When you have migraines without headache, you are in the middle of a medical oddity. And you are left wondering how anybody can ever have migraines without headache pain! But the answer probably lies within the mystery of migraine, which is still to be unfolded. Medical science gives us some explanations on what this silent migraine is all about and what these strange visual symptoms are all about. These visual symptoms are usually known as – aura, which earned it another name – migraine aura without headache. Migraine happens to be a neurological turmoil that usually includes headaches… though not always.

Phases of migraine

If you want to understand what silent migraine is, you should understand 4 separate phases of migraines.

Prodrome – The first phase is Prodrome. The “prodrome” phase is like a warning sign indicating that a migraine is on its way. Symptoms like sudden emotional shifts (e.g. irritability, confusion) could persist, which could be coupled with physical symptom like thirst or even diarrhea. Research results show that 1 out of each 4 migraine sufferers undergo prodrome symptoms almost 24 hrs before the emergence of the migraine pain.

• Aura – The second one stage is Aura. This phenomenon has been given the name – aura, as it involves different types of strange visual symptoms. However, there are other sensory, motor or language disturbances that can and do occur. About 1 in 5 migraine patients experiences aura. The phase of aura can last for about one hour or so.

• Pain – The third stage is Pain. Needless to say, migraine itself is a pain and happens oftentimes on just one part of your head. It often becomes an agonizing pain and might be coupled with nausea, vomiting and similar symptoms. But in the more extreme cases, you can suffer from super sensitivity to even mild light and/or sound. This pain phase usually last for some hours, but not beyond 72 hours.

• Resolution – And the final stage is Resolution. When the migraine is over, most people undergo deep fatigue as well as general malaise which can sustain for as long as 24 hours. But not all sorts of migraines are set to follow such a pattern. That’s what is strange about migraine without headache symptoms. Today, many people suffer migraines with as well as without aura. More amazingly, within the same patient, migraines could turn out to be very unpredictable.

Symptoms of Silent Migraine

Let us see what the basic symptoms of Silent Migraine are. The most common symptoms of migraine without headache or silent migraine comprise any of the regular signs / symptoms of common migraine. The key difference here is the absence of the pain or headache. The patient could feel physical symptoms / signs like diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, food cravings or loss of craving thirst, sudden chills, exhaustion and increased urination. Then again, migraine without headache can also involve some emotional or mental symptoms like confusion, bad temper and euphoria. And if you are suffering from
Migraine Aura or migraine aura without headache, symptoms could include wavy / uneven lines, flashing lights, dots in your vision, abrupt blind spots, absurd tunnel vision, hearing disruptions or auditory hallucinations. Some patients suffering Aura have reported symptoms like smell/taste distortions, taste numbness, a pins-n-needles feel, or other types of strange body sensations.

Clinical journals have reported that some patients suffering from migraine without headache experienced difficulties in remembering or uttering words, which were involved with many other types of language difficulties. A recent US Migraine Study actually involved 30,000 individuals who were suffering from migraines. As a matter of fact, 9 out of each 10 confirmed that they were unable to work or react normally when they’re bogged down with migraines. Over 50% of the people surveyed said that they regularly undergo symptoms that are brutal enough to call for bed rest. And even with no soreness of migraine, all the other signs or symptoms mentioned so far could get miserably disturbing and could interrupt your regular day. But are the causes that trigger migraine without headache?

How migraine attacks your system  

Researchers currently are now viewing migraine related aura and pain as separate mechanisms. This has lead to much improved perceptions of silent migraines. Formerly, experts were under the assumptions that migraines are triggered by complications in the blood supply to the brain. That’s the reason they are thought to be as “vascular” events. Thanks to the research breakthroughs, it is now clear that migraine aura is actually a “neurovascular” event. This means that it deals in the mechanism through which nerve cells fire within the brain as well as how the activities of the nerve cells relate to the blood flow of the brain. Aura occurs due to over-stimulation and finally ends up in nerve depression within the brain. It all sounds pretty much like a confusing misnomer, actually.

However, undergoing migraine with no headache is as possible as anything else. Today, there are many other terms and symptoms being related to migraine without headache. Good examples are problems like acephalgic migraine, eye migraine and ocular migraine without headache. Aura migraine is more puzzling as a great majority of the migraine sufferers expect migraine problem to be associated with pain – especially after they experience the aura. When these abnormal ocular distortions occur, the problem is followed by a painful migraine.

Silent migraine calls for proper diagnosis

The point we are trying to make here is that, the irregularities involved in ocular migraine without headache could easily get misdiagnosed. And as it hardly carries the eminent discomfort – pain, it’s simply shrugged off by a great majority of the migraineurs. Most doctors suggest that though your migraine without headache is charging occasionally, the visual commotions coming with it are sufficient for the migraineur to head for medical advice. And the need for medical consultancy becomes a more urgent need of the hour when the symptoms start surging in intensity and finally become increasingly frequent. Migraines without headache are things that you need to be vigilant about. No matter what you do, DO NOT use any medication unless recommended by the physician.