Migraines & Tachycardia

Hi all!

I'm chugging right along with my Topamax and Relpax as prescribed. Topamax is helping with the daily pain...not as frequent, not as severe.

Relpax...I'm still on the fence. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Anyway, last week I had a big migraine and the Relpax and other home treatments failed which landed me in the ER.

I do understand the role pain/stress plays on heart rate, BP, etc...but just wondering if anyone else out there has experienced a relationship in their migraines and tachycardia?

I did not get the initial read of my heart rate when I checked in but the nurse would not let me go until my heart rate came down. I finally checked out somewhere in the 110 BPM range. This is not the first time this has happened, just the first time I am trying to put some pieces of a puzzle together, maybe.

I am very healthy with no other problems, moderate activity level but during an attack I can feel my heart race and then slow, race and then slow...this happens even without triptan medications.

I've been doing some research on migraines and tachycardia and POTS and just wondering if anyone may have helpful information or experiences. Maybe something I need to mention to the doc in January?

Thanks!

When I first started getting migraines, I would have a very rapid heartbeat as it came on and very elevated BP. This would last for hours and was VERY concerning to the doctors the first couple of times I went to the ER. I was even forced to have a full cardiac workout at one ER.

I thought it was panic attacks. But, alas, it was migraines.

This gradually went away over the years and I was left with just the migraine. I still sometimes spike a high BP as the migraine comes on. Because of this, the doctors did not want me to use triptans like Imitrex.

I don't know if my heart raced and slowed. I think it was just elevated. The few times in the ER it would be around 145 and my BP would be 190/120.

That was decades ago and it didn't kill me :-)

Thanks for the reply!

I've been tracking the heart rate....and even though I haven't had a migraine in about a week, it's still a little elevated. So I'm thinking it maybe another s/e of the Topamax.

However, I'm glad you mentioned the Triptan relation. I'm thinking of asking the doc to discontinue the Relpax and come up with another plan of "rescue". My BP, which is normally very good, has been nearly in the 200's (systolic) during my last few ER visits. So triptans may not be appropriate for me.

I have constant tachicardia and I'm pretty sure it's because of migraines and ergotamine overuse.

After some research and some "aha" moments, I remember an episode with my thyroid back in 2003 when I was diagnosed with migraines.

I had some abnormal labs suggesting hyperthyroidism and a positive thyroid scan indicating possible Graves Disease. When I was referred to an endocrinologist, he simply brushed it off and told me I was "too young to worry about this"....

Shortly after, my migraines and thyroid symptoms fell silent, save for a few migraines per year. I was so intimidated by this doctor that I never sought a second opinion and the thought of Graves Disease never crossed my mind again until all these symptoms stared reappearing this year. I am hoping that these tests done years ago were false-positives. If not, I may have been living with an auto-immune disorder, masked as migraines for at least 9 years...if not longer.

Looking back, I found photos of me with a VERY enlarged thyroid gland. I have gathered those photos, and the thyroid reports and scans and am taking them with me to the doctor in early January. I'll give an update when I know more.....

Anyone with helpful info, please pass along. Many thanks.

Both my daughter and I have POTS, vaso vagal, and Ehlers Danlos hypermobility. Have you checked out dinet.org, NDRF.org, and dysautonomiainternational.org? These sites are a treasure trove of information on autonomic dysfunction.

If I can answer any questions, feel free to PM me. Dysautonomia can be a very difficult syndrome. Many people spend years finding a correct diagnosis, because doctors fail to a patient's blood pressure and pulse when standing. (see poor man's tilt test)

This is something I experience. Anytime I have a horrible ER worthy migraine my heart rate and bp both skyrocket.