Migraines and Diabetes - input needed

[mikeydt1]

i am basically looking for anyone who suffer with migraines along with been diabetic. reason for this is that when i suffer a migraine i have been found to have an increase in my diabetic levels and was wondering if anyone else has had their diabetes checked during a migraine and what is the state of the diabetic levels.

since developing diabetes when i get a migraine the migraines seem to be a lot worse with extreme vomiting along with some other bad symptoms, one resulted in an ambulance been called, it was through this that i then found out i had diabetes.

not bothered about what type of diabetes you have.

in the mean time i am going back to neurology when OP open again. have spoken with the neurologist so will be interesting to see how things go when i return.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Really sorry to hear this @mikeydt1

Sounds absolutely awful for you. My mum had fairly regular stress migraines when I was a kid so I know how debilitating they can be

Perhaps the intensity is such that you are getting a hormone response to the pain - like cortisol or something?

Hope the neurologist can provide some answers and offer appropriate treatment options.

 

[Becka]

I get migraines in spells, but nothing had stood out from my regular blood testing during them so I assume there is no connection. They did not get any worse after being diagnosed.

 

[rebrascora]

Interestingly, my migraines stopped when I got diabetes, but I suspect it was the radical change of diet to low carb eating to control it which was the key, rather than the diabetes itself. I used to get really bad ones which would often result in me vomiting and I would get diarrhoea as well and sometimes passing out whilst vomiting which was scary. I would get an episode about once a month and be laid up for at least half a day but usually most of the day (never more than one day) and I had been suffering with them for over 20 years, although the frequency was much less in the early days.
I am now a year and 4 months without any problems and I can even drink red wine now without it affecting me and that was one of my key triggers. I hadn't been able to enjoy a glass of red for many years. I now eat lots of cheese too which is often a trigger for people, but probably a lot less chocolate than I did although that never seemed to be an obvious trigger for me.

 

[mikeydt1]

interesting getting the diarrhoea as that is something i have been getting. as my migraines have changed over the last few years i suspect that is why the neurologist is wanting to see me as they can do more stuff than over the telephone.

in the mean time he has prescribed some medication as i get the migraines for so many days in a row which is not nice, not only that been a home carer it knacks me up some what.

he is aware about the diabetes levels increasing during an attack so this will give him a bit of a challenge.

 

[rebrascora]

As I understand it, diarrhoea is quite an uncommon symptom with migraine, but it would be one of the first signs for me... waking up needing to go to the loo and being loose and then realising that I had a bit of a thick head. I would immediately get some paracetamol down me and some water and head back to bed with a glass of water and a cold compress and eye cover. Then the headache would get progressively worse and I would start feeling feverish, both hot and cold and then more trips to the loo and vomiting and/or passing out, if it was really bad. Once I had vomited, that would normally be the worst of it over, even if I just brought up clear fluids and whilst the headache and fevers would take several hours to go, and I needed to be in a dark room and have my eyes covered, I always felt it was just a waiting game after than until I felt better.
My GP gave me medication, both preventative and treatment, but I didn't find either beneficial and Paracetamol worked best for me and the sooner I got them down me, the better the result.
Interestingly, I never had a migraine come on during the day, I always woke up with them, either through the night or in the morning.
I can tell you that no longer getting them since diagnosis is such a massive relief it almost makes having diabetes worth while, frustrating as it is. Certainly a very, very bright silver lining for me.

 

[Inka]

I get migraines. I find they make my blood sugar low. I read it’s to do with the digestion ‘shutting off’ (which is why you’re always advised to take meds as soon as you feel one coming on so that they can be absorbed properly).

I get nausea with them. My migraines don’t sound as vicious as yours though.

So, for me, I need to watch out I don’t have a hypo. I’d also add that sometimes a low blood sugar will trigger a migraine, but that’s separate from what I’ve described above. Sometimes the day after a migraine my blood sugar will be a little higher than normal and I put that down to stress.