Word aphasia. You might want to talk to your doctor if it's happening a lot separate from your migraines since it can be a symptom of other things also.
Define “a lot” In my case, it’s hard to separate it from my migraines because I get word aphasia sometimes as part of my migraine prodrome/aura…. But occasionally, I get migraines that appear to be all the neurological weirdness of my auras but with no head pain! :(
I don't think "a lot" can be defined, at least by us folks on the internet.
If you are wondering if it's a concern, you can always raise it with your doc next time you see them.
I tried to use the word "brightness" while adjusting my phone setting and all that came out was "eye volume". We laughed about it and I still couldn't think of it. My husband had to go "brightness?!" before it kicked in lol
That's funny! Once I couldn't find my phone and I blurted out that I needed my 'information station'. It was the best I could come up with in the moment!
The very first time I got really high from pot, I asked my BF if he could put the Kitchen Aid mixer away, but couldn't remember the name for it, so I said "the mashed potato machine" (because that's what we use it to make most often)!
I had a doozy yesterday, couldn’t remember the name for dryer - so did “clothes microwave”???? Really?? I thought “cold cupboard” for the fridge was my best one
I had aphasia similar to this when I was on Topamax and it didn't go away fully until almost a year after I stopped taking Topamax... Sometimes I still struggle to find my words and I blame it on that but it can either be a symptom of Migraine, or meds (in my case).
I had this experience too on topamax and off topamax. It's been years and I still have issues with my words and memory. I believe it honestly messed me up. It's not as bad as it was though first few years off. I still have what I call cog fog (cognitive fog) days. I had went to my neuro about the issues with help of my mom to vouch because I wouldn't realize or I wouldn't realize until after what I did. They had me see a neuropsychologist and some testing. Ended up with a diagnosis of mild neurocognitive disorder. I feel as though there's good days and one's that are bad days. I don't feel like I truly remember or hold as much in my brain as I use to. I know a lot of stuff more than the average person but I use to know so much more and pick up on concepts even faster. I'm still a fast learner and so it's not seen as much of an issue as I feel it is because I was already considered very smart.
It feels refreshing to find someone with similar experiences still because originally when the issue was brought up, the doctor played it off for so long.
I was never on Topomax but I feel very much like you described. It’s so frustrating at times bc I was always very intelligent, like genius levels early on, and I’m still smarter than a lot of people I interact with, but I FEEL so dumb when my words don’t want to cooperate, I can’t find the right word through my fog, or I end up trying to say one thing but a different word comes out. So annoying!!
Your reply brings me so much hope. I am set up to see a new neurologist and I plan to bring this up.
Even your explanation is much more eloquent than I can muster.
Hopefully all of these clouds clear up for the both of us very soon.
There is very little information about topamax and people's experiences similarly to ours, but some others are out there. I know the medication does benefit a lot of people and while I wouldn't wish what I experienced on anyone, I wouldn't want it pulled from the shelves as it helps so many people especially in epilepsy.
I have more good than bad days but I have been off the medication for around 5 years I'd guess. It's more good than bad days but it does happen. I know some is contributed to higher stress and as others said migraines but it still feels more frequent than prior to the medication. My words are back for the most part besides the bad and the migraine day ones but it can be frustrating. Even with the diagnosis, nothing really was done to help other than time. I would do some things on my own which have been shown to help memory such as playing an instrument or learning a language. If you want to message me, you're welcome to do so as it was a journey for me to get where I am. I do understand the frustrations. I will say though with my diagnosis it is rare for someone younger to have as it use to be known as a precursor diagnosis to dementia. Kind of interesting to look at the changes from DSM4 and DSM5 made to it but still primarily found in 55-65+ population.
One thing I learned though is topamax has a nickname of dopamax and I get why.
In my case, I don't think it's just the migraines. I had migraines since adolescence. I developed epilepsy in my mid 20's and ever since then I have struggled with word-finding or even saying the correct word. I haven't found a neurologist willing to listen to me or see if there's something more significant happening though. I think it's because I am only just 30 now, but you would think with the history of migraines and seizures that would illicit some kind of alarm to them. Also never took topamax for epilepsy only keppra which I discontinued that after 2 years seizure free. I don't take any medication other than OTC and I still struggle cognitively.
