MIGRAINES!! How do y'all deal with em??

Mrs.Rubber2Burn

The Diet Coke of Evil!!!
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I have a tumultuous relationship with migraine headaches, they have been diagnosed by a Neurologist with MRI's, scans, and every other test they can run. Up until a couple of months ago I was taking Topamax as a preventative and LOVED IT! The stuff worked wonders. I had to stop at the begining of June for female issues, but am now just getting to taper back up on it.

My question is for those who suffer from the awful debilitating headaches, How do you get relief? ???

I will say that I get a variety of tension vs migraine so different treatments help the different headache.
I AM DESPERATE FOR RELIEF!! :banghead: These headaches last days and cause vision issues, major sensitivity to light, vomiting, vomiting, and more vomiting, and it feels like my head is going to crack open! :( :(

For tension Fioricet for the most part works. Migraines are another story. I have tried Imitrex, Midrin, Zomig, and Frova before settling on Maxalt MLT.

I have gotten desperate enough that I am using aromatherapy oils (the pure essential oils), heating pad to the neck, ice packs to the head.

Sorry for the novel here, as I said I am desperate. Any suggestions are welcome....I will stand on my head if that will work!
 
You will think I'm crazy , Do you eat Cheese? Or lots of Coffee? If so, stop it for 30 days and Migraines will disappear ! I also wrote / rewriting a natural health book, it should be out late this year. And no its note the Dr. knows best ads you see in TV. Feel free to pm me or talk about health issues if you want.
 
a friend of mine gets them every month for about two weeks. may sound bad but she takes medical marajuana and it helps her big time. they go away immediatly
 
Sorry to say you are tapering off of my savior! I have had migraines since I was 2 years old, and went through the same stuff you did. Then I went on Topamax. Have been on it for 8 years. Wouldn't change a thing. It has worked wonders. Tried all the natural stuff too. None of it worked. Did a diary for a year. Tracked everything I did and ate. Cheese, coffee, caffeine, chocolate, sausage, nitrates, etc. How much I slept, exercised, did stress tests, you name it I logged it. The ONLY thing that worked was Topamax. I seemed like a hopeless case until that came a long. To be honest, the only other thing that gave me relief was pregnancy! Can you believe it? Not one headache for 9 months. So, then my doctor thought hormones. Tried manipulating them, but it did not work either! I am sticking with what works! Sorry you had to stop what worked for you and have to start all over. Good Luck!
 
Hey pocket -

Cheese is it's own food group to me! I LOVE CHEESE! I don't even want to embarrass myself by telling you about my 4 cup a day coffee habit {2 in the a.m. and 2 in the p.m.}. Of course that is on top of my diet soda habit. I was under the impression that caffienne was good for treating migraines.

I have altered my diet in other ways to eliminate "known triggers". No ham (honey baked ham is terrible), NO MSG, No hot dogs, very little chocolate, and food that has been "processed" a lot. I am very sensitive to the lettuce that a lot of fast food chains use due to the amount of perservatives and just having the perserves on it.

I am just miserable right now - the pity party thing. Third day of this freakin' headache.

I always get really nervouse because in Oct. 2006 I had what I thought was a migraine for three days and then finally went to the ER only to be admitted to the hospital for 5 days with Meningitis!! I had no other symptoms except the excruciating headache.
 
Sorry to hear it.
I have them but not that bad. Gotta be a witch!
When I was being tested, I ran across a woman who said she became light headed and almost passed out before her migraines. She couldn't work anymore it happened so often.
She said after four yrs of it, she would rather have the ones like you have.[I wonder if she would change her mind if she experienced them?]
But she was pretty ragged out and tired from it all. Said her last one lasted almost three months. WOW!

I hope yours aren't lasting that long! Mine come and go. Usually the jagged edged lines, loss of vision then migraine within 24 hours. Glad I am retired now, but it makes life difficult on occasion.
Here's a site that helped me....Hope it hleps you understnad more about them. Treatment options are in there somewhere too.
Hang in there. You aren't alone. Talk to the doc about helping you identifing your triggers. Everyone has different triggers. Mine is stress.
Migraine Headache Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment on MedicineNet.com

-mac

PS-I found by accident that valium stops the nausea that we get with them! Ahhhhh.......:thumbsup:... [had to have it before a surgery once...great stuff!]

