Migraine related brain fog
My 18 year old son is suffering from brain fog from what we believe to be consistent low grade migraine. He has had an mri and has seen a neurologist who’s view is that his brain fog is linked to kind term headaches . My son only gets maybe 1 or 2 bad migraines
every 6-8 weeks but would have a low grade headache most is the time. However he has what he describes as constant brain fog which is impacting on his quality of life both socially and academically. The neurologist recommended be get ahead of the headaches which may alleviate the brain by taking ibuprofen 3 times daily for a month. He has done this with no
Improvement at all to his brain fog. I’m wondering if anyone on this forum has experience long term brain fog( he has had it for
6 months with little relief) and if so did yoj discover anything to resolve it? (He is watching is diet and sleep closely also)
Thank you for being a part of our community and sharing what your son is experiencing. Brain fog is one of the more impactful symptoms we live with. Many factors could play a part in this, such as Covid, hormone fluctuations, diet changes, sleep issues, food sensitivities, blood glucose levels, other conditions, and even your medications. There are some basic things you can try to help with brain fog. Watching your diet and having a good sleep hygiene routine are always beneficial. Other things to look at are the amount of screen time you have each day, getting some regular exercise, taking breaks throughout your day to rest your mind, being mindful of caffeine and alcohol intake, and finding ways to reduce your stress levels. These are a few things that many people find helpful. As always, if your son continues to have issues with this, keep in contact with your doctor. Preventing headaches is ideal, but using NSAIDs like ibuprofen, Tylenol, etc., or triptans can put you into a cycle of medication adaptation headaches or medication overuse headaches. That opens up another can of worms. Here are a couple of articles that talk about brain fog that may give you some insight.
https://migraine.com/living-migraine/reduce-brain-fog-impact
https://migraine.com/living-migraine/aphasia-brain-fog
I hope you find them helpful. Please keep us posted on how your son is doing. Warmly, Cheryl migraine.com team
Welcome to our community and thanks for this important question. So sorry to hear your son is dealing with constant brain fog. It really is a terrible part of having chronic migraine. I like to describe it as feeling like someone has pulled the plug from our energy tub such that there is a constant drain occurring. It's awful.
Did the doctor's suggestion of the ibuprofen three times daily help him with the head pain but not the brain fog? Migraine is so tricky as it is a complex neurological condition so that we can have a migraine without head pain. Your son may be experiencing a migraine (neurological challenges- like brain fog) without the head pain. I'm wondering if it may be time for him to consider talking with his neurologist about taking a migraine preventative medication (though I'm not sure of his age). There are a lot of good preventive medications out there these days made specifically for migraine (not ibuprofen) that may help keep him from experiencing the wash of brain fog altogether. Here is an interactive list of current available treatments (both preventive and rescue): https://migraine.com/treatment-options
As to the actual brain fog question- here are some resources on that topic. One of our contributors shares her approaches to navigating brain fog (including what foods she avoids): https://migraine.com/living-migraine/reduce-brain-fog-impact. And here, what it's like to live with brain fog: https://migraine.com/living-migraine/aphasia-brain-fog. Be sure to read the community comments that follow each article because they are rich with good ideas and feedback.
Hope this helps and please know we are here to provide support and information anytime. Thinking of you- Holly (migraine.com team).Many thanks for your reply. You assessment is correct in that he suffers with continuous brain fog but not with continuous pain. The ibuprofen probably helped with pain although didn’t eliminate headaches completely. I’m interested in you mentioning the preventative medication as the neurologist did say he would consider that as a next step , I think he has some reservations because of possible side effects? My son is almost 18 - in his final year in school - so academically it’s a key one for him.
Any experience you might have in relation to the preventative medication would be of really interest.
- Thank you for responding and asking for more info. Here is an article relating to brain fog and migraine from the Amer Migraine Foundation. It may have some useful information.
https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/migraine-brain-fog/#:~:text=People%20with%20migraine%20may%20experience,noting%20that%20they%20are%20common.
Also as per request, you were interested in preventatives - here is a link for an article on our site. https://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/prevention-medications
Hoping your son is finally able to get some relief - having chronic headaches/migraines can make one miserable. Wishing relief sooner than later. Rebecca (comm advc)Thanks for writing back. So, I do have a lot of experience with various preventative migraine medications as I've lived with migraine for most of my life and am now 51. There are a lot of good choices out there and one of our other contributors gave you a link to explore preventatives that you can check out. As your son is in his final year of high school and studies are key, I would probably recommend that he steer clear of Topamax- which is often prescribed as a preventative because it is known to cause brain fog and difficulty with recalling words during the first few months as one adjusts to it (it's actually a seizure medication). Botox might be a good one for him to consider as it has little to no side effects and is considered to be a well-known preventative for migraine. I've been taking botox injections for migraine for nearly 20 years and have found it helps with both the frequency and severity of head pain and related neurological symptoms. You can learn more about botox here: https://migraine.com/search?s=botox. The other class of treatments to consider are those called CGRPs- they are specifically designed for migraine and have been introduced in the last number of years. There are various types of them (ones that can be injected once a month, others that can be taken by tablet daily, and still others that can be given by infusion). But these would be worth exploring with your neurologist. You may've heard of some of these on TV ads (things like Aimovig, Emgality, Nurtec, Ubrevly, and on). Here's an interactive informational page on that type of treatment for you to explore: https://migraine.com/cgrp-new-direction-migraine-treatment. That's probably enough to get you started before I overwhelm you. We are here for you - you sound very on top of things even though I know it's a stressful and demanding time. Lean on us for support. That's what we're here for. Warmly- Holly -migraine.com team.
Just wanted to share some general thoughts on side effects -- the reality is that most migraine medications come with a hefty list of possible side effects. That said, no two people with migraine are exactly the same, and everyone responds differently to individual drugs. Trial and error is unfortunately the only way to figure out what is and isn't a good fit for him. I absolutely understand how important it is for him to feel as comfortable as possible during this important (and very special!) year of school. It's okay to take a break from the "rat race" of medication, or choose to wait a while. Regardless of what you decide, go slowly and stick to small doses, with plenty of time to see how he adjusts. Thinking of you and hoping all the best for your son! He deserves to enjoy every bit of this year. -Melissa, migraine.com team
