Migraines

JadziaDax · July 2010

I finally got a second opinion from a doctor who told me that Migraine's are genetic and the only thing to do is try to treat them with medication. It's very depressing because i'm missing more work and have been experiencing bad aura's with vision loss- I have sick days and vacation days, I just feel bad using them.

I remember reading about some of the women on here suffering from Migraines. I was wondering if anyone has really bad ones and what you do to alleviate/ get rid of the pain. The preventative (daily) medication isn't 100% effective so if anyone is taking a daily med and it's working, I would appreciate any feedback. Has anyone tried vitamins, acupuncture, etc?

wadingmoose · July 2010

I don't get them often enough to actually consider going on the meds for them. I usually take a sick day and spend the day in the dark.

PreppySailor · July 2010

I have heard that Excedrin Migraine, or Excedrin Extra strength work well. Sorry if you've already tried them.

foreverlove2010 · July 2010

I have tried taking b-100 vitamins the moment I feel it coming on and it has worked. The downside for me is it occasionally upsets my stomach. I learned about it from someone else and she doesn't have any stomach problems but her headaches go away.

HTH

wadingmoose · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_migraines-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:13cdfa4f-fecd-496a-80d5-0a72f1676aeePost:1bc2a29f-cc4f-4d43-93aa-31f75fd69552">Re: Migraines</a>:
[QUOTE]I have tried taking b-100 vitamins the moment I feel it coming on and it has worked. The downside for me is it occasionally upsets my stomach. I learned about it from someone else and she doesn't have any stomach problems but her headaches go away. HTH
Posted by foreverlove2010[/QUOTE]

Really? I didn't know this. Apparently H is right about the whole B vitamin thing and I should be taking them.

No one tell him this, k?

alecat9 · July 2010

I was on the every day meds for a while but didn't really notice a difference. MIne seem to be genetic and stress related. I also figured out that some of my migraines were related to my birth control ( the drop from the hormone pills to the placebo pills triggered bad, two or three day migraines) so I changed to a pill that gives continual dose of hormones. I use Imitrex to help with the pain when I get one, but it doesn't really let me function, just helps with the pain until I can pass out and sleep it off. Some say changing diet can help, but its different for different people. For me, changing BC decreases the frequency and length of my migraines, but I still get them about 1-2 a month.

JadziaDax · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_migraines-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:13cdfa4f-fecd-496a-80d5-0a72f1676aeePost:7836ba12-feb4-4abe-8eb4-68193884fbc3">Re: Migraines</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Migraines : Really? I didn't know this. Apparently H is right about the whole B vitamin thing and I should be taking them. No one tell him this, k?
Posted by wadingmoose[/QUOTE]

I'm going to try vitamins on top of the daily meds and hopefully it will help. Sometimes men have the answers when we least expect them to lol.

I tried Excedrin Migraine and it usually doesn't work. Caffeine makes it worse. Maxalt is the only thing that really helps, it is similar to Imitrex, it just takes a while to kick in. It seems there is no easy answer to this question.

ivoryflower · July 2010

I used to work in emerg, and the nurses there told me to take advil and extra strength tylenol at the same time (two of each). That usually works for me if I'm just starting to get a migraine.

My family doctor told me that I can take 800mg of advil at the onset of a migraine, and 600mg every 4 hours. That would be 4 regular strength advil at onset, and 3 every 4 hours. I find that works pretty well too. If it's really bad though, I'll take a tylenol 1 with the 4 advil.

I understand about the genetics -my mom, grandma, and aunt all get migraines too. I used to try not to take drugs, but why suffer needlessly? I do find that now that I'm no longer working in emerg that I have less migraines. Apparently mine are somewhat stress-related. Hope that helps a bit!

CashmereSocks · July 2010

Migranes are brutal, and mine went undiagnosed for years.

My Migranes are triggered by a few things. A few foods cause migranes for me. TMJ disorder is a large factor in my migranes. I clench my jaw. Jaw muscles are attached to the back of your neck, and the clenching causes the muscles to be over-used, which causes pain and migranes, which for me focus at the forhead.

Chiropractic care has been an amazing help for me. Accupuncture has also worked for my jaw muscles, to release tension.

