Started 2-3 years ago, only once or twice a year, and not really bad ones compared to what a lot of people seem to get.

Had one today, probably first one this year. Rode into work feeling fine, then an hour later my eyesight went all blurry/squiggly for half an hour, then that cleared and the headache kicked in. Seems to have eased a bit now.

Anyone else suddenly start getting them? Any triggers I should watch out for?

Yes.

Exactly as you described. One kicked in this year half way through the Passportes ! Fortunately, was able to get to Morzine via road…

Flashes of light at the same time as a rapid eye movement set them off for me.

Passportes one caused by sudden reflection off snow coming doen to Les LInderets from the Pointe des Mossettes.

I’m finding these new bright LEDs on cars a real problem. And no drugs seem to help it once it’s going.

chocolate, caffeine, dairy (or just cheese), stress, blood sugar levels, citrus, computer screens, fluorescent lights (especially with a flicker), dehydration, do you need your eyes tested?

all these have been a factor for me or my wife who also suffers

Some of the common triggers are coffee., tea, chocolate, cheese, cola drinks

Lack of sleep?

No triggers that I can identify, and I love dark choc, cheese coffee etc.
I know when they’re coming (squiggly eyes) and two extra power pain killers stops most of the headache.

I used to get this type of migraine 3-4 times a year, at a particularly stressful time of my life. Luckily they’re very rare these days. Strong or dappled sunlight is now the usual trigger.

dappled sunlight

this too

At least I’m not alone then!

You aren’t alone. Stress, or a relaxion of stress, chocolate, cheese & citrus, bright lights, as the others have said.

For me:

Lack of sleep but has to be a lot
Lack of food
Stress although I’m better at controlling that
Fluorescent lighting although the more modern ones seem to not do that

Never been chocolate, cheese or any food.

If you get them infrequently, that suggests that the common triggers might not what trigger your migraines. Have you heard of the threshold theory? That suggests that when a number of triggers come together at once (each of which would not trigger a migraine by itself), it pushes your brain over a threshold and migraine results. There’s not much evidence that chocolate is actually a trigger, it’s thought that low blood sugar is a trigger, which causes a craving for chocolate just before the migraine becomes apparent.
Anyway, other triggers include particularly strenuous exertion, dehydration, and caffeine / caffeine withdrawal.

Me too, and I’m with vicky – mostly lack of sleep ok but then when other factors add up boof and it’s time to pop the pill

Triggers can be anything and everything. I’ve woken up in the morning and seen the tell-tale curved zigzag flashing lines before I’ve even opened my eyes. I had a blurred area in my vision a few minutes ago, with what looked like the beginning of an expanding zigzag ‘image’, but it seems to have dissipated, although I have got a bit of a headache. Mine can occur at any time, but being a bit tired and stressed is often a trigger, but not always. I don’t eat much chocolate at all, but the blood sugar thing could be part of it.
I’m going to get a couple of ibuprofen in a minute, just to kill the headache.

Sugdenr- you reminded me that too much sleep or conversely, too little sleep can be triggers too.

I am not a medic by the way, but I have had a consultation with Prof Anne MacGregor who is one of the top migraine experts in the UK, and I also recently went to a migraine event where we had talks from 3 neurologists, and a lot of discussion.

A friend if mine started getting migraines 2 months later diagnosed diabetic. If you get it after exercise worth asking the doctor for a test.

Try a chiropractor!

Totally out of the blue I started getting them about ten years ago. Initially two or three a week over about six months then they just stopped or rather reduced to two or three a year. I can’t find any particular reason for them. A bang on the head will do it though! I came off one and hit the ground hard enough to crack my helmet, that resulted in fairly constant migraines for a week or so.

Mine are usually triggered by reflected bright lights, i.e. off a car window or chrome bumper, etc.–Average about 1 a month.
I have had them for 40 years and have tried every prescription medication as they have become available All work to varying degrees, but the side effects suck.
About 2 years ago I came across a non-prescription, Lipigesic-M, which comes in a small packet of a gel that you open an put the gel under your tongue. I take one pack and a second in 5 minutes and it has, without fail, aborted the migraine. Contains the herb Feverfew and Ginger.
Cost is a small fraction of the prescription meds like Imitrix, Zomig, Ergomar, etc.—it is about $16 USD for a pack of 8. It can be ordered online here in the US and I would imagine there is a distributor in the UK.
Website is: http://www.lipigesic.com and I know it is available through Amazon as well.

