Migraines, Who else has them and how do you cope?

[WriterofWords]

Maxalt

 

[Livinzoo]

http://www.acu-cell.com/dis-hea.html

This link shows several nutritional causes of migraines. Magnesium got rid of mine.

 

[ChickyChickyBaby]

I have had migraines since age 14. I am 41 now.

Mine did go away for about 5-6 years after a complete hysterectomy in my mid 20s. I was totally migraine free.

Few years ago, migraines came back with a vengeance.

Totally kick my butt now. I have between 0-3 a week. Rarely I have a week with no migraine.

Usually at least one, sometimes two, occasionally three. I have tried Maxalt and Imitrex.
The only thing more annoying than being knocked down 1-4 days with a migraine is the day or two after..... I always feel as though I was hit by an out of control speeding train or a Mack Truck or something.

Once it is too severe, no matter the prescriptions, I end up at the ER for a pain/nausea combo shot.

I did have compazine tablets to take for the nausea with the migraine prescriptions.

Currently I am trying out Relpax. First month, worked OK. I have found that they work sometimes, and sometimes not. When I take 2 and they do not work, I take 2-4 excedrin migraine. and go to a dark quiet room. I know I should not mix the two, but relief is the only thing I want.
Doc fussed at me but ...... when I have a migraine I will take anything. Before Relpax I was taking up to 10 a day of excedrin migraine. Usually every 2-3 hrs I would take 2-3 excedrine migraine, 2 advil or tylenol, and nausea meds. Docs concern was my self dosage with OTC medicines.
My doc's DD has migraines so he understands the debilitating pain.

I do love the Relpax.......because the 'migraine hangover' is not there as much the next day.
Had to take one this AM

 

[EweSheep]

Sinus headaches and migraines I get them often....lack of sleep is the top problem and lack of iron, need to stock up more on steaks lOL! And too much processed foods like ham and salami would trigger them. If I had one sandwich, I'll be ok but if I eat two or more in a day or two days, I would get them.

 

[ChickyChickyBaby]

AND........ Never have been able to define triggers for me. It can be anything at any time.
I even changed to a vegetarian diet when it seemed to be triggered more by red meat ( which I have never ate a lot of.)
I was vegan for a year after that. Neither helped at all. My whole life I have rarely ate processed meats. I still prefer to eat vegetarian or vegan when we go out somewhere if at all possible.

I have different headaches which some people think is strange. My lack of sleep headache feels different than a migraine. My tension headache is different than a migraine. To me those are normal headaches with none of the warning signs. Migraine pain is totally different along with nausea etc etc


ETA: I do love to eat chicken

... DH wondered if my migraines were caused by additives, hormones, or anything else given to grocery store birds. DH thought it would be a good idea to raise our own meat birds. He is still leaning towards that being a big cause of my migraines - not the food itself, but the stuff in/on the food.

 

[dandelionheart]

I believe Hubby takes something that starts with an M... when he feels one coming on. Sometimes just two Aleves will help. He gets to where he loses some of his vision and talks in gibberish. We've rushed him to Urgent Care and since it doesn't come on suddenly without warning it is a migraine.

I'd still feel better if they did a scan of his head. The meds to help immensely though. Wish you all the luck... I'd also look into getting an IUD - they also make just plain copper ones. Depo Provera made me a horrible person. LOL.

 

[ChickieBerryFarm]

My husband suffers from migraines and I get them in relation to my hormones...fun. At first, we didn't know what they were because they were in the back of our heads, near the base of the skull, almost seemed neck related.

Husband got down with one 3 weeks ago and ended up in the hospital with bilateral pulmonary embolisms and mild pneumonia. They think it was from him being off of his feet all week. It was a blessing that the hospital caught it because he could have died. He's had CTs of the head, neck, and sinus...all clear. The Neuro doc put him on Relpax. He took one the other night and it seemed to help. He is also using ice packs and has backed off considerably on the caffeine. We also go to the Chiro and that seems to help a lot too.

Best wishes on managing them...it's certainly no fun.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

I used to have stress headaches daily. After turning 40 I started getting them less and getting migraines, mostly right before my cycle. Someone just told me to try Excedrin for Migraines and it knocked it within an hour.

 

[welsummerchicks]

Having been misdiagnosed as having migraines several times, I'd urge people to not assume that their head ache is a migraine, even if a doctor suggests it might be. I can tell you for sure, the doc was extremely sure that I had migraines, and she was wrong. Despite me having risk factors for migraine, taking medication that often causes migraines, and everything else, I did not have migraines. And the mistake caused problems with my career and many other 'side effects'.

It's actually quite difficult to accurately diagnose head pain, and it's very, very important that it IS diagnosed correctly. So some advice from one who's been through the wringer:

Persist, don't assume anything, and don't believe everything you read or hear or assume it applies to you. Keep in mind ALL your symptoms, have a very, very accurate description of how your pain starts, where it spreads to, and how it feels. Don't let anyone wave away your description by saying, 'oh that's just atypical migraine'. They're not THAT atypical. At some point, someone should be saying, 'it's so atypical, I wonder if it's even a migraine, let's look a little deeper'.

And if someone looks blank when you describe some of your symptoms or says migraines don't usually feel like that but you have a migraine and you're just - what? Adding some stuff because you're imaginative...don't automatically believe them. If someone zones out during half your symptoms description, and then insists, 'it's STILL a migraine', don't be too sure.

Keep in mind that no matter what you take in the way of medicine, it's likely to 'help' for a few months, even if it's sugar pills, because the placebo effect is a very, very strong effect. That doesn't mean you're treating it properly. The real test is if it continues to help after the 'honeymoon period'.

Migraines are serious business - very, very serious. They carry with them a queasy association with other health problems, including stroke. The link isn't sure, and it isn't like everyone with migraines gets a stroke either. But you want to make very, very sure what causes your head pain, and be REAL sure you're treating it in the best possible way.

Keep in mind, some pain medications will work on ANY source of pain - not just migraine. Don't assume because the medicine deadens the pain, that it's a migraine. It can also be a number of other things. Being sure of what you have requires not just a good doc, but a patient that works hard too.

Medical thinking on migraines has really bounced around even just in a few years - blood circulation issues, inflammation, and other processes have been followed - and what process they think is going on, strongly influences what treatment they recommend.

The diagnosis of conditions that cause few symptoms other than pain, is always very, very difficult. It takes an expert, and I suggest consulting one.

 

[chickensioux]

My migraines are hormone related but I refuse to take anything along the lines needed to control them. I just deal with them. No OTC medications work for me that's for sure. I do have a prescription for Tylenol w/ codiene and only take that at night to help me sleep. I feel sorry for the ones that state they get 1 to several a week. Many years ago, I went thru a battery of tests (incl. a spinal tap and various scans) to find the cause and tried all diff. types of meds. At least now I only get about 1 a month. So sorry for anyone who suffers with them frequently. They are tough to handle. Good luck to all of you and I hope you eventually find some relief.