silent migraines??

[Ryan1981]

I male 27 have been experiencing some troubling symptoms it all started 2 years ago I had a cold/bronchitis I was given cough syrup with codeine and think I took too much my heart started beating fast went to the doc next day and theychecked me out ekg etc. And everything was fine then later that day I noticed that my vision was off like there was a shimmering to it. Then I started to experience dizziness and sometimes would have episodes where I  would feel very dizzy and diorientated how I imagine you feel before u faint. This persisted for about 4-5 months then kinda got better but the vision thing stayed I was ok for about a year until sept I started getting dizzy agin and having these episodes once in a while I also get photophobia lights seem brighter and phonophobia I have seen my gp and ent and a neuroligist I have had 2 ct scans and an mri w/and without contrast all were normal also had 3 neuro exams and docs saw nothing wrong lately my symptoms have been sometimes ill see a single bright speck in my vision that lasts only a second ,sometimes I get a quick feeling in my head like its being pulled for a second, sometimes I get werid rushes through my body I feel stupified sometimes and also my mouth will do a spasm thing not often though my neuro said I have silent migrines and a sensitive brain flourescent light really bother men. I also somtimes see stars in my peripheral vision like the ones you see after u sneeze I'm just scared its a tumor or ms, but I don't think an mri would miss this should I just trust the diagnoses of migraine I don't get thata many headaches and the symptoms are almost constant  I did have a headache problem as a teen I also have ear issues always full and I get tinnitus and they pop all the time I just get scared sometimes when these symptoms arise and start to think something is horribly wrong

[Neuro Forum]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with your doctor.

Without the ability to examine you and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of your symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

Ocular migraine (also known as opthalmic migraine or ocular migraine) is thought to be a variant of migraine in which headache may or may not occur, but there is often a family history of migraine disorder. It is a difficult diagnosis to make as there is no specific test for it, but if other causes of vision loss are excluded, the diagnosis may be invoked. It is more common in women, and symptoms may include transient vision loss, flashes of light in the peripheral visual field, or other similar symptoms lasting usually 30 minutes or less. Headache may or may not begin within 60 minutes and is often one-sided, throbbing, and may be associated with nausea and light-sensitivity. Different migraine/migraine-variant triggers. If these migraines are severe, sometimes migraine prophylaxis with medications such as calcium channel blockers such as verapamil may be helpful.

You also describe dizziness. If you mean by dizziness vertigo or room-spinning, this could also be a migraine variant called basilar migraine. other causes of migraine are related to inner-ear problems such as Menniere's disease (if there is associated tinnitus and hearing loss) or benign positional vertigo and would best be evaluated by an ENT. If by dizziness you mean a general type of light-headedness, the causes could include low blood pressure due to for example dehydration, anemia, cardiac problems. In some people, panic disorder or anxiety could manifest as the symptoms similar to yours. If you suffer from anxiety, there are several medications which can help, including medications similar to the anti-depressant prozac.

In the presence of a normal MRI with and without contrast, a tumor or MS is exceedingly unlikely.

I recommend continued follow-up with your primary doctor and neurologist.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.

[Ryan1981]

Thanks for your response,
   I had one more question in regards to the feeling i get in my head, sometimes when i first lay down to go to sleep or even when im just tsitting at my neck i get a quick split-second feeling like my head is being pulled back or a split-second of dizziness like my head tenses up its hard to explain, could this be migraine related? i do have alot of tension in my neck too.

[Ryan1981]

Thanks for your response,
   I had one more question in regards to the feeling i get in my head, sometimes when i first lay down to go to sleep or even when im just tsitting at my neck i get a quick split-second feeling like my head is being pulled back or a split-second of dizziness like my head tenses up its hard to explain, could this be migraine related? i do have alot of tension in my neck too.