Physiological causes are often overlooked. Mine are triggered by neck strain most of the time. They are one of the major reasons I gave up cricket (I bowled quick and put a lot of strain on my neck).

My only ones this year have been:

After playing cricket in a knockabout game

After a bike ride, but I had slipped badly in the garden and really hurt my neck the day before.

Hence probably both due to neck issues.

P.s. I slipped over playing ‘tig’ with a five year old and a two year old. I thought I’d dislocated my shoulder for a couple of minutes! My two year old then put in a rugby league style hit as I was lifting myself off the ground. Happy days.

I think we’re agreed that it varies. I’m quite sure that chocolate (that’s chocolate, not hunger) did it for me: one Smartie was enough. And one choc-chip cookie. And some triggers, particularly oranges, would also set off lesser headaches

I came to the conclusion that if a migraine is building up, something will set it off.

And afterwards, vision is clearer and colours seem brighter, a small payback.

I’ve only ever had 2 – the first in 2007 nearly killed me, then one about a year laterwhich left me a curled up wreck on the floor and nothing since. Hope it stays that way!

I used to, up until I was about 24. Exact same symptoms, would completely paralyse me, just had to sit there holding my head for hours or even days. Then one day I had some Pepsi max and my whole world turned upside down. Immediately stopped drinking sugar free drinks, worth a try I thought…. Not had a migraine for the last 12 years. Don’t know which ingredient it was but it worked for me.

Should have said – usually 4 or 5 a year I guess.

“Had one today”

Thats a bad headache.

If I have one Im in bed for two days with bad vision. cant move

Immediately stopped drinking sugar free drinks, worth a try I thought…. Not had a migraine for the last 12 years. Don’t know which ingredient it was but it worked for me.

Not a migraine, but aspartame would give me headaches. Full fat all the way now.

Since I got my eyes tested and started wearing glasses I’ve had much fewer migraines. Still get the occasional one, usually a lack of sleep followed by a long hard day in front of computer screen. Before glasses it was often that a day in front of the computer that would set it off. Not ideal when working in IT.

hora – which is why I also said “not bad ones”.

hora – Member
“Had one today”
Thats a bad headache.

Err, no Hora. The visual disturbances which MoreCash described are classic symptoms of migraine. Some people get no headache at all with this type of migraine. Everyone is different.

Reflected light seems to set mine off, thankfully not often. Seem to be more frequent after going to the gym, so I’m guessing low blood sugar might also have an influence.

I have suffered from migraines since my early teenage years, worst cases I have them two or three days a week. Triggers such as food additives, bright lights, straining eyes, driving at night and stress will set them off. These are all common triggers and you learn to avoid them or take precautions to limit the effects.

One thing I didn’t pick up on was exercising (which my GP for years recommended as a way to reduce migraines). It wasn’t until I bought a heart rate monitor a few years ago I soon realised that if I went over 90% of maximum heart rate for more than 45s then I was almost guaranteed to have a migraine a few hours later.

If you have recently upped your physical exertion level then worth checking this out.

If I get the zig-zag lines I don’t get the headache.

Main trigger for me is beer (some chemical produced during the malting process of barley, so wheat beer tends to be OK).

Typically, the headache lasts 70 hours. I get nauseous on the second day but I never actually vomit.

I’m very sensitive to sounds (some worse than others). Light is OK. I prefer to keep busy to keep my mind off the pain. My speech gets a bit mixed up – like my mouth can’t keep pace with my brain.

I get complete, temporary, pain relief by undertaking vigorous exercise; cycling running, hill walking, sex all work. The pain returns about 30 minutes after stopping.

I’ve had these for over 20 years now, getting 4-6 per year.

“Tonight please, darling – I’ve got a headache”
😯 😯 😯

Occasional post ride massive brain crushing lie down in the dark headaches. Was convinced it wasn’t dehydration… But it was… I should have listened to those around me a bit more and looked after myself better..

Suffered from migraine for 16 years now. Anything from once every few months to several a week. Mine always last for at least 12 hours, sometimes up to 3 days doped up on diazepam and migraleive. Have been on tricyclics and other daily drugs to stop them but nothing really seemed to work for years. Brain scans didn’t throw anything up either.
Had my eyes tested 3 years ago, started wearing glasses and the frequency of migraine plummeted to the point I last had one in August. Still felt so bad I wanted to die for a day then so knackered I thought I had the day after but at least I now know its unlikely rather than inevitable.
My triggers are all light related but mainly flickery strip lights or low sunlight flickering through trees, that sort of thing.