DO MIGRAINES INCREASE RISK FOR STROKE?

Hi All!  I am sure that someone has posted about this before but I can't seem to find the post anywhere.  Does anyone know if migraines increase a person's risk of a stroke?  My blood pressure has always been fine but now, every time I have a migraine, my blood pressure soars.  The last ER visit for a migraine, my pressure was 202/151.  As soon as the pain was decreased, my BP was back to normal.  That high of a pressure scares me to death.  I can tell it is getting high because I can feel my heart beating in my ears (weird, I know).  I am taking Verapamil for my migraines.  The only positive of this is that as soon as the triage nurse takes my vital signs in the ER, they tend to move me to the front of the line.  That kind of a BP worries them, also.

Thanks for any and all help!

I'm pretty sure it does. I was on birth control which was the cause of my migraines, and my doctor said that birth control increases the risk of a stroke, so I'm pretty sure strokes and migraines go together.

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Post Edited By Moderator (Chutz) : 7/11/2007 1:28:30 PM (GMT-6)

Well i have been a medical transcriptionist for ten years, and i learned from some great doctors, and the only way to learn about yourself is to educate yourself. I was eating lunch one day at work. All of a sudden i felt my left arm go numb. then the left side of my head had a sharp pain go through it that took my breath away. i was dizzy when i stood up. first that this ever happened to me. i said wow. then the pain on the left side of the head got stronger. and my whole left arm went completely numb, so i went over to the health nurse. she took my blood pressure which was slightly over borderline. 140/90. My primary told me to go to the hospital over the weekend if i got the same symptoms because he said yes, left arm pain, and numbness and tingling are symptoms of a stroke, as i read pamphlets, and i have to keep up with my medical terminology.

Well sure as hell.... doc came in, and said i had the onset of a migraine headache. gave me a shot of toradol.... he said what is sad is that a migraine you can get the same symptoms as a stroke in some patients, and yes the blood pressure can go high if you are STRESSED. i have stress headaches and also rebound headaches. so i had to stop all my tylenol, advil, fiorecet, etc. and stop cold turkey with no medication, and was referred to a neurologist, and now im on topomax, and nortriptyline, and imitrex prn for migraine onset. they work quite well, but he said once again, the stress will KILL you, and that is what is causing the headaches. we raised the dosage on the topomax, but he dont want to raise it because then he said the stress needs to be resolved and told me to get on an antidepressant. we solved the problem of the migraines, but now my job is so stressful, you have to solve the other part of the problem.

Now the high blood pressure your describing, is just what it is HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. that needs to be looked into ASAP. that will lead you into a stroke, not a migraine. but i had all the stroke symptoms of a migraine headache unfortunately, and everyone is different, and i was in the hospital waiting room, and i saw the symptoms of a stroke, and i was like omg, i thought i was really having one, but all my vital signs were normal except for all that was mentioned. then i was fine and was put on the right medication.

Now the birth control. we all know how that is girls. high risk when you smoke over 30. im not a doctor, i just tell people what i see, and what i hear. cant tell anyone what to do. my birth control pill i was on caused ovarian cancer and it was the best pill that only caused three day bleeding. my periods lasted ten very long bleeding heavy days, and i was the rare women who got heavy periods and got them twice a month. yes, birth control pills can cause cancer and risks, so i chose another way out. I went the depo provera injection way. every three months, four times a year. I have no period at all. This shot is progresterone. not ESTROGEN. do not let any doctor tell you different. dont let any doctor tell you that you cannot go without a period because i had it confirmed with a urogynecologist because they are top notch above a gynecologist. i just had bladder surgery. now depo is not for everyone. some people bleed, some people dont. this shot is good. no complications, no risk factors. you still do your mammograms once a year, your pap smears, etc. i am 37 years old, and i still ask for a mammogram, you betcha. you have to be tough with your doctors because it is your life on the line, and especially now girls you have to treat cancer out there like it is an epidemic. it just does not run in the family anymore. it is out there, and it is rising.

Well i hope this all helps. if you need me, hollar, lol, , i dont know if my email is posted or not, but if it is drop me a line. I love helping people. i like to see people get better. i dont like to see anyone suffer. but please get that blood pressure under control. its the bottom number you have to worry about. that will lead you into a stroke and heart attack. and if you feel that one is coming on, and if you know there is one, pop a 325 mg aspirin immediately and call 911. it will stop a heart attack instantly and prevent it from getting worse until you get to the hospital. may god speed everyone.

Lisa :)

Hello all, I have been getting headaches for two years now. Lately been more often. I know for me it probably could as I have a blood clotting disorder so no birth control or HRT for me. Hope this helps. Kota

"In addition to being disabling, Migraines can be life-threatening. To put this in perspective, more people died from Migrainous Stroke last year than were murdered with handguns. The World Health Organization in 2004 in a Blue Book report noting that Migraine & Headache disorders are a global public health calamity. Dr Peer Tfelt-Hansen, president of IHS, explained:" (From:  http://www.migraines.org/myth/mythreal.htm) 

YES!!! Migraine sufferers are twice as likely to have a stroke than people who do not suffer from migraines. Stroke is more likely with someone who has had Status Migrainous (Migrainousus) which is a debilitating Migraine attack lasting for more than 72 hours. If moderate to severe Migraine pain lasts more than 72 hours, with less than a solid four-hour pain-free period, while awake, it should be considered an emergency requiring an office call or a trip to the emergency room.

I have had extended migraine "episodes" one of which lasted 33 days, and I have had a mild stroke which resulted in loss of feeling on my right side (face, neck, arm and hand)

Again, if you have 72 hours of migraine pain WITHOUT 4 hours that are pain free, please see your doctor. I have also ready that if you have migraine WITH AURA you are more likely to have a migraine related stroke than those who suffer from migraines without aura.

Because I have been really moody(peri-menopause) and my doc suspects that I could have endometriosis, I need to have an endoscopy. He said if he didn't find anything I could go on LOW dose pill. Didn't say it at the time but Will Not Chance it as I have a blood clotting disorder. Ended up w/ Pulmonary embolism after first son was born. I am over 35 but don't really drink or smoke. One Clot enuff. Kota