Basilar Migraines - Anyone diagnosed with them?

Hi Cheryl,

Sorry to hear you are suffering with this. Basilar Artery Migraines are really quite rare, and if this is indeed what you have it is important that you have this checked out by a Doctor and a formal diagnosis made!!!

How long have you been experience these symptoms? Have you spoken to your Doctor about them before, if so what have they said?

take care

Ann

Hi Cheryl,

My migraines are basilar as well. I have all the symptoms that you mention as well as tinnitus - although I get bouts of that without any other symptoms and have done my entire life. The vision loss is always in my right eye as is the head pain - always the lower right base of my neck area spreading to behind the right eye. I also get classic migraines as well, although not as often as I once did.

It seems that as I get older, the other symptoms (besides the pain) have become more pronounced. I have shooting pains down my right arm before some of the attacks.

Have you tried Verapamil as a preventative. I believe it's supposed to work pretty well for a good number of people with these kinds of migraines although I had no success with it at all. On the plus side, I didn't have a bad experience with it either.

You mentioned hormone problems due to birth control pills. I don't think people with basilar migraines are supposed to take the pill. I tried a couple different kinds before a diagnosis as a preventative and the attacks were made so severe that I suffered a TIA. Ever since the pills though, my migraines have been just a little bit worse. I don't know if the same is true for you or not.

Good luck and as Ann said, these migraines are really pretty rare and you need a doctor, preferably a good neuro experienced in headaches/migraines to provide you the best care.

I am 15 years old and was just recently diagnosed with basilar artery migraines. I'm not certain this is what I have because I've been misleaded many times by neurologists who really didn't know what they were doing. I have a lot of stroke-like symptoms, see colors, double vision, nausea, pain in neck and right and left side of the head, and numbness. When it's really bad I will get slurred speech. I'm going to get an MRA to just make sure it's not anything yet, I suggest you do the same as a precautionary measure.