labyrinthitis, which I've had before, as with that I couldn't stand up properly. Grey grids and black stars in front of my eyes. Threw up, got back into bed and stayed there for an hour, head swimming. Then it settled. Had to get up and rush to work then. Had a hangover feeling all day with numb tingling fingers.

When I googled the symptoms it showed up as 'silent migraine' - a migraine without headache (thank God). Even weird symptoms like phantom smells and tingling fingers.

I've ever had anything like this before. Is it a menopause thing? I know normal migraines can start during menopause.

My migraines are hormonal and hugely variable...right from the banging head/vomiting/wishing for death for 8 hours, all the way down to lights in my eyes that make my vision wobble for 20 minutes....that's interesting when I have to drive!

Am 52 now and after replacement mirena and beta blockers I haven't had a doozy for about a year

So yes, in your position I would be blaming the menopause

Thanks for your answer @MsHomeSlice I don't envy you the banging headache. I've always dreaded those.

Would it be sensible to see a doctor or do you think it's OK to wait and see if it happens again?

I don’t know about silent migraines being menopause related but Dh had one a few months ago, woke up with weakness on his left side slurred speech and visual disturbance all the symptoms of a stroke, he was blue lighted to hospital where all his tests came back normal so the doctor said it was a silent migraine which often appear after the age of 40. People who develop them tend to get varied migraine symptoms but no pain, I would go to your GP for a check over just to be on the safe side.

it was years before I got my migraines diagnosed because i didn't get headaches ( just the feeling of being underwater and a whirling flower in my eye ( it makes me feel queasy just describing it ) and dreadful vomiting about an hour later .. I kept going to the Dr and at one point he even suggested counseling!

Until one day I manged to get an emergency appointment when i actually got the symptoms.. he took one look at me and said its migraine! .. I was prescribed Imigram, (it was only on prescription in those days ) there and then from the surgery pharmacy .. symptoms relived in less than half an hour..

Migraine is not just about horrible headaches ..

I used to get mine every month at around a week before periods .. since menopause I've had about 3 in the last 6 years,.. ..

I got a silent migraine and then a few weeks later a painful migraine. I am not menopausal yet but both coincided with periods so probably hormonal. My doctor has given me tablets to take at the first sign and hopefully that will prevent the migraine from taking hold. They are definitely stress induced for me as well.

I get migraines every month with my period but only now I am approaching menopause.

I had an optical migraine which I basically had to diagnose myself since GP was not interested once I'd been checked to see it wasn't a detached retina.

That was four years ago and none since (fingers crossed) so you can be hopeful they won't turn into a regular thing.

Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences of it. (Though I'm a bit terrified by @CaptainBrickbeard 's story of getting a headache migraine after a silent one. Really hope that doesn't happen.)

I really sympathise with people who get them every month. Hope the medication helps.