Do you get Migraines?

[Barb D]

I'm the queen of the migraines. I actually have electrodes in the back of my head which use electrical stimulation to block the pain signals to my brain. (Google ONSTIM if you want to know more about it.) Because of this I've gone from non-stop severe migraines to daily migraines that I can usually medicate away with Imitrex and Excedrin Migraine. I sometimes use Percocet if it gets unbearable. I've tried every migraine med and preventer known to man. Nothing really helps except the combo of Imitrex and Excedrin Migraine.

My neurologist suggests Magnesium, B2, and Butterber supplements, FWIW. It certainly couldn't hurt you to try them. I take them, but they don't seem to help me.

In any case, if I were you I would hie thee to a neurologist. S/he can prescribe a migraine preventer, and run some tests to rule out other causes.

 

[Goofycampers]

I'm the queen of the migraines. I actually have electrodes in the back of my head which use electrical stimulation to block the pain signals to my brain. (Google ONSTIM if you want to know more about it.) Because of this I've gone from non-stop severe migraines to daily migraines that I can usually medicate away with Imitrex and Excedrin Migraine. I sometimes use Percocet if it gets unbearable. I've tried every migraine med and preventer known to man. Nothing really helps except the combo of Imitrex and Excedrin Migraine.

My neurologist suggests Magnesium, B2, and Butterber supplements, FWIW. It certainly couldn't hurt you to try them. I take them, but they don't seem to help me.

In any case, if I were you I would hie thee to a neurologist. S/he can prescribe a migraine preventer, and run some tests to rule out other causes.

Thanks thats good advise. I really need to see a neurologist. I'm sure taking all these vasoconstricters is not good. I'm sorry you have such horrible headaches, t hat sounds terrible.

 

[mickeyboat]

I get distinct vision disturbances which is my clue to quickly do something.

I do, too. I take regular Advil (3 or 4) which knocks them out before they really start. That being said, I have only had one real migraine - and hope to never get one again. I feel terrible for everyone who gets them all the time.

Denae

 

[meeskamouska]

I have been on and off numerous medications over the years. I was on a prevenative and it screwed with my cholesterol so badly that I was taken off of it. Now I am suffering multiple headaches a week.

I am taking Zomig....and while it usually works...the very next day I am hit again. I hope that I can find an alternative. UGGhhh

 

[sunlver]

Another migraine person over here as well

Now I dont get those horrible ones, that make me sick or leave me unable to do stuff. My mother and brother have had them as long as I can remember, and I know it is very hereditary.

WHen I feel a headache coming on, sometimes I just dont know if it will turn into a migraine. I always will take 2 Excedrine migraines and 2 advils. Sometimes that takes it right away. If that combo doesnt work, I take my IMITREX.For me I love that stuff, works so well . I have the 100mg, but I use a pill spliter. I found half a pill does work 99% of the time. I never told my dr I split them as I didnt want her to lower my dosage, and I only get 9 a month

I know a lot of mine are related to food, not all chocolate gives me headaches, only some due. Too many hotdogs in a week will give me one as well(even the fat free ones). For the longest time I would wake up daily with a migraine, figured out it was related to my teeth clenching . I have a night bite thing now from the dentist and it reduced the number of morning headaches.

I have tried Topamax, hated it. It make my eyes feel like they were going to fall out of my head(yes a side effect of it)

Now I am take a low dose anti depressant. Honestly I dont think its doing anything, its only my 2nd month.

I know the change in the weather will trigger a headache as well as stress...

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

I just went to my neurologist to try Topamax. I have been having hormonal migraines for the past 14 years, 1-2 migraines a months that last about 3 days long.

I am a little hesitant about taking Topamax because of the side effects but I am sick of overdosing on Motrin and the prescription stuff is so expensive. I dont know how much the Topamax is yet becuase he gave me samples.

I am curious for those that have taken Topamax, any thoughts?

Another migraine person over here as well

Now I dont get those horrible ones, that make me sick or leave me unable to do stuff. My mother and brother have had them as long as I can remember, and I know it is very hereditary.

WHen I feel a headache coming on, sometimes I just dont know if it will turn into a migraine. I always will take 2 Excedrine migraines and 2 advils. Sometimes that takes it right away. If that combo doesnt work, I take my IMITREX.For me I love that stuff, works so well . I have the 100mg, but I use a pill spliter. I found half a pill does work 99% of the time. I never told my dr I split them as I didnt want her to lower my dosage, and I only get 9 a month

I know a lot of mine are related to food, not all chocolate gives me headaches, only some due. Too many hotdogs in a week will give me one as well(even the fat free ones). For the longest time I would wake up daily with a migraine, figured out it was related to my teeth clenching . I have a night bite thing now from the dentist and it reduced the number of morning headaches.

I have tried Topamax, hated it. It make my eyes feel like they were going to fall out of my head(yes a side effect of it)

Now I am take a low dose anti depressant. Honestly I dont think its doing anything, its only my 2nd month.

