Bevy of symptoms

It all started two years ago. I helped caryy some stuff from my neighbors house, and we had a new widescreen tv. That night, while using the computer, i had my first scintillating scotoma, which started out as a small spot that was the size of the text on the screen. It went away, but i was terrified, being 14 years old at the time. It happened again a month later, when using the computer. Went away, but concerned. Then one day in school, we were outside, and I fell a couple times on the wet grass. I loom up at the sky and an ss started. It went away, i was fine until May, when i had an SS on the bus ride home. before hand, I really didn't drink anything, and chewed a lot of gum. Then, it happened during the summer, a couple months later, after i accidentally swallowed a mouthful of seawater. Then it happened a few weeks ago, one day when all I ate was a pop tart. A common theme here seems to be lack of eating or drink. Also, when getting up quickly, I can see my heartbeat in my eyes, and pressure in my head. I would like to know why they started. Thank you.

[marileew]

Hi there,

Migraines, and the migraine aura that comes with them (that is what you are expericing, a migraine aura, that is what scintillating scotoma is, it is part of a migraine aura), can be triggered by something or it can be triggered by nothing at all. If you have noticed though that it is triggered by skipping meals, I would suggest not skipping meals. Many migraine sufferers find that skipping meals can trigger a migraine, so it would make sense that skipping meals triggers migraines for you. It is all about keeping your blood sugar regulated throughout the day... you don't want to do anything that disrupts the balance or stresses your body really... it's those sorts of things that trigger migraines... and huge dips or peaks in blood sugar is a stress on the body and can trigger a migraine. So... don't skip meals... eat small snacks between meals... and try to avoid really sugary snacks if possible.

Also, it might be a good idea if you got a referral to a neurologist as they are the type of doctor that deals with migraines and migraine auras. A neurologist might be able to prescribe a type of medication that can help stop the migraine aura once it starts. These medications are usually called triptans. A really fast acting triptan is best, such as a quick dissolve tablet or a nasal spray.  Then, when you feel one coming on or it starts, you can use the medication and stop it from lasting for as long as it usually does.

The reason why they started is just because some people get migraines. Someone in your family maybe suffers from migraines... migraine tend to be a genetic neurological disease. But, it's nothing you really have to worry about. The best thing to do is to figure out what triggers the individual attacks (such as low blood sugar) and then to avoid those triggers. And, if an attack does come on, to use migraine medication, such as triptans, to stop the attack from continuing. There is no cure for migraines, it is sort of like having allergies or diabetes or epilepsy... it's just something that we are born with because it is genetic... but, for most people, attacks only happens every once and a while and they can usually stop individual attacks with medication,

Hope this helps! :)

[Kman771]

Thank you. I plan on going to the eye doctor soon and will discuss this with him. Everytime it has happened, I hadnt eaten I'd drank enough to qualify as a meal. My mom has had migraines with vision loss. The problem is the temporary vision loss seems more severe, and there. An be diplopia. There is prescription medicine that can end an SS once it starts?

[marileew]

Yes, the prescription medication is called a triptan... or triptans are a class of medication and examples of triptans are sumatriptan (brand name imitrex), zomig, maxalt, axert... well those are just to name a few. And yes, they are migraine medication and you take them at the first signs of the migraine, the SS, and it will stop the SS as long as you take it at the very first signs that it is starting. You can get it prescribed by a neurologist or your family doctor. It is better to go to a neurologist instead of an eye doctor. But... an eye doctor won't hurt because they can rule out any sort of non-migraine problems, it is VERY rare that SS can be caused by a non-migraine problem... but, it has been known to happen. But, the eye doctor will probably tell you that it is not eye-related and it is probably a migraine and will probably suggest that you go to a neurologist. But, it's worth going to the eye doctor just to make sure! And, sometimes a trigger can be poor eye sight and not wearing glasses, so it's good to go because if you do need glasses, then, if you start wearing them you will probably get less migraines. But, you should STILL see a neurologist too.

[Kman771]

Apparently, my sister had some bad headaches until she got her glasses. My vision can be blurry some mornings. How fast do these triptans work? Does the SS instantly go away?

[marileew]

If you get a triptan that is in a pill form it can take a long time to work... so, that is not so good for SS. That is why you need to get a triptan in either a nasal spray or a quick dissolve tablet, such as zomig nasal spray or imitrex nasal spray or maxalt quick dissolve tablets. There is also a injection that would be fast acting too... but, they only prescribe the injection in very severe cases since no one wants to use an injection, but it is called a sumatriptan pen (because the needle sort of looks like a pen).

The fastest that Zomig Nasal Spray can work is 10 minutes. The fastest that Zomig-ZMT (quick dissolve tablets, zomig calls them "Orally Disintegrating Tablets") can work is 30 minutes IF you use the 5mg orally disintegrating tablets tablets. the 2.5mg orally disintegrating tablets take up to 1 hour to work... so that is not so good for SS, it would be good for pain but not good for SS. Probably the 5mg Zomig Nasal Spray which works in 10 minutes or the 5mg Zomig-ZMT which works in 30 minutes would be best for SS.

So... it really depends on how long your SS lasts for. If it lasts for more than half an hour usually, a quick dissolve tablet might be an option for you. Otherwise, if it lasts half an hour or less, then a nasal spray triptan looks like your best option for treatment.

In case your SS DOES last for more than half an hour usually... I will give you information about Maxalt-MLT, which is Maxalt's quick dissolve tablet, or as the company calls it orally disintegrating tablet. It appears that for it to have an effect at half an hour, you must have the 10mg tablet and NOT the 5mg tablet. So, if you want relief at half an hour and not later, make sure to ask your doctor for the 10mg Maxalt-MLT orally disintegrating tablets.

To sum it all up:

Relief @ 10 minutes: Ask for Zomig Nasal Spray 5mg
Relief @ 10 minutes: Ask for Imitrex Injection (but... this is rarely prescribed!! only in severe cases. you probably don't want to have to give yourself an injection! and zomig nasal spray works great!! try zomig nasal spray or imitrex nasal spray first before injections... injections can cause skin irritation and stuff, it should be a last resort!)
Relief @ 15 minutes: Ask for Imitex Nasal Spray 20mg
Relief @ 30 minutes: Ask for Zomig-ZMT 5mg
Relief @ 30 minutes: Ask for Maxalt-MLT 10mg

[Kman771]

It tends to last 30-40 minutes. The headache was very mild this time, but the Ss seemed more severe.