What causes migraines where a person suddenly collapses?

You did not really answer my question. Doctors have already done CT scans on me. They all showed "normal" results. Other lab tests showed "normal" results, as well. Apparently, migraine does not show on the tests that they ran. The tests that they ran for hypo-/hyper- functioning of various glands, all showed "normal" results. EKG, by the way, showed "normal." Holter monitor showed "normal." It is not epilepsy. I have already had numerous EEGs for that, and they showed "normal" results, too. Doctors do NOT know how to handle this situation, as I had gone for YEARS before finally being diagnosed with this, and MANY, MANY trips to the emergency room only ended up with my being told I have "panic disorder" and being sent home with more back sprains, and sprains of the ankles and knees from collapsing. I kept getting really sick even while on the meds that they had me on, and was having severe migraines, etc., in spite of all the meds. That is why I took myself off them and am doing much better while on a very certified-organic diet and without the meds. I asked what causes migraines to be so bad as to cause someone to suddenly collapse. I want to know the mechanism behind it, as well as the cause of it. Would you PLEASE just ANSWER MY QUESTION? PLEASE?

I just submitted my question to the Ask An Expert section of Mayo Clinic's web site. It said that if my question is accepted for publication, the answer should appear in about 2 or 3 months. I submitted it to Yahoo Answers. Of course, there I also got the same run-of-the-mill answers, stuff like how I should see a neurologist, get a CAT scan, yada yada yada. I have tried for YEARS to find a straight answer to my question, but have not received such an answer from the doctors I have seen or from anyone else. To say that this is frustrating is a serious understatement. If anyone can really answer my question, I will definitely give a Best Response.

Hello nonew3,First of all you have to understand that you have two different questions.Mechanism of migrain and mechanism of collapsing are entirely different but may be related together as a symptom.As I have told you earlier that there could be many many factors which could produce migraines and the cause and mechanism of each migraines differ from one another therefore doctors main target should be the source of your migrain.As doctors has already performed CT scan , it is almost sure that you dont have any tumour.Secondly still science have doubts about the aetiology or certain pathological chemicals exact mode of actions or functions inside humanbeings anatomy, as a result in special cases normal diagnostic tests are not enough .Thirdly, I again repeat that malfunctioning of certain glands and lack of coordinations with certain hormones too can result in cutoff the electric supply and circulations inside and that too can cause collapsing.Are your menstrual cycles regular?Are you excessive over weight?There are many questions like these that doctors need to know also for confirmation doctors needs more yada yada testings as you have to understand doctors are not God and they too need certain clues to reach to a final conclusion and I hope you have sent all your copy of previous test reports in Mayo clinic.Finally I am not responding you in any expectations of getting a BR,but I will be happy if you get any clues yourself that you can pass on to your doctor that might help him.Thanks again.

though you seem to have since ruled out the msg-sensitivity, i just wanted to add that some people are not really affected by msg, and others are in fact ALLERGIC to it, so would react more severely. if you had been allergic, who can say what reaction your body might have? falling down limp on the floor, included. i have always been ok with msg, yet a few years ago, i discovered that consuming msg when incredibly hungry/weak/tired will bring on a horrible reaction. it's happened only twice because i know now how to avoid the episodes. the first time it happened, immediately after eating the food containing msg, i felt like i needed to nap, but pronto! i could barely stand up. but it was not a simple 'sedated' feeling...i also felt ill! so in your case, say you were more sensitive than i was, you could definitely have fallen down in your tracks without prior warning. the second attack i had came on about 40 minutes after eating. i had strong heart palpitations and flashing 'visions' (like aura from migraines)...i thought my chest would burst right open and i couldn't find a focal point so i started getting dizzy. it did not go away for at least an hour!!! very frightening. to go back to the migraine and falling-down spells for a moment....i'm glad you were able to get some form of info about it all. i have so many types of head-aches it's not even funny. CAT scans will NOT detect most of these. the docs have told me i have to be in the midst of having an attack during the scan in order for them to see anything. i have complex headache syndrome (for lack of a better word), cluster headaches, migraines, and regular headaches. i HATE the migraines, but i prefer them to the headaches, because when i get migraines, i know they will only last a few minutes. at worst an hour. headaches for me can last up to 3 days. ugh! if you were falling down due to migraine-related vertigo, it makes sense to me. but i'm no doctor ;)

MSG is an excitotoxin. This means that it is a toxin, a poison. My reactions are not due to some sort of illness. Since MSG is a toxin, EVERYONE reacts to it in some bad or adverse way, even if he or she does not know it, just like everyone reacts in a bad way to rat poison or cyanide. The only way that I can be restored to health is to completely avoid the poison. I was being poisoned by a poison found in food! However, completely avoiding MSG isn't always easy.

You are apparently talking about a typical migraine headache. I am talking about a form of migraine in which there is no pain, but instead there is vertigo as well as sometimes sudden collapsing, sometimes visual and/or auditory aura, and vomiting. Your mindset appears to be that all migraines involve pain, but headache pain is only one of a myriad of symptoms in migraine. One does not have to be in pain to have a migraine.