Migraines and incontinence

[BabyAby123]

Hi everyone,

I get really bad migraines (often as it is a chronic condition). I have found that I either completely lose control of my bladder, have to pee way more often, or both in larger volumes than normal. I often sleep for many hours during the day when I have a migraine. And I either wake up a million times to pee every hour (or even more often), and totally wet myself when I stand up, or I just completely soak any protection I wear and have to change in 3-4 hours rather than 8 (for heavy protection). Which means that I go through way more diapers than normal if having a bad migraine week, even when I have used larger capacity. Super weird though is I hardly drink anything when really feeling the migraine effects (I do drink water with my pills, but not much after that as I try to just sleep the pain away).

Does anyone else notice that their incontinence is worse when having migraines? What do you do to not go through so many diapers?

 

[Pongoandperdi15]

I mean I wouldn't say it's worse when I have a migraine, however I am incapacitated so my continence pads do tend to get a little bit more soaked through than I'd usually allow. I also drink more when I've got a migraine for multiple reasons one is to ensure I'm reasonably hydrated to avoid dehydration, second I'm usually throwing up with a migraine so I need to make sure there's something in my stomach to throw up as I normally can't eat so this probably add to how soaked I become.

 

[CheshireCat]

Hi everyone,

I get really bad migraines (often as it is a chronic condition). I have found that I either completely lose control of my bladder, have to pee way more often, or both in larger volumes than normal. I often sleep for many hours during the day when I have a migraine. And I either wake up a million times to pee every hour (or even more often), and totally wet myself when I stand up, or I just completely soak any protection I wear and have to change in 3-4 hours rather than 8 (for heavy protection). Which means that I go through way more diapers than normal if having a bad migraine week, even when I have used larger capacity. Super weird though is I hardly drink anything when really feeling the migraine effects (I do drink water with my pills, but not much after that as I try to just sleep the pain away).

Does anyone else notice that their incontinence is worse when having migraines? What do you do to not go through so many diapers?

You mention needing to pee more often or higher volume while having a migraine, while at the same time stating that you hardly drink anything when feeling the migraine effects. Have you ever discussed with your doctor this cluster of symptoms? Are you retaining water before the migraine begins or are you overly dehydrated when the migraine finishes? You may not be dealing with standard migraines.

 

[BabyAby123]

You mention needing to pee more often or higher volume while having a migraine, while at the same time stating that you hardly drink anything when feeling the migraine effects. Have you ever discussed with your doctor this cluster of symptoms? Are you retaining water before the migraine begins or are you overly dehydrated when the migraine finishes? You may not be dealing with standard migraines.

Thank you for your insight. I drink water or electrolytes whenever I can, but often am either throwing up or sleeping, so I don’t drink as much as normal until after I feel a bit better. When it isn’t unbearable, I do try to stay hydrated. But I definitely pee a lot more than my normal when I have migraines, no matter how much or little I drink

 

[CheshireCat]

I have a genetic neuromuscular disorder. I was not properly diagnosed until I was in my mid 50's. There are numerous symptoms, but two in particular are retaining fluids in muscle cells for several days and severe migraines. Since being on medication for my disorder I have not had another migraine. I do still have days when I retain fluid (15-20 lbs) and then loose it over a 12-24 hours period. Until I was diagnosed an put on medication it was difficult to know whether a migraine caused fluid build up or fluid build up caused a migraine. Now I understand that they are independent of each other, but both are related to my disorder.

 

[alfenton]

@BabyAby123 I get horrid migraines for a while it seemed like a long neverending Migraine.
If you haven't talk to your doctor about Botox it is life saving, you have to jump through some hoops to get insurance to pay for it but it is definitely worth it, it literally changed my life.
Second I know what you are talking about with more output, I know for me it is because when I have a migraine I drink Pedialyte like crazy to stay hydrated and if it is bad enough I go into Doctor and he gives me an IV with 1 or 2 liters of solution and a combo of other medications. So the only thing I have found is using Booster Pads like Rearz Overnight Boosters pad they absorb an additional 2500ml, I also use the Rearz Mega absorbent diapers because they have a huge capacity to absorb. The combination of the two makes it so I don't leak when I sleep all day.

