Silent Migraines: What Are They?

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The most identifiable sign of a migraine attack is the head pain: a searing, throbbing, debilitating, constant reminder of the migraine. But what if a migraine could occur without pain? What if it could make itself harder to detect, treat, and care for? Enter: the silent migraine.

The silent migraine is a uniquely hellish beast that, in my own experience, has proven far more resistant to taming than its more common cousin. Follow along as I break down what this type of migraine is and what it looks like for me.

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Table of Contents:

1. What are silent migraines?
   1. What causes silent migraines?
2. My typical attack:

What are silent migraines?

In short, a silent migraine is a migraine attack without the head pain. It is sometimes called a migraine aura without headache, or many similar names. In laymen’s terms, it presents with all the symptoms of a migraine attack except a headache.

But how many other symptoms can a migraine attack have that aren’t head pain? You, my friend, would be surprised. Here are some common silent migraine symptoms:

• Nausea
• Visual disturbances/blurred vision
• Tingling
• Brain fog
• Dizziness
• Sensitivity to light/sound
• Tension behind the eyes
• Fatigue/tiredness

As with traditional migraine attacks, symptoms vary from person to person, and there are more than I’ve listed. Many people report symptoms only lasting from 20-60 minutes. I am one of the unlucky few, and my silent attacks can last for hours or even days.

Silent migraines are also exceedingly rare. I’ve seen varying figures, but most seem to agree on them only occurring for 4-5% of migraine-havers.

Because of this rarity, they are not well understood or even known about. Even after I started seeing a neurologist for my headaches, I didn’t know I had them. It wasn’t until years later that a psychiatrist gave me a term to describe the terrible spells I was having.

I’ve found that many traditional migraine treatments, like caffeine, Tylenol, ibuprofen, and an ice pack, do almost nothing for silent migraines. They’re harder to recognize, because they don’t have the glaring symptom of head pain. And they’re harder to treat. They are like perfect rogues, slinking silently through my bloodstream.

What causes silent migraines?

If you figure out a definitive answer to this question, I’d love to know!

What we do know suggests that a silent migraine works on the same underlying systems as a traditional migraine. We also know that common migraine triggers are the same across both types.

But why exactly does it occur without the head pain, or what exactly causes migraines in general? That we still don’t have a complete understanding of. Again, much more study—and listening to those of us who have them—is required.

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My typical attack:

I wake up, and before I can even register what day it is, I know one thing: I am nauseous. Extremely so. I’m afraid to move, afraid that the smallest jostle will send my roiling stomach over the edge.

After I’ve fully woken up and enough time has passed to adjust to the nausea, I take a peek behind my blackout curtains. The ray of sunlight, even though just dim early morning light, hits my eyes like a knife. Discomfort spreads across my forehead, and the nausea bubbles stronger. I let the curtain fall back into place.

Eventually, I’ll haul myself out of bed and get started on the day. It won’t be the day I had hoped, and will move a lot more slowly, but that’s ok. As long as the attack lasts, I’ll struggle to eat food and, at times, just to drink water. I’ll wear prescription sunglasses to filter the egregious light and avoid loud environments.

Each thought will come through a haze. On these days, I truly understand what folks mean when they say something feels like swimming through molasses. Not just my muscles, but my nerves and thoughts themselves are slowed.

And throughout it all, I will be nauseous. Familiarly, terribly, constantly, unbearably nauseous.

Do you have more questions about silent migraines?. You can leave a comment down below and I’ll try to answer them! And if you liked this post, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next one.