I have been getting extreme pressure feelings in my head - on the top and left side and sometimes I get a numbness feeling on the left side of my head and face. I have had every test known to mankind and they are all negative. The dr suggested auras from a migraine (without getting the actual migraine). Has anyone out there ever had anything like this? And the dr wants me to try topomax 25mg - I am very sensitive to meds - any thoughts on this medicine.

Thank you!!!

Nancy

I have an unexplained illness and its been mentioned to me, but then I was told that my symptoms would be intermittent, not constant. It seems they are quite frequent. Hope you feel better.

i get occasional "auras", which usually precede the onset of migraine but not always. it's always a vision disturbance, i usually lose my peripheral vision on the left...scary but it never lasts more than an hour at a time. sorry i can't help you with the medication as i don't have any experience...but you're not alone! :)

K

Hi,

Yep I have had something similiar although my auras seem to go between tow set patterns:

I either feel like a weird numb feeling in my mouth and lips and sometimes tongue on the left side only, occasionally goes into my leg.

Or

I get the classis migraine aura which lasts an hour and starts with loss of vision, very much like someone took your photo with a very bright flash. Then it expands so it looks like all my vision has rain running down it. Then i makes me feel very sick and dizzy. Then it goes into zig zags and a calidascope of colours with zig zags all over. Then it stops and bang major head ache starts on one side.

I have tries over the counter migraine meds but they have no effect and dont help. They suspect sometimes I am having basiliar artery migraines so have told me to take 3 aspirins at the onset. This is not a normal dose so please do not do that without medical advice first.

Then they talked anout ami which is specific to control migraines, oh and there is pizotofen as another option. Both have side effects but are generally well tolerated and good for migraines.

Luckily I dont get them too often and are triggered by major stress or pregnancy etc, so there seems o be a hormonal connection there.

Hope that helped some.

:wave: Thought I'd put this out there. I never discussed this with my Dr. because I have changed Dr.'s and am doing fine w/o him. In 1997 (I was 41 at the time) I started getting these visual disturbances. It would start as a *** in my eyesight, then expand throughout my whole eyesite with jagged lines overtaking my eyesite till it escalated then finally left. It would take from 20 minutes to an hour to go away. Then my head hurt, not too bad, but it was there. It would happen on really sunny days with blue blue skies.
I went to a neurologist, and he examined me and suggested tension headaches and considered "clipping" this nerve in my neck to stop it. I thought that was quite severe, and decided to just put up with this. Well, it got scary driving at times when this would happen. When this would happen I'd prefer a dark room. Then I read about triggers, like chocolate, especially dark chocolate. And yes they happened consuming chocolate but not everytime. Then I got to thinking....hmmm...these started right around the time my Dr. prescribed Claritin D. Now, I took Claritin and never had these probs, but when I started Claritin D, it seems these monstrosity's started to happen. After getting no help for years (it's now 2004) I gave up Claritin D last fall. And I haven't had a single episode of these happening again. I really believe these aura's were a result of the Claritin D, not the Claritin. I looked on the net to see if anyone else had this problem, but couldn't find nothing. But thinking of all the episodes at work and the time lost hiding in the dark bathroom it was not comfortable and it was quite embarassing. Anyone here on Claritin D? It's over the counter now and I've been waiting to hear if anyone else if having these sorts of problems.

I have migraines from time to time and almost always have an aura accompanying them. Usually it is like a shower of gold glitter all around me or being caught in a swarm of fireflies. Sometimes I will get blank spots in my field of vision. Excedrin Migraine is what I take first. If that doesn't stop the headache, I take Imitrex. It's frightfully expensive, but it will get rid of the headache. Occassionally, I do get the aura without the headache. Doesn't happen often, though.

I also get the aura before my migranes start,very similar to what everyone else here is describing.This seems to be the norm.Your 'auras"unfortunetly,do not sound like a normal type of migrane aura.I would be willing to bet that you are not experiencing migrane.i would talk to your doc about further testing.

Thank you for all of your responses! I have had this pressure, slight pain feeling since Tuesday on the left side of my head with occasional numbness on and off. Yesterday afternoon I felt like I was getting a headache and the feeling has not left. In the past 9 months I have had an MRI, MRA, EEG, numerous blood tests, EMG, CAT scan (at the ER with the first attack), BAER test and probably tests I cannot even remember. All have come back negative - every single one...that is why they are thinking auras. I think now I am finally getting the migraine. I tried neurontin which made me really sick, now the dr wants me to try Topomax - I am wondering why not just a plain old Migraine medicine?

I just hope I get some relief soon....

Thanks again

Nancy

Yeah, i get the auras for an hour at the begining of a migrane. Mine are black, red and blue zig zags. Last time I starting seeing them I took Exederin Migraine IMMEDIATELY and within 1/2 an hour the auras had gone and I didn't get a migraine. I've NEVER been able to stop a migraine before. - it was a first for me