Another top is you should download the app Migraine Buddy, I use the free version and it is great. It will allow you to tracking the symptoms before, during and what worked for relief, it's possible through tracking that you can find some triggers, I found weather almost always triggers a migraine, at least before Botox.

I would also suggest finding a doctor in your area that will do nerve blocks, basically they inject lidocaine around the nerves in you head that are flared up during a migraine.

If you ever want more migraine info send me a message happy to help.

 

[Edgewater]

I like CheshireCat 's position about two or three very causes triggers that are happening at or near the same time.

A product like Migraine Buddy or a Journal can help zero in on specific events that maybe influencing what is happening. Gather history and take it with you to your next appointment.

My Migraines are triggered by allergies and catching their onset early helps greatly.

Regarding you question of additional volume; I am 24/7, U-IC and during the day I change every 3 to 5 hours. I use cloth, pre-folded, daytime weight diapers and wear NorthShore Trifecta diaper covers. My night-time volumes vary widely and as a result, I wear a NorthShore MEGAMAX with NS Trifecta diaper cover. I wake-up every morning to a diaper that is lightly wet to soggy, Journaling has found no triggers or links. The belief is communication difficulty at the L5 - S1, which is likely varying the communication between the mind and kidneys.

That all said, your hydration issues really needs to be better controlled as you are inviting serious issues when you are dehydrated.

 

[CranialRupture]

Not a doctor (shh), but you might consider getting an appointment with an endocrinologist. My partner was experiencing this same kind of problem with migraines, and ended up being diagnosed with diabetes insipedis - not related to type 1 or 2 diabetes. Chemical imbalance that made her generate so much pee, to the extent of being dehydrated and getting migraines. It was a vicious cycle.

 

[JamisonFTM]

@BabyAby123 I get horrid migraines for a while it seemed like a long neverending Migraine.
If you haven't talk to your doctor about Botox it is life saving, you have to jump through some hoops to get insurance to pay for it but it is definitely worth it, it literally changed my life.
Second I know what you are talking about with more output, I know for me it is because when I have a migraine I drink Pedialyte like crazy to stay hydrated and if it is bad enough I go into Doctor and he gives me an IV with 1 or 2 liters of solution and a combo of other medications. So the only thing I have found is using Booster Pads like Rearz Overnight Boosters pad they absorb an additional 2500ml, I also use the Rearz Mega absorbent diapers because they have a huge capacity to absorb. The combination of the two makes it so I don't leak when I sleep all day.

Another top is you should download the app Migraine Buddy, I use the free version and it is great. It will allow you to tracking the symptoms before, during and what worked for relief, it's possible through tracking that you can find some triggers, I found weather almost always triggers a migraine, at least before Botox.

I would also suggest finding a doctor in your area that will do nerve blocks, basically they inject lidocaine around the nerves in you head that are flared up during a migraine.

If you ever want more migraine info send me a message happy to help.

I feel this very much.
I am a life long migraine sufferer, diagnosed at age 6. Though I am on multiple prescriptions meds, they still come round. I do find myself using diapers when the migraines are bad, as once I find a comfortable position I don't wanna move for a long time. I also drink a lot of liquid IV to try and hydrate during this time, and this in turn makes me have to pee more.

 

[BabyAby123]

@BabyAby123 I get horrid migraines for a while it seemed like a long neverending Migraine.
If you haven't talk to your doctor about Botox it is life saving, you have to jump through some hoops to get insurance to pay for it but it is definitely worth it, it literally changed my life.
Second I know what you are talking about with more output, I know for me it is because when I have a migraine I drink Pedialyte like crazy to stay hydrated and if it is bad enough I go into Doctor and he gives me an IV with 1 or 2 liters of solution and a combo of other medications. So the only thing I have found is using Booster Pads like Rearz Overnight Boosters pad they absorb an additional 2500ml, I also use the Rearz Mega absorbent diapers because they have a huge capacity to absorb. The combination of the two makes it so I don't leak when I sleep all day.

Another top is you should download the app Migraine Buddy, I use the free version and it is great. It will allow you to tracking the symptoms before, during and what worked for relief, it's possible through tracking that you can find some triggers, I found weather almost always triggers a migraine, at least before Botox.