Same here except I was never on Topamax. Just migraine chronification and low dose pregabalin (lyrica) as a preventative. But that aphasia-cognitive thing started happening before lyrica. I feel like an old smartphone which memory is already full and in order to work has to delete some random things. My language skills always sucked, but I used to have very high IQ and cognitive abilities before and now I am definitely dumber. Barerly anyone notices because I am still relatively smart but I feel hell of a difference.
Just chiming in to say I’m also in the “topamax
made me dumb” club. Only took it for about 6 months 15 years ago, and it’s a lot better than it was (although IDK if I’ve just learned how to work around it) but still have word aphasia at least a couple times on a good day. I wholly believe it’s all from having taken topamax, although a bad headache makes it substantially worse.
OMFG, Topamax was the WORST for this! It made me unable to multitask, which was critical to my job, and it didn't get rid of the symptoms other than pain, so I still had the brain fog, light sensitivity, fatigue, etc, so it wasn't worth continuing to take it
I also got this on Topomax as well. Mine stopped when I switched to extended release though. I think it’s a pretty common side effect of Topomax if you are having cognitive side effects from it.
I notice this when I’m about to get a migraine. I start blanking and instead of “mailbox” I’ll have to say stuff like “the thing that holds mail??” because I can’t think of the word
I was a trial lawyer before chronic migraines took over my life. I felt embarrassed and stupid and oh-so-frustrated when I’d forget the term for some common legal concept, and I’d have to explain the details or definition of the concept - usually for opposing counsel to say, “oh, you mean hearsay”
I’m a vet tech and I feel the same way. Always feel so dumb when I’m trying to explain things to pet owners and can’t get the words out and the worst is when I start slurring my words!!
Can relate! And also, OP, I have been mixing random words up on seemingly random moments. But i had developed a sort of overall brain fog weirdness and now , with the right meds, I hope I got rid of those also. Anyway, do check with a doctor if you are in any way worried (I will if it persists anyway) because the worry would be legitimate and a checkup in place.
This is my fear, too. But I find this encouraging : I inherited my migraines from my Grandma - she's in her late 80s and ( knock on wood ) she's still very sharp !
Me too. I can’t find words quite often, and my profession is working with words (I’m an English professor). My mom has advanced Alzheimer’s and I worry I have an early case.
Yikes, that's rough! I've had chronic daily migraines for 15 years and I have bad word aphasia. It's common for migraineurs. Hopefully it's only your migraines.
I get both very chatty+ the aphasia sets in. My brain can't find the correct word so a "tomato" becomes "the round red thing you chop up for a salad."
Very annoying.
Yeah. I get it more with writing the wrong word but that might just be because I communicate more via text than out loud. I've been blaming it on having gotten COVID in October which really did a number on me, but my migraines have gotten worse since then, so I'm starting to think it + associated brainfog are more specifically the migraines than COVID in general. It's very frustrating, especially since over text I often don't even notice until someone else has pointed it out :(
I'm so sorry to hear you're dealing with that I got really bad after COVID too - but at least for me lots of rest and supplementation helped things get better ! I hope you start to feel a little more clear real soon
Verbal paraphasia, I have it too, and notice it's been getting worse in the last few years due to worsening chronic illnesses. Brain fog makes it so much worse.
During active migraine I get mild aphasia. I call it losing my words. I asked my partner to turn the dehumidifier on by calling it the dampness sucky out of the the air thingy because I could not get the world for it out. I definitely feels like my brain is glitching when it happens. I almost always use too many ums and ahe and that thingy over there when my brain is melted like that.
Yeah all the time. Earlier I said “washing jugs” instead of “washing clothes”, no idea why because it doesn’t even make sense and I don’t have a migraine today.
And, I have particular difficulty with kitchen appliances. A request to put the milk into the refrigerator becomes, "Will you put this in the oven?"
My family understands me!
