Migrain, Part of flare? | Arthritis Information

 

I've only been dx with RA for less than a year, although I've had the symptoms for several years now.  I've never been a head achy person but back in July, I had what I assume was a migraine that lasted over a week.  Pounding frontal headache, nausea, very sensitive to sound and light.  The whole nine yards...

I've been in a pretty bad flare for about  month now with all the joint pain, swelling and fatigue.  Sunday, I started to get real dizzy and even weaker.  I felt like I was coming down with the flu or something.  Now, the joint pain and swelling is going down but now I have this horrible headache.  I laid in the dark bedroom last night with and ice pack on my head.  When I woke up this am, its just as bad.  I laid in bed for 45 minutes after taking a vicodin and 2 tylenol with ice on my head before I had to leave for work.  Had an awful time driving.

Does anyone else experience migraines or really bad headaches as part of the flare cycle?

I get migraines and really am a 'headachey' kind of person. I don't think my headaches are RA related except some of the meds can cause headache. I get them from Remicade unless I take benedrl with it.

See Crunchy's notes.

Michele, the headaches can be from all the inflammation in your body or just the glorious fun of developing migraines. Since you do not normally have headaches, it should be investigated. See your GP, call your Rheumy or go to Urgent Care.

Most of the time it is not serious, but it can be. The dizziness added to it is a problem.

Being light sensitive could also indicate inflammation in your eyes, which can help trigger painful headaches.

Maybe you should get this checked out. If it is just migraines they have some medicines that are targeted for that. You need to make sure that whomever sees you that they are aware that you have RA.

Hope you feel better.

Michele -

I suffered from migranes for TWO YEARS SOLID. Every day, at least once a day, if not the migrane would *last* all day. Terrible, TERRIBLE migranes. I would have to leave work, leave school, leave the mall. Stop anything and everything I was doing and be in a dark room, with no noise, a cold rag, and a puke bucket by my side. It seemed to come out of nowhere. I was so bad, a few times my b/f took me to the ER, and they wanted to do CT scans and all kinds of stuff, but they never found anything. I can't even tell you the severity of these migranes. I honestly thought a couple of times that I was going to die (on the way to the ER, or in the hospital) 2 weeks after my b/f moved out, my migranes suddenly stopped. I never thought about it too much, though I did think it was strange. About 4 months ago(and 2 years later), I got another one after working with a co-worker who had just smoked 3 cigs in a row, and REEKED of cigarettes. And it dawned on me. I was re-acting to cigarette smoke. And with my ex b/f around, probably pot smoke as well. I would have never guessed that was the cause, as my grandparents are smokers and I never remember getting sick around them. However, if its something like an allergy that's triggering migranes, allergies can develop overnight. I've tested my cigarette theory, and I am 100% positive that was the cause. I haven't had a migrane since that one 4 months ago. I even went as far as letting my co-worker know how I reacted to his smoke! LoL (akward!) I know it's a long shot that this is the cause, but just to check all possabilities, make sure you're not around something new that might be triggering these migranes. Is there a common factor in place when they start? I hope you get some answers! :)

Katie
arriscolwell39001.5340740741Hi, I'm really new to the site, but I have been doing a lot of research.  I'm also a chronic migraine suffer for years.  I had a really bad headache a few years back, much like what you described.  It wasn't a typical migraine for me.  Lasted like a month.  The GP finally put me on a blood pressure medicine and it did the trick, within 3 days the headache was gone.  He told me that he figured it was related to a viral allergy or something along that line and that it had caused the vessels in my brain to become inflamed or a vasculitis.  From what I have read about the RA, you can develop a chronic vasculitis.  You need to talk to your doctor about it.  Even if it isnt the RA causing, you definitely need to seek medical care with it, any headache that isnt related directly to an infection like sinuses or from bumping your noggin, that persists more then a few days can be a sign of something more serious going on, and requires medical attention. 

Hi

I have never had a migrane, until a week ago. I took tramadol (first time) the night before, so I am assuming it was from that?.. Not fun either way!

Bluewillow makes a good point. I have do have the Vasculitis and it started with severe headaches. Had to do the whole CT scan thing, see a Neurologist etc. I still get inflammation on the left side of my head and my doctor considers it worthy of an ER visit.

Interesting about the allergies though Katie. I have heard of people having certain triggers (especially food) for migraines. But a sudden headache should always be investigated.

Also, when my prednisone was at 60 mg, it made headaches really bad.

Conclusion, only a doctor can know for sure. But migrains are disgusting, painful experiences. Why live in that kind of pain if you don't have to.

Oh I def. agree on being seen for it. I just don't want anyone to be discouraged if the Doc can't find anything. I was, for 2 years. I thought they were missing something important and I was seriously going to die of it. But then *I* figured it out. Thank God. I don't think my nerves could have taken much more. LoL A lot of meds can have migranes as a side effect, and not nessicarily have it listed as one. Migranes can be so comlicated. Ick.

Thanks everyone.  It got so bad ysterday I had to leave work, went home in bed for four hours with an ice pack and dark silence.  My hubby read on line that sometimes caffiene can help so I drank a coke and I did start to feel better.

I woke up ok this am but than after I got out of the shower, the lights started again and the tunnell vision and the nausea.  I saw my internist today and she said it sounded like a classic migraine.

I also just started my period so she thinks it may be homronal related.  My body has changed a lot since my miscarraiges.  The internist gave me some Relpax and I took one about 1.5 hours ago and she said it if doesn't go way later this afternoon than I'm to take a second pill.

I'm at the office right now but know I'm not going to make it all day.  My vision is super blurry and my head is pounding and every stimuli seems to make it worse.

I see the rheumy in two weeks and I'll ask about the vasculitis but I think I remember her saying she ran some blood work for that sort of thing a month or two back.  My swelling in my hands in decreasing but the internist asked me about it today.  She said they looked very swollen and I told her they looked good compared to last week!
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