Recently i have begun to convince myself that i can’t possibly ‘just’ have migraine…that it must be caused by some underlying thing and be just a symptom of being ill from something else if you get what i mean.
I have ALL the symptoms of candida overgrowth and ALL the symptoms of gluten intolerance and ALL the symptoms of loads of other junk so how do i know that i don’t have something underlying that causes migraines???
I am scared to death, i don’t know which way to turn sometimes with foods or anything, should i go gluten free? should i ditch sugars? I don’t even enjoy food anymore because i think it’s all going to make me worse…
Am i just off track or could migraine be a symptom of other stuff? what are the chances?
Nope nothing…my neurologist wants me to try beta blockers but i am unsure…i like to avoid drugs…just do diet and lifestyle but am still 24/7 off balance.
Hi Dee – trust me you wouldn’t be the first to feel this way. I assume you are under the guidance of a migraine specialist or neurologist you trust? If he wants you to try a med then go for it. For many, lifestyle alone is not enough, at least at the outset.
You may have been reading a few things here lately about migraine not possibly causing a large number of the symptoms we experience here. It can and it does. See the following:
Nope nothing…my neurologist wants me to try beta blockers but i am unsure…i like to avoid drugs…just do diet and lifestyle but am still 24/7 off balance.
— End quote
dee I take a beta blocker (metoprolol) and it 's given me my life back - go for it
No disrespect meant but don’t flush another year or 2 of your life down the pan by just relying in lifestyle and food changes. Drugs may well save your life - there is nothing to be scared of. Your fear of pills must be less than your fear of living with this illness?
Hi Dee – gotta fully agree with Muppo. Think about your fear or the hassle of VM compared with the hassle or fear of meds. While taking a med might be challenging at first (or it could be super easy – we’re all different) the prospect of VM ruling your life should far outweigh any fear of a med.
Without Paxil I would literally not be able to function. I went from being housebound in 2004 to working full time now managing a group of five. I could barely get on a bus back then without having a panic attack I was so dizzy.
Medicines like propranolol have a very long track record of safety. We know they are absolutely OK because there’s decades of data on them. You’ll be fine.
Don’t keep searching Google trying to match symptoms with things like candida etc. You’ll make yourself crazy. We’ve all been there.
Ok thank you everyone, and Scott you have helped convince me to give the beta blockers a go, not sure what type they will prescribe yet, one thing that concerns me is that the neurologist said beta blockers can lower your blood pressure and leave you feeling faint sometimes, i already get faintness with MAV and i naturally have low blood pressure (it was 110/60 when i was last at the doctors and stressed!) so hope my blood pressure does not drop too low…won’t know if i don’t at least try though and the neurologist said i can stop the meds at any time if i want to but he recommended i try to use them for 3mths to get a proper idea if they will work.
Wish me luck, i want to be able to go out for the day and not feel so tired and off balance, being at home so much is a waste of life and i have such guilt that my children don’t have the liveliest mum.
Hun if you’re not comfortable taking the beta blockers due to your blood pressure, you must discuss this with your specialist as there are tons of other meds that can be trialled.
Every time I took a tablet, I forced myself to smile at it and I used to say “come to me little pill, for you are going to make me well”. Nutty I know, but I had to force myself to have confidence and faith even if it was all bravado.
It’s definitely worth trying the meds Dee. I don’t think it matters too much if you have lowish blood pressure on Beta Blockers. Some people with low BP seem to do really well on them, others (like me) with normal/bordering high BP did not get on with them at all. They are considered quite safe by doctors I think. You have nothing to lose x
Great post, this is exactly how I am spending my days at the moment, trying to match my symptoms up with diseases. I’ve come across all the same things. Candida, thyroid etc etc. I just can’t believe a migraine can cause these problems. Plus, I do have some odd symptoms which I have never found under MAV (which I have been diagnosed with), especially the white tongue in the morning, which seems to suggest candida. Although I don’t really believe in candida to be honest.
I am due to go back to my neurologist in 4 weeks (there was a 6 week waiting list and I am private !!) after my trial on amitriptyline went pretty bad.
It is really difficult to accept I just have migraine, every now and again I spend weeks online researching different illnesses.
Ha, yeah, exactly, The worst one for me is the pain in my heart and numbness in my left hand. That’s kind of scary. My neurologist didn’t seem to think it was a very common symptom with migraine, so I keep thinking there is an underlying illness that is the root cause.