I also find that my migranes are triggered by hormonal changes. When I started the pill my doctor told me to make sure the migranes do not get worse, or I would have to be off it. Turns out, it just made my migranes predictable. every month when I come off the pills, they start. I could switch to a continuous pill (like another poster said) but right now my migranes are under control.

hope that helps. Just remember, this is specific to me.

pumpkinpumpkin · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_migraines-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:13cdfa4f-fecd-496a-80d5-0a72f1676aeePost:6bbc93c7-d020-4279-b636-fd1c6f52e63c">Migraines</a>:
[QUOTE]I finally got a second opinion from a doctor who told me that Migraine's are genetic and the only thing to do is try to treat them with medication. It's very depressing because i'm missing more work and have been experiencing bad aura's with vision loss- I have sick days and vacation days, I just feel bad using them. I remember reading about some of the women on here suffering from Migraines. I was wondering if anyone has really bad ones and what you do to alleviate/ get rid of the pain. The preventative (daily) medication isn't 100% effective so if anyone is taking a daily med and it's working, I would appreciate any feedback. Has anyone tried vitamins, acupuncture, etc?
Posted by JadziaDax[/QUOTE]

I suffer(ed) from migrains for a loooong time. They were ruining my life. I now take a daily pill (nortriptilene - yes, that is spelled wrong, but how you'd read it is how you'd say it), I also have Amerge for my really bad migraines, and Torodal for my neck pain headaches. It took years and years and actually switching doctors before I got control of them, about 5 months ago only. My life is seriously different now since taking the daily pill.

noelle24 · July 2010

I get migraine with auras. I take a baby aspirin every morning to prevent it (advice from my neurologist). They've been better, but it's not 100%. When I get them, I used to take Advil, but it didn't seem to help very much, so now I'm on Imitrex when they start.

What has helped the most for me was getting off of combination estrogen-progesterone BC. I was having 4 migraines a month back in the spring, and once I stopped taking it, I've only had 2 in the past 4 months. Much, much better. I also avoid things I know are triggers for me: red wine, MSG, nitrites in cured meats. Stress and weather changes also can give me a migraine, but there's not much I can do about them.

missy68 · July 2010

I take Topamax (Topirimate is the generic) 50 mg am/50 mg pm daily. My rescue med is sumitriptan plus 375 mg naproxen (or 2 aleve). I have them pretty much daily from February - May (cyclic migraines). Then, just an occasional one. Heat on my head works for me. Take the med with a little caffeine, especially if you're not a regular consumer.

I also don't take ANY other pain reliever except hydrocodone (with acetominophine) for milder migraines. No aspirin, no tylenol, no ibuprofen, no medications that contain these (tylenol cold and sinus, tylenol pm, etc). If I need the help in them, I take the other active ingredient - the benadryl and the sudafed, or whatever. That avoids rebound headaches, which muddles it all up and makes it worse.

Keep a food diary to see if any of them are food triggered, a weather log to see if they're triggered by big weather changes (mine are) or period related/stress related.

Oh, and if you haven't, see a neurologist - they're the ones to see for migraine help. I've also had to have a couple of injections for mine - Toradol and I think Demerol or something, when I couldn't make one go away. One was in the neuro's office, one was at an urgent care place.

JadziaDax · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_migraines-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:13cdfa4f-fecd-496a-80d5-0a72f1676aeePost:5adcd5ea-c42e-47fd-910a-b5f8fb9a66eb">Re: Migraines</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Migraines : I suffer(ed) from migrains for a loooong time. They were ruining my life. I now take a daily pill (nortriptilene - yes, that is spelled wrong, but how you'd read it is how you'd say it), I also have Amerge for my really bad migraines, and Torodal for my neck pain headaches. It took years and years and actually switching doctors before I got control of them, about 5 months ago only. My life is seriously different now since taking the daily pill.
Posted by pumpkinpumpkin[/QUOTE]

Thank you for the information. I'm going to write the names of those meds down and will mention them next time I see my neurologist. I'm currently taking propranolol, but still get migraines at least once I week. The maxalt gets rid of them but it takes time. The worst is waking up with one 'cause then I can't get out of bed.

I appreciate everyone's feedback so thank you again. I actually tried Topamax for a little while and it made me EXHAUSTED. I had to stop taking it 'cause I could barely do my job. I'm glad to know though that not everyone has the same side effects and at least some people can benefit from it.

