As per the recent survey, a large percentage of patients have been diagnosed with migraines every year. It is one of the most common problems that come along with severe painful headaches, but migraine-associated vertigo or vestibular migraine is entirely different from traditional migraine headaches as it may involve no headaches at all. This medical condition is called by various names by medical professionals such as Migraine-associated vertigo, Migrainous vertigo, and Migraine-related vestibulopathy.
Vestibular migraine is referred to as a nervous system disorder that results in the occurrence of vertigo spells and dizzy bouts in patients who have a long-standing history of migraines. The vestibular term stands for the inner ear system that helps in regulating the balance of the body by sending signals from the inner ear to the brain.
Patients suffering from vestibular migraines experience vertigo, dizziness, and balance issues along with other migraine symptoms. People who experience vertigo due to Vestibular Migraine experience whether they are spinning or nearby surroundings are spinning itself which in reality is not in any motion, resulting in loss of balance. It’s not always necessary to experience painful headaches with Vestibular Migraine.
Vestibular migraines are mostly diagnosed in women when compared to men. The symptoms of such a medical condition last for a shorter duration and only remains for a few minutes or seconds. If the case is severe, vestibular migraines persist for a longer duration it may be days or weeks. Disturbance in the hearing ability, vision, and balance are some of the reasons that contribute to the emergence of vestibular migraine. Even after the advancements in medical technology a large percentage of patients remains undiagnosed.
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What is Migraine-associated vertigo
Apart from the slightest movement in the position of the head, hormonal fluctuations, foods, sleep disturbances, stress, and weather changes are some of the common conditions that trigger the vestibular migraine symptoms and make it worse to live with. It is advised to seek medical help as soon as you start experiencing certain symptoms. Consult an expert neurologist to get yourself diagnosed and get the right vestibular migraine treatment or therapy. He will carry certain tests to identify the underlying Vestibular Migraine Causes and suggest the treatment accordingly. If records are to be believed the underlying cause is still undiagnosed, but abnormal electric messages are one of the possible vestibular migraines cause as it widens the blood vessels present in and around the brain.
If you are experiencing repeated episodes of vertigo bouts quite frequently, doctors may recommend vertigo treatment to ease the spinning sensations. Your doctor may even suggest certain alterations in your dietary habits and prescribe certain antibiotics to alleviate the symptoms and get rid of migraine-associated vertigo. Have a look at some of the most common Vestibule Migraine symptoms and ways to get rid of such a condition. Let’s get started!
What are the most common Vestibular Migraine symptoms?
Vestibular migraine does not always come with painful severe headaches, unlike traditional migraine headaches. Frequent episodes of vertigo spells are the most common vestibular migraine symptoms that appear spontaneously without any warning signs. Apart from it a patient experiencing migraine-associated vertigo experiences other symptoms as well, let’s have a look at some:
- Balance issues or loss of equilibrium
- Sudden strokes of dizziness that last for a few minutes
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Motion sickness which gets triggered due to slightest movement in the position of the head, eyes or body
- Lightheadedness
- A feeling of rocking in a boat
- Sensitivity to light and sound
- Visual disturbances
- Sensory disturbances
- Motor disturbances
- A feeling of disorientation and confusion
A person experiencing vestibular migraine may even feel dizzy without having any headache at all. Whereas in some cases, a person may experience migraines for many years before vertigo symptoms start emerging. Vertigo symptoms may occur before, after, or during the headaches. Seek medical help immediately as soon as you start observing any symptoms to get rid of migraine-associated vertigo on time with the right Vestibular Migraine treatment.
What is the effective Vestibular migraine treatment?
Once you visit a neurologist to get yourself diagnosed he will seek your complete medical history and the symptoms you are experiencing. There is no such test like blood or imaging test that can tell the accurate cause of vestibular migraine. The diagnosis of such a condition is a tricky task for medicals. Doctors work on certain criteria to diagnose such a condition and suggest vestibular migraine treatment accordingly. He will ask the long-standing history of migraines, the number of spinning sensations, for how long vertigo spells last, the severity of the symptom, and so on to suggest the right and effective treatment to get rid of migraine-associated vertigo.
Here is a list of vestibular migraine treatment:
Medications
Once you are diagnosed with vestibular migraine your doctor may prescribe you with the same drugs to ease vestibular migraine that are effective in treating vertigo spells. Certain antibiotics are quite effective in treating sudden bouts of dizziness, motion sickness, nausea, vomiting, and many other vestibular migraine symptoms that come along.
Beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers, triptans such as sumatriptan (Imitrex), anti-seizure drugs, such as lamotrigine (Lamictal), CGRP antagonists, such as erenumab (Aimovig), etc are some of the common drugs that are generally prescribed by neurologists if you are experiencing repeated episodes of vestibular migraines quite frequently.
Modification in dietary habits
It is advised to avoid foods and beverages that are likely to trigger the symptoms of vestibular migraines. Give up on caffeinated beverages and alcohol to prevent the symptoms from getting worse. Having a well-balanced diet is suggested by doctors as it helps in easing the symptoms. Avoid foods like chocolates, cheese, foods with preservatives, and salty foods to avoid the symptoms from triggering any further and show a good response to medications.
Adopt a healthy lifestyle
Adopting a healthy lifestyle helps in preventing and easing vestibular migraines. Follow a regular regime of exercising regularly to alleviate symptoms and easing the condition. Take a sufficient amount of sleep and drink plenty of water to prevent the condition from getting worse.
Vestibular migraine therapy
If the situation is complex and a patient is experiencing intense vertigo spells, an expert neurologist will recommend undergoing therapy along with medicines to ease the condition and give the much-needed relief.
Experiencing migraine-associated vertigo and finding ways to get rid of it? Book your appointment today with an expert neurologist and get the right treatments and tips on preventing the condition. Talk about your health concerns at earliest before the situation gets complex.