I know the change in the weather will trigger a headache as well as stress...

I have gotten migraines since I was a teenager. In the past year they have gotten much worse so I have tried several things. My dentist referred me to a periodontist because I was clenching and grinding my teeth so much at night that I would wake up with a migraine. The Periodontist ground down my teeth just a little and that seemed to help those morning headaches.

I was put on Topamax as a preventative and HATED IT. I felt like a zombie and had trouble concentrating on anything. I couldn't figure out a tip at a restaurant or add 2 numbers together without having to stop and write it down. I have heard Topamax called "dopamax" because of this side effect. It is also referred to as "the supermodel pill" because it makes you thin and dumb. I did lose 25 lbs in a month while on it but some of that has slowly crept back since I went off of it. OH and a biggie for me was that Topamax makes all carbonated beverages taste GROSS. No more soda for you if you go on the meds (which probably contributed to that 25 lb weight loss I had).

I have tried Maxalt, Fiorcet, Imitrex, Frova and others but nothing seems to work better than 2 Excedrin migraines and a 20 oz full strength Pepsi. I have to catch it EARLY or I am toast and have to ride it out.

You really need to find out what your triggers are. Both of my DDs get migraines and have had to learn to avoid things to prevent them. Some of our triggers are bright sunlight, hormonal fluctuations (ovulation, beginning and end of a period), MSG (in most soups), nitrates (hot dogs, salami, lunch meat), sharp cheeses (worse if they are melted!), dark chocolate, artificial sweeteners, peanuts, too little sleep, too much sleep, stress. My Mom gets migraines when she eats corn, cheese, citrus or chocolate.

I won't try another preventative if it is going to make me feel like Topamax did. I would rather try to treat the headaches as they occur and risk riding some of them out than feel like a dope all the time.

 

[Goofycampers]

Another migraine person over here as well

Now I dont get those horrible ones, that make me sick or leave me unable to do stuff. My mother and brother have had them as long as I can remember, and I know it is very hereditary.

WHen I feel a headache coming on, sometimes I just dont know if it will turn into a migraine. I always will take 2 Excedrine migraines and 2 advils. Sometimes that takes it right away. If that combo doesnt work, I take my IMITREX.For me I love that stuff, works so well . I have the 100mg, but I use a pill spliter. I found half a pill does work 99% of the time. I never told my dr I split them as I didnt want her to lower my dosage, and I only get 9 a month

I know a lot of mine are related to food, not all chocolate gives me headaches, only some due. Too many hotdogs in a week will give me one as well(even the fat free ones). For the longest time I would wake up daily with a migraine, figured out it was related to my teeth clenching . I have a night bite thing now from the dentist and it reduced the number of morning headaches.

I have tried Topamax, hated it. It make my eyes feel like they were going to fall out of my head(yes a side effect of it)

Now I am take a low dose anti depressant. Honestly I dont think its doing anything, its only my 2nd month.

I know the change in the weather will trigger a headache as well as stress...

You might want to talk to your Dr. before splitting Imitrex, the package info says not to crush. I also have a restriction for 9 pills a month but I got my Dr. to prescribe 50mg and it says take 2 at onset of headache. Now the insurance will allow 18 pills at a time. This has saved me some $. My Dr. tried the antidepressant Zoloft but that didn't help.

 

[c4a]

"dopamax"? Models? Never heard it called that.

I lost weight on the Topamax. But I had to get off it-absolutely could not function. Also, had really bad dry mouth & it seemed to make the nausea worse.

Fall and Spring weather wrecks havoc on my sinuses-which usually leads to a doozy.

Has anyone tried those freezer gel-packs? Looks like a cross between an eye mask and a football helmet, filled with gel, suppose to be able to throw it in the feezer...wondering if they work.

 

[Horseshoes]

For those that tried the Topamax and hated it, did you just stop taking it cold turkey, or did you have to wean off of it? And how long before you felt back to normal.

I am willing to try it, but I will start it after I get back from my California trip in 3 weeks, dont want to be in a fog while I am there.

 

[sunlver]

For those that tried the Topamax and hated it, did you just stop taking it cold turkey, or did you have to wean off of it? And how long before you felt back to normal.

I am willing to try it, but I will start it after I get back from my California trip in 3 weeks, dont want to be in a fog while I am there.

When I took it, I took it for about 3 weeks. I am one who had the temendous eye pain/pressure with it. When I read the side effects on the internet, it said to stop immediately if you expereienced eye pain, so I did. When I stopped taking it, my eye pain/pressure went away.

 

[suzimar57]

my DH has a RX for Imitrex 100 mg, and splits them - doctor told him it's fine (even though the insert advises against it)

DH used to get 100 Imitrex per RX on our old plan - now, he's limited to 9 pills a month - that doesn't cut it, which is why he uses Maxalt as a back-up, is on Depakote, and when all else fails, we go to the ER

 

[Calliaz]

I use imitrex nasal spray and excedrin migraine. I tried relpax, but it gave me horrible joint pain. My naturopath recommends taking coQ10 and using cayenne pepper (in distilled water) on a cotton swab. You put it in your nose against the inside wall and apply gentle pressure for 5 seconds. The coQ10 didn't do much for me (she said it was variable based on the patient) but the cayenne works well in a pinch.

