any other mommy migraine sufferers here?

[#1 Pocahontas]

Wow! I can't function when mine are bad and they don't sound half as bad as some described here! I feel sorry for all of you!

I take Advil Migrane. It usually takes up to 2 hours to kick in but then it helps a lot. I also use Migrane Patches. They are pads that stick to your face. You can get them for the forhead, neck, and temple. Those feel great to wear while you sleep or rest.

 

[gibsontrio]

I tried the relpax, I laughed when they handed me the package with , I think it was , 6 pills in it..lol.. It gave me the same side effect as the others, tight chest feeling. It's just hard when you are laying on the couch trying not to move and your DC comes over and wacks you on the head with a toy..lol. I"m gonna go to the health store and see if I could find something there.

 

[aamob]

I also get monthly migraines and my OB/GYN suggested the Mirena implant. It is a hormone releasing IUD. Now my periods are almost non-existant and my migraines are much easier to manage.

 

[Jakesmom504]

I used to take Imitrex, it worked wonders except for the drunken feeling that came with it...and not even the good kind of drunk! Usually I was just so happy that the pain was gone, I didn't care if I was walking around like a bobble head feeling like my head was just going to come off of my body! I get migraines for any reason under the sun, literally! I've had times when the sun has given me a migraine. It's sounds crazy but I've noticed it's only certain times of the day. I can't even open my blinds in the kitchen in the afternoon because the glare triggers it. If it rains and sometimes snows I get them. It's been really bad this year because NJ has had such a mild winter and the weather is literally cold one day and warm the next. It never just got cold and stayed cold, so this is probably the worst it's been in a very long time. When it hits it's peak, I can't function. Feel like I'm going to vomit, can't tolerate lights, noise, can't drive. A doctor I used to go to years ago told me to try taking Ibuprofen with coffee if I didn't want to take the Imitrex, but the key is to take it as soon as you feel something. I guess that's basically just like taking Excedrin but for some reason Excedrin never worked for me. I have done the 4 Ibuprofen thing with coffee many times, and it has worked as long as I catch it in the very beginning. Migraine sufferers usually know the difference right away between "just a headache" and the start of a migraine. Unfortunately, I stopped taking Imitrex because I'm too afraid to mix it with another med I'm on, so if the coffee thing doesn't work I'm left suffering and this winter that has been a lot!

 

[Jakesmom504]

Wow! I can't function when mine are bad and they don't sound half as bad as some described here! I feel sorry for all of you!

I take Advil Migrane. It usually takes up to 2 hours to kick in but then it helps a lot. I also use Migrane Patches. They are pads that stick to your face. You can get them for the forhead, neck, and temple. Those feel great to wear while you sleep or rest.

Are those patches Rx? Do they have side effects?
Thanks!

 

[NotUrsula]

After suffering nasty ones at least weekly for years, I finally went to a neurologist who actually cured them for me. (I've had 2 in five years; I consider that a cure!)

What he did was give me Calan as a preventative. I took it daily for 2 years and then was able to wean off. I know it won't work for everyone, but if you haven't tried calcium-channel blockers, you should consider it as a possibility.

 

[Tricia1103]

I am a HUGE migraine sufferer and have been for about 18 years. I am happy to say that in the last few years they have reduced to about 2/month from the 2/week I had been having! Relpax is the "wonder drug" for me and helps tremendously.

My husband also suffers from migraines and was actually off work on disability for 6 months for a migraine that would NOT end. It was an absolutely horrible time in our lives! He now takes Topamax and Inderal as preventative meds. When he DOES get a migraine now (which is almost never) nothing helps it to go away..he just has to wait it out...usually drugs himself up with vicodin and goes to bed for a couple days. LOL

I hope you find some relief. It is definitely not a fun "disease" to have!

 

[Manda]

Wow, I'm surprised by all the people who are using hormonal BC as a preventative for migraines - mine are so much worse when on the Pill. I tried every possible pill/patch and I'd had migraines like clockwork during my cycle when on any type of hormonal BC. Once I got off of it (made DH get the big V), I now only have a few a year. Mine started when I was a kid.

If I realize what's coming, I can usually take 3 Excederin, a huge dose of caffiene, and fall asleep and when I wake up, I'll be okay. Sleep is pretty much a requirement for me to get over it. I just have to fall asleep and hope I wake up okay. If I'm not able to fall asleep, it will progress to vomiting, etc. and then I'm sick for at least 12 to 24 hours because of it.

 

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

I have been through all the tests (CT's, sleep studies, blood work), all the meds (blood pressure, seisure, pain meds, etc). I currently take Maxalt & like another poster it takes the edge off, or if I take it really really early it will take it away.