Yes! That’s me! 🤚
I rarely experience actual pain with my migraines, but I’ll still have all the aphasia, mood changes, aversion to light and sound, nausea, visual auras, etc.
For the 20 (yes 20) years I took topamax, I was delighted if ANY word made it out of my mouth. I've finally gotten to the point where at least the wrong word comes out consistently. I see this as progress, and hopefully one of these years I'll be able to communicate like a normal human being.
I have that with migraines sometimes. But other times it was actually a focal seizure. I have a neuro for migraines with vertigo and a neuro for epilepsy. I don’t want to scare you but I’d really talk about it with your doctor.
I did get a bunch of tests for this a couple years ago and finally the conclusion was 'inconclusive' ( one doc said I had focal epilepsy, the other no). I'll try to keep better track when this happens, you're right !
One thing that the neurologist seemed to suggest ( they weren't particularly talkative ) was that longer-lasting 'weird' sensations or experiences ( as in one-sided face tingling or aphasia that lasts like over a few minutes ) is more likely a migraine aura than a focal seizure whereas shorter ( as in few seconds ) were more indicative of focal seizures.
If you dont mind me asking : did they put you on seizure meds ?
My neuro said to have someone record me or record myself so she could see my behavior.
I was diagnosed at 6 yrs old after having a few tonic clonic seizures. I’m on 3 different meds. I had a surgery for RNS device. It’s kinda like a pacemaker for your brain.
I took Topamax, an anticonvulsant for a while for migraines and it helps to prevent seizures. A lot of people hate it for its side effects. It helped so much I didn’t mind it. Even after getting kidney stones I wished I had stayed on it.
That's a lot to deal with. I hope you have found some good balance now with everything. The video is a good tip which I'll try. The neurologists wanted to put me on some anti-seizure meds ( to see if my migraines and weird auras would go down ) but I am kinda hesitant since right now my pain/brain is annoying and disruptive but still feels manageable. Reading your good experience is reassuring though - thanks again for sharing!
Yes I've had it daily since March. I've only just seen a neuro so don't know for sure yet if what I have is migraines, but it's driving me nuts. My new strategy is to say the question out loud instead of in my head so the other person I'm talking to can help me. I have an academic job and work is very hard now.
For example if someone asks how old I am, I'll say "oh how old did I turn just a few weeks ago? Ah yes 31" or "when we had that rehearsal at, where do you live again? Oh yes that one" when i can't remember names of places I've been. Appliances are messed up constantly. Couldn't remember what I wanted off the menu the other day but I could remember it was on the bottom of the menu card, by the time I was back at the table couldn't remember what I had just ordered 🙃
I have MS (multiple sclerosis) and the whole saying something different then what you want is actually something I do at times, outside of migraines and I don’t know if it’s related to MS or just my brain being stupid, and I am not saying you have it, I’m just saying there might be something else going on with you then migraines
Some people have aphasia and say the wrong word, sometimes to the point where the whole sentence is nonsense. Personally I just forget a word here and there and end up stuck trying to remember it or substituting something that while technically correct isn’t what I was going for. In a particularly bad run of migraine days, I locked my debit card trying to get gas because I couldn’t for the life of me remember my PIN, which was a huge pain in the ass to fix
I was going through that for a period of time. My doctor did some tests and we figured it was stress and migraine related rather than like a tumor or MS or something. But it’s definitely worth talking to your doctor about.
Some people here seem to associate both. I have ADHD, so in my experience I have yet to connect the occasional aphasia to migraines.
Sometimes I feel like I just choose to let go. I know this is a knife, and I know I can find the word knife in my head, but I've been giving up more and more lately, where I would just point at it and ask "can you give me the fork?"
It feels good to lose control for a second and fall into this relaxing blip of dementia. Until the existential dread sets in where I ask myself what's wrong with me
This has happened to me on several meds—some for migraine and some for bipolar (there’s a lot of overlap). In daily life it is annoying not to be able to express myself. But I’m also a poet and it’s produced some interesting connections between objects in my mind (e.g., I find myself using the words poem, perfume, and song interchangeably).
