Migraines with Chest Pain
Good afternoon. I am new to the forum. I have been diagnosed with worsening severe intractable migraines with aura. I have had them for nearly four years. I also have been diagnosed with occipital neuralgia. I get the headaches, dizziness, sensitivity to light and noise and occipital pain on an almost daily basis. My neurologist has been treating me with Botox and Topomax. I also take Fioricet when needed. The results have been mixed so far. I also get an unusual symptom my doctor can't explain. I get chest pains with the migraines. It is chest wall pain, kind of like costochondritis. It is primarily on the left side and wraps around the rib cage. It is non cardiac. My heart has been thoroughly tested. It began when my migraines began. Has anyone else heard of something like this?
Thank you.
Hi Electrician71,
Thank you for your question and being part of the Migraine.com discussion forum - we're glad you're here!
I'm happy to hear your heart has checked out OK. I haven't heard this, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. In fact I did a bit of research and came up with this very small study; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24074526. It clearly states chest pain is possible in migraine.
I hope this helps and hopefully others will be along shortly to share their experiences with you.
Nancy
Hi there- how are you feeling today? I thought I'd just ask if you'd considered whether or not this could be a side effect related to any medication you are taking? I know, for example, that certain triptans can make me feel as if my skin is being pricked by pins and needles. Thinking of you- Holly (migraine.com team).
I look forward to your updates! Wishing you a low pain day, Nancy Harris Bonk, Patient Leader/Moderator Migraine.com Team
Hello Electrician71,
I am sorry to hear about your migraines and chest pain. I just now stumbled upon your comment and was wondering how things have improved or not improved since your last post. Do you have any answers? My husband on Christmas eve went to the ER because we thought he had a heart attack. They have checked everything out but they say everything looks fine. The weirdest part isn't his unexplained heart pain: it's the fact that every day since then he has suffered from a migraine. Before this he maybe had only 2 migraines in his life. Now he has chest pain and migraines with the other symptoms (nausea, light sensitivity) and no answers. We don't know what to do next. We would love to hear your story to see if we can glean anything from it. We hope for your sake that you have found some answers. Thank you.Hello 3coynefountain,
I am sorry to hear about your husband’s symptoms. In my case, it has taken the doctors 4-1/2 years to discover that the pain in my upper left chest is caused by Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. It is a rare condition that can cause compression of the brachial plexus nerves, subclavian artery, or subclavian vein. It can cause migraine symptoms and pain at the base of the skull. It can also cause symptoms in the arm and hand of the affected side. I have experienced migraines and occipital neuralgia pain with this frequently for 4-1/2 years. I don’t know if this is what is affecting your husband, but it may be a place to look. I hope you are able to find the help you need.
I get chest pain and migraines. My chest-pain is a form of costochondritis caused by my body’s inability to break down the alkaloids in plants of the nightshade family (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant, paprika, etc). There is also a link between low levels of vitamin K-2 and costochondritis. You can read the science of it all on the Linus Pauling web page.
My advice, eliminate the nightshades for 2 weeks and see how you feel.
I also got rid of my arthritis (diagnosed at age 3) when I stopped eating nightshades. And yes, I miss eating them, but it’s not worth the pain
I wish you health & happiness.