My migraines seem to be hormonal & sinus affiliated. Exedrine Migraine I absolutely swear by. 20 minutes I have relief.

And another fix for me is steroids. I know they are not good for you, but they help - I have no choice. My doctor said in my case my Migraines are associated w/my sinuses (already had sinus surgery), and when my sinuses flare up, my blood vessels get smaller & therefore cause migraines. The steroids open back up my blood vessels & relieve the pain. It truely helps me, alot!

 

[bedillamouse]

I'm there with you suffering...I've had migraines since I was little. They have always been bad but with little kids to care for they are horrible. The prescription meds always made me feel icky too. Excedrine works the best so far but just takes the edge off if I catch it early enough...but I have to be careful because it can make my heart freak out (a lovely side effect from being pregnant ). Sleep is usually the only thing that truely works for me but with a 3 year old and 1 year old..it's hard to come by. Thanks for the info on the herbals ....I'm gonna try it!!!

 

[gibsontrio]

Here's something weird that happens to me, wondering if anyone else gets it? I will go to sleep with a migraine and think it is finally gone on one side of my head and it will hop to the other side and I will start all over again.
What is it with Advil migraine that is works for alot of people and those who use it have you noticed its not really on the shelves anymore? I havent been able to find it (I'm in NY) so I had my mom buy up every bottle she could get her hands one in the philly area.
Today I took the first posters advice and went to the health food store and bought up a couple things to test and see if they work. One thing is B2 vitamin and the other just said migraine relief , which is to take when I get one. I also might try out fever few , anyone else take that??
I do want one more child but after that DH will get the V so I can be birth control free. I am lucky enough to be a stay at home mom , and I say that because I would probably be fired if I did work for missing so many days of work because of migraines.

 

[bumbershoot]

My hubby had lifelong migraines, and figured he was stuck with them (his first migraine he remembers was at 3 years old...his dad got migraines too). Then he met me. I'm a (now-retired) chiropractor, and after seeing him writhing and crying in the throes of a migraine, I started taking care of his spine. I did a very gentle group of techniques called Network Spinal Analysis.

After about a year of care, his migraines all but disappeared. What was common is now a less than once a year happening, and they have NEVER been as bad as they were all his life.

So he would highly recommend it to you, to find a gentle chiropractor and invest some time to see if it will take care of the underlying problem.

 

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

gibsontrio - a friend of mine takes feverfew at the 1st sign of a migraine & has never gotten another migrain (unless she doesn't have feverfew with her). She completely swears by it!

I have thyroid problems too, so I am very hesitant on taking anything other then excedrin or prescription meds.

I have tried potassium & other vitamin type meds w/no help.

I am another one that birth control makes my migraines worse. Every 2 years I have to go on it for 3-6 months to regulate my cycles again, but can't ever stay on it.

I struggle too & never know when it will hit. New Years Eve we were out until 2am. Haven't been out that late for years. Well, I paid for it - A migraine that lasted for 10 days! Never again!

 

[doodlesmommy]

Have you tried Relpax? I suffered for 2 weeks with a migraine a few years ago. I went to 2 ERs, and took several pain killers. Called my OBGYN and he called in Relpax for me. It worked. I asked him later why the ER did not give it to me and he told me it was due to the cost. I was shocked! I suffer from migraines but have not had another to last that long. It also allows me to function instead of knocking me out. I wanted to ask also if there are any emotional triggers. I have had people in therapy who have suffered for years and when they finally process what is going on they go away or lessen drastically. Just a thought. I sympathize. I hate getting them while trying to be mommy, wife, boss, etc. Very frustrating to me and I am sure to you!

I take Replax too but only with a migraine that is so bad nothing else will touch it because of the cost. Four pills (with insurance) costs $35!! Ouch! I always have one on hand either in my desk or purse because when I start to see spots I know I better take one or I'm very very See your neurologist because it took a change in diet and a trial with several different medicines before I found the one that was right for me. Everyone is different.

 

[buckler]

Here's an interesting article about migraine triggers

http://www.naturalsolutionsmag.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/articleSearch.article/articleID/14072

 

[jpeka65844]

DH doesn't think I have migraines; he just thinks they're really bad headaches. I try to explain that a headache that makes you sensitive to lights, sound, noise, smell, and gives you an upset stomach IS a migraine!

Do your migraines occur more frequently on one side of your head than the other? Can you pinpoint the pain in your head? Someone once told me that that's not a migraine. You can't pinpoint a migraine. I beg to differ......