J&K10910 · July 2010

I take an extra B vitamin supplement in addition to my regular vitamin. It seems to have helped. I also went off hormonal birth control. The week I should have started my new pill pack was the worst week of my life (weeklong migraine YAY) but after that they improved substantially. I also took amitryptiline for awhile to help me sleep and I think helped as well, but I had some nasty side effects so I stopped that.

I think what has made the biggest difference for me though, is learning to recognize when one is coming and taking my meds right away before it got bad.

J&K10910 · July 2010

And ditto the diary--except I did a whole headache journal. I wrote down what I ate, what I drank, how much sleep I had gotten, what I did that day, my stress level, where I was in my menstrual cycle, and what the weather was like. Finding my triggers was insanely helpful.

Annie_Warbucks · July 2010

I get migraines about once every week or two. They are very random. I take a migraine prescription drug Relpax when I start to feel a migraine coming on. It works awesome. I can literally feel my headache melting away. I call them my magic pills because I seriously freak out if I don't have them with me at all times. The headaches usually go away within 30 minutes of me taking the pill and don't come back.

I sadly enough, tend to get them more after I work out or play soccer which sucks when you are trying to get in shape!

Meg1979 · July 2010

I get them and they are ruining my life, too.

I have tried a few different things for mine. It seems to be linked to my hormonal changes, so my doctor is trying Seasonique on me. It's basically a full round of BC pills and they are thinking maybe it will even out my hormones. I have taken a ton of sick time. Thank God my work has been so understanding. I totally sympathize and hope you get better soon.

twilight.rose · July 2010

I've had debilitating ones since I was 11.

Doctors have told me they're genetic, and I've tried a myriad of medication/treatments. The only thing that will even take the edge off enough for me to function is Vicodin, so that's what I take.

JanoBean75 · July 2010

I am currently taking a medication called cafergot. I was on Relpax, but it stopped working. Other meds didn't work either.

For me I have to watch my caffeine intake, avoid being in the sun too long. If I get a migraine, I have to take my meds immediately. Cold compress, dark & quiet room.

Mostly I just manage them. I usually get at least one a month.

bonnyandtim · July 2010

*Disclaimer* I AM NOT an expert. But I am a migraine sufferer & this is my story:

I've had migraines since I was a kid.

I went to a neurolgist for about a year while I was in HS, & he was always messing around with medication & I finally had enough of that.

I have gone to a chiropractor for about 6 years now & it helps me a lot. He found that a lot of my problems (besides running in my family & stress) are caused from my scoliosis, my awkward neck alignment, some food "sensitivities" (not allergies, just my body not liking certain chemicals), & some vitamin deficiencies (I'm super small & often anemic).

When I 1st started going there, I went 3x per week. Now, my body has gotten stronger & I go 1x per month.

I also take daily vitamins that he recommended.

Again, I am not a doctor. But it does help to get a 2nd opinion. & my chiroporactor gave me a more natural opinion. I am not "cured"; I never will be. But it helps ALOT.

When I get one, I take Aleve. Sometimes, if it's bad, I also have to go sleep.

Jelenny · July 2010

actually i was sick with migraines for a year - like seriously down and out could not function....

i saw a sleep dr they said i am getting good deep sleep - that could be a trigger
stress could be a trigger as well
the neurologist i saw told me to take B2 vitamins about 400mg a day to help - it does but will give you crazy alien bright yellow pee....

this whole process i was on all sorts of trial and error methods (after imatrex did not work or other migraine meds):

*cymbalta at a small dose stops the pain for migraines
*vitamin B2
*plenty of water
*diet can also cause migraines - i learned that some preservatives can trigger them
*sleep being messed up - so i went on strict sleep cycle for a bit - now if i have a late night i can nap and not have issues
*the BIG thing that worked for me is CBT - a group here in Columbus may patent it...Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - basically mind over matter. it does work i was skeptical but after a year of ups and downs (more downs) i gave it a go it was that or acupuncture and well i hate needles.....deep relaxation with breathing exercises....now i can "breathe" through a migraine and control them much better

kellyjellybelly · July 2010

P2 - do you know if they still make Toradol in a pill form? That's really the only thing that works for me, I just do an IM injection though when I need it, which is not fun. For some reason I thought they did not anymore.

thesuninherhead · July 2010

I think you should ask for a referral to a neurologist. Mirgraines can be controlled but it's important you assess your triggers- a neurologist can help you work through that, and provide appropriate medication if you need it.

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