Autism and Migraines

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Mild female autistic individual here in need of help.

Have had severe migraines off and on for the last month after having a migraine that had many of the visible signs of a stroke. Last Saturday, I went to the ER once for outward signs of a major stroke--turned out to be a migraine. Started on topiramate 4 days ago, along with spironolactone and prenatal vitamins 10 days ago. I've been having silent migraines for the last 5 days and I'm dizzy and nauseous beyond all reason. My sensitivity to light and sound are much stronger than usual, and the sensations I've been having (complete numbness in arms, parts of the face, pin-pricking pain in the same areas and all across my head) are almost worse than a sensory overload.

Does any autistic person have any experience with this, and is there any connection between autism and migraines? I'm completely miserable, I can't work, and this renders me completely incapable of passing as a NT.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_he ... ine1.shtml

Hope this helps. Also:


Treatment of migraine

Migraine can't be cured but it can be kept under control, limiting the number of attacks and/or their severity.

Some people find that taking medicines early in the attack reduces the severity and duration of the attack. Those who suffer regular or frequent migraine may benefit from specific types of daily medication to prevent attacks occurring.

Not everyone with migraine needs to see a doctor, but if painkillers purchased from the pharmacist are not helping, attacks are coming more frequently or there's a change from usual migraine symptoms, you must consult a doctor. In particular if a woman who is taking the combined contraceptive pill finds migraines start or worsen, especially if there are focal neurological symptoms such as visual loss or numbness, she must stop the pill and see her doctor as she may be at increased risk of having a stroke.

Treatments include painkillers, possibly combined with anti-sickness medication, or a group of medication called triptans or 5HT agonists which are not painkillers but work on changes in the brain chemical serotonin thought to be at the root of the blood vessel dilatation in migraine. Other drugs are also used in migraine, such as betablockers, neuromodulators and low dose anti-depressants. Some people find acupuncture, osteopathy, yoga or relaxation helps. The use of botulinium toxin injections has now been approved for treating chronic migraine. How the toxin works isn’t fully clear but it’s thought to affect the complex neurological pathways involved in migraine and it can be very successful, especially where other treatments have failed.


Sorry to hear you're having problems. Hope you feel better soon.

Hi. I don't know if there is a link between migraines and autism, but I have both as well. I do know that estrogen is linked to migraines though.

The kinds of migraines you are describing are called complex migraines, which are the kind I have. They are really, really terrible and it is very hard to explain just how awful they feel. I also rushed to the ER convinced I was having a stroke. My speech became slurred and confused and my face went numb. It was very scary.

Mine come in clusters. I won't have any for a long time and then I will spend weeks suffering from them, one after another. I usually get them in the summer when the weather is hot or when there is a sudden increase in humidity (I don't know that those things are related, it's just a pattern I've noticed). I have regular medication that I take daily as a preventative measure and I have a prescription for fiorocet (sp?) for when I am actively having headaches which is very helpful. It takes away a lot of the pain and helps me sleep through the worst of it. But it won't help you function, it just makes surviving the headaches possible.

Migraines are terrible things, and I'm sorry you're having them. I hope you find some relief soon!

I don't know if they have any connection to AS/ASD or not, but I'm a 48 year old lady with AS and I have them. Mine seem to be triggered by hormones. I started getting them around age 15, and they were usually a few days before my period started. They were so bad that I'd have to go to the ER and get a shot to stop them. The only thing we had then for migraines was Midrin, and that didn't help. They gave me some fairly strong pain meds, I don't remember what they were, that was a long time ago. But my mother would give me one when I would get the bad headaches. I would have one several times a year, sometimes I'd skip a month and sometimes I'd have two or three in a month.

I had them until I was 24 when I got pregnant with my first baby. From then until a few years ago, I had very few migraines. I'd get maybe one or two a year, and sometimes I would go for a couple of years without one. I would always go to the ER for them then, because I wasn't having them often enough to keep something around for them.

A few years ago I started with perimenopause. My periods got very irregular, had the hot flashes and night sweats and horrible mood swings, and yes, the return of the migraine. I have them as often as when I was a teenager now. From what the docs say, when I finish going through the change, I probably won't have them anymore.

I'd keep a chart of the headaches if I were you and your periods and ovulation dates. See when you are having them and if they seem to run in a pattern. Thats what my mother did for me when I was about 15 and started having them.

I'd also be careful of meds with hydrocodone because they can easily cause a rebound headache. That's the headache that you wake up with after you fall asleep when the meds finally worked and the agonizing pain finally goes away. If you have to take hydrocodone, I would take the smallest amount that gives you relief and maybe take an NSAID with it, and if you take one pill that has only 500mg of tylenol in it, you can also take one extra strength tylenol with it. I've found that taking a hydrocodone apap, 10/500, one 500 mg tylenol, 800mg ibuprofin and drink a glass of sweet tea or a coke for the caffiene does help me if I catch it early enough. Of course, like anything else, talk to your doc. Meds effect people differently. None of the migraine specifics have ever worked for me, so I'm stuck with painkillers.