I also agree with a PP that said the only way to completely get rid of it is to sleep. I SECOND that emotion. Usually for a really bad one, I'll nap and wake up without a headache but I'll be even more tired. Like the headache's sapped my energy. Y'know?

My worst fear has always been getting one at WDW, though. That would be miserable! I'm coming in June with Imitrex in every bag I have!!!!!

 

[maedelken]

Mine are hormonal and scary. I get them really bad when I am pregnant. I have four kids. With my first I got them really bad after I gave birth. I have an aura and then I start with numbness that works its way down my face and down my throat and then it moves down my arm. The numbness may cycle through two times and when the whole thing is done I feel like I have had a stroke. I get confused....ex after I had one once I tried to call my mom I knew the number I wanted to dial but couldn't dial it. I kept pressing the wrong numbers. Couldn't press the right number on the elevator once. Don't ask me questions because when I answer I don't make sense. It was really scary. I have to go to bed and sleep it off which is hard to do when you have kids. My second for some strange reason I didn't have any. My third is a boy. I had them so bad at the end of my pregnancy that I ended up in the ER. I also had them after I gave birth for about three to four months. With my fourth they started at about 8 weeks and kicked my butt until week 14 and then nothing. I couldn't believe it they went away just like that. With this pregnancy I begged the nurse at my OB for advice. Well I must have asked the mean one. She told me that migranes get better with pregnancy and it must be being triggered by something else. The nerve of her she pissed me off so bad that I complained to my nice doctor. He said his wife had the same problem and gave me fiorecet with codeine. I never had a chance to try it bc they went away. So now I have given birth and have not had one yet I may get one or two a year when I am not prego when I get my period. Oh does anyone get symptoms like I described? Good luck out there I hope everyone finds a way to cope with their migranes.

 

[gibsontrio]

I get really loopy when I have a migraine. I cant concentrate and I cant think straight. My heart goes out to everyone who has to deal with migraines like I do.
I used to take something called fenergan in a suppository form when I couldnt take the pain anymore. I got it the first time I went to the hospital and saved them for the "really bad" times when nothing else worked and I just needed to pass out.
As for wdw , I plan on packing every drug I have that can stop the migraine, unfortunatley for me I believe stress (even the good kind) is a trigger for me , so if I get excited here it comes.

 

[jetprincess]

Mine are hormonal and scary. I get them really bad when I am pregnant. I have four kids. With my first I got them really bad after I gave birth. I have an aura and then I start with numbness that works its way down my face and down my throat and then it moves down my arm. The numbness may cycle through two times and when the whole thing is done I feel like I have had a stroke. I get confused....ex after I had one once I tried to call my mom I knew the number I wanted to dial but couldn't dial it. I kept pressing the wrong numbers. Couldn't press the right number on the elevator once. Don't ask me questions because when I answer I don't make sense. It was really scary. I have to go to bed and sleep it off which is hard to do when you have kids. My second for some strange reason I didn't have any. My third is a boy. I had them so bad at the end of my pregnancy that I ended up in the ER. I also had them after I gave birth for about three to four months. With my fourth they started at about 8 weeks and kicked my butt until week 14 and then nothing. I couldn't believe it they went away just like that. With this pregnancy I begged the nurse at my OB for advice. Well I must have asked the mean one. She told me that migranes get better with pregnancy and it must be being triggered by something else. The nerve of her she pissed me off so bad that I complained to my nice doctor. He said his wife had the same problem and gave me fiorecet with codeine. I never had a chance to try it bc they went away. So now I have given birth and have not had one yet I may get one or two a year when I am not prego when I get my period. Oh does anyone get symptoms like I described? Good luck out there I hope everyone finds a way to cope with their migranes.

I had something like this once. It was REALLY scary. I couldn't talk. The neuro said he thought it was a "complex migraine" which seems a lot like a stroke. Instead of vessels dialating, like in a regular migraine, they constricted causing stroke like symptoms. Now, birth control pills or any HRT is not an option for me (menopause is going to be extremely difficult) and I can't take Imitrex or any other type of vessel constrictor.

So glad the pregnancy, and all that goes with it is behind now!

 

[RF536]

I currently get at least 1 migraine a week. We are working with my meds to see if we can get them back under control. I was out for 6 weeks last week due to a migraine that we could not break. Currently I am on Neurontin as a preventative, but is doesn't seem to be working as well, so they are thinking of switching my to Topomax. I also take Relpax when I get one.

I know one of my main triggers is bright lights. My cube looks like a black hole, all of the maintenance men know not to fix the overhead lights above my cube.

Does anyone have any recommendations of where to find good dark sunglasses? I am nervous about our trip to WDW in June.