According to Harvard Medical School A complex migraine is one in which there are neurological symptoms such as weakness loss of vision or difficulty speaking in addition to the headache. One way to differentiate between a stroke and a hemiplegic migraine is the timing of the symptoms.
Migraine Mimics Practical Neurology
I figured I was having a stroke.
Complex migraines with stroke like symptoms. The symptoms of some types of migraine can mimic stroke such as hemiplegic migraine where there is weakness down one side. Many of the symptoms you describe could be consistent with Migraine with Aura and Migraine Complications. Once I recovered 5 minutes later I pulled back on to the highway headed home.
Rarely this type of migraine occurs without a family history. Nausea sensitivity to light and sound throbbing intense headache pain vomiting. Symptoms can include weakness loss of vision or difficulty speaking in addition to a headache often mimicking a stroke.
In fact a complex migraine may be mistaken for a stroke. Strokes and transient ischemic attacks TIA often have very similar symptoms to migraines with aura. A migraine with aura rarely may cause a stroke.
In addition to severe head pain migraine can mimic and have the same symptoms of a stroke like dizziness and facial numbness. Complex migraine with aura like the basilar migraine causes stroke-like symptoms that literally take your words away- aphasia is one of several disturbing symptoms of migraine aura. A complex migraine is a condition that can truly affect ones daily functioning and quality of life.
15 minutes passed by and it happened again all of the same symptoms. If the symptoms come on very suddenly it is more likely to be a stroke than a migraine. A hemiplegic migraine causes symptoms like confusion and trouble speaking which are similar to those of a stroke.
Migraine causes symptoms such as. Symptoms of hemiplegic migraine can include. Flashes of light double vision or other visual disturbances aura.
Complicated migraines can cause focal neurological symptoms that typically resolve within 24 h and should be considered if there is a family history of migraine or hemiplegic migraine 324. A stroke or brain attack is a condition that occurs when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked ischemic leaks or bursts hemorrhagic. A stroke and hemiplegic migraine have several overlapping symptoms including numbness or paralysis on one side of the body communication difficulties vision problems headache and dizziness.
Migraine is a paroxysmal brain disorder so subtle stroke-like symptoms like visual obscurations word-finding problems and tingling are not uncommon and represent a brain cell energy uncoupling. A migraine attack is not just a headache. During attacks patients develop stroke-like symptoms with sensory andor loss of strength of muscles.
Numbness or tingling in the affected side of your face or limb. Weakness on one side of your body - including your face arm and leg. Seeing a neurologist or headache.
For instance a migraine with only a visual aura but no headache may be mistaken for TIA. These similarities make it very hard to differentiate typical stroke symptoms from just plain migraine symptoms. Migraine auras can be confused with transient ischaemic attack TIA where someone has stroke symptoms that pass in a short time.
Worse than the average headache this condition manifests alongside a number of other debilitating and frustrating symptoms. And knowing the difference could save your life. Sometimes it has even been mistaken for a stroke.
Learn all about aphasic migraine causes and treatments. Visual disturbances speech impairment and muscle weakness. I got my car stopped and I had no clue where I was I could not talk my brain was jumbled and my hands felt numb.
Focal seizures can result in subsequent transient postictal hemiparesis Todds paralysis but stroke should be considered if the duration of the deficit is prolonged relative to the duration of the preceding seizure.
