Symptoms change
Hello!
I would like to share my experience with migraines.
It started when I was 14; I used to get very bad visual aura migraines a few times a week. It would affect my study and concentration a lot. But I didn’t know what was that so I never went to a doctor.
At 19 I finally went to a neurologist who gave me Topiramate. I hated it but it successfully reduced my migraines significantly. I took it for a few years before trying to weaning it off.
At 26 I was completely off Topiramate and had very few migraines since. Right now I’m 30 and I have 10 migraines with aura per year. I could understand why I was having so many attacks and changing my lifestyle helped.
My problem is that 1/2 of these yearly attacks are changing. They are stronger and with different symptoms: I had needles and pins feeling in half of my body once; again, I had aphasia, another time I had 4 visual aura one after another (and so lasting 2/4 hours).
The reports are normal; I did a MRI which was normal. But I’m still scared: “what kind of symptom will I have next?” Since these symptoms are new I went to the ER each time thinking it was a stroke.
The doctor said to not worry and to start Topiramate again, but since I’m getting ready for a pregnancy I wouldn’t want to start that medication again (and we’re talking about only 10 attacks per year; 1/2 of which are extremely bad).
Anyone had a similar experience?
- Thank you so much for sharing some of your migraine journey with us. Migraine attacks can evolve over time in their presentation, symptoms, and how they respond to treatment. I have also taken Topamax for years and just recently weaned off of it. It can be a challenging treatment due to the side effects that accompany that drug. Aphasia is both a symptom of migraine and a side effect of Topamax. If this is a treatment that you don't like due to its side effects, you might want to consider other preventatives. That said, if you're only having 10 attacks a year (I know that feels like a lot, but many people who are on preventatives take that approach because they are having multiple attacks per month), it may be a better idea to consider a rescue medication as an intervention rather than a preventative. There are so many choices out there for rescue treatments including triptans and CGRP drugs. Here are some links that provide information on both of those: https://migraine.com/cgrp-new-direction-migraine-treatment. And: https://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/triptans. It may be helpful for you to review these options and bring some ideas to your next doctor's appointment. We are here to provide support and information anytime. So glad you're with us. Warmly- Holly -migraine.com team. 
- I wanted to jump on and welcome you to our site. We empower patients and caregivers to take control of migraine disease by providing a platform to learn, educate, and connect with peers and healthcare professionals. If you have the chance to explore the site, there are many articles and forums on many different topics dealing with migraines. Your question is a great one and one asked quite a bit. What you're experiencing, such as the changing symptoms, stronger attacks, and different aura types, might be part of the natural course of your migraine condition. It's not uncommon for the characteristics of migraines to change over time. Here is a link to a few articles that may also be of interest while waiting for others to respond to your question. https://migraine.com/search?s=changing%20symptoms Also, here is a link to another article that offers available treatments https://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/migraine-prescription-drugs Wishing you well and hoping you find answers to your question. Warmly - Rebecca (community moderator)
