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Fatigue disappears during migraines

AlwaysTired

Senior Member
Messages
174
So I get migraines fairly frequently, a lot more in the past year and when I am having one my energy level feels like I had in my pre-CFS days, my fatigue is gone and if I've been experiencing weakness that disappears too.

Of course the migraines themselves are debilitating so it's not like I can actually do anything while I have one, but I am wondering if anyone knows why this phenomenon occurs. It makes me think something is going on during the migraine that must be good since I suddenly feel normal again during them??

Anyone ever experience or heard of this?
 

AlwaysTired

Senior Member
Messages
174
On this site it says you can have a surge of energy before or during a migraine, but doesn't explain why.
http://www.headaches.org/2007/10/25/migraine/


That's news to me because I always feel very tired/sleepy after. Do you experience Aura before they start?

Interesting. I didn't know the surge of energy thing was normal. In my pre-CFS days I never experienced it during a migraine.

Do you feel tired during them too, or just after?

I don't experience aura
 

Mij

Messages
2,353
@AlwaysTired I feel tired towards the end and after. I kind of like the feeling because I feel relaxed. I only get a migraine every 2-3 years and it lasts approximately 4 hours. I get the aura 20 minutes before the headache hits.
 

Mohawk1995

Senior Member
Messages
287
Maybe unrelated, but after my son had an anaphylactic response to touring allergy testing, he had two to three days feeling basically normal. Did not last, but was definitely an energy surge. I tend to think it was Neurophysiological with a positive Biochemical effect. Perhaps there is some positive Biochemical/Neurophysiological effect with migraines in your case too. Be interesting to test your blood at baseline and then during a migraine with Ron Davis's techniques.
 

boombachi

Senior Member
Messages
392
Location
Hampshire, UK
I always get remission with migraines. I am lucky in that I can keep the headache and sickness at bay with a combination of otc painkillers. I also get remission with colds and hangovers. Isn't life sweet?

I can't explain it either. My mygraines are almost certainly hormonal but colds and hangovers aren't. I have 2 theories.

1) the immune system is busy with something else and ignores whatever is causing the fatigue for a while
2) there is a common factor with migraines, hangovers and colds which restore orthostatic function.

I feel for you suffering with such bad migraines. Have you tried feverfew? It got rid of my migraines but you need to take it for a couple of months before it starts working. If you stop they will come back.
 

Marigold7

Senior Member
Messages
430
Opposite with me. Only the pain, and severe vomiting that has meant hospital admission when it got so bad there was blood coming up. Impossible to take any pain relief then. And dehydration a risk

Always meant a dr.

Then a dr told me re Imigran nasal spray. Could not believe it the first time. It was like switching the pain and vomiting off. Instant. Blinked in sheer astonishment.
Thankfully old age is bringing a lessening of occurrence. And only with a severe cause eg getting soaked etc.
Last big one was at the end of a three day Craft Fair, Car drove itself home as I fought severe nausea, used the nasal spray and it was gone.
I even managed the house move without one. Have tabs too, Imigran and have used two in all the 6 months while here to ward off an attack.

They limit use very strictly and that is fine.
 

Hutan

Senior Member
Messages
1,099
Location
New Zealand
I've just got a migraine and I don't feel great in any way. But I wonder if maybe some painkillers reduce inflammation and help to tone down the ME symptoms.

I tracked my symptoms and treatments very carefully for some months and found that when I was getting migraines, the fatigue was better. It could be that I have to rest when I have a migraine and the rest helps. But I noticed that the improvement was better related to taking ibuprofen rather than having migraines. So I experimented taking ibuprofen without a migraine, and the mild reduction in symptoms still happened.

I convinced my doctor of the strength of the correlation and we experimented with Mobic, a similar type of painkiller. But that didn't help.

@AlwaysTired, do you take any medication when you have a migraine?

I noted that @boombachi does, and gets the remission of ME symptoms.
I always get remission with migraines. I am lucky in that I can keep the headache and sickness at bay with a combination of otc painkillers.

Whereas @Marigold7 doesn't get remission of ME symptoms during a migraine, but can't take painkillers.
Opposite with me. Only the pain, and severe vomiting that has meant hospital admission when it got so bad there was blood coming up. Impossible to take any pain relief then.
 
Last edited:

Marigold7

Senior Member
Messages
430
I have dreaded them and they left me ill for days. The last really bad one I had was post-op after wrist surgery; fasting is dangerous for migraines. All I was offered was 2 paracetemol by mouth as I threw up constantly and it got so bad they finally gave me morphine which was bliss.
 

edawg81

Senior Member
Messages
142
Location
Upstate, NY
I get this too, since I have chronic migraines and ME, it was more pronounced when I had very mild ME, I would feel sick during a migraine and feel amazing the day or two after. I had the least amount of energy, a crash just before my migraine onset. I would guess it has to do with cytokine exhaustion. Now with moderate ME this holds less true, although some of my better days have been days just after an intense migraine.
 

