Does a migraine in a hot shower indicate epilepsy? (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Does a migraine in a hot shower indicate epilepsy?
3:44pm Friday 17th April 2009 in
I get a migraine if I have a shower that’s too hot. A friend who is a nurse has suggested I get investigated because it might be linked to epilepsy. Is this true?
We have known for years that some people with epilepsy have to avoid hot water because it may induce a convulsion (‘fit’). The condition has actually been labelled ‘hot water epilepsy’. In 2004 ‘hot water migraine’, was first reported, in which people only develop headaches if they have a hot shower. If they keep the shower lukewarm, it doesn’t happen. Obviously that stimulated research into whether the two conditions are linked. I haven’t yet seen definitive conclusions on it, but the suggestion of a relationship, however tenuous, between epilepsy and migraine may lead to opportunities for better treatment of both. In the meantime, make sure you keep your shower temperature below a level that may initiate the migraine.
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