Migraines

[Pretty Boy]

Does anyone else suffer from these?

I had always being sceptical about migraines and thought it was a bit of a sore head, get a few paracetemol down your neck and get on with it.

However recently i've started suffering from them and it's horrible. Doctor has prescribed me beta blockers to help but not really working.

Starts off a couple of days before with a bit of blurring in my vision like looking through smoked glass. Then i get a horrible depression feeling followed by light headedness and dizziness, have felt like i'm about to faint at work a fair few times, then comes an absolutely unbearable headache for about 3 or 4 hours as well as pins and needles in my left arm and tightness in my chest(i was convinced i was having a heart attack first couple of times).

I've been told by the doctor to try and work out my 'trigger'. He says it's most likely to be a certain food, change in schedule/sleep pattern or stress. Struggling to pinpoint anything though.

So anyone else suffer from them and whats your experience like? I'm finding it absolute hell at the moment.:grr:

[Removed]

My wife gets them really bad, all this flashing stuff and paralysis. I used to really take the piss and was not supportive at all until I actually got one myself for the first time a couple of years ago. It was terrible and I am ashamed now about how I treated her.

She has these injections she has to take when she first gets the symptoms but if she doesn't catch it in time she just about has to write off the next 24 hours. Nothing else works and she has tried cutting out all the standard triggers but hasn't made them any better. I think for women it's worse as well with all the hormones and that - don't ask me what, I'm a man!!

[MSK]

Does anyone else suffer from these?

I always being sceptical about migraines and thought it was a bit of a sore head, get a few paracetemol down your neck and get on with it.

However recently i've started suffering from them and it's horrible. Doctor has prescribed me beta blockers to help but not particularly helping.

Starts off a couple of days before with a bit of blurring in my vision like looking through smoked glass. Then i get a horrible depression feeling followed by light headedness and dizziness, have felt like i'm about to faint at work a fair few times, then comes an absolutely unbearable headache for about 3 or 4 hours as well as pins and needles in my left arm and tightness in my chest(i was convinced i was having a heart attack first couple of times).

I've been told by the doctor to try and work out my 'trigger'. He says it's most likely to be a certain food, change in schedule/sleep pattern or stress. Struggling to pinpoint anything though.

So anyone else suffer from them and whats your experience like? I'm finding it absolute hell at the moment.:grr:Had them once a few years back ..was seeing "Aura's"... funny coloured triangles floating in front of my eyes (naw i wasnae on smoke !!! :smokin)...that followed by quite a sore head ..i panicked & phoned NHS 24 who asked me to come straight to hospital ...20 mins later i was told it was a migraine & i left wi a box o paracetamol ..havent had any migraines since, scary if you havent had them before ....i was told though there were some weird symptoms !!!

[Hainan Hibs]

I get them infrequently, not as bad as mention on this thread, but it basically stops me from doing pretty much anything other than lying in bed in complete darkness all day. Paracetamol for me proves to be as effective as pissing against wind, and nothing really helps until I go to sleep at night.

[hibee_girl]

I get really bad ones every so often, my vision gets really bad and they make me sick and shaky. Usually have to sleep it off in a dark room for a good few hours, have found the Nurofen Migraine tablets to be the best ones for me, they really help with the pain whereas nothing else comes close.

[Calvin]

I basically missed all of fifth year at school due to getting these pretty much weekly. I have been getting them since I was about 10, been in and out of hospital ever since but no breakthrough really, just had to grow out of it.

What happens to me is that the fingers on my right hand start tingling. A numbness spreads up my hand and across the right side of my whole body, a pin straight division paralysed on my right. As this is ongoing, I lose my ability to speak properly. Sometimes I just slur my words a bit, sometimes I speak but just come out with completely random things that bear no relation to anything, and sometimes I just can't speak at all. A particularly amusing case was when I was home from school for lunch with some friends, and I started asking if they wanted a yellow tractor to eat etc, just very strange indeed.

So what happens then is I have to go to sleep, and after a nap I wake up with the most agonising headache ever. This lasts for about 3/4 days, then I have 2/3 days of normality, then one starts again.

I've been on chiefly pizotifen and propanolol over the years without much success as well as some other things. I drew the line when I got prescribed anti-epilepsy drugs.

Now I just have some strong painkillers that I take as soon as I get the tingling in the fingers to pre-empt the blistering headache, but I have to pretty much grin and bear the speech and right sided problems.

