migranes and sensory issues

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Just wondering how many aspies get migranes. My sister and I who both have sensory issues get them, and my sister other sister doesn't. I was just thinking that a migrane is like a meltdown- the brain gets overloaded with visual and auditory information, the nausea is probably caused by an overload of vestibular info.

I have a migraine right now.

When you are feeling better, maybe you can tell me if you know what triggers yours? I think mine are somewhat hormonal, but I think it's just because that's when my sensory problems kick into overdrive.

p.s. caffeine usually stops mine if I can drink it before the nausea starts.

I have recenly noticed that everytime I go to work I get a migrane. And my job is stressful on many levels for me at times. When it is slow it is painfully noticable that I can't socialize with the plentiful sociable people around me. and when it is busy, there is much noise, buzzers, times, the oven, yelling. People bumping into you. Really hard to find some quiet. So sometimes it seems like I am constantly overwhelmed in some sense. So yeah I think it is safe to think that sensory overload and migranes can be linked.

I've only had one migraine in my life (I rarely get headaches). Although, I must say the situation was extremely weird. Often times when I get out of pools, I fall right over due to hypoglycemia. Anyway, my friend and I were at a waterpark last July so we were getting in and out of pools constantly and going on billions of waterslides. Anyway, we had just done one called The Racer (where you race each other). But when I hit the bottom, it seemed as if the water blasted into me. I got up and had a major migraine. But then I started to feel like I was paralyzed once I was off to the side. I couldn't move at all! I had never felt like that either before last July. I guess there's a first time for everything. But why everything at once?

OMG I think the same thing! I didn't get diagnosed with AS until my migraines got so bad during highschool that I couldn't go to school. For about two years. Yeah, they were bad. It was just to much for me. Now that I've been diagnosed it's all so obvious to me now. I am also very light sensitive. Light can be wrong in color, intesity, position, and balance. I can remember what time of the day childhood memories occured because of the light. The high school's floresent lights would get me every day.

I get a lot of migraines. Mine are brought on by sunlight. Changes in atmospheric pressure (usually when a storm breaks). Sugar levels going up and down. Certain smells, petrol, cigarette smoke, some deoderants/perfumes/incenses. And stress, of course.

I have less now than I used to. I think because I gave up caffiene. Like you, caffiene helped to lessen the attacks, except that it would postpone the migraine for a while and then come back worse. I think it's actually the caffiene withdrawal that caused quite a few of my headaches. When I gave up caffiene, my head hurt like I thought I was going to die for about 3 days, then got slowly better. I had given up a couple of times before that and it's always the same.

Now I don't even eat dark/milk chocolate, as that has similar effects. Of course, I could never eat a little chocolate, I'd get the taste and then I'd have to gorge myself. God I miss chocolate.

I find taking two ibuprofen, two paracetemol then covering my forehead with Tiger Balm and lying down in a dark room while focusing on reducing my breathing and heartrate helps most of the time.

My migraines actually prevent me from working more that I think my Asperger's does.

Frequently; anxiety from the environment will do it, i.e., certain noises, smells and sights. It started in high school, that's when I kind of regressed with my autism.

I've been wondering about a migraine connection. I've had migraines for as long as I can remember (since I was 2 or 3). Nowadays, they are generally triggered by stressful conditions. When I do get them, they are awful. During an "episode", I have fantasies of someone drilling into my head to relieve the pressure. Since I can never find relief, I end up pacing for hours to distract myself (when I'm "lucky" enough to get one at night anyway).

When I was in high school, they got so bad that I was finally given an MRI since the doctor wanted to rule out a brain tumor, but there was nothing significant in the scan.

About 5 years after that, I had a doctor tell me that I have "stress headaches" -- which he based on my gender and my gender alone. I know the difference between a headache and a migraine... The immediate difference is that I'm grateful when it's JUST a headache.

I've come to realize the onset symptoms and if I take something soon enough, I can usually outrun the migraine and avoid it altogether.

I'm sorry to hear that it may be yet another aspect of Asperger's... but hey, misery loves company.

Does anyone have any migraine "tips and tricks" to share?

I get around seven a month on average. My eye doctor wants me to see a neurologist, but that is a whole other bag of issues for me.

Mine are triggered by anything from smells (mostly), bright lights, stress, loud noises, people without respect really annoy me (I react with a stiff neck), getting water up my nose in the shower (our area has really bad water) when my neck is out of alignment (chiropractors are worth their weight in gold) & a few other things.

there is some reaseach on the affects of seritonin levels and migrianes, and reasearch has already shown abnormal levels of seritonin are common in aspies. I'd put my money on that and not it being a trait of AS.

Another thing! A deficiency of vitamin B or magnesium can cause them also.

This subject would make an interesting Poll.

However, a poll would have to be restricted to those who have been diagnosed as having Migraine of which there are several types. I have migraines with "aura" which basically means that the visual field starts to break down into patterns which resemble frost on windows.

Migraines probably are connected in some way to the sensory overload phenomenon. I eliminate both problems at a stroke whenever I cut out gluten ( in wheat etc) .

I get a lot of headaches....I also get tons of stomach aches...does anyone else have that problem?

Dear AnnabelLee,
I used to , before cutting out gluten!