Thanks so much for bringing this up, because I recognize a lot of what is being said by you all. Especially the 'worrying about odd symptoms which I have never found under MAV '! And the neurologist said it is atypical for MAV I never had any classic migraine headaches ( no attacks lasting max. 72 hours) but ‘just’ chronic longlasting headaches without aura or nausea.
Years ago I travelled the same road before ( and after) I was diagnosed with CFS ; so many illnesses have similar symptoms and it caused a lot of anxiety and fear thinking( 24/7) about what could be wrong with me. And now, with this new diagnosis, it starts all over again ; ’ May be it is Meniere’s after all, or may be Lyme…’ .
This is not a healthy thing to do, but…
I am glad to know my behaviour is not unique!
I thought i would type out the letter forwarded from my neurologist to see if everyone thought what he had said was the norm/good:
Thank you for asking me to see this 39 year old. Clearly it was important she had a thorough ENT investigation and in particular an MRI scan of the brain to exclude an inflammatory cause for her symptoms. However, with this now complete and with the very strong family history of migraine in her son (from age 5) and her mother, i wonder if this is an unusual variant of vertiginous migraine. The feelings of vertigo definately interact with more typical sounding migraine headache, though the latter are usually mainly catamenial in her case. The symptoms fluctuate and she has days which are much better than others rather than a progressive story. I have explained that the incidental small arachnoid cyst is not relevant. It was interesting that many of these symptoms got worse during first trimester of pregnancy but then settled back down again, which is very typical of migraine, though not specific of course.
The neurological examination is normal which adds further reassurance.
I have suggested starting with a beta blocker if this is tolerated. I would use Propranolol and begin at low dose twice daily, increasing as tolerated. She should try and keep a diary of bad, less bad and good days so that she can see if there is an overall improvement if not complete. I would keep it going for at least two months before giving up. A second line drug would be low dose Amitriptyline, again beginning at 10mg at night and increasing as tolerated. She understands we are not using this drug as an anti depressant. Third line would be Valproate or Topiramate. She has four children now and has no further plans for anymore. She understands it would be good to exercise good contraception if she is taking an anti convulsant or indeed any drug for safety.There are some good guidelines on the use of prophylactics in migraine at www.bash.org.uk
I would definitely recommend giving the beta blockers a go. I was hit with this in January 2013, was put on proprananlol, I slowly got up to 250mg, and felt a million times better by April. I am not very well at the moment so am more dizzy than I have been but I still have faith in the meds!!!
Beta blockers are self limiting. Take it from someone who LITERALLY HAS a fainting disorder. I was diagnosed with a parasympathetic disorder that causes severe bradycardia (slow heart) and drop in blood pressure when under extreme stress (injury, fright, trauma, the other side of fight or flight response etc). My HR can drop to as low as 12 BPM and my Blood pressure can drop to undetectable levels. Guess what the treatment is for my disorder? BETA BLOCKERS!!!
So, take a girl who can suffer from a crashing BP and give her a beta blocker—hmmm.
But the science is valid–beta blockers work to “block” the chemicals that can cause arhythmias and high blood pressure–also those that can cause sudden and unusual shifts in blood pressure (up/down). They help to keep you on an even keel. Thing is that research seems to bear out that beta blockers tend to NOT cause BP’s to drop below a certain threshold. That doesn’t mean that you can’t feel really uncomfortable–thus experiencing side effects and deciding that a BB is not for you–but as for safety–they are generally safe to try as a first line drug for things like migraine.
You’ve been spending 2+ years trying your best to beat this thing on your own. I give you so much credit for your effort. STanding Ovation for all the hard work you’ve put in–but now–I think it is time to let medicine give you a bit of help. With all of your additional work, it may not take much to get you the rest of the way toward health.
Unfortunately–there is no icon for fingers crossed. But they are–for you…
Thank you very much everyone…i got my Propanolol prescribed today and was told to start on a low dose of 10mg before bed and then move to 10mg twice a day if tolerated. If seems ok then dose can be further upped along the line. I am soooo scared to take them…sounds stupid but didn’t Michael Jackson die in his sleep from Propranolol? I was one of his biggest fans lol Seriously, scared to start them now, maybe tomorrow…i know i should.