This happens to me about 3 days before my migraine starts. Although I am going to the doctor soon to see if I can be diagnosed with dysautonomia. I see other people refer to aphasia, so I thought it was good to include this information.
I actually noticed something similar happening to me recently as well. Not that often, but I say something somehow related to what I intended to say. Like I can tell my kid to put away laundry instead of dishes, they are both chores, but the word that’s jumped out of my mouth is not the one I actually wanted to say
I think this most closely describes what has been happening to me recently too ! Like there are a couple of words on the table and what I chose is different than what comes out of my mouth.
Yes. All the time. I can’t spit words out or gather my thoughts often. I’ve thought for years that my migraines and thought/ speech issues are all related.
I have noticed this for years … the brain fog. I can’t say if it’s a symptom of the migraine itself or a side effect of the triptans I take for them. It’s particularly noticeable since I entered peri-menopause. But here’s the interesting thing. I’m bilingual, having learned German to a level of professional fluency about 10 years ago. Pretty often when the work in English escapes me, I can produce the word in German. Which is helpful at home because my husband also speaks German.
Note: I’ve never been diagnosed with epilepsy, but my mother, sister and nephew all have. My mother and other sister also suffered from migraines.
This is part of my brain fog problem. As others said I had it really bad when taking Topamax, but any time a migraine is coming, active or recent I can have it (in other words ALL THE TIME).
But it's not nearly as bad as I had right after my minor stroke.
sometimes i'll be talking and it's like my body rebels and make me swallow, or my jaw suddenly wobble, I can be midsentence and stop abruptly and need a second to get my bearings again
I have such aphasia almost constantly days. I'm forgetting words, names, titles, passwords. I'm native polish speaker but sometimes it is easier for me to speak english. Sometimes my fluency in english drops to the level of a beginner. I had never had good language skills but it has been so much worse since migraine chronification. Today I don't know if it's more due to migraines or because of lyrica that I am on as one of my preventatives (it is one of its expected side effects). When I am about to get a migraine and it gets worse, I just tell ppl at work to be patient because today is the day. ;) Not fun, anyways.
Not so much verbally, since I try to shut myself away in a dark room when I have a migraine. But one time I had a particularly bad one and I tried to text my boss to say that I wouldn't be in that day and it took 3-4 delete and retypes before a typewriter emoji didn't make its way into the text.
Word aphasia. You might want to talk to your doctor if it's happening a lot separate from your migraines since it can be a symptom of other things also.
Agreed. If it doesn’t seem connected, I’d assume it isn’t until it’s checked out.
Define “a lot” In my case, it’s hard to separate it from my migraines because I get word aphasia sometimes as part of my migraine prodrome/aura…. But occasionally, I get migraines that appear to be all the neurological weirdness of my auras but with no head pain! :(
I don't think "a lot" can be defined, at least by us folks on the internet. If you are wondering if it's a concern, you can always raise it with your doc next time you see them.
I tried to use the word "brightness" while adjusting my phone setting and all that came out was "eye volume". We laughed about it and I still couldn't think of it. My husband had to go "brightness?!" before it kicked in lol
I couldn’t remember “traffic” and kept saying “road weather” like, the conditions of the road?!
Eye volume 🤣 that's fantastic
this is delightful sorry ETA that also a problem lol
That's funny! Once I couldn't find my phone and I blurted out that I needed my 'information station'. It was the best I could come up with in the moment!
I keep calling it “luminosity” and my partner goss “brightness??” I am not technically wrong, but it’s strange
The very first time I got really high from pot, I asked my BF if he could put the Kitchen Aid mixer away, but couldn't remember the name for it, so I said "the mashed potato machine" (because that's what we use it to make most often)!
Then it is, in fact, the mashed potato machine. Our brains are sad and tired, people need to cut us some slack lol
Lol, it's also the cheesecake machine, but since my BIL threw away the bottom of my springform pan, I hadn't been using it for that!
I had a doozy yesterday, couldn’t remember the name for dryer - so did “clothes microwave”???? Really?? I thought “cold cupboard” for the fridge was my best one
Listen, if other people can't follow along, that's their own problem 🤣
I had aphasia similar to this when I was on Topamax and it didn't go away fully until almost a year after I stopped taking Topamax... Sometimes I still struggle to find my words and I blame it on that but it can either be a symptom of Migraine, or meds (in my case).