If they get worse, I am going to a naturopath that does prolotherapy and other injection therapy. I had prolotherapy for back pain and it was amazingly effective.

 

[cheerbabe55]

DD was on a field trip that was about half hour away from school. The kids got into some sort of an arguement there. On the bus ride back, *the teacher* put on her sun glasses and fell asleep. Talk about a migraine there!

 

[sunlver]

my DH has a RX for Imitrex 100 mg, and splits them - doctor told him it's fine (even though the insert advises against it)

DH used to get 100 Imitrex per RX on our old plan - now, he's limited to 9 pills a month - that doesn't cut it, which is why he uses Maxalt as a back-up, is on Depakote, and when all else fails, we go to the ER

Im the other splitter on the board . I know the insert states not to do this, but I dont see the big deal. The only thing I could see is, that each time it is split, it may not be split exactly in half. After I started splitting them, my 9 pills last me twice as long.

 

[suzimar57]

that's why we split pills (not just Imitrex) as well - you get twice as many, and with our RX plan constantly being reduced, you do what you got to do.

 

[mamamary]

My sis in law gets really bad migraines. I wish I knew all the diff. meds that she has tried but nothing works. Then they cut out certain foods and that didn't help. Unfortunately she will usually have to get brought to the emergency room and given a very strong painkiller. This has been going on for years.

She just mentioned the other day that she thinks her migraines would be more under control or happen less if she lived in a warm climate. They are seriously looking into moving to florida next year. Anyone know anything about climate and migraines? Just curious.

 

[kldmom2000]

I was getting migraines all the time....my MD put be on Inderal LA 80mg a few years ago and it works like a charm! It's actually a blood pressure med (A beta-blocker) but they found that it also prevents migraines. I rarely get headaches anymore AND my BP is now perfect too (it was borderline high thanks to heredity )

 

[rebecca06261]

I used to have chronic migraines, 3-4 a week. Like most sufferers, my neurologist put me on Topamax....and like a lot of people, not only did it make me a Zombie, it didn't work!

Last year, I finally had that darn deviated septum corrected, and since, I've only had 2-3 migraines, and just a handful of "normal" headaches!

 

[Goofycampers]

Im the other splitter on the board . I know the insert states not to do this, but I dont see the big deal. The only thing I could see is, that each time it is split, it may not be split exactly in half. After I started splitting them, my 9 pills last me twice as long.

Some meds absolutely shouldn't be split. But another poster said it was o.k. with their Dr. I wasn't sure and also had a limit of 8 pills/ month. So instead of getting a prescription for 100mg tabs, I asked my Dr. to prescribe 50mg and write for 2 tabs as needed. Now I get double the amount per month for the same price -the same amount my insurance allows.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

For those that tried the Topamax and hated it, did you just stop taking it cold turkey, or did you have to wean off of it? And how long before you felt back to normal.

I am willing to try it, but I will start it after I get back from my California trip in 3 weeks, dont want to be in a fog while I am there.

I was told NOT to stop cold turkey and had to wean myself down over 2-3 weeks by gradually lowering the dosage. It took about another 6 weeks before I got my taste for soda back.

My sis in law gets really bad migraines. I wish I knew all the diff. meds that she has tried but nothing works. Then they cut out certain foods and that didn't help. Unfortunately she will usually have to get brought to the emergency room and given a very strong painkiller. This has been going on for years.

She just mentioned the other day that she thinks her migraines would be more under control or happen less if she lived in a warm climate. They are seriously looking into moving to florida next year. Anyone know anything about climate and migraines? Just curious.

Hi to a fellow Harford Co resident! (We're just up the road in Bel Air).

I have lived in MD, TN, FL and SC. Now that you mention it my migraines are more frequent and more instense up here in MD - which is a much colder climate than FL. I hadn't really thought about it being related to cold but I guess it is possible.

I used to have chronic migraines, 3-4 a week. Like most sufferers, my neurologist put me on Topamax....and like a lot of people, not only did it make me a Zombie, it didn't work!

Last year, I finally had that darn deviated septum corrected, and since, I've only had 2-3 migraines, and just a handful of "normal" headaches!

Glad you found some relief! I still had migraines on the Topamax too but just not as many.

I had a doozy of a migraine yesterday. I felt a few twinges early in the day but tried to ignore them and just drink a Pepsi but by 4pm it was obvious I needed meds. In the next 6 hours I took 4 excedrin migraine, 800mg Motrin and a phenergan and finally went to sleep with a "regular" headache and nausea. I am praying I don't get a rebound headache today but of course now my stomach is paying the price for the meds. The aspirin in the Excedrin and the high dose of Motrin always causes tummy issues.