Covid changing migraine patterns?
Loaded question: Got Covid 7/6. I usually wake mid sleep w a newly formed migraine 1x month same week. After Covid it happened 3 weeks later instead of 4. I figured ok fine, it changed pattern. Last night I got a migraine after dinner. Took meds and it went away. I figure all is well even though I was due for my mid sleep migraine this coming week… 6 hours later (mid sleep) I got a migraine in a different spot. Idk if it was a weird sleep position on my pillow that caused it or the other migraine returning (they almost never return after meds ever since Botox in 2020). Idk how I got one mid sleep after aborting one 6 hours before bed. Could this be a freak thing? Covid changing my patterns? Help! I just got Botox on Tuesday 8/23. Luckily I haven’t had an uptick in frequency but this made me have 6 for Aug instead of the typical 4-5. I can go months without mid sleep migraines on Botox and then months with. I was hoping this Botox would reset me after Covid but it’s only been 4 days and I know it can take 7-14 to fully kick in. Idk what I’ll do when preg when these kick in. Help all around, please
, thanks for sharing what you have been experiencing. I've heard various accounts of people's migraines changing after having Covid and the vaccine. Some experience an uptick in frequency, some an increase in severity, or both, while others don't have any adverse effects. It is not unusual for migraine to change and morph over time naturally. Our bodies are constantly changing due to our therapy regimens, hormones, and our lifestyles. Unfortunately, for many of us, migraine keeps up with those changes, and hangs on tight! Since Botox has been working for you, I hope it continues. What you experienced may be a one-off, but I would monitor what you experience moving forward and share that information with your doctor. I was fortunate that during my pregnancies, migraine took a vacation even without me continuing my treatment. I know I was blessed in that. I hope when you decide to have a baby, that migraine will also leave you alone. Let us know how you are doing moving forward. Warmly, Cheryl migraine.com team Tysm! I’m hearing that covid-affected migraines don’t last forever. I hope this is true!?
the influence that Covid has on migraines varies from person to person, but it usually resolves over time. I just wish we didn't have to suffer from migraine disease at all. Until that time comes, we will just have to support each other! I hope you have a great day! Warmly, Cheryl migraine.com team
Really hope the Botox works well for you this round. It can take a week or two for it to fully take effect. I think I've already shared this with you, but I do believe that Botox is consistently effective for the most part, there just happen to be some months that our attack frequency increases so we question if the Botox is working during those times. I think it is continuing to work at the same percentage - just that we're having more attacks overall. If you haven't already, you might find this video useful: https://migraine.com/video/20-years-of-botox.
As for the effects of COVID on migraine, there's definitely mixed thoughts on this. It's likely the kind of thing you'll have to track, and look back on over time to sort out for yourself. We do have some good community forums - (some of which you've kindly initiated!) dedicated to this topic that are worth perusing - here is one you've perhaps not seen: https://migraine.com/forums/covid-symptoms.
Finally, there can be a number of factors that can cause our migraine patterns to evolve over time. From age, to hormonal changes, to impacts due to medications we're using - we may notice a shift relating to the way our migraine attacks are presenting themselves. Perhaps a migraine appears with no head pain and only one of the other neurological side effects? It can become more difficult to identify when an attack is unfolding when the presentation is changing from what we've been used to for years. It takes some getting used to for sure! This happened to me once I started taking one of the CGRPs along with Botox: https://migraine.com/living-migraine/cgrps-changing-attack-patterns.
Hope this information proves useful to you. Stay in touch- as always we're so grateful for your questions and conversation-starters! Thank you for being such an engaging member of our community! Warmly- Holly -migraine.com team.Ty!