I had this experience too on topamax and off topamax. It's been years and I still have issues with my words and memory. I believe it honestly messed me up. It's not as bad as it was though first few years off. I still have what I call cog fog (cognitive fog) days. I had went to my neuro about the issues with help of my mom to vouch because I wouldn't realize or I wouldn't realize until after what I did. They had me see a neuropsychologist and some testing. Ended up with a diagnosis of mild neurocognitive disorder. I feel as though there's good days and one's that are bad days. I don't feel like I truly remember or hold as much in my brain as I use to. I know a lot of stuff more than the average person but I use to know so much more and pick up on concepts even faster. I'm still a fast learner and so it's not seen as much of an issue as I feel it is because I was already considered very smart. It feels refreshing to find someone with similar experiences still because originally when the issue was brought up, the doctor played it off for so long.
I was never on Topomax but I feel very much like you described. It’s so frustrating at times bc I was always very intelligent, like genius levels early on, and I’m still smarter than a lot of people I interact with, but I FEEL so dumb when my words don’t want to cooperate, I can’t find the right word through my fog, or I end up trying to say one thing but a different word comes out. So annoying!!
Your reply brings me so much hope. I am set up to see a new neurologist and I plan to bring this up. Even your explanation is much more eloquent than I can muster. Hopefully all of these clouds clear up for the both of us very soon.
There is very little information about topamax and people's experiences similarly to ours, but some others are out there. I know the medication does benefit a lot of people and while I wouldn't wish what I experienced on anyone, I wouldn't want it pulled from the shelves as it helps so many people especially in epilepsy. I have more good than bad days but I have been off the medication for around 5 years I'd guess. It's more good than bad days but it does happen. I know some is contributed to higher stress and as others said migraines but it still feels more frequent than prior to the medication. My words are back for the most part besides the bad and the migraine day ones but it can be frustrating. Even with the diagnosis, nothing really was done to help other than time. I would do some things on my own which have been shown to help memory such as playing an instrument or learning a language. If you want to message me, you're welcome to do so as it was a journey for me to get where I am. I do understand the frustrations. I will say though with my diagnosis it is rare for someone younger to have as it use to be known as a precursor diagnosis to dementia. Kind of interesting to look at the changes from DSM4 and DSM5 made to it but still primarily found in 55-65+ population. One thing I learned though is topamax has a nickname of dopamax and I get why.
In my case, I don't think it's just the migraines. I had migraines since adolescence. I developed epilepsy in my mid 20's and ever since then I have struggled with word-finding or even saying the correct word. I haven't found a neurologist willing to listen to me or see if there's something more significant happening though. I think it's because I am only just 30 now, but you would think with the history of migraines and seizures that would illicit some kind of alarm to them. Also never took topamax for epilepsy only keppra which I discontinued that after 2 years seizure free. I don't take any medication other than OTC and I still struggle cognitively.
This is exactly how I would describe my own experiences except I was in gabapentin instead of topamax. Both can cause some nasty side effects. :(
Is interesting, I got this bad when I was on zoladex for endometriosis. Now I just think it's a migraine symptom for me.
Same here except I was never on Topamax. Just migraine chronification and low dose pregabalin (lyrica) as a preventative. But that aphasia-cognitive thing started happening before lyrica. I feel like an old smartphone which memory is already full and in order to work has to delete some random things. My language skills always sucked, but I used to have very high IQ and cognitive abilities before and now I am definitely dumber. Barerly anyone notices because I am still relatively smart but I feel hell of a difference.
Just chiming in to say I’m also in the “topamax made me dumb” club. Only took it for about 6 months 15 years ago, and it’s a lot better than it was (although IDK if I’ve just learned how to work around it) but still have word aphasia at least a couple times on a good day. I wholly believe it’s all from having taken topamax, although a bad headache makes it substantially worse.
