EEG in migraine?

Hi everyone

Just wanted to see if anyone has had an EEG as a means to diagnose migraine?

Has anyone had an abnormal EEG?

I had an EEG last year and it showed an abnormality. My neuro said that sometimes EEG can show abnormality in people who suffer from migraine.

Thanks

I've had several EEGs. All were booked after I had been hospitalised with stroke-like symptoms during severe migraines. However, in each case the actual test was run several days after the event. According to a technician that conducted the most recent test, the readings were "unusual", but it seems not unusual enough to warrant a follow up by a neurologist. I've been told that the window of opportunity where a migraine can actually be observed during a migraine attack is quite small. One needs to be wired up for a considerable length of time to be able to catch one. That sort of facility is not available in NZ.

I've also had brain wave readings as part of pain management therapy. It's like an EEG, but with a reduced number of sensors. I have extremely low Alpha wave patterns - less than a third of what is considered the lowest range of normal readings. Apparently, with that reading, I should be so stressed out and depressed I shouldn't be able to function. I don't consider I'm either stressed or depressed, so, like most tests I've been given, I don't respond in a meaningful way.

How interesting. Makes you wonder how much they really know.

The way I always look at these things, there's no point in testing me unless they actually have a treatment in mind. I don't want to be treated just for them to say 'you've got all sorts of weird things going on in your brain but we'll just leave it'.

That is interesting Piwakawaka - and Sarah, I would have to agree with you. You do testing and then they find out it's abnormal but there's no treatment to help you.

The EEG I had was a year ago and the neuro wanted me to repeat it in a year, so going in on Monday.

Best of luck. Will be interested to hear how you get on.

I hope they can give you some positive feed back. Good luck catlee

Just wanted to give you an update - my EEG yesterday was normal. Which the neurologist said can be seen in migraine - abnormal on one occasion, normal on another.

Because I don't get actual headaches, I've been having a hard time believing migraine is what I have, and not something worse! I suppose this goes some way to helping me start to acknowledge it is a migraine type phenomena that I do experience.

Hope you're all feeling well.

That sounds like good news, anyway, in the sense that you can rule out anything more nasty than migraine (not that migraine isn't nasty in its symptoms, as we all know!) It's interesting to hear how changeable the results can be with migraine.