Vestibular migraine
A vestibular migraine is a rare type of migraine headache that involves the vestibule which is a part of the inner ear. The inner ear helps us to keep our balance so when a person is having a vestibular migraine will also have symptoms of. In the United States there are about 28 million people suffer from various types of migraine headaches and vestibular headaches are just one type of migraine headaches. A vestibular migraine is like other types of migraines only this type includes spinning symptoms which can lead to person being nauseous and can get so bad that the person vomits. There will also be abnormal eye movements when a person is experiencing a vestibular migraine and some people experience a temporary hearing loss and weakness in the arms and legs. When a person is having a vestibular migraine headache every time they moved their head the dizziness and vertigo will worsen.
When a person has a vestibular migraine they may also see flickering lights, flashes and spots of light as well as other visual disturbances such as tunnel or curved vision. The dizziness a person experiences when they have a vested your migraine is not slight but it is in the form of feeling like the whole room is spinning and moving. People often compare this feeling to motion sickness. This experience of vertigo can go on for up to an hour or can last for only a few minutes. There have been some rare cases of vestibular migraines involving severe vertigo that have lasted for several days or weeks. The actual headache does not necessarily start at the same time the vertigo starts, but it can begin before, during or after an episode of vertigo.
Other symptoms people experience when having vestibular migraines include feeling pressure or pain in the ears as well as ringing or tinnitus in ears were loud buzzing. Some people will have panic attacks when they are experiencing vestibular migraines.
Some conditions that may lead person to have vestibular migraines include such things as altered sleep patterns, being under high stress, low blood sugar and a poor diet. Women who have vestibular migraines may experience them more often around the time of their menstruation. Women are also more prone to having these types of headaches than men are. Both men and women may be more at risk for these types of migraines if they have other family members that have them. The tendency to have migraine headaches can be inherited and they tend to run in families and vestibular migraines are no different.
The reason why certain people have vestibular migraines or any other migraines for that matter is not specifically known. If you are experiencing migraine headaches along with dizziness and vertigo you should go to your doctor for a medical exam and diagnosis. Some other types of conditions can exhibit the same symptoms and should be ruled out by your doctor. For instance, Ménierès disease and Transient Ischemic attacks also known as TIAs which are many strokes can also be what is going on with you. Another condition that can mimic vestibular migraines is small fluid leaks in the inner ear and vestibular nerve irritation. There is also another condition called Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo that is very similar to migraines of this type.
Vestibular migraines will usually develop in the late teens and early twenties. Doctors treat these types of migraines like other migraines and will give the same kind of medication except the vertigo will be treated separately, usually with Meclizine and prescribed exercises. Again, you should go see your doctor if you are experiencing migraine headaches and migraine headaches accompanied by vertigo.
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