Really bright flashes, ideas? - Bipolar Disorder Message Board

Kapula · 02-27-2009, 08:40 AM

As no one cares off with my posts.

Bunnylover · 02-27-2009, 11:30 AM

Do you ever get bad headaches? What you're describing could be a migraine aura (which can happen without a headache), and there is a heavy over-lap between bipolar and migraines. Are any of your medications new? I would definitly call your doctor if this is a new occurence.

Kapula · 02-27-2009, 12:19 PM

As no one cares off with my posts.

katlin09 · 02-27-2009, 06:24 PM

Kapula,

I think previous poster hit the nail on the head. I get cluster migraines, ones that last for up to 13 - 16 days and I have the exact things you've described, and then some.

Also I think it would be fairly rare, if not impossible to get epilepsy from a medication. My mother was an epileptic, as was my older sister, who died from the disease when I was 13.

People tend to confuse a "Seizure Disorder" which you can get from medication, which I have, with Epilepsy. If you have Epilepsy you are born with it, it's a brain chemical disorder just like BP is a brain chemical disorder.

kat

Bunnylover · 02-28-2009, 08:00 PM

I'm glad you're going to look into the migraines. I don't get an aura, but my mom and my sister do (and I think about 2/3 of migraine suffers--they're very common, although different for each person.) Migraines can evolve over time too, my mom spent over a year trying to figure out her recent problems with vertigo, and it turns out they are another migraine related problem that has recently appeared.

Unfortunately, Lamictal doesn't help with migraines, but many of the other mood stabilizers do (topomaxx, deprecote), and although it isn't a reported benefit, I've seen a major reduction in the number I get since I started taking seroquel.