I would also suggest finding a doctor in your area that will do nerve blocks, basically they inject lidocaine around the nerves in you head that are flared up during a migraine.

If you ever want more migraine info send me a message happy to help.

I definitely use migraine buddy!

 

[BabyAby123]

I like CheshireCat 's position about two or three very causes triggers that are happening at or near the same time.


My Migraines are triggered by allergies and catching their onset early helps greatly.

I have many triggers. It is so hard to know which one causes it! Triggers include: stress, lack of sleep, not eating enough, weather changes, wind, hormone changes with my monthly cycle, not enough water, doing too much in the day (overdoing it when I have chronic fatigue), other medical issues flaring up, different foods, seasonal allergies, you name it. I know there is more, but I am currently recovering from a migraine and can’t think of them.

The hard part is, even if I remain well hydrated, my body basically shuts down from the pain and makes me sleep for hours at a time. Which makes it either really difficult to get up to go to the bathroom (due to pain and dizziness) or I leak everywhere. Sometimes I only have a 5-minute window from when I can feel it creeping up my neck. In which I have to, take my meds, get snacks and water and gaterade/electrolyte drink by my bed, diaper up, get my earplugs and eye mask ready (typically in my nightstand, but sometimes I move them), get a bucket for nausea, and change into something comfortable, all before I can’t move anymore. Which can be really difficult sometimes, even if everything is already in my room

Recovering (postdrome) now, but definitely leaked everywhere and had a full diaper. So I had to get up enough to to take my sheets off the bed to throw on the floor, and put another mattress pad down before laying down again

 

[babywolfboy]

i deal with migraines a lot and while i haven't noticed that correlation, i wouldn't be surprised that when your brain is feeling so crummy, other things start going wrong too. i was prescribed gabapentin for my nerve pain for my fibromyalgia and it ended up taking care of my migraines! i no longer deal with them, but whenever i had them, i would get them primarily from waiting way too long to eat, or from not eating/drinking enough sugar, but i also have non-diabetic hypoglycemia, which can also be caused/exacerbated by the same thing. i struggle with eating enough/regularly due to autism so i found that i ended up having migraines usually multiple times a week because i just couldn't regulate my blood sugar.

i wish you good luck in everything, i hope you can get some medication that helps with your migraines, they are the absolute worst. mine make me extremely nauseous as well, i have used cannabis to help with the nausea that comes during migraines and it helps a lot (i am a medical cannabis user, it is legal medically where i am), so that can be an option for you as well if it is legal where you are. good luck!

 

[Pongoandperdi15]

I should have mentioned I'm on topiramate for migraines changed my life significantly reduced the amount of attacks I was having and the severity. I will say this though it's not for everyone and it doesn't come without its side effects I'm definitely more forgetful in the short term memory dept

 

[Bigbabybret]

Well, first off i'm sorry for anyone dealing with migrains, they suck, been dealing with them since my accident, i take lyrica and gabapentin for them, i also find that thc helps as well, only gummies i cant stand/deal with smoke at all. I also have put blackout film on windows in bedroom as well, works better than any mask or alike.
As for IC, i've been night IC forever, and the rest all came about the same time wih my accident, but i cant myself see any change in the amount of fluid per hour if i have a migrain or not.

What i do know is that when i have a migrain i tent to NOT drink or eat as much and really have to force myself to drink and eat, so i think there is a sorta feedback loop in which once get a migrain then dont drink or eat right and then are dehydrated and get bad stomach from medications on empty stomach which makes it all worse and last longer.

This is for me, i know that stress, doing too much, falling, all will trigger a migrain, and also just randomly as well...least cant seem to figure out a trigger.
Then once curled up in a ball for hours and not drinking or eating i know will get dehydrated and my pca's will really try to get me to drink and eat as normal, but when feeling bad it;s not very easy to think about drinking let alone moving to do so as it;s much better to just stay curled up and focus on being a least uncomfortable as i can, meditate and/or focus on things to try to take me away from the migraine.