PPS-edited to add....I have no food triggers. Some of us don't. Look at your environment. Allergies can be a trigger, perfumes, etc.,..
 
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Mrs. O - I am not coming off the Topamax, I am getting to restart it! :woot: That stuff is so awesome that I would do a commercial for it! I had to stop it in June when "suprise" I was pregnant, then after miscarrying in July I was pretty depressed and didn't take care of me by restarting. I just started the Topamax again Tuesday. I am so ready for it to start working.

V-MAX - no smoker here. I am one of those freakish people who have a terrible allergy and actually get headaches from cig smoke - go figure.
 
Heres something else that might help , 1 if you drink diet sodas and they have aspartame GET OFF THAT JUNK!!! 2 Look up DR. Myatt ( DR. myatts wellness club.) She has news articles and teaches other DR.'s new techniques.. Shes a good lady! If you talk to her tell her the Ninja in TN sent you. It would be worth your while to read some of her article .( sure wouldnt hurt) .. But I'd bet if you cut out the cheese! and lowered the amount of Caffine , your problems will go away....
 
I fully understand your frustration. Migraines are no joke, and are completely debilitating. I have been on just about every damned prescription drug out there to try and alleviate the traumatic episodes called migraines. Nothing works. All I can do is "manage" the pain and other symptoms.

One thing that I can suggest is that you keep a headache "diary". Keep a log of when they occur, where you are, severity (make your own scale), any possible environmental triggers, emotional triggers, etc. It may help you narrow down some of the contributing factors.
 
Haven't had one for a very long time. I don't know why they stopped. Never could put my finger on it.

I hope yours go away too.

--Wag--
 
try eliminating ALL caffeine for 3 weeks. I mean ALL. no pop, no coffee, no tea, no chocolate. that eliminated all my 8 hour "Migraines", but it took a while for my body to purge the caffeine
 
I need a certain amount of caffeine in a day. My neurologist told me not to eliminate caffeine completely. I am supposed to have a small dose of it, from whatever source I choose. I try to use varying sources, but if I go an entire day without it, I will have an episode. So, I try to be consistent. Like it was said earlier, everyone's triggers are different, so consulting with a doctor is important. Don't just start adding to or taking away from someone's diet without proper research. It could add to her migraines instead of make them better.
 
really? I've done a lot of Caffeine/headache research but never ran across anyone recommending it be needed. Especially from the medical realm. I've read you have to keep it BALANCED if you use it [thus a little each day], and there is even a girl at work who will die if she has any due to heart stoppage. If you can, find me something online and PM with the info about needing Caffeine. I'm very curious about this. Does your doctor have stock invenstments in Starbucks? ? :laugh: I'm no doctor, but I know any form of caffeine can cause headaches if not balanced - either keep enough coming in or ride the migraine out and break the addiction. I choose to quit caffeine and my 8 hour long migranes went completely away two days later.
 
a friend of mine gets them every month for about two weeks. may sound bad but she takes medical marajuana and it helps her big time. they go away immediatly

:rofl: I'm sorry but I love that answer:rofl: thats just funny right there:rofl:
 
Kristin, I'm sooo sorry your going through this. You used some big confusing words though. tumultuous? Fioricet?

but maybe you should try the medical marijuana:rofl:
 
My mother tried drugs at first also, but they always came back.

When she changed her diet, they went away for good. But its not easy... No chocolate, no wheat(glu something). I can ask her to detail it better if your interested, but changing your diet like this is a huge change.
 
Sorry to hear you have a bad migraine situation. I've had them since highschool, but mine are so minor it's almost a joke.

Have you have a complete workup done by an internist or endocrinologist?
Looked at any and all sources of stress and tension in you life?
Looked at your thought patterns for anxiety producing tendencies?

Good luck. I hope you find something that provides relief from your suffering.
 
we do migraines... (only board certified allergist/immunologist in Indiana) a number of reasons for them, stress/diet and one that is often overlooked.. allergies... if you have tried everything else, see an allergist/immunologist..

They will need to see if they are actual migraines first.. (halos, whitespots, and any number of precursors)

have you used any of the "injection pens" ? or other "fast acting" meds?

Weight loss, diet, exercