Link between heart block and migraines?

Hi, I hope you'll be able to help me.

I've been suffering with migraines since I was 8, I'm now 21. I used to get them whenever I ate chocolate (worst few years of my life, lol!!) but then they stopped for about a year when I was 14. After that I got them more regularly, about once every 2 or 3 months. It's not related to my period, as I kept a migraine diary at my GP's suggestion. He gave me medication to prevent the migraines, and the only one that really seemed to help was propranolol, a beta-blocker which ended up causing my heart block. Since the doctors at the hospital stopped the propranolol in July when they made the link, I got migraines a lot more often, and nothing works. I'm on Epilim to prevent them, Sumatriptan nasal spray for when they start, and codeine when the Supatriptan doesn't work. I can follow the instructions 100% and I know I've just got to give in and let the migraine take its course. I travelled to London to see Fall Out Boy at The O2 yesterday, and just when we got thereI had to go home again because I had a sudden, debilitating migraine! I've now had 3 in the last fortnight. Could there be a link between heart block and migraines? I've tried to find the trigger, given up cheese/oranges etc., even chocolate for about a fortnight! But still I get them. Every time I get a migraine, I feel an awful thumping in the left side of my head with each skipped heart beat, which makes me think maybe there is a connection.

I have no idea if any of you will be able to help, I'm just desperate to maybe find an answer!

Thanks,
Emma xxx

1 Comments

migraines

by Tracey_E - 2009-03-08 09:03:13

I've never heard of a connection. I think you just feel your heart beat differently during a migraine, that thumping on the side of the head is awful! Your heart won't skip beats now, the pm prevents it- but that doesn't mean it won't sometimes feel like it is.

I was never able to find a trigger for mine. I gave up all sorts of foods that could be triggers and tried different pressure points, massage, you name it, and still spent a day or two every week in bed with migraines for years.

I found a cure by accident. I went to chiropractor for back pain after a bad car accident. He does a particular type of chiropractic called Palmer method, or Specific Chiropractic, that concentrates on your upper cervical only (as opposed to the chiro's who practice more general, sports-oriented care). I haven't had a bad migraine in ten years now. If I start to get one, I call him and he can make it go away before it gets bad with a combination of adjustment and massage. Not everyone gets results this drastic, but it's not rare either. The key is finding a good doctor, there are a lot of mediocre and bad ones out there for every good one.

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