I do know from the dr's and reading that dehydration and blood sugar do cause migraines to be worse or triggered, but TBH when i have a migraine the LAST thing i want to do is eat let alone move to be able to drink, and i know that when i have a migraine with the associated "Light show" and dizziness drinking/eating is actually very hard to do, and usually end up with a mess trying to eat and spilling water everywhere, yes a spiiy cup helps but its still a mess for me, as i think my nerve issues cause my hands to not work as well too.

It comes down to with me a migraine causes me to shut down pretty much 100% I dont want to move, eat, drink, end up sweating/hot/cold and will just curl up and not want to move at all, just stay like that for as long as i can or the migraine starts to let up.

I think though that my body keeps about the same amount of urine output, but yes making the bathroom is not going to happen and TBH not worth trying on a pain management level at all. I do think that it does exaserbate the migraine after some time with the not drinking and getting dehydrated, but that takes some time to happen as i usually keep hydrated. I know that i do lose track of time though and will totally think it's been an hour and it's been 8 hours, or vice versa. I dont sleep much if at all when i have a migraine, being not feeling good at all, but i have passed out from BP issues a few times, luckly my pca's are pretty good and keep an eye on things, and when i'm curled up in a ball they know what is going on and do check my BP and keep an eye on things pretty good during these issues, that i'm thankful of and has not always been the case.

So, it would be an experiment i might try to physically see if there is an output change in urine during a migraine, my PCA doesnt think there is any change but might pull out the scale and see if there is any apperciable change in the fluid output as a test, have had to do this for some reasons before so not that big a deal to log them for a few days, but i dont think for me there will be any change, but would be a good test and if others do see a change in output during a migraine might be some new data to help with at least knowing before they come on full strength of there is a definite change in urine output that corralates with a migraine comming or even going. I dont see any research in this from a quick look on-line, but if there is some sorta cause/effect up front there might be the ability to do something to help make the migraine not as severe or at least get in front of it, get your meds or extra meds into your body to help out ASAP.

Imagine if there is something, you see uring output come up, take some meds, drink more, and it was to help mitigate a migraine, that would be beyond awesome. I'll give it a bit of work to see if there is anything i can log/detect ahead of time that might help, and even during a migraine.

 

[BabyAby123]

i deal with migraines a lot and while i haven't noticed that correlation, i wouldn't be surprised that when your brain is feeling so crummy, other things start going wrong too. i was prescribed gabapentin for my nerve pain for my fibromyalgia and it ended up taking care of my migraines! i no longer deal with them, but whenever i had them, i would get them primarily from waiting way too long to eat, or from not eating/drinking enough sugar, but i also have non-diabetic hypoglycemia, which can also be caused/exacerbated by the same thing. i struggle with eating enough/regularly due to autism so i found that i ended up having migraines usually multiple times a week because i just couldn't regulate my blood sugar.

i wish you good luck in everything, i hope you can get some medication that helps with your migraines, they are the absolute worst. mine make me extremely nauseous as well, i have used cannabis to help with the nausea that comes during migraines and it helps a lot (i am a medical cannabis user, it is legal medically where i am), so that can be an option for you as well if it is legal where you are. good luck!

I am also on gabapentin for fibromyalgia. I haven’t noticed it reducing migraines yet though (I’ve only been on it since beginning of January). I’m on other meds for migraines as well (specially triptans which help once the migraine starts).
I don’t know, but I still feel that I leak more when in incapacitated with a migraine than compared to when I leak regularly. Even including no bathroom trips in a day, I still go through way more diapers with a migraine than without

 

[babywolfboy]

I am also on gabapentin for fibromyalgia. I haven’t noticed it reducing migraines yet though (I’ve only been on it since beginning of January). I’m on other meds for migraines as well (specially triptans which help once the migraine starts).
I don’t know, but I still feel that I leak more when in incapacitated with a migraine than compared to when I leak regularly. Even including no bathroom trips in a day, I still go through way more diapers with a migraine than without

that makes sense to me! i feel like whenever i have a headache or am generally unwell my incontinence gets worse, it might be due to the increased strain on your brain making it harder to monitor the different parts of your body that it needs to. what dose of gabapentin are you on? I'm on 600 mg/3 times a day and that's helped me, but I've also been on it for quite a while! glad triptans help you!