Peri and migraine

[Puppupandaway]

Anyone suffer with migraines since perimenopause started?

My ENT consultant is convinced that my symptoms of daily vestibular migraines are due to my changing hormones. I'm just wondering how common this is. I'm on 20mg amitriptyline to stop them and it seems to be working so he may be right.

But apart from more regular periods for the last year (I have pcos so I've never been regular) and not giving a shit about the small stuff anymore, I have no other peri symptoms.

Any advice welcomed :)

Monthly hormonal migraines were one of my first peri symptoms Started a few years before the rest of my symptoms.
I'm on HRT now (5 years later) but it doesn't help much. For a while they got worse but tweaking my hormones has reeled them in again.

It's so, so common for migraines to increase in peri and the disappear after menopause.

Interested in your amitriptyline experience though. I was prescribed this and haven't started taking it yet. Did you find you were drowsy when you started? I also didn't like the sound of withdrawal if I had to come off them.

I’ve suffered with them since I was a kid and the worst times for me, puberty, pregnancy and peri.

HRT has sorted me out, hardly have any now.

@Fitzcarraldo353 That's really interesting, thank you.

My consultant started me on 10mg and told me I'd have 2 weeks of drowsiness, then it would take six weeks to see if it has worked. I have to take the tablets at 7pm so that I can wake up at 7am. I think I only struggled for a few days with the tiredness, otherwise it's been fine. I've had the tablets doubled as I wasn't responding but this time it's working. No extra drowsiness on double dose so I've been really lucky.

@Redcrayons Thank you.

Yes… I started getting terrible migraines and loss of vision … I take some herbal supplements and got a rook piercing which got rid of mine (there’s no scientific proof a rook piercing helps but that’s what worked for me)

That's good to hear. My GP prescribed me 20mg straight off the bat which is the other thing I wasn't happy about and why I didn't start taking them.

I'm hoping the hormone tweaks will sort it and I won't need the amitriptyline.

Yes, horrific migraines which led to muscle weakness, tingling, nausea & retching. My (female) GP was no help - said not much was known about female hormones.

Goodness @monsterfish that sounds horrendous xx

Yes and they have landed me in A&E given the pins & needles and vertigo they bring with them.

I had migraines at puberty, during pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause. HRT controls them a bit but I've ended up in hospital more times than I'd care to mention as they present very similar to a stroke so I have to be checked out.

I'd hoped that menopause would be the end of them but unfortunately not.

Conversely, my hormonal migraines disappeared when I was firmly in perimenopause. Very weird, but such a blessed relief. They began at 13 when I started my periods, blighted my teens and 20s, were completely absent during pregnancy and breastfeeding, came back with a vengeance after my last baby was weaned when I was 33... then just disappeared ten years later when I hit perimenopause at 44. I'm 60 now, happily on HRT, and delighted to be free of migraines for the last 16 years. I have not a clue why, but I'll take it.

That's interesting.
I had aura migraines that started after the birth of my first child. They were worse during pregnancy and at certain times of the month so definitely linked to hormones.
I'm pretty sure I've been in peri for the last 2-3 years and weirdly I haven't had one since.
Makes me reluctant to try HRT as I don't want them back!