Hi,
I'm a 33 yo female, diagnosed with epilepsy (jme, have had ~15 gm total) and migraines since age 19. I take valproic acid, 1000 mg/day (recently up from 500 as I had a couple gm's last month, probably due to lack of sleep).
To be honest, the migraines cause more disruption in my life than do the seizures (although I would sure like to get off that nasty drug depakote as it'd be nice to have kids one of these days!)
Before a migraine starts, I get unilateral weakness, numbness and a general feeling (or I guess I should say, lack thereof) of discomfort that begin on one side of my face and head and moves into my arm and usually my leg as well. This is the aura I get prior to a raging icepick of a headache, although it sticks with me throughout the length of the headache (the numbness). Along with all this I am easily confused during this time (and have a hard time finding words and keeping on topic if involved in conversation,) nauseous (sometimes w/ vomiting,) have a general lack of balance, and am very easily tired from simple activity like taking a shower, or whathaveyou.
Think it's possible that these neurological symptoms I get before a migraine somehow connected to the epilepsy? Anyone else out there with complicated migraines afraid to take triptans due to stroke risk?
Anyone hear of research relating epilepsy with genetic hemiplegic migraine--and what to do about it???
Damn these annoying neurological dysfunctions!!!
Thanks all for sharing your experiences