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Sticky Blood Platelets Cause Migraines
By JenxoxoPA
712 views
April 1 at 1:31 pm
I just had my one year follow up with my heart surgeon and he explained to me what may be the root issue of my migraines. Quick background: I had heart surgery last year to fix a large hole (PFO) that has been known to cause migraines, although it didn't fix mine. While on Plavix, a blood thinner, I had no migraines. After stopping Plavix, my migraines returned. Back on Plavix, no migraines.
Here's the deal according to my heart surgeon (in much simpler terms): My platelets in my blood are very sticky and/or I have more than usual. When they are sticky, they can form mini-clots in the brain causing migraines or even strokes. The Plavix I am taking is bringing my blood to normal ranges by making my platelets slippery.
I read a few research papers and websites that verified this. When tested, the platelets in migraine sufferers are different from normal platelets during and in between attacks. There is a significant increase in spontaneous clumping of the platelets for people with migraines.
I am wondering if anyone else has heard anything about this. Perhaps this could be an issue for many migraine sufferers.
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Anonymous August 10 at 10:12 am0 LikesI was recently diagnosed with a PFO after years of suffering with migraines. My cardiologist doesn't think it warrants closing and I am wondering, is it normal protocol to test the platelets in these situations? I haven't had any blood work done since my diagnosis and they have basically gone back to just treating me long-term with Topamax for the migraines and not addressing the PFO at all because the results of an MRI were normal and showed no evidence of any damage from clots, mini strokes, etc.
The PFO was found after I had a whopper of a migraine and my pupils were two completely different sizes, which freaked me out, causing me to go to the ER. Nothing was ever found and no one could explain the pupil thing, but it definitely got my family practitioner's attention about the migraines finally and he sent me for further testing.
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Trudy22 July 25 at 11:05 pm0 LikesHi I am new to this site. I only found this as I did a search on migraines and blood platelets. I had a pfo closed 3 years ago and from then I have been on plavix. Everytime I go to go off it I get migraines. I had the pfo surgery to stop my monthly migraines. Now when I am not on plavix they are daily. It is very hard to find any info on this and I live in Australia where all this is very new and unheard of. Just wondering if you are still on the plavix?
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John Crowley April 15 at 10:36 am0 Likeswouldn't that be amazing if migraines eventually become categorized as a blood disorder?
Do you think the Plavix is helping reduce the frequency of your migraines?
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JenxoxoPA April 29 at 6:52 pm0 LikesYes, that would be very interesting! This is happening with MS right now. They are currently conducting research studies to determine if MS is a cerebrospinal venous insufficiency disorder and not a brain disorder after all. This is what got me thinking about migraines having a deeper root issue. Yes, I have not had one migraine since being on Plavix. You never know, but so far so good! I do find it very interesting!
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