Vertigo and Headaches

[kahle]

I am a 34 yr old female with a history of migraines.  I have a list of symptoms which seem to come in periodic cycles. I get headaches, dizzy spells, spells in which I can't find the word I want to say, a feeling of weekness and/or tingling in my leg and arm (although not together). I get neck pain and my head feels too heavy to hold up. I have had a feeling a "tightness" in my face.  I also get spells where my eyes don't want to seem to focus correctly.  I have seen an opthamologist who has dx optic neuritis.  I also have had MRI w/o contrast that was negative.  I have been told these are cycles of migraines, but I'm not convinced.  They can last from one week to one month.  Some spells are more severe than others.  I am on a migraine prevention medication, I still get migraines frequently and require trips to the ER for pain medication because I can't control the pain myself.  My question is do these indeed sound like migrain cylces? or do I need to pursue other avenues.  I am getting frustrated and need help.

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-PW]

I cannot give you a formal clinical opinion as this forum is purely educational, so my advice may be limited.

By periodic cycles, do you mean with your menstruation - some forms of migraine cluster around menstraution (called catamenial migraine)

Migraine can cause focal symptoms such as weakness in the arm or leg that can last beyond the headache for a few days (andin rare cases longer). Other causes of focal neurological symptoms need to be excluded before this diagnosis can be made such as with an MRI to rulout a mass, MR angiogram to ruleout blood vessel blockages and an EEG to rule out a seizure. Migraine does not cause optic neuritis so this diagnosis should be clarified as after isloated optic neuritis, about 15% of people go on to develop MS, although your negative MRI does not suggest that this will occur.

There are a variety of migraine medications that can be used for 'complex' migraine such as calcium channel blockers. In general the triptan medication are to be avoided as they can casue spasm of blood vessels which may be dangerous in patients with focal neurological symptoms.

Good luck

[ChloeMc]

Those are the same kind of headaches that I've been having. Someimes there's a burning/tingling feeling on top of my head, or a tightness on top of my head, or a bad pain right at the back of my head. I too was told they're migrains and was unsure about it, that's what brought me to this site. I was thinking that maybe the pain started because my daughter accidentally hit me on the side of my head right near my temple. I then found out that my mom and dad both have a history of migrains. I've had this headache for the past month and am starting to feel like it's never going to go away.

[larandsandy]

Hi, I also get migraines frequently and have for 30 years.  I also get the aura with them and also have trouble finding the right word and feel very sluggish and tired after one.  I also slur when I talk.  I do think that migraines can cause all of these symptoms.  My neurologist said to try and find triggers and avoid them.  My trigger is MSG or monosodium glutamate.  It is in a ton of things and I can reduce mine by over 80% by avoiding this.  Also, perfumes and strong scents are a trigger.  So I would suggest logging your daily food and see if you are eating some of the trigger foods like MSG, cheddar or aged cheese, citrus foods, bananas, and nitrates (lunchmeat, hotdogs, etc.)  It really helped mine.  Good luck.

[heart2heart]

I've had these and other symptoms for years and was dx'd with BAM, Basilar artery migraines. I'm not convinced of the dx either. Do you ever get numbness around the mouth area? I get that too.

[DonnaJean]

I have the same symptoms. When I was 12 I started having horrible headaches that wouldn't ease up. Alot of the time I had to go to the hospital and get a shot for it. My neurologist then gave me a prescription for stadol. My headaches went away for a few years, then when I was 17, they started coming back worse. I went for many MRIs & CT scans, but nothing ever showed up. Finally, 2 dayd before my 19th birthday they found a cyst on my brain. I lost my insurance so I couldnt get it treated. I'm 21 now and the past 8 months or so, I have been losing my vision, my eyes won't seem to stay still so I can focus, I have bad pressure behind my eyes, and on top of my head where the cyst is. I often lose my memory, I can be in the middle of saying something and forget what I was saying, or completely forget that I was speaking at all. I cannot concentrate, I ended up leaving college cause I couldnt remember anything I read and I couldn't concentrate enough to even learn. I often go 3 or 4 days with no sleep, or sleep for days straight, and recently I've developed numbness in my right arm, and tingling in my right hand that doesn't go away. Can't get it treated though cause West Virginia isn't too keen on giving residents health benefits! This is probably the longest message on this site! sorry! lol

[southernalabama]

Hello.  I'm new here.  I have been dx'd with migraines for a few months now.  I am taking topamax right now.  I still tend to get the migraines.  I have all the classic symptoms you all listed.  The only one that I didn't see listed that I wonder about is changes in the weather.  I notice in our area when rain is about to move through that I seem to get a migraine attack about 6-12 hours before.  The rain is usually followed by a cold front which is happening as we speak here in Alabama.  Has anyone else taken topamax and noticed side effects like tingling in the hands and fingers and a metallic taste in the mouth?

[dpatt40]

I have been dx with post tramatic seizures.  I had an accident
9-04.  Some of the same symptoms you described are what I have experienced.  You may want to consider a EEG or a video EEG.  That is how they found my condition.  The MRA and MRI showed nothing.  Something to think about anyway.  Good luck.

[dumplin1]

I am having difficulties finding words.  I can actually be looking at an object and can't recall the word.  There could be a couple reasons.  I take medications for bipolar disease.  Maybe that is causing it.  However, I also had an MRI when hospitalized for bipolar, and spots were found on my brain indicative of ms.  But after some other tests they said I was probably fine and no further tests were conducted.  They couldn't tell me what caused the spots and just dropped the whole thing.  My problem is worsening.  Any advise or comments?