Changes dependent on hormones?

Hi…i think i may give HRT a go…menopause and MAV came hand in hand too much of a coincidence.
Jo x

I’m happy to hear some of my suspicions validated. I’ve read a bit of Dr Hain’s site before but now I’m going to focus upon the menopause information and his site and I’ll dig into the woman’s biz history here. My focus up until now has been on diet, sadly that hasn’t been the magic bullet I’d hoped for.

So, HRT…I’m thinking that it will probably be difficult to find an open minded menopause specialist who will ā€œgetā€ the migraine connection. I’ve had a couple doctors tell me that there’s a correlation between migraine and stroke, therefore supplemental estrogen, which (probably) increases one’s risk of stroke is contraindicated. Just repeating what’s been told to me and I have not researched this at all.

I’d be interested to learn more from women here who are probably better informed than the average doctor. What can anyone tell me about HRT and migraine? Does anyone have experience with bio-identical HRT?

Never has any medic connected menopause and migraine or MAV with me. I think all MAV must have a root cause and for many women that’s hormonal. If you do a timeline you may see some connection in your own case or not. If you intend to try HRT there’s only a narrow window it will be available to you if you are menopausal. Not sure what type of specialist would be best to contact. I think you are going about it the best way. Educate yourself about it as much as possible then maybe try your GP first. There’s conflicting opinions out there and no guarantees with it but that’s the same as with the preventative drugs on offer. Good luck with your search for recovery.

Hi
It would be geat if you could keep us updated with any information you may come across as to whether HRT could possibly be something to trial. I for one would certainly give it a go. Im planning to discuss it with my GP
Jo x

So interested in all your comments. My migraines started with the birth of my first child and subsided during peri-menopause, but the MAVs started sometime after that (like maybe 7 years later), but initially the same time every month just like the regular migraines. Now with the Effexor XR I hadn’t had one in about 15 months+/- until 2 weeks ago. Hoping it was just a fluke. Good luck to all. It is an awful thing to have.

Thought this was interesting:

"What is a Patulous Eustachian Tube?

The opposite problem, a Eustachian tube that stays in the open position, is called a ā€œPatulous Eustachian Tubeā€. It can be caused by weight loss, by hormonal changes from pregnancy, menopause, pre-menopause, hormone medication, or for no identifiable reason.

Most of the time no specific cause is identified. Even though this makes the ear feel ā€œfullā€ or ā€œstopped upā€, the hearing stays normal. The full feeling is bothersome, but it does not cause pain and it is no threat to your ear."

https://www.raleighcapitolent.com/blog/eustachian-tube-problems?entryid=13&tabid=89

wondering if Phenylephrine will fix ETD. Also pizotifen and amitriptyline have antihistamine characteristics and could help ETD as well. One feature of ETD is imbalance and never spinning vertigo which is what most seem to have. Interesting !

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So, on that note, I’m having my remaining ear tube pulled next week. Somehow the damned thing got jammed in the hole sideways. My ETD is way better with tubes. But I’m sick of having earplugs fall out when I’m in the water only to end up with infections.

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ohh no ! ear plugs falling out with ear-tubes while in water…eeeeeks !

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Hi Yas, Yes my symptoms are markedly worse pre period and mid cycle. I read that it was the effect of hormone changes on an oversensitised brain.
Since I started Ami that has helped alot, I take 30mg if I take anymore than that though I feel worse. I have recently stopped eating sugar as a little experiment. I’ll let you know if it helps

Getting off topic here but it seems a lot if people find a drug sweet spot. Perhaps that’s yours. Helen

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Even more proof that for many women of all ages, changes are dependent in some way on hormone fluctuation. I’ve posted several times before about a friend, ex work colleague from years back actually, who suffered Classic Migraine with aura. She experienced her first attack very shortly after giving birth to her first child. These attacks continued throughout the remainder of her fertile years but she never had another attack after she stopped having periods. She is now over 80. Talking to her on the phone today she just happened to mention she’d taken birth control pills after her first child but had had to stop them very quickly because they caused her to experience far worse and far more frequent migraines. She never bothered to try again, Helen

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But does it cause Imbalance or more specifically BPPV type symptoms one wonders?

https://familydoctor.org/condition/eustachian-tube-dysfunction/

The bit that resonates with me

ā€˜* You may sometimes have trouble keeping your balance’.

Of course there’s nothing to say I have ETD anyway and there no doctors likely to want to get that earth check for the foreseeable with the Covid situation however when I checked the location of my current ear pressure symptom it seems to align. Never suspect ears as primary although maybe blood flow influenced by hormones maybe could cause some symptoms. This pressure is totally different from my previous full ā€˜hamster’ ears and gas only occurred post recent attack.

According to this it can cause vertigo:

https://mvertigo.org/t/vertigo-due-to-eustachian-tube-dysfunction/15932/3?u=turnitaround
(link behind User Trust Level threshold).

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