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Silent/Acephalgic Migraines Sufferers?

Hi! I've been getting silent migraines regularly for almost 4 years. It's hard to find information and advice on these since they are less common, but they are still incredibly debilitating, and I frequently have to miss work, class, or social events because of them. I was wondering if my symptoms are similar to others of you who deal with these migraines, and what you have done to help decrease them or deal with the symptoms. Some more details... - I first got this migraine when I was 17, and I was diagnosed after the doctor eliminated other possibilities. - I have never had a migraine with headache. - I used to get these every 1 to 2 months, and now I get them every 2 to 3 months. They seem to be relatively hormonal, and I usually get them in the PMS stage of my cycle. - They usually kick off with a day of feeling tired, nauseated, fuzzy-headed, dizzy, and cranky with a mild tension headache. This usually peaks with some physical symptoms, most notably muscle weakness, which makes it difficult for me to walk, move my arms, or grasp things. I usually also have slurred speech and slow thinking. This is what generally keeps me stuck at home, and it lasts for most of a day, and makes me very fatigued for the following day. - My triggers are usually stress or loud sounds. I am also very sound sensitive during the migraine. - The only thing that definitively works is sleeping it off and waiting. Eating something carb heavy sometimes helps lessen the symptoms for an hour or so. - My mom recommended evening primrose oil supplements, as they helped her migraines (with headache). This seems to make them less frequent, but doesn't stop them. - I've tried a diet (I can't remember the name, but it basically cuts out most fermented foods) but it didn't seem to help. I don't think my triggers are food based. I'm so tired of dealing with these and having them interrupt my life. Has anyone experienced something similar? What worked? Do you recommend any OTC meds for the muscle weakness? Thank you so much!

  1. Hi hgrace,

    Thank you for your question.I understand how frustrating this can be. Have you had an opportunity to discuss this with your doctor? If not, this may be the first step.

    I wanted to let you know not everyone with migraine disease has food triggers. But do have other triggers such as becoming dehydrated, skipping meals, fluctuating hormones, irregular sleep schedules and others. The first thing I'd like to suggest is to keep a detailed migraine diary for a few months. This can help identify our triggers and any patterns our migraine attacks have. Let me share our information on keeping a migraine diary; https://migraine.com/blog/keeping-migraine-diary-basics/. And here is information on migraine triggers; https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-management-essential-trigger-management/.

    I can provide with you medications that have been shown to help reduce migraine attack frequency in this article; https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-preventives-start/. And you may want to check out our section on complementary and natural therapies here: https://migraine.com/complimentary-and-alternative-therapies/ and https://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/natural-remedies/. I'm currently using magnesium oxide, B12 and vitamin D to help reduce my migraine attack frequency.

    I hope this helps,
    Nancy Harris Bonk

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