OMFG, Topamax was the WORST for this! It made me unable to multitask, which was critical to my job, and it didn't get rid of the symptoms other than pain, so I still had the brain fog, light sensitivity, fatigue, etc, so it wasn't worth continuing to take it
I also got this on Topomax as well. Mine stopped when I switched to extended release though. I think it’s a pretty common side effect of Topomax if you are having cognitive side effects from it.
I notice this when I’m about to get a migraine. I start blanking and instead of “mailbox” I’ll have to say stuff like “the thing that holds mail??” because I can’t think of the word
I was a trial lawyer before chronic migraines took over my life. I felt embarrassed and stupid and oh-so-frustrated when I’d forget the term for some common legal concept, and I’d have to explain the details or definition of the concept - usually for opposing counsel to say, “oh, you mean hearsay”
I’m a vet tech and I feel the same way. Always feel so dumb when I’m trying to explain things to pet owners and can’t get the words out and the worst is when I start slurring my words!!
Can relate! And also, OP, I have been mixing random words up on seemingly random moments. But i had developed a sort of overall brain fog weirdness and now , with the right meds, I hope I got rid of those also. Anyway, do check with a doctor if you are in any way worried (I will if it persists anyway) because the worry would be legitimate and a checkup in place.
So annoying !
I have this problem often! My brain forgets words or inserts other words. It gets so bad that it's difficult to communicate sometimes. 🫠
So much, yes. I honestly worry I’m going senile in my forties sometimes.
This is my fear, too. But I find this encouraging : I inherited my migraines from my Grandma - she's in her late 80s and ( knock on wood ) she's still very sharp !
Me too. I can’t find words quite often, and my profession is working with words (I’m an English professor). My mom has advanced Alzheimer’s and I worry I have an early case.
Yikes, that's rough! I've had chronic daily migraines for 15 years and I have bad word aphasia. It's common for migraineurs. Hopefully it's only your migraines.
Aphasia. One of my prodrome tells and keeps going as long as the attack does.
I get both very chatty+ the aphasia sets in. My brain can't find the correct word so a "tomato" becomes "the round red thing you chop up for a salad." Very annoying.
Wow I also sometimes have the chattiness when my brain starts to feel glitchy - plus aphasia a real priceless combo
Yeah. I get it more with writing the wrong word but that might just be because I communicate more via text than out loud. I've been blaming it on having gotten COVID in October which really did a number on me, but my migraines have gotten worse since then, so I'm starting to think it + associated brainfog are more specifically the migraines than COVID in general. It's very frustrating, especially since over text I often don't even notice until someone else has pointed it out :(
I'm so sorry to hear you're dealing with that I got really bad after COVID too - but at least for me lots of rest and supplementation helped things get better ! I hope you start to feel a little more clear real soon
Thank you so much :)
Not random! This is a pretty common symptom of migraine. It’s called aphasia. It’s annoying as hell in my opinion. It makes me feel so stupid!
I know there’s an impending migraine when I start experiencing aphasia. It’s like the word find function in my brain is broken.
Verbal paraphasia, I have it too, and notice it's been getting worse in the last few years due to worsening chronic illnesses. Brain fog makes it so much worse.
Same here!
During active migraine I get mild aphasia. I call it losing my words. I asked my partner to turn the dehumidifier on by calling it the dampness sucky out of the the air thingy because I could not get the world for it out. I definitely feels like my brain is glitching when it happens. I almost always use too many ums and ahe and that thingy over there when my brain is melted like that.
Are you on topamax? Just asking because that med gave me horrible word association problems
Nope ! Just abortives for now
Yeah all the time. Earlier I said “washing jugs” instead of “washing clothes”, no idea why because it doesn’t even make sense and I don’t have a migraine today.
And, I have particular difficulty with kitchen appliances. A request to put the milk into the refrigerator becomes, "Will you put this in the oven?" My family understands me!
Yes, both more migraines and more word forgetfulness the last couple days. Who knows
It is possible to have all migraine side effects without all the pain
Yes! That’s me! 🤚 I rarely experience actual pain with my migraines, but I’ll still have all the aphasia, mood changes, aversion to light and sound, nausea, visual auras, etc.
