What is a vestibular migraine?
It’s an episode of vertigo before and during migraine, says Maizels. He explains that “vestibular” refers to the part of the inner ear that controls balance, and that vertigo is dizziness where there is a hallucination of movement. Vertigo “may feel like a spinning sensation, or you may feel like you’re on a boat or just came off a boat,” Maizels tells WebMD. He adds that the vertigo “can be more disabling than the headache itself” and can happen before the migraine starts. But a vestibular migraine isn’t just about feeling dizzy and having a migraine. “Almost anyone with migraine may get dizzy, and that doesn’t mean you have vestibular migraine,” Diamond tells WebMD. She says the symptoms of vestibular migraine also include other symptoms, such as nausea, fainting, abnormal eye movements, hearing loss, and weakness in the arms and legs. “It’s way more than [being] dizzy,” Diamond says.
