Migraine Headaches

[wohlers13]

I suffered with migraines for almost 30 years, and after menopause they decreased dramatically. so there was SOME hormonal influence, but stress and food and even weather played a part too. My experience was similar to Jen's - Fiorinal was a Godsend that I used only when the situation warranted - but I never liked the groggy feeling I was sometimes left with.
I want to suggest another idea though. For me, if I was really honest, I could see that these headaches, however awful they were, did provide me with a way to remove myself from my life, for a time. What did I get out of those experiences? Well, alot of pain, and the occaisional insensitive remark too, but I also got a chance to lie down in a dark room and say "Bye!" to the world. My husband often ministered to me, so it was also a chance to get some attention and love. I'm working on my own pattern of working too hard, not saying no, taking on too much, and then sabotaging myself by breaking down one way or another. It's a complex dynamic and not an easy one to understand fully, let alone change, but I think it's a tremendously fruitful line of inquiry.

[Hatvany]

Lifestar:

Thank you for the information on pamelor and topamax. Could you please email what the ingreadiendts are in the medicines. I am allergic to so much that I have to take special care in the medicine I do take. :mad:

I also took butabal but the pharmacy where I get my medicine can't get it anymore (VA), I have to try something else.

My migrane are also due to hormonal problems. When I had a hysterectomy at age 32

Jackie S

[farmnurse]

I have suffered from migraines as long as I can remember. I have tried everything including imatrex injections and narcotics and nothing worked untill the doc gave me Maxalt and it will get rid of the migraine most of the time usually in about an hour. It is very expensive and most insurances will only let you get around 9 at a time. Luckily mine is not one of those. I get a script of 30 at a time and it cost me $30 but the normal price for 30 is around $500. So you might want to see if your doc can get you some samples first to see if they work for you. There is also amerge but it only works for me occassionally.
Donna

[janet]

I too suffer from Migraines...After a biopsy on my temporal artery and a CT scan, and a MRI I was left with trying different meds...for ME nothing worked...I used to climb in bed...pack my head in ice bags and take extra strenght tylenol, if I could get to sleep....it would pass more quickly...I suffered this for a long time till my Doctor said lets try Atacand...this is usually a blood pressure medicine and after one week I had no migraines...I was getting them continually everyday for months, then we tried Atacand and poof!!! they are gone! Now I have never had any blood pressure problems, but this is a God-send for me. So if you are still suffering keep hounding your Doctor!


janet

[Lifestar]

Hi Everybody,

Wow, so many postings, so much interesting information!

About triggers...Yes! there are absolutely things that can trigger a migraine for me, and also for my daughter even more so (she is 11.... I started getting headaches at 8. )

MSG, Caffeine, too much sugar, chocolate, low blood sugar, dehydration, lack of sleep, and PMS, are just a few triggers.

I used Fiorinal for years to treat my migraines. Works great. It puts me to sleep..in the dark...ice pack on my head, in silence, give me silence.

Then the doc suggested Maxalt. I thought I was going to die. I swore my heart would burst and my blood pressure would make my eyes shoot out of their sockets or something. I hated it!

So he put me on the Topomax. Topomax is a preventative treatment. It does NOT treat a migraine once it starts. It took about six months of increasing dosages before the headaches dissapeared. I haven't had a migraine in almost a year. But when I do get a headache, I still prefer the Fiorinal.

Sometimes when a headache would start, I would take Excedrine Migraine with a strong cup of coffee, and go to sleep. Sometimes this helped. If I couldn't do this, Oh well...Iwas doomed. LOL.

My daughter takes Inderal as a migraine preventitive. She is seen buy a pediatric neurologist for her headaches.

And YES I echo that you MUST be screened by a neuroogist and have an MRI before anyone tells you a complaint of recurrent, severe headaches is migraines. It could be many other severe diagnoses.

I truly believe that migraine should be a diagnoses of exclusion. This means they have excluded all other explanations for the headaches before they tell you ..yup..it's not life-threatening, it's a migraine.

My sister-in-law was being treated for 10 years for migraines before a brain tumor was diagnosed with a first-time MRI. I suggest we all insist on one with migraines that don't respond to treatment. Better safe than sorry. I'm not a doctor...just a consumer. But aren't we all?

[Hatvany]

Dear Lifestar:

Be careful with your daughter taking inderal. That is what the Dr. would give me but it caused heart problems. (I have had other heart problems since I was a kid) but this caused problems with my heart beat. I ended up with more problems than a cure.

Jackie S

[geenna74]

My dh works in urgent care so he has been able to bring me samples of almost everything. imitrex shot and pill, they gave me a really weird tight feeling under my chin, did anyone else feel this? axert works okay if you take it right away. my personal favorite is maxalt orally dissolving, it tastes horrible, like a bad aspirin, but it works good taken with two excedrin.

Does everyone know your triggers? My migraines always last 3-4 days and are right before and after my period. also things like strong smells, too much heat/sunlight, waiting too long to eat, all about kill me. My father and brother get them also, have you noticed them running in your families?

I know the migraine will eventually go away, I think the worst for me is people who think Iam trying to get out of something. If dh comes home from work and Iam knocked on my butt in pain he usually says something like 'you ALWAYS have a migraine so it is hard to feel sympathetic for you anymore' Like what? it happens all the time so it should hurt less?

He has never had a migraine and rarely gets sick so he doesn't really understand. Has anyone else had to deal with this? What do you do when you really want to lay in a dark room but your not so understanding family wants dinner?

gina.

[Hatvany]

Gina:

Why not let them see what is going on with you. When they have to pick you up once then maybe they will have a little sympathy. Of course this is a last resort. I was fortunate. My dh saw me get my first one and he had to rush me to a dr. at midnight when I got it. (We were living in the boondocks and he had to call the county dr. at home to come to his office and give me a shot. I never had any trouble with any of my family. They were so scared that I was going to die that when I would start to get a migrane they would push me to bed:p .

I know this is a silly hint but it worked for me.


Jackie S

[Abear]

My migraines had already started (for years) when I marrried my DH. Although he never accused me of exaggerating the headache, he did say one time that they seemed "too convenient".

That all changed one time when he had to rush me to the ER at 11:00 pm ne night and had to pull over several times so I could vomit. (he can handle ANYTHING but vomiting! ).

Anyway, the ER doctor had never seen such a severe migraine before so he told my DH that he thought I may be having a stroke!

Therefore, he refused ANY medication until they did a CT Scan and an MRI. Luckily, before the results came back, a more "seasoned" doctor came on duty and told him I was experiencing a migraine. They gave me three shots and sent me home with orders to see my GP the next day.

My DH has never given me grief over a migraine again!

But, to be fair, I never really understood how much pain my own mother was in until I experienced it first hand!

[janet]

Hi! Here is a thought, you said your DH works in urgent care, so I take that to mean he sees sick people all day long and it does get to be too much. Then he comes home to you and finds you ill...and migraines just make a person miserable! He might feel like he is STILL working. Now don't get me wrong...I support YOU but could your DH be feeling this way???

Keep on seeing your Doctor for your migraines to get some relief.

janet