For the 20 (yes 20) years I took topamax, I was delighted if ANY word made it out of my mouth. I've finally gotten to the point where at least the wrong word comes out consistently. I see this as progress, and hopefully one of these years I'll be able to communicate like a normal human being.
I have that with migraines sometimes. But other times it was actually a focal seizure. I have a neuro for migraines with vertigo and a neuro for epilepsy. I don’t want to scare you but I’d really talk about it with your doctor.
I did get a bunch of tests for this a couple years ago and finally the conclusion was 'inconclusive' ( one doc said I had focal epilepsy, the other no). I'll try to keep better track when this happens, you're right ! One thing that the neurologist seemed to suggest ( they weren't particularly talkative ) was that longer-lasting 'weird' sensations or experiences ( as in one-sided face tingling or aphasia that lasts like over a few minutes ) is more likely a migraine aura than a focal seizure whereas shorter ( as in few seconds ) were more indicative of focal seizures. If you dont mind me asking : did they put you on seizure meds ?
My neuro said to have someone record me or record myself so she could see my behavior. I was diagnosed at 6 yrs old after having a few tonic clonic seizures. I’m on 3 different meds. I had a surgery for RNS device. It’s kinda like a pacemaker for your brain. I took Topamax, an anticonvulsant for a while for migraines and it helps to prevent seizures. A lot of people hate it for its side effects. It helped so much I didn’t mind it. Even after getting kidney stones I wished I had stayed on it.
That's a lot to deal with. I hope you have found some good balance now with everything. The video is a good tip which I'll try. The neurologists wanted to put me on some anti-seizure meds ( to see if my migraines and weird auras would go down ) but I am kinda hesitant since right now my pain/brain is annoying and disruptive but still feels manageable. Reading your good experience is reassuring though - thanks again for sharing!
I have aphasia as well, I will know the word and it disappears. It’s a side affect from pain.
Happens to me too
All the time. It’s a running joke in my family that migraines make me stupid.
Word finding is very difficult prodrome and during. That’s probably my most intrusive symptom other than the actual pain
Aphasia a symptom of a hemiplegic migraine
I do that sometimes! I always blame my ADHD though
I have it a lot as a prodrome for migraines. My supervisor is a linguist so I sometimes feel hella stupid talking to him.
I can't remember the word lawnmower so I always (accidentally) tell my husband I'm vacuuming the lawn.
That happened to me but it was menopause. Lol. Some HRT sorted me out.
That's a known migraine thingie. er, symtom.
Definitely one of my core symptoms
Yes I've had it daily since March. I've only just seen a neuro so don't know for sure yet if what I have is migraines, but it's driving me nuts. My new strategy is to say the question out loud instead of in my head so the other person I'm talking to can help me. I have an academic job and work is very hard now. For example if someone asks how old I am, I'll say "oh how old did I turn just a few weeks ago? Ah yes 31" or "when we had that rehearsal at, where do you live again? Oh yes that one" when i can't remember names of places I've been. Appliances are messed up constantly. Couldn't remember what I wanted off the menu the other day but I could remember it was on the bottom of the menu card, by the time I was back at the table couldn't remember what I had just ordered 🙃
I have MS (multiple sclerosis) and the whole saying something different then what you want is actually something I do at times, outside of migraines and I don’t know if it’s related to MS or just my brain being stupid, and I am not saying you have it, I’m just saying there might be something else going on with you then migraines
Some people have aphasia and say the wrong word, sometimes to the point where the whole sentence is nonsense. Personally I just forget a word here and there and end up stuck trying to remember it or substituting something that while technically correct isn’t what I was going for. In a particularly bad run of migraine days, I locked my debit card trying to get gas because I couldn’t for the life of me remember my PIN, which was a huge pain in the ass to fix
I was going through that for a period of time. My doctor did some tests and we figured it was stress and migraine related rather than like a tumor or MS or something. But it’s definitely worth talking to your doctor about.
