MIGRAINES - update pg 9

[utahmethodist]

Another Maxalt user here. Without that stuff I'd have trouble functioning several times a month. Thank goodness I have health insurance, though. I get mine for 9 for $15 but without insurance it would be $180!

 

[Chicky85254]

I'm new to chickens.....but here's a subject I know MUCH about!

I get crippling migraines, at best 1x a week, at worst every day. I've gotten them for approx the last 10 years. Usually I take Imitrex and/or Zomig nasal spray.
I was in the ER about 10 days ago, after having a migraine for 2 days. The first day my Imitrex worked, or I thought it did. I woke at 1am with a migraine and nausea and couldn't keep any more Imitrex down....didn't have any phenergan left so I ended up in the ER. They gave me 2 doses of morphine, and wrote a prescrip for percocet. I was given instructions to see a Neuro the following Monday. I kept taking the percocet to keep the migraine at bay until I could see him.
He told me it's a good idea to avoid....
1. Anything AGED. Wines, cheese, sausage, deli meats etc
2. Anything containing MSG
3. Citrus fruits, and juices (This I'd never heard before!)
4. Chocolate
He also explained that taking any Tylenol products when you have a migraine will cause REBOUND migraines.

Since I get migraines SO often, and have so many triggers (sunlight, smoke, scents, foods, sounds, etc) he suggested taking a preventative. He said he's seen great success with Topamax, and I said I was willing to give it a try. He also suggested taking L-Tyrosine with it to help with any fatigue and "brain fog".

I took my first dose that night, and the next morning was the first time in a week I woke up without a migraine! When I looked up the side effects etc online, I found out that one of the major side effects of Topamax appears to be WEIGHTLOSS!!

So far, I've been on it about a week, at the very minimum dose of 25mg taken at nighttime only. I've noticed some weird tingling in my feet here and there, but that's it. To be migraine free for a WHOLE week....

 

[debilorrah]

Well now I have BIG very headache.

I need to keep my mouth shut and go drink.

 

[FractalFarmer]

I used to get migraines fairly often, but only occasionally now. I was able to figure out what triggers them, and I avoid my triggers. For the most part, is it food triggers for me, but also strong sunlight. Here is my list of triggers, in order of how badly they affect me:

1. Nitrates, nitrites: Hot dogs, salami, prosciutto, pepperoni, ham
2. MSG: Chinese food and prepared sauces
3. Chocolate (alas!)
4. Strong sunlight. Need dark sunglasses during the day.
5. Scents: perfume, mold, others
6. Red wine (aaaargh!). Some brands are worse than others. Now I make my own wine w/ very little sulfite & that's OK

Whenever I do feel a migraine coming on, I immediately take 2-3 aspirin and that usually nips it in the bud. I "see" my migraines coming on before I feel them; I get floaters and light flashes. I have to take aspirin right then for it to work. If I'm unable to take aspirin until after the pain starts, I am TOAST! When a bad migraine sets in, I get dyslexic; can't write or even talk properly. I transpose words and sounds and get unintelligible. That is the most disturbing part for me, and all I can do is sit in a dark room after that stage. I also found that I get them in "clusters"; when I get one or avert one before it starts, I'm susceptible for days or weeks after & have to be extra careful about what I eat.

In a normal month, I can eat a few of the "bad" foods. But if I start piling up stuff on my trigger list, I'm just asking for trouble.

 

[Chicky85254]

In regards to the strong sunlight (also a trigger for me) I found that polarized sunglasses help quite a bit!

There is a chemical produced by food aging called Tyramine which the say is a trigger. It's not an additive, just a chemical that is produced as the food ages from what I understand. You can always google it and read more.

I see alot of folks say that aspirin helps them, and I'm curious, do any of you take baby aspirin daily as a preventative? There's been some studies done that show some migraines may be mini-strokes, so I could see where thinning the blood may help with that.

I recently learned that the triptan rescue medicines are appetite STIMULANTS (fantastic!

) They also carry an increased risk of stroke for me personally, because I've had blood clots in my lungs before. My Neuro explained that because the triptans are vasoconstrictors, they make it more likely for a small clot to get stuck somewhere if there is one "just floating around".

Previous to the Topamax, here's the things I've tried that helped,
1. an icepack on the back of my neck, as well as a cold rag on my forehead.
2. Benadryl, anti-nausea meds,ambien --whatever I know will make me fall asleep ASAP.
3. vomiting - as someone else mentioned, it seems like it actually helps signal a turning point?

 

[2manyhats]

Quote:
My onset symptom is dizziness and the ibuprofen with a little caffeine knocks it out enough to let me keep working. I have a migraine for about 3 days each month due to hormone shifts so staying home is not an option when I run my own PT office. Patients don't want to hear about my troubles either. They pay for it to be about them.

 

[Chicky85254]

Have you ever tried the Zomig nasal spray? It's been a wonder drug for me, for the past 4ish years! If you only get migraines 3 days a month, it'd be worth looking into! For me, I would take it, and within 15-20 minutes my migraine would be TOTALLY gone. The Zomig had very little side effects to it for me, if I was able I always laid down while waiting for it to kick in, and usually fell asleep for 30-45 mins...however that was just because the migraine was debilitating, and I think as the migraine faded I relaxed and fell asleep! The med itself didn't make me tired, I could just as easily take it in the car and continue on with my day....knowing that soon I'd have relief!

 

[jnjross]

i had them 3 times a week before i got preg with dd, when i got preg they stopped, then returned when i stop breastfeeding, my doc suggested taking the depo to help since it tricks the body into thinking its preg! works prefect !! no more pricey pills
i get it every 3 months
all OTC's knock me out sinus pills, headach pills, out i go

 

[mom'sfolly]

I got migranes when I was pregnant the second and third times. On my second pregnancy, which I miscarried, I was having about 3 a week. And during my third pregnany I had them too, thankfully, they went away shortly into the second trimester.

Sunlight is also a trigger for me, but I didn't know it until I lived in Texas. Even if I'm hydrated, sometimes a day in the sun will result in a killer headache. This usually happens when I'm short of sleep. So camping can be less than fun.

I also get the visual effects, sometimes before a headache and sometimes without a headache. For me, it is a ripple in the visual feild, almost like looking at a rippled reflection in the water. It isn't across the whole feild of vision, and is usually on the upper left side. Weird stuff!!!

 

[Chicky85254]

Yep, usually a half hour in the sun and I'm getting a migraine, no matter what. It's made it really hard to spend any time with my 2 horses this summer! Since the Topamax seemed to be working, I tested it out this weekend...spend 5 hours with them twice! Both horses are wondering what happened!

Also exercise is a trigger for me ....