Are migraines warning signs? (daily basis, pain, blood, smoking)

[BioAdoptMom3]

I do get migraines once in awhile, though I have only had one since I started working out regularly three years ago. I am hearing lately that migraines may be warning signs for impending strokes and blood clots in the future. Does anyone know if this is true? Mine are considered the classic type with the distorted vision, then relief, then pain and nausea, vomiting, etc. It scares the life out of me! I will ask the doctor next time I go, but that's not for a couple more months. Anyone have info about this, or know of a website?

Thanks!

Nancy

[CA4Now]

My mother suffered from migraines for years and never had a stroke. Talk to your doctor. Here's a link, with a section on how to prepare for a doctor appointment: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mig...adache/DS00120

[myrc60]

I have heard of people that were diagnosed with serious illness after suffering from headache and migraine but I think the incidence of it being something serious is rare. And I believe that when it is serious the ache happens more often than you have experienced.

[Tia 914]

Originally Posted by BioAdoptMom3

I do get migraines once in awhile, though I have only had one since I started working out regularly three years ago. I am hearing lately that migraines may be warning signs for impending strokes and blood clots in the future. Does anyone know if this is true? Mine are considered the classic type with the distorted vision, then relief, then pain and nausea, vomiting, etc. It scares the life out of me! I will ask the doctor next time I go, but that's not for a couple more months. Anyone have info about this, or know of a website?

Thanks!

Nancy

in many cases, something as simple as low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can cause migraines.. but you won't know until you see a doctor, so see one asap & don't over-stress about it in the meanwhile

[tilli]

Migraines (with aura) are indeed statistically coorelated to a higher risk of ischemic stroke and heart attack. There is a link below but if you google "migraine stroke" you'll find many more.

Killer headache: Migraines hike stroke risk - Heart health- msnbc.com

[cl723]

That`s what they are saying but I`m not sure that there is any scientific proof to it. My parents had them(mom smokes). They are in there 70`s and they haven`t had a stroke.I know others who have migraines or did and they are older now and never had a stroke. Migraines may add to the problem but I don`t think that having them can be the primary cause of a stroke.

[tilli]

Just because you know a few people with migraine who haven't had strokes doesn't mean that there is no statistical coorelation among the population of migraine sufferers at large. The coorelation doesn't mean that every single person with migraine will also have stroke, just that there is an elevated risk among migraine sufferers as a group. If you know someone who smokes their whole life but never gets lung cancer does that negate the data that shows a link between smoking and lung cancer? You have to be very careful with how much weight you give to anecdotal data points.

I am personally curious how it applies to people like me - I had migraines as a teen but don't get them anymore after I learned to avoid my trigger and consciously relax tight muscles at the first sign of aura.

[cl723]

tilli, I know a lot about migraines because I get them almost on a daily basis..... So, I guess that would mean that I know a lot about migraines.... lot of migrainers would disagree with this theory.

[tilli]

And I have read a lot of research about them and learned to stop mine. So I know a lot about them too, but I certainly don't claim to be an expert.

On what basis do you disagree? If there is something wrong with the way the data was gathered or collected I'd love to hear about it. If you simply disagree because of personal anecdotes, that is unsound reasoning as I explained above. Believe what you will, but the subjective beliefs of migraine sufferers do not somehow trump data on the population at large.

[cl723]

How do you stop migraines completely? You can`t. They stop on there own. Just because you avoid triggers that doesn`t mean that you`ll never have one again. Migraines are complicated, as you know. Drs still don`t know a lot about them and so to say that the reason why someone had a stroke was because of a migraine is unfounded. Especially when Drs still don`t know much about migraines in the first place. It`s obvious that we will never agree on this.