Migraine

Hi,

Has anyone experienced a sneeze or cough triggering a migraine attack?

I've experienced it 3 times now; I had a bad cough & it triggered a really bad attack causing me to head to the hospital's A&E because none of my medication at that time worked. The 2nd one was another cough but at least I had proper meds but it still lasted for 3 days.

This morning I woke up & had a sneezing fit and I felt the slight throbbing on the right side of my head which progressed to an attack later in the afternoon. I've taken 2 zomigs in the past 4 hours and its not letting up.

Can anyone explain the science behind it?


Thanks,

Catharine

A cough will absolutely trigger a migraine for me. My migraine doctor wants me to get a flu shot for this reason.

I do not know why this happens unless it's just the violent motion of the sneeze or the pressure on the head during the cough (that's what I feel).

I'm the same way, if I have a cold that causes a lot of coughing, I will get a headache that can sometimes lead to a migraine. That's one of the reasons we keep orange juice in the house, to get some instant vitamin C in all of us

This Ask the Clinician question may help explain:

Coughing and Sneezing

Another possibility is the PFO (hole in the heart) connection. In some individuals, the hole remains closed until a severe event (coughing, sneezing, laughing, bearing down) forces the hole open and allows material (filtered and unfiltered blood mixed) to pass through into the brain, triggering migraine. This is all theory at the moment, which is why they are conducting studies on the effectiveness of closing a hole for the resolution of migraine, but for some rare individuals, sealing the hole stopped their attacks completely.

This would be a great Ask the Clinician question.

Gretchen in Mississippi