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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Regular Pounding Headaches, Disturbing Visual Symptoms. Any Ideas?

Hello. I wake with pounding headaches every day. My head may ease or worsen as the day continues but can guarantee I`ll wake with it again the next morning. My main concern, as headaches are very common and well understood is the strange and disturbing visual symptoms I get every day. I see everything from small white and black spots to larger glowing balls, also grey/black patches , silver shimmers and sparkles and various shapes and forms of colours. These come in and out of my vision throughout the day, every day, numerous times. It`s very scary. If you have any ideas at all I would be grateful. The doctors can`t seem to help me. Thankyou
Thu, 24 Jan 2013
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Neurologist 's  Response
Hello,
Thanks for posting the question in HCM
Let me tell you that headache can be due to various reasons like migraine, brain tumor, brain infections, problems in the blood vessel of the brain etc. One strong possibility is that the constellation of symptoms that you have described could be due to migraine. However, one has to understand that migraine is a diagnosis of exclusion that means other treatable conditions that result in headache which i have listed above need exclusion before the diagnosis of migraine is made. Sorry that i don’t know the duration of symptoms and your gender. I will advise you to be examined by a neurologist rather than a general physician who will determine if you have any neurological defict and may plan for a scan of the brain to exclude the secondary possibility as i explained above. If the scan is normal you will benefit from the following approach
1. During acute attack: this will improve with analgesices, sumatriptan nasal spray and relaxation, to avoid the precipitating factor like stress, coffee, perfumes which you have to findout.
2. Medicines that can modify the course of migraine will be helpful like valproate (not good in females), topiramate, propranolol, amitriptiline.
Hope this will help you


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Regular Pounding Headaches, Disturbing Visual Symptoms. Any Ideas?

Hello, Thanks for posting the question in HCM Let me tell you that headache can be due to various reasons like migraine, brain tumor, brain infections, problems in the blood vessel of the brain etc. One strong possibility is that the constellation of symptoms that you have described could be due to migraine. However, one has to understand that migraine is a diagnosis of exclusion that means other treatable conditions that result in headache which i have listed above need exclusion before the diagnosis of migraine is made. Sorry that i don’t know the duration of symptoms and your gender. I will advise you to be examined by a neurologist rather than a general physician who will determine if you have any neurological defict and may plan for a scan of the brain to exclude the secondary possibility as i explained above. If the scan is normal you will benefit from the following approach 1. During acute attack: this will improve with analgesices, sumatriptan nasal spray and relaxation, to avoid the precipitating factor like stress, coffee, perfumes which you have to findout. 2. Medicines that can modify the course of migraine will be helpful like valproate (not good in females), topiramate, propranolol, amitriptiline. Hope this will help you