Brief Answer:
Multiple considerations--- Check simple things

Detailed Answer:
Good evening. As a neurologist and headache specialist I see many patients in the clinic with similar symptoms therefore, we always start with the simple and most obvious things and get more complicated.

First is to distinguish between LIGHTHEADEDNESS and VERTIGO. In your case you use the word lightheaded and then, you also say your "balance is off" but what would interest me in knowing is if you have any feelings of spinning or as if you were being pushed in a direction or whether you really just feel "disconnected." Usually lightheadedness refers to something more metabolic while vertigo is something more structural or pathophysiological. Metabolic problems include side effects of medications, mild dehydration, hypoglycemia, malaise from a respiratory viral infection (usually mild in severity). Vertigo/imbalance often refers to something structural going on such as stroke, Positional Vertigo involving irritation of the inner ear by calcified otoliths settling out of solution, reduced blood flow to the central nervous system.

Therefore, these are the initial places I usually start with patients in the office or clinic. We would take what are called ORTHOSTATIC BLOOD PRESSURES and see whether there are significant changes based upon a person's posture (lying vs. standing). If that is true then, mostly hydration or reduction in medications such as blood pressure or allergy meds does the trick. Also, the person may not be eating very well or trying to lose weight on a diet and skipping meals.....these cause lightheadedness for the most part. Have you been through menopause? Are you on any type of hormonal replacement, etc.?

If after all is said and done there is still a question as to what's going on then, blood work, urine testing, and then, more sophisticated things such as imaging studies of the brain, EKG's, Holter monitors, and other gadgets and devices may be employed. But most of the time the fix is in something very simple, almost very obvious, sometimes it may even seem trivial.

Try drinking twice as much fluid as usual over the next couple of days or try eating more healthily at least for the next week and see what happens. If headaches are involved in any way then, perhaps that's why aspirin could be helping and in fact, people even with very mild migraines that may not be evident to them since they typically have more severe episodes may initially feel symptoms of lightheadedness or vertigo before anything else of significance to signify the onset of a headache.

If your vision is also blurry at times I would first be sure nothing metabolic were up and if you haven't had an eye exam in a awhile I would get that taken care of before going to see someone like a headache specialist,etc. You may be exhibiting symptoms of what we refer to as ATYPICAL MIGRAINE headaches which consist of "weird" symptoms usually not associated or thought of in the context of migraine headaches and also not necessarily in the company of too much real headache pain...sometimes none at all.



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Brief Answer:
If no spinning then, follow suggestions for LIGHTHEADED

Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the clarification that vertigo seems less likely as a symptom.

Then, you may look over the multiple other suggestions and talk things over with your doctor in order to investigate the possibilities as I detailed for you regarding possible metabolic, nutritional, or medication induced problem. If none of those categories apply then, consultation with headache specialist may be appropriate given your history of migraines, blurred vision, and some similarity of what you describe with what could be seen in entity called ATYPICAL MIGRAINE.

Cheers!

If I've provided useful and helpful information to your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY and be sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating? Again, many thanks for submitting your inquiry and please let me know how things turn out.

Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others.

This query has utilized a total of 30 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.

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