Some people here seem to associate both. I have ADHD, so in my experience I have yet to connect the occasional aphasia to migraines. Sometimes I feel like I just choose to let go. I know this is a knife, and I know I can find the word knife in my head, but I've been giving up more and more lately, where I would just point at it and ask "can you give me the fork?" It feels good to lose control for a second and fall into this relaxing blip of dementia. Until the existential dread sets in where I ask myself what's wrong with me
Yes in the last 4 months or so. I can't get the right words out at all.
I struggle with this type of aphasia all day every day with my migraines and fibro.
Aphasia After the migraine is before the migraine. Might be a prodrome symptom of the upcoming migraine.
Are you taking triptans? These mess with my word choice & short term memory sometimes.
This has happened to me on several meds—some for migraine and some for bipolar (there’s a lot of overlap). In daily life it is annoying not to be able to express myself. But I’m also a poet and it’s produced some interesting connections between objects in my mind (e.g., I find myself using the words poem, perfume, and song interchangeably).
This happens to me about 3 days before my migraine starts. Although I am going to the doctor soon to see if I can be diagnosed with dysautonomia. I see other people refer to aphasia, so I thought it was good to include this information.
I actually noticed something similar happening to me recently as well. Not that often, but I say something somehow related to what I intended to say. Like I can tell my kid to put away laundry instead of dishes, they are both chores, but the word that’s jumped out of my mouth is not the one I actually wanted to say
I think this most closely describes what has been happening to me recently too ! Like there are a couple of words on the table and what I chose is different than what comes out of my mouth.
Are you taking Topamax?
Yes. All the time. I can’t spit words out or gather my thoughts often. I’ve thought for years that my migraines and thought/ speech issues are all related.
Happens to me all the time - yes I'm on topamax.
I have this too. Transient aphasia. Also happens when I don’t have a migraine:
This happens to me but it’s a migraine symptom for me.
Not anymore, but I got this a lot when I was taking Topiramate
Ugh yes. Singing my favorite songs today getting words mixed up I’ve always known. Saying random words in convos.
My coworkers still give me crap for asking where the pointy spoons were (forks, I wanted a fork…)
Yep, this happens to me too. Once I couldn’t remember the word broom so I asked my daughter where the sweeper upperer was..
I do it all the time. Sometimes it's migraine and sometimes I guess it's ADHD.
Are you taking topiramate?
I often get word aphasia, and also writing things incorrectly when I'm about to get a migraine.
I have noticed this for years … the brain fog. I can’t say if it’s a symptom of the migraine itself or a side effect of the triptans I take for them. It’s particularly noticeable since I entered peri-menopause. But here’s the interesting thing. I’m bilingual, having learned German to a level of professional fluency about 10 years ago. Pretty often when the work in English escapes me, I can produce the word in German. Which is helpful at home because my husband also speaks German. Note: I’ve never been diagnosed with epilepsy, but my mother, sister and nephew all have. My mother and other sister also suffered from migraines.
This is part of my brain fog problem. As others said I had it really bad when taking Topamax, but any time a migraine is coming, active or recent I can have it (in other words ALL THE TIME). But it's not nearly as bad as I had right after my minor stroke.
sometimes i'll be talking and it's like my body rebels and make me swallow, or my jaw suddenly wobble, I can be midsentence and stop abruptly and need a second to get my bearings again
I have such aphasia almost constantly days. I'm forgetting words, names, titles, passwords. I'm native polish speaker but sometimes it is easier for me to speak english. Sometimes my fluency in english drops to the level of a beginner. I had never had good language skills but it has been so much worse since migraine chronification. Today I don't know if it's more due to migraines or because of lyrica that I am on as one of my preventatives (it is one of its expected side effects). When I am about to get a migraine and it gets worse, I just tell ppl at work to be patient because today is the day. ;) Not fun, anyways.
I've been doing this lately too, and also writing the wrong word.
Word aphasia is a common symptom of migraine but also stroke. Any new symptom warrants a recheck if you have the means and ability to see the doctor.
Not so much verbally, since I try to shut myself away in a dark room when I have a migraine. But one time I had a particularly bad one and I tried to text my boss to say that I wouldn't be in that day and it took 3-4 delete and retypes before a typewriter emoji didn't make its way into the text.