Marigold7

Senior Member
Messages
430
I get this too, since I have chronic migraines and ME, it was more pronounced when I had very mild ME, I would feel sick during a migraine and feel amazing the day or two after. I had the least amount of energy, a crash just before my migraine onset. I would guess it has to do with cytokine exhaustion. Now with moderate ME this holds less true, although some of my better days have been days just after an intense migraine.

All fascinating and I clearly lucked out .. they left me drained but deeply glad when they stopped. with me it was low blood sugar ie doing without food for too long that caused many.
 

AlwaysTired

Senior Member
Messages
174
@AlwaysTired I feel tired towards the end and after. I kind of like the feeling because I feel relaxed. I only get a migraine every 2-3 years and it lasts approximately 4 hours. I get the aura 20 minutes before the headache hits.

I get tired again after too. I only feel energized during. I wish I only got one every 2-3 years!
 

AlwaysTired

Senior Member
Messages
174
I always get remission with migraines. I am lucky in that I can keep the headache and sickness at bay with a combination of otc painkillers. I also get remission with colds and hangovers. Isn't life sweet?

I can't explain it either. My mygraines are almost certainly hormonal but colds and hangovers aren't. I have 2 theories.

1) the immune system is busy with something else and ignores whatever is causing the fatigue for a while
2) there is a common factor with migraines, hangovers and colds which restore orthostatic function.

I feel for you suffering with such bad migraines. Have you tried feverfew? It got rid of my migraines but you need to take it for a couple of months before it starts working. If you stop they will come back.

I haven't. I take imitrex because otc options were no longer cutting it

I have recently added methylfolate to my supplements and it seems I have been getting fewer and less severe migraines with it though, which is interesting
 

AlwaysTired

Senior Member
Messages
174
Opposite with me. Only the pain, and severe vomiting that has meant hospital admission when it got so bad there was blood coming up. Impossible to take any pain relief then. And dehydration a risk

Always meant a dr.

Then a dr told me re Imigran nasal spray. Could not believe it the first time. It was like switching the pain and vomiting off. Instant. Blinked in sheer astonishment.
Thankfully old age is bringing a lessening of occurrence. And only with a severe cause eg getting soaked etc.
Last big one was at the end of a three day Craft Fair, Car drove itself home as I fought severe nausea, used the nasal spray and it was gone.
I even managed the house move without one. Have tabs too, Imigran and have used two in all the 6 months while here to ward off an attack.

They limit use very strictly and that is fine.

I wanted to get the nasal spray but I don't have insurance (and can't work due to CFS) so it was too expensive for me to afford
 

AlwaysTired

Senior Member
Messages
174
I've just got a migraine and I don't feel great in any way. But I wonder if maybe some painkillers reduce inflammation and help to tone down the ME symptoms.

I tracked my symptoms and treatments very carefully for some months and found that when I was getting migraines, the fatigue was better. It could be that I have to rest when I have a migraine and the rest helps. But I noticed that the improvement was better related to taking ibuprofen rather than having migraines. So I experimented taking ibuprofen without a migraine, and the mild reduction in symptoms still happened.

I convinced my doctor of the strength of the correlation and we experimented with Mobic, a similar type of painkiller. But that didn't help.

@AlwaysTired, do you take any medication when you have a migraine?

I noted that @boombachi does, and gets the remission of ME symptoms.


Whereas @Marigold7 doesn't get remission of ME symptoms during a migraine, but can't take painkillers.

That's an interesting theory. I wish it were true for me cause then I could clear my fatigue when I don't have a migraine, but I feel energized from them before before I take anything for it, and I'm laying in bed resting even when I don't have a migraine so I don't think that's the reason in my case, for the energy

I take sumatriptan (generic form of imitrex) and sometimes propanolol
 

AlwaysTired

Senior Member
Messages
174
I get this too, since I have chronic migraines and ME, it was more pronounced when I had very mild ME, I would feel sick during a migraine and feel amazing the day or two after. I had the least amount of energy, a crash just before my migraine onset. I would guess it has to do with cytokine exhaustion. Now with moderate ME this holds less true, although some of my better days have been days just after an intense migraine.

Interesting. I only feel energized during, and go back to same level of tiredness immediately after.
 

Marigold7

Senior Member
Messages
430
I wanted to get the nasal spray but I don't have insurance (and can't
work due to CFS) so it was too expensive for me to afford

Ah so sorry>I am in Ireland and because I am a historic monument I have a medical card and only pay E2 an item any prescription item. I gathered it was costly. They ration it! The tabs are good if you catch it before the vomiting starts. I rarely could as I used to wake with the migraine. Have to say that the morphine was amazing! Waves of sweet relief flowing through my battered head...
Thankflully now they are rare events and i have enough meds for now as I do not have a GP here.