Also, there is an accupressure spot on your hand, between your thumb and first finger that can really help ease the pain if you catch it before it gets too bad. You will need to Google it, because although I can do it on myself and others, I can't describe it.

Good luck! Migraines are the worst!

_________________
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I had a stroke on New Year's Eve 2010. Spent two days in the hospital. There was no headache, though, just temporary weakness on the right side of my body.

Other than my being a male and using Imitrex and Amitriptyline for my migraines (2-3 a month), and resorting to painkillers only when given to me in ER / urgent care... OliveOilMom said it exactly right.

History of migraines. Almost always stress. Elavil, a preventative, worked well for me. Makes you sleep a lot, though.

An Aspie guy here with migraines. Sorry to hear about yours. They can be debilitating. I usually hide in the dark when one comes on. Hope you feel better.

Ive been sufferin from mine for like 6yrs....since i was about 12yrs old :/ got em from my mom through genetics because she has very bad migraines as well and they told me after all the BS that my migraines most likely originate from genetics
For me, meds do help but not much. Things like Imatrex and Zomig did help but not much as Imatrex knocked me out hard or made me slow when awake (probably just drowsiness side effect) And the Zomig....idk why but that s**t made my body tingle and made feel abnormally happy....Hydrocodone wont even be prescribed to me for whatever reasons they have
And Hydrocodone can be amazing for migraines but like someone else posted, they have that Rebound Headache tendecy and that just makes getting a Vicodin addiction/dependacy all that more likely.

I personally have started using medicinal marijuana for my migraines because i got tired of all the doctor visits and pills and BS without really getting anywhere but my docs being very hesatint to give me medication cuz im young even though my migraines have persisted for like 6yrs....its what works for me but theres lots of stuff to help migraines
My mom told me that accupuncture helped her but unfortunatly only for a few weeks then has to go for another session but my mom cant pay that, but its an idea

And no i dont think Migraines are related to being an Aspie, my mom gets em less often then me but worse and she's NeuroTypical

That sucks big time. It makes me feel like I've been lucky even though I spent most of my teens thinking I would die of a brain tumour. I've only had 6 migraines between 1998 and 2006.

Wow, I'm so sorry. I don't know about autism and migraines. .

I did learn recently that taking certain birth control pills can cause strokes in young women with migraines. I don't know if you were taking any medication--you can look it up though, with your history it seems important.

My migraines tend to be triggered by my period and heat.

Get migraines and cluster headaches.

Migraines rather frequently.

I get migraines... but only when I haven't been eating enough, which is usually a result of my anxiety, which is usually due to my social troubles, which I'm coming to attribute to the potential that I have AS. So there's my connection!

But I just filled out a questionnaire for an AS research study / evaluation and there were quite a few questions about migraines (and severity of them). It's possible.

I get migraines. They are almost always triggered by excessive anxiety and/or excessive stress - usually when I am trying really hard to be "normal". I get probably around 6 a year, and they act as a reminder to just stop pushing myself for a bit and be "me" instead of trying to be "normal".

My migraines always start with a visual aura. I often experience weakness of my limbs and slurring of my speech during this phase, and also usually feel very dizzy. As the visual aura wears off (usually lasts 20 mins to an hour), I begin to get the horrific headache and usually begin vomiting as well. Fortunately the overall duration of my migraines is usually only between 4 and 6 hours so I don't have to deal with it for too long. If it's possible I spend that time in bed with the duvet over my head and a sick bucket by my side. I usually feel complete exhausted for a couple of days following the migraine.

I used to have severe migraines. Then I cut down on sugar in my diet. The migraines have disappeared. I recommend cutting down on sugar as a migraine treatmenrt.

I've had chronic headaches for years, along with migraines. People mistake my headaches for migraines because of the light and sound sensitivity, but I have those all the time because of AS. Topiramate (topamax) was helpful for me, but it has some annoying side effects. These include loss of appetite, memory loss, and trouble with word find. I hope it's helpful for you! I keep a pain medication and a nausea medication on hand for when it gets really bad. Ice packs are my best friend. My chronic pain is highly linked with anxiety. Sometimes an anti-anxiety med can help migraines/headaches, sometimes muscle relaxers can help (if the pain is coming from tension). My best advice would be keep a headache journal and see if you can figure out what triggers them. You can keep a handwritten journal, or you can download an app for your phone/download something on the internet. Whichever is easier for you.