So I wanted peopleās opinions! My symptoms all kicked off when I was 38 weeks pregnant but within the same time we had purchased some new lights! One which goes over the dining table! May just be a coincidence but everytime we eat dinner my cheeks start to burn up and my head pressure increases! Could the lighting be triggering an attack? I donāt eat lunch at the table and never flush! I just recently noticed the pattern.
Lighting would not be a the cause, but the symptom of being sensitive to some lighting really is a sign of something up with your vestibular system, imho.
Itās because your vestibular system is less ārobustā and struggles to process some views when bathed in certain lights.
I get weird ābrain rumblesā that appear to come from my forehead when in certain lighting. The issue is exacerbated by caffeine, so I have often noticed this in coffee shops with mixed lighting.
Do you ever flush in your cheeks? I just noticed the pattern every evening when I sit at the table I start to burn up then feel even more heavy headed!
My office doesnāt have windows, just those horrible flourescent lights. I put warm light lamps around. When I am very sensitive or dizzy, like today, I go to work to a space with natural lights. Lights really bother me, in different levels, even before MAV, which makes me think about me being sensitive to lights is a symptom of a migraine brain. I always have to buy mate screen protection sheets for cellphone, monitors, etc. I would try to change the bulb to warm light to see if it makes you feel better. The burning up could be hormonal mixed with migraines. It has certainly taken a long time to feel myself again after pregnancy/ birth/ postpartum. Itās no joke to grow a baby!
1 Like
Not personally, but your reaction to symptoms can create more symptoms and everyone experiences some slightly different things. Users have listed some more unusual ones in the Wiki.
1 Like
Thanks I will change the bulbs as they are so uncomfortable to be around! I have seen that flushing can be a mav symptom. Yes no joke ha ha hormones and virus have changed my whole life! Do you get the drunk/dreamy vision outside?
I do get the drunk/dreamy vision! but not as intense now, I think effexor is taking care of that. I was feeling I was drunk 24/7, now it is random times of the day. Recently what I have is the wavy vision, like things moving/vibrating, specially patterns, but if I concentrate in looking at a specific point it goes away. I put black tape on top of every mini LED light in my house, almost all appliances/ chargers/ devices have it, and I changed all bulbs to warm light. I also turn off almost all lights around 9 pm (that also helps with my little to go to sleep), so there is less visual stimulation.
How is baby?
1 Like
I have found some good reviews on Effexor and the dreamlike vision! Did you have any bad side effects when starting it? Yes my symptoms are 24/7 and worse outside! My ears feel full and pop and my head feels like a weight in the back! Iām currently on sert abd piz but donāt seem to be doing anything? Yes I have had the wavy/vibrating vision but that has lessened a lot! I would get terrible blurred vision too but that has eased! Do you ever get blotches in your vision? Yep im def going to change the bulbs!
I didnāt have any side effects, just a little insomnia each time I increase dose (I am currently at 150mg). I had horrible side effects of sertraline, the worst was a terrible anxiety attack that sent me to the hospital for several days. Since I was already doing pretty bad on sertraline, I was so afraid of trying effexor that I did not want to do it by myself at home. They titrated me up to 75mg in 4 days while I was in the hospital. I also had blurred vision, maybe that was the effexor though, now it is fine. I have flutters, but I have had those since before MAV. I actually like them, I try to track them, it is a fun distraction. We are weird, haha
I will mention Effexor to my doc and see what she says! The anxiety of this is what scares me as I donāt want to crash coming off sert! Did you have to have a break in between sert and Effexor? I can honestly say I donāt enjoy any of these odd sensations 
currently got terrible neck and back ache 
brick feeling in my head along with blocked ears and weird spacey fishbowl drunk like vision! I will try anything to make these symptoms ease! When I first started citalopram on 10mgs I was 80% then I went up to 20mgs and went even more dreamlike and I felt off my face then when I came off it during that week I started to feel 80% then crashed again so went on sert! Now I would say Iām 50% hard to judge what worked
interestingā¦ and nop, I went from sertraline to effexor in one day, but I was only on 25 mg of sertraline, I could not increase it, I felt I was going to die. So maybe as others say, since I was feeling pretty awful, maybe I did not feel any of the side effects of effexor, but what I remember is that after a couple of weeks I felt like a human againā¦ still with a lot of MAV symptoms but not with the crushing anxiety and the idea that I was in a dreamā¦ or rather a nightmare. It is funny how I am still dizzy almost all day but I plan my life normally now. Before I was holding on doing things until I felt betterā¦ since that is going to take a long time, I keep doing my life. My brain has to learn! 
I think effexor helps with coping with this as well, so even if symptoms have not totally subsided, life feels more bearable. Instead of feeling mad and other negative feelings about this, I am more annoyed by them, as you are annoyed when having a shoe that bothers, if that makes sense. I would like to throw the shoe away, but I canāt so I just bare with it. How much sertraline are you? Since you responded to a low dose of citalopram maybe you can add a low dose of effexor.
oh one other thing, the fluctuation of hormones is something else to consider, so it could be that you get bad days related to your hormones and has nothing to do with what meds are doing. I am also learning how to cope with bad days.
Lighting wouldnāt cause MAV. It will certainly exacerbate symptoms though. Just a change in house lighting with hypersensitive state of MAV would make everything worse. I have found any āblueā light type dreadful for ramping up symptoms. We only have the old fashioned original yellowy lighted bulbs. Difficult to obtain. Failing all else check on line any migraine or lupus website.
With regard to yr photo and assuming lighting is quite true to life what will make things much worse again is the fact the room appears to be inconsistently lit, bright spots and dark corners. That can prove notoriously bad for vestibular conditions. Even up room lighting totally. No mixed lighting. If you are light sensitive same applies in daylight. Avoid having room lit partly by outside light and partly inside light. Helen
2 Likes
Pallor and/or Flushing can be MAV symptom and unlike hot flushes only applies to skin, no heat. I know. Done both! Many times. The extra head pressure is brain struggling to keep you balanced whilst coping with such extremities of lighting I always think. Helen
1 Like
I flush immediately under any source of blue light and within a half hour under fluorescent lights. Blue light is an immediate migraine (including LED headlights). I get maybe an hour under fluorescent lights before the room starts to move and my stomach turns over.
I agree, lighting doesnāt cause MAV, but it can certainly exacerbate it.
canāt wait for menopause! this is totally crazyā¦ oh well.
Thatās good to know that I donāt have to wait in between meds. Iāve just upped from 50mgs to 75 to see if it helps? Thanks for all the info. I feel like hormones triggered this all off from being pregnant! I had random things with my first pregnancy!
Sorry to hear lights have that effect on you!Thatās so interesting as same within half an hour of being under that light my cheeks start to burn up! Same time every evening and canāt be the food as I tend to have different dinners each night and doesnāt happen at lunch!
Thanks Helen for all of that Info! I think we may even change the lights as they give out strong lights in only small specific areas! I am much more comfortable with the floor lamp on! Also when I flush I donāt feel hot all over just my cheeks burn up!
I work from home under natural lighting but frequently travel to clients. I have a workmate that always notices me flushing (Iām blond) and asks if Iām ok. Whatās the MAV answer to that? Iām not actively puking but the floor is moving and Iām nauseous; Iām not slurring but Iām worried about it starting and my command of English is slipping; my head hurts but I can still think - so, yeah, Iām fine.
1 Like