What Causes Vestibular Migraine and How You Can Treat It

vestibular migraine

Migraine headaches are a common condition experienced by a majority of people. When it comes to vestibular migraines, it is a nervous system problem that is different from general migraine headaches. It comes along with repeated episodes of vertigo or dizziness bouts.

A human inner ear constitutes a vestibular system that is responsible for hearing and regulating the balance of the body. A person having a history of migraines and experiences episodes of vertigo spells such a condition is known as vestibular migraine. As per medicals, it is even known as Migraine-associated vertigo, Migrainous vertigo, or Migraine-related vestibulopathy. A person experiencing vertigo spells may feel like whether he is spinning or nearby surroundings are spinning all by itself which in reality is still.

Unlike traditional migraine headaches, vestibular migraines do not always come with painful headaches and may last for a few seconds to minutes to hours in some rare cases. If the case is severe, vestibular migraine symptoms remain persistent for days making a person feel dizzy or experience the loss of equilibrium. The slightest movement in the position of the head triggers the symptoms and makes it worse. A small percentage of the population may experience vestibular migraines irrespective of age and gender. There are many possible causes that trigger a condition resulting in causing vestibular migraines. It is one of the most common causes of vertigo conditions.

It is advised to seek Vestibular Migraine treatment on time as soon as you start experiencing any symptoms. Consult an expert neurologist to get yourself diagnosed and get the best vestibular migraine and vertigo treatment to alleviate the symptoms sooner than you expect to lead a normal happy life. An expert neurologist will carry a series of tests to diagnose the accurate cause and would suggest the treatment accordingly. He will even prescribe certain antibiotics as vertigo treatment to ease spinning sensations. Let’s have a look at some common vestibular migraine symptoms that call for a visit to a doctor.

What are the common Vestibular Migraine symptoms?

Frequent episodes of dizziness or vertigo that come and go are the main symptoms diagnosed in the patients of vestibular migraines. Apart from it, there are various other symptoms that come along. Vestibular migraines do not always come with severe headaches. Some patients do not experience it all while others may experience it before, during, or after the vertigo spells. Some other symptoms are:

  1. A feeling of off-balance or lightheadedness
  2. Dizziness that last for a few minutes
  3. Nausea and vomiting
  4. Difficulty in maintaining balance
  5. Motion sickness that comes with the changes in the position of your head, eyes, or body.
  6. A sensation of unsteadiness or a feeling of swaying in a rocking boat.
  7. A feeling of disorientation or being confused
  8. Sensitivity to sound

What are the possible Vestibular Migraine causes?

If research reports are to be believed, the actual cause of vestibular migraines is still unknown. Medical services are still not certain about the actual causes of vestibular migraines whereas some believe that the release of chemicals in the brain abnormally plays a significant role in causing vestibular migraines. The blood vessels present in and around the brain along with the vestibular artery present in the inner ear get widened due to the abnormal release of chemicals.

To identify the accurate underlying Vestibular Migraine causes, research and studies are still under wraps. Some patients may even experience sudden episodes of vertigo dizziness even after many years.

An increase in the percentage of vestibular migraine patients has been recorded, but the underlying cause still remains undiagnosed.  As compared to men, women are at higher risk of developing vestibular migraines. If stats are to be believed a large number of the population experiencing vestibular migraine remains undiagnosed every year as its symptoms resemble other vestibular disorder symptoms as well.

Seeking medical help on time helps in alleviating symptoms with the right Vestibular Migraine treatment and medications. Here is a list of possible factors that trigger a vestibular migraine:

  1. Stress and anxiety
  2. Not taking sufficient sleep
  3. Dehydration
  4. Monthly menstruation cycle
  5. Changes in weather
  6. Certain foods like chocolates, red wine, coffee, caffeine, processed meats, etc.

How are vestibular migraines diagnosed?

Once you start experiencing vestibular migraine symptoms and visit a doctor for a diagnosis, he will seek the complete medical history of the patient and ask some questions. To diagnose such a condition there is no test that can show accurate results. Your doctor may ask you various questions starting from the frequency of vertigo spells, how long vertigo dizziness lasts, does a patient of vestibular migraine has experienced migraine headaches in the past or not, and so on to diagnose the severity of the condition. An expert doctor will check the patient’s sensitivity to light and sound for accurate diagnosis and would suggest the right vestibular migraine treatments accordingly.

What are the most common vestibular migraine treatments?

Once you are diagnosed with vestibular migraines, your doctor may prescribe you with certain drugs or vestibular suppressants to control sudden attacks of vertigo spells if the case is severe. There is no specific medication for vestibular migraines yet. He may suggest you with Triptants which is recommended to take when you experience headaches. Apart from it, Beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, SSRIs, and antiepileptic medications,  benzodiazepines such as lorazepam (Ativan), anti-nausea drugs like promethazine (Phenergan), and meclizine are other medicines prescribed by doctors that help in alleviating the symptoms. 

A change in dietary habits prevents vestibular migraine symptoms from triggering further. It is advised to reduce the consumption of caffeinated beverages, salt, and alcohol. Give up on some foods such as chocolate, processed meat, etc. to prevent symptoms from getting worse.

Some patients even experience a trigger in symptoms due to the movement in the head, eyes and body. In such cases, doctors may recommend undergoing Vestibular migraine therapies to ease the symptoms. Some devices such as Cefaly, SpringTMS, or eNeura sTMS help in giving some relief to the patients of vestibular migraines. Treating the condition at the right time helps in alleviating symptoms and gives a much-needed relief. Seeking medical help at the right time helps in a healthy well being.  

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