As you can imagine this didn't leave me with much time to do my Highers so just winged doing a French and German higher in fifth year on a 28% attendance and got a B in them both which for me was gutting but decent in the circumstances. Meant I had to do the Highers to get into Uni in 6th year which meant I left school with a lot less qualifications than I would have expected but what can you do.

As far as triggers go, stress is as close as we can come to one - they started up again a bit when I went up to Uni, but never get them at all around exam time so really there's nothing that we can pinpoint.

What was suggested to me was Osteopathy. I went along and they were shocked at what the found me to be structurally. One of the therapists said that she couldn't believe that I was only 18. When I asked her what aged people she found such back and neck structural issues in, it shocked me that she replied "fifties at least." I just went for a few sessions of this and have been much better ever since, but I deferred my Uni studies because the migraines started up again so it's hard to say whether it was the osteopathy that helped.

Whoever suffers migraines has my utmost sympathy, if you get them bad, they really ruin your life. Was reading this article the other day: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8547042.stm

The magnetic thing sounded a bit promising, but what continues to astound me is that is such a common infliction, yet there is so little funding and research into it. Hopefully that will improve in the future.

Anyway, sorry for the life story :greengrin

[Sudds_1]

not migraines per se.....but blinding headaches nonetheless. Then I realised I was squinting when reading........glasses for that helped.

But anyway......solpadeine worked magic for me..........

......even when the head is self inflicted :bitchy:

[Removed]

not migraines per se.....but blinding headaches nonetheless. Then I realised I was squinting when reading........glasses for that helped.

But anyway......solpadeine worked magic for me..........

......even when the head is self inflicted :bitchy:

I'm really not trying to be smart but if you have not had a migraine you can't compare it to what we would call a blinding headache.

That's a bit like comparing a sore leg to Aaron Ramsey - really, it is that bad.

[MSK]

I'm really not trying to be smart but if you have not had a migraine you can't compare it to what we would call a blinding headache.

That's a bit like comparing a sore leg to Aaron Ramsey - really, it is that bad.A former colleague wi the Brewery was physically sick when he had them ..they made him really ill ..

[hibee_girl]

A former colleague wi the Brewery was physically sick when he had them ..they made him really ill ..

:agree:

that's what happens when I get them unless I can sleep it off before getting to that point.

[Dashing Bob S]

A very enlightening thread, scarily so. I had absolutely no idea of the severity of migraines. Will endeavour to be more sympathetic to sufferers from here on in.

[Sudds_1]

A very enlightening thread, scarily so. I had absolutely no idea of the severity of migraines. Will endeavour to be more sympathetic to sufferers from here on in.

me too..........sounds horrific

......but mine were blinding. Stars and all!:boo hoo: amazing what eyesight (or the lack of it) can do.

[Pretty Boy]

A very enlightening thread, scarily so. I had absolutely no idea of the severity of migraines. Will endeavour to be more sympathetic to sufferers from here on in.

I was the same until about 6 weeks ago. Honestly thought i was going to die when the tingling in the left arm started along with the tightness in the chest, add that to the feeling faint and headaches and i truly believed i was about to drop down dead.

Like i said i was in the dark about the severity until i started suffering from migraines. The scary part is that it seems like a fair few people on here have it a lot worse than me. For that they truly have my deepest sympathy.

[Westie1875]

I get them sometimes, usually starts with tunnel vision or seeing blank spots which becomes progressively worse until the headache starts and lasts for about 24hrs. Nothing works except going to bed in a dark room, the vision problems are the worst and scariest part for me.

[McHibby]

I get them too, as someone's already said women's can be linked to their hormones (I think it's a dip in oestrogen that causes it) so it's usually before the time of the month. They're unreal, I have to write off about 12 hours, often more. I am sick and sometimes I can't speak properly. And it's always the left side of my head that gets it, which for some reason really annoys me?! I got prescribed Sumatriptan, which was good. But the main help for me was the Pill, which regulated my hormone level - but that probably wouldn't help you much, unless you wanted a higher voice :greengrin

[Calvin]

I got prescribed Sumatriptan, which was good.
Ah Sumatriptan, I was on that too but wasn't that effective for me.

[EskbankHibby]

I was the same until about 6 weeks ago. Honestly thought i was going to die when the tingling in the left arm started along with the tightness in the chest, add that to the feeling faint and headaches and i truly believed i was about to drop down dead.

Like i said i was in the dark about the severity until i started suffering from migraines. The scary part is that it seems like a fair few people on here have it a lot worse than me. For that they truly have my deepest sympathy.

There could be musculoskeletal reasons for some of your symptoms FH.

Headaches with a component referred from the neck are fairly common and tingling in your arm is an extremely common presentation, bit like the old 'trapped nerve' but now more accurately referred to as decreased neural mobility. Can refer pain, tingling, numbness down the arm and it's a similar mechanism for Cervical headaches.

Headaches with a musculoskeletal component tend to have pretty specific, mechanical aggravating and easing factors i.e. "bad when i'm driving/on PC good when i'm in bed/walking". Not saying you do present like this but maybe worth discussing with your doctor.

Migraines are in no way musculoskeletal and are horrible things.

[Jay]

I read something about migraines recently, I think it was a new drug or something but I cant remember. I just remember thinking it would be fantastic for those who suffer but I am sure it was something simple like a low dose of aspirin dailly or something like that.

I have only had two and seriously thought I was going to die both times, its pretty scary stuff.

[lyonhibs]

On a medical level, what IS a migraine. There are obviously many more complex symptons that just a b!tch of a headache.

All this tingling arms/quasi-paralysis chat makes me think it must affect your nervous system/certain parts of the brain??

Any genuis' want to enlighten us??

Mercifully I've never had one, and I hope to hell I never do!!!

[Scouse Hibee]

Suffered with them since my late teens,used to be frequently triggered due to long hours working then driving back long distances with pretty much only coffee consumed during the day. Not as frequent these days but had some horror moments. Always start behind my left eye and generally make me physically sick with a throbbing left eye and a terrble headache. Migraleve used to do the trick (the orange strong ones) Nowdays even they don't work, dark room, bucket and just have to see it out. The throbbing behind the eye sometimes stays a couple of days and have worn sunglasses to lessen the light which seems to help.

[IndieHibby]

Only had one - in my fifth year at school. Started with a blind spot appearing - really freaked me out. Then I felt horribly sick. The only other time I have felt sick in that way was when I got concussion playing rugby. After the blind spot and sickness came the worst headache I have ever had in my entire life. My worst hangover doesn't even come close to matching it.

I am grateful I have not had one since. For those of you who get them regularly I feel extremely sorry for you. It must be a blight on your life....

[vincipernoi]

believed to be vascular spasm in the cerebral arteries

symptoms vary depend on the part of the brain affected, the visual loss is shortage of blood to the occipital cortex (where vision is perceived)

some people lose the ability to speak or get a hemiplegia - like a temporary stroke

the headache and vomiting is reckoned to be when the blood flow returns


a first episode of migraine can be particularly difficult to distinguish from sub arachnoid haemorrhage and retinal detachment

an anti vomiting drug (metoclopramide) combined with three aspirin about half an hour later is effective in a lot of cases

[matty_f]

I used to get brutal ones in my early teens - splitting headache, bad vision and almost always accompanied by vomiting. Found paracetamol as useful as a Yam in an economics test.

In the end, it took a rake of orthodontic work (at the time I had horrendous overcrowding with my teeth, so had loads taken out and wore braces) to sort the problem out.

I had my first proper one in about ten years the other week when again I was sick with it.

I take Nurofen Plus if I feel anything coming on, and they're good enough to nip anything in the bud.

[Jonnyboy]

Having lost most of Thursday to a migraine I suggest those of you that don't suffer from them thank your lucky stars :greengrin

[cheeky moonkeh]

myself and my mum both suffer from them. We both get Maxalt Melt from the doctors, which is dissolvable when you put it in your mouth. My mum used to have to take the injections, but they didn't work.

[RoslinInstHibby]

yep, used to get them real bad, they are awful:agree: nowt you can do really except lie in a pitch black room and take the pills.

fwiw, i found that dark chocolate can trigger them, stopped eating the stuff and don't have nearly as many. Stress can play a big part too:agree:

[DaveF]

I get them infrequently, not as bad as mention on this thread, but it basically stops me from doing pretty much anything other than lying in bed in complete darkness all day. Paracetamol for me proves to be as effective as pissing against wind, and nothing really helps until I go to sleep at night.

Pretty much how I get them too, though I've not suffered any for the last 6 months or so.

I've no real idea what triggers mine, though strangely I never suffered from them until my kids came along :greengrin