Visual migraine aura

The first time it happened, I was back in college and honestly had no clue what was even going on. It’s this visual migraine aura that starts out as a sort of gray smudge right in my line of sight, which then morphs into these jagged, zigzagging flashes of light. They usually last for maybe an hour at most. After that, I might get a full-blown migraine, or sometimes nothing follows at all.
I’ve dealt with those lightning bolts a few times now. Occasionally they come paired with a real migraine—you know, the whole deal with the pounding headache and trouble speaking clearly—but most of the time, it’s just the aura without the actual pain.
Interestingly enough, once I started taking Prozac for my anxiety, both the aura and the migraines just... vanished. I mean, I don't know if there's a direct link, but it’s definitely something worth noting.
For the past year, I've been tapering off the Prozac, and lately, those flashes have started creeping back. Usually, they only show up once every few months, nothing major. But over the last two days, they've been hitting me every single morning. Today, after the aura passed, I ended up with this dull ache right at the bridge of my nose, and I just feel... off. Like I can't focus, or I'm not quite myself. I even felt a bit dizzy at one point. I tried taking some Advil and Xanax, but it didn't really do much to take the edge off.

Naturally, I’m starting to freak out, and my anxiety is absolutely skyrocketing. I’d love to just listen if anyone has any advice or even just a thought to share. On top of everything, my cycle has been pretty irregular lately (so I'm guessing perimenopause might be kicking in), and this specific migraine hit on the third day after a really heavy period that left me bedridden for two days. I wonder if there's a connection to my cycle? Or maybe it's tied to some intense stress I went through about two weeks ago?

Thanks so much in advance for any help or input you guys can give.

I can’t exactly offer a solution, but I wanted to check in and let you know you aren't alone in this.

It sounds a lot like what I deal with; even just using a fax machine can trigger it for me.
The one thing is, I never actually get the migraine part.

At one point, I was convinced it was linked to anemia or maybe just stress, but honestly, I'm still totally in the dark about the cause.

When I was pregnant, it felt like it happened almost every single day.

Once I hit menopause, though, it completely vanished.

Lately, I go long stretches without anything happening, but then I'll get those "flashes" once or twice a day. They usually last about half an hour, and I find that closing my eyes and just blocking everything out really helps.

Amy Kelly, thanks for checking in. Honestly, it’s a bit of a relief knowing I’m not just going through this alone. I mean, I’m not exactly thrilled that you’re dealing with the same mess, but you know what I mean 😉

Yeah, I’m feeling the exact same way. I actually went down the rabbit hole thinking maybe it was anemia or just crazy stress levels, but then sometimes it just hits out of nowhere for no reason at all. It’s super uncomfortable and honestly, the panic sets in pretty much instantly.

I was actually reading up on it recently, and apparently, it pops up a lot during pregnancy and then again around menopause, which probably means it's heavily tied to whatever our hormones are doing.

For me, this time they hit three days in a row, then I had a one-day break, and then—bam—another two days of it. Just like you, if I’m at home, I basically just lie down and try to wait it out. If I happen to be stuck at the office, though, I’ll try to duck away for half an hour and just sit there staring at a wall until the "party" finally dies down.

Do you get any kind of pressure in your head behind those flashes, or any other weird symptoms? I know you mentioned you don't deal with migraines...

For me, once those "attacks" settle down after about 30 minutes, I feel totally fine again.

That’s why I don't let myself get too scared, even though it’s definitely unsettling.

U Lately, I've been dealing with some different issues; I'll wake up feeling dizzy and nauseous, and it hangs around for a few hours until I can nap, grab a bite to eat, and take a pill.

Right now, I'm actually heading in to get some tests done because this daily dizziness is getting out of hand.

You should probably go see an eye doctor, check your neck, and talk to a neurologist.

Good luck! 😵

Amy Kelly said:Personally, once those "attacks" settle down after maybe 30 minutes, I don't really feel much of anything else.

So I'm not exactly terrified, though obviously, it’s still pretty unsettling.

Lately, though, I’ve been dealing with some different stuff; I’ll wake up feeling all dizzy and nauseous, and it just hangs on for a few hours until I can get some sleep, eat something, and take a pill—then it finally lets up.

I'm actually about to start looking into why this daily vertigo thing is happening.

You should probably get checked out by an eye doctor, look into your cervical spine, and see a neurologist.

Good luck.😵

Man, I hate reading about people dealing with vertigo. I'm crossing my fingers that your tests come back okay. Maybe it's related to menopause?

I already went to the eye doctor and everything there seems fine, so I guess I really need to get my neck looked at... ever since I started working from home, I think I sit at my computer way more than I used to, and my posture is honestly terrible. I can really feel the tension and pressure in my neck and shoulders... it's just awful, I feel totally wiped out.😵

Honestly, I feel like our screens are slowly killing us all.

I don't necessarily link "flashing lights" directly to staring at a monitor, though.
For me, it actually started back in college when I’d spend hours hunched over my desk just drawing.

As for the nausea and neck issues? That’s definitely down to how bad my posture gets after sitting like that all day.

A close friend of mine has been dealing with these intense migraines and visual auras lately. She's undergoing some pretty serious neurological testing right now😲 because there’s even a worry about a potential stroke. Her other test results haven't been great either.

Wait, so is it just the two of us dealing with this?😁?

Man, after reading that whole thing about your friend, I’m honestly spiraling a bit—total panic and anxiety mode over here. My mind already tends to wander toward the worst-case scenarios anyway, but seeing those words “stroke” just sent me straight into a tailspin... 😢

Maria James88 said:Gosh, reading about what happened to your friend just sent me straight into a panic attack! My mind already tends to race, but seeing the words "stroke" just totally freaked me out... 😢

Nooo,

Don't let your mind go there.

She’s never had these flashes before, right?

And look, we’re the "veterans" here.

For us, this kind of thing is pretty standard. 🙂