Headache and Migraines Forum - Migraine After Exercise

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Q: Migraine After Exercise

asked by: rob12 on October 15th, 2007

New User

Hello,
2 or so years ago I got my first migraine after playing sport (indoor soccer). I was around 16 at the time.

The migraine started around an hour and half after I had finished playing. My vision went blurry and then I got a very painful migraine which lasted until I vomited pretty violently.

At first I thought it was just a one time thing but it happened the next 2 weeks...

What I did to combat this was lye in a dark room for 2 or so hours and I was fine after that. I am now 19 and have been to the doctor and had a CT scan and done all of that stuff, nothing was ab-normal.

Now I have got sick and tired of having to always lie in a dark room for 2 hours, it has taken any enjoyment I had in competing in sport (which I love doing). It has come to the point where I don't do any sport let alone hardly even exercise anymore.

The doctor prescribed me to take migraine drugs but I would much rather prevent the migraine from ever happening, as it isn't a pleasant experience to say the least.

Could this all be because when I was 16 I was barely exercising at all and then playing indoor soccer strenuously for 40 minutes that caused all of this? Could slowly building up my fitness to a good level stop these migraines?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Replies(12)

Birch

replied on October 15th, 2007

Extremely eHealthy

That is very strange and sucks. I have not heard of migraines after exercise every time.

I am not sure if there is a preventative drug for migraines - and that might screw with your circulatory system too much.

Do you have high blood pressure? Low blood pressure? Did you doctor try to find out what's causing all this?

I don't know if you can do this, but I started to develop a way to cope with it to the point where I could play concerts with a migraine in full throb. I sort of 'compartmentalized' the pain so it became a psychological trick to not feel it. I can't explain it very well, but it's how I cope b/c I don't take any meds at all.

rob12

replied on October 16th, 2007

New User

Thanks for the quick reply Birch.
Back when I would have these migraines (I have not had one in a while due to not playing and sport) the doctor said my blood pressure was fine.

The doctor would just keep saying to me its a classical migraine, in regards to the symptoms. I guess it was just easier for him to prescribe me the migraine medication than actually help me prevent it.

I doubt I could cope with this migraine as no matter what, I have to vomit for it too finish... or maybe fall asleep, which seems almost impossible. Once I do my vision clears back to normal and whilst I still feel horrible, the pain in my head has gone.

Birch

replied on October 16th, 2007

Extremely eHealthy

rob12 wrote:

Wow.

I think that if I were in your shoes, I would find a different doctor, and not stop until someone was willing to work with me to find out what's causing these. Because yeah, they might be "classic" migraines, but there's a cause for them!

I don't know where you are, but sometimes *some people* say that cannabis has helped *their* migraines. Smoking a little right when you notice the "aura" -the visual symptoms-either lessens the pain of the headache, or makes it so you really don't care. Whichever would be fine for *those people* who say *they* have done this in *their* past. I know that *those people* do not do this on a regular basis so that my have an impact, too.

spider001

replied on March 18th, 2009

New User

migraines

Hi Rob

I was reading you mail from 2 yrs ago ,
Your syptoms are happening to me , I am 35 and have just started at the gym with a personal trainner ( have attended a gym for three years before starting ith my trainner) .

My headaches and vision blurs after one and half hours and does not cease till i have vomited

I have had my eyes tested and my blood pressure all are normal .

I would be intrested to see if you got any help

Spider

spider001

replied on March 18th, 2009

New User

Migraines

Does anyone suffer from migrianes after excercise and if you do have you been able to prevent them,

I have had 5 full on private training session ,1 a week and have had ,one sever headache and 2 full blown migrianes with voimtting,

I would really love to continue training as i am having fantastic results but can not afford to have every other weds in bed for 5-6 hours.

I increase my calorie intake and drink plenty of water the day before and on the morning and while exercising,

My trainner is fantastic and has checked my blood pressure,which was normal,
I have had my eyes tested again normal .

I have not visited my Doctor yet but will be next week ,

Any info would be greatly recieved

strawberry123

replied on May 16th, 2009

New User

Migranes

I too have also been experiencing this a couple of hours after exercising.

I don't know about you guys but I do sweat quite heavily whilst exercising and this is where I think the problem starts.

All the bodys natural salts and sugars are being flushed out with the sweat.

I have found that by drinking a lucozade sport drink during and after exercise has greatly reduced the occurances of migrane attacks. No matter how much water I drink it doesnt seem to make any difference I think its the salt and sugars in the sport drink that is replenishing my bodys natural reserves.

Let me know what your thoughts are on this!!

gobadgers

replied on June 17th, 2009

New User

I have had these same problems after playing basketball for about an hour and a half straight. After thinking about what may cause these pains, I also felt that electrolytes and necessary nutrient depletion may contribute to the causes. I have not tried drinking a sports drink while playing basketball, but I will start doing so from here on out.

ddbart

replied on August 2nd, 2009

New User

blurred vision, headaches and throwing up

I have had these same symptoms since i was 16 and now i'm 27 and still having them.
Doctors told me it was migraine, the told me it was inflamed arteries, i've been to the neurologist and he sent me to have my heart checked. they put me on beta blockers to regulate my heart rate based on these results.
I stopped playing for about 2 years but i couldn't let this thing get the best of me. i keep hydrated with an electrolyte mix, i take a cold shower right after to cool my body down after and i try to get a few belch out, i find that releases the pressure on the brain and help prevents me from throwing up.
i was researching to see if all this is a because of lack of oxygen to the brain though

IrishC

replied on August 12th, 2009

New User

I've done some research on this as I suffer from it too, and first I believed it to be caused by low blood-sugar also, so I would eat a mars bar etc after I trained, however I now realise that its not SUGAR issue, but a SALT issue.

The migraines are caused by a lack of needed salts (i.e. electrolytes) in your body which are expelled by heavy sweating during exercise. You need to find a good electrolyte replacement drink to drink during & after your exercise - water wont replace these - hence the headaches.

There are lots of consumer products on the market. Lucozade sport, Gatorade etc - and also more advanced ones for long distance runners. You can also get handy sachets of diaoralyte from a pharmachist over the counter - which mix with normal water to create an eletrolyte drink. Handy for keeping in a pocket or in your training bag for emergencies or you dont wanna carry a bottle of gatorade around Wink

Hope it helps.

mfry

replied on August 17th, 2009

New User

migrains after exercise

hi im 17 and ive been having these migranes for about 2 - 3 years always after sport, i start with half an hour of blured vision then very bad head pains then serous vomiting. im realy into my sport as i do it nearly everyday weather it football, gym or running and realy need sumthing to prevent this and not just some tablets after its started. i do drink energy drinks such as powerade and lucozade but if anyone could help with a solution i would be very thankful.

alarm

replied on August 18th, 2009

New User

IrishC is correct

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyponatremia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxic ation

Sweating during your exercise reduces the amount of salt/electrolytes in your body. If you then drink lots of water afterwards you further dilute the remaining salts you have left. This is very serious and possibly fatal if taken to excess (see examples on the wikpedia pages)

The symptoms of Hyponatremia are very similar to migraines, and may also cause the migraine aura.

Frederico76

replied on September 24th, 2009

New User

Migraine after exercise

Hi,
I have migraine with aura after exercise since I was 18y (I'm now 33). I did most of the things mentioned. The only thing that works preventive is the use of SAID's before I go to exercise (I play football competition).
This works for me, although I can take it maximum 2 times a week. This is not really good to the stomach.
If you didn't try before, try this ! : NSAID's of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

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