Vertigo with migraines
I've experienced vertigo with migraine in the morning for over 20 years. I now have during the afternoon or evening when experiencing visual and sound distortion migraines. I see as if looking through a dirty honey cone glass and my ears are filled with cotton, or just the visual distortion. I know heat can trigger these, but I live in AZ so high temperatures are expected. I've had 3 of these since the beginning of June and I don't know until the honey cone visual distortion has hit that I may experience vertigo. Twice I've been away from home and was really scared about how I was going to get back home. On July 1st I stood up to finish getting the rest of my groceries from my vehicle, experienced vertigo and fell hard. I'm still in pain from the fall and had to cancel plans this Friday because I'm afraid of another honey cone visual distortion migraine that may cause vertigo.
i’ve been dealing with similar things to where if i was out in public, i couldn’t be alone and had to have support on at least one side to hold me up. i had gone out with my sister and a friend and got hit so badly that they held me by either side and numerous times i would almost go down, if it weren’t for them i would’ve hit the pavement but they had tightened their grip and wrapped their arms around my torso to hold me upright. i had finally brought it up to my pcp due to it heavily impacting my day to day life, it only increased my lightheaded and dizziness, which in doing so would worsen the migraine and nausea that came along with it. she wrote me a referral for a physical therapist and i’ve been going weekly since to help better things after the initial testing and consultation. i discovered on top of increased vertigo during attacks, my balance is way off even without migraine and that’s something we’ve been improving and working on in sessions. have you thought to mention this to any physician you currently see? there could be something to help you, especially since you’re being injured with how severe it is. i was written meclizine initially which only worked slightly, and found out from the physical therapist it wasn’t actually treating the issue, just putting a bandaid over it. that it blocked things off in my brain and that’s why i would feel a bit better, but it still return soon after. physical therapy has helped quite a bit and i’ve only gone a few times this month so far. this situation is not something i would brush off and would bring it up as soon as possible, if you’re able to. i wish you the best 
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I'm happy to hear PT is beneficial - it is for me as well!
Wishing you a low pain day,
Nancy Harris Bonk, Patient Leader/Moderator Migraine.com Team
, You have brought up a great topic. I have struggled with dizziness for over 20 years. Officially, I have been diagnosed with Vestibular Migraine. It took at least 15 years for me to get an accurate diagnosis. After dealing with rude ENTs who said they knew nothing about dizziness, I finally went to one that sent me to a dizziness clinic. I didn't even know we had one. They ran me through a battery of tests to determine the reason for my dizziness. My dizziness was 24/7. Since there was nothing wrong with my ears, they diagnosed me with Vestibular Migraine.
I am not trying to give you medical advice, but I think you should definitely have this checked out by a specialist. Here are some links to articles that may interest you.
https://migraine.com/migraine-symptoms/vertigo
https://migraine.com/migraine-types/vestibular-migraine
I know exactly how miserable being dizzy is. Please keep in touch and let us know how you are doing. We are here for you!
Peggy (Migraine.com team)
I was diagnosed with Vestibular Migraine by a neurologist about 7 years ago. It’s been a chronic and continuous condition. That is, I am always slightly dizzy. I become very dizzy and disoriented when I’m under stress. I take propranolol and desipramine to manage the vertigo. Because the desipramine has been so effective, I have been willing to manage my allergic reaction to it by taking antihistamines (recommended by an allergist who worked with neurologist to solve this problem). I also suffer from occasional pain headaches with my vertigo. I attended one of the Migraine conferences online and found a book by Dr. Shin C. Beh, which does a thorough job of describing the latest treatments and approaches. I would recommend this book to anyone new to migraines and vertigo
I would recommend going to physical therapy to help manage movement and walking with vertigo. The PTs can do an assessment of your natural sense of balance and help you make adjustments to take advantage of whatever strengths you have to manage your vertigo. I used trekking poles for the first four to five months to keep me balanced while walking. I found the additional support and signals my body got from the poles very helpful. I have been walking without poles for several years now, although I use them when hiking. I found swimming to be helpful as well. While I still suffer daily from my vertigo, I try to “ignore it” (as one doctor told me to do) as best as possible and use meditation when things get bad.
Thank you for sharing your journey and tips with us - they are great!
Living with chronic health issues is challenging to say the least. I'm not sure I'm a fan of a health care providing telling you to "ignore it" that seems a bit inhumane if you as me. Are you still seeing that doctor?
I hope today is a good one, Nancy Harris Bonk, Patient Leader/Moderator Migraine.com Team
That sounds miserable, I'm sorry you went through that. Please mention this the your doctor so he/she can make sure everything checks out OK. For many of us dehydration and excessive heat can play a role in migraine. As I'm aging I'm becoming more prone to dehydration and dizziness.... trying my best to stay hydrated!!
How are you doing today and I hope you keep us posted. Nancy Harris Bonk, Patient Leader/Moderator Migraine.com TeamIt's been a while since we have heard from you. I just wanted to check in and see how you are doing. Have you found a new doctor?
Peggy - Migraine.com team
