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Do migraines have to have set phases?

Hi Everyone I don’t know if anyone can help me. I developed migraines at the age of 36 last Jan and I’ve still not managed to recover properly. When I was on 60mg of Propranolol I felt I struggled a lot less but felt very tired,vague and unable to think straight. I’ve reduced to 45mg and now I’m having attacks again. What I’m wondering is firstly does all the medication have these side affects? Or do some people manage to get their lives back and work normally? The other thing is that although I suffer a lot of the symptoms listed for aura migraines , I find it doesn’t go in text book phases. Like yesterday I knew I was suffering an attack triggered by a strip light, started to feel very vague, and my eye sight went weird, followed by nausea and feeling very distant. My face on the left side feels like it slides. I get very little head pain. Today- I still feel ill, with the dark patches in eyes and ice cream head ache. Can this all be classed as migraines? Any help would be really appreciated. Thank you.

  1. Hi Portsmouthgem,
    Thanks so much for your question! As you wait for possible feedback from the community, I thought I'd share some information with related to the possible phases of migraine. When you have some time, I'd recommend reviewing the articles listed below. However, it is important to remember that everyone experiences migraine differently. For instance, an attack for someone may last a few hours, they recover then can return to "normal" activity, while many others experience daily symptoms. As with any new or worsening symptom, it is important to discuss them with your doctor and to also rule out anything more serious. I'd also encourage you to if you have not already, to keep a migraine journal. This will help your doctor to better determine if you are experiencing "classic" migraine symptoms, details of the attacks and/or if in fact it may be a medication side effect.

    Possible Phases: https://migraine.com/pro/clinical-features-migraine-phases/
    https://migraine.com/migraine-basics/migraine-phases/

    Journal: https://migraine.com/blog/importance-of-keeping-a-migraine-journal/

    Hope some of this is helpful & please always feel free to reach out! Take good care,Joanna (Migraine.com Team)

    1. Hi Joanna,

      Many thanks, I am struggling quite a lot xxx

      1. You are most welcome! Always here to listen and sending you loads of good energy. Wishing you a gentle night and well wishes for tomorrow. -Joanna (Migraine.com Team)

    2. Thank you so much xxx

      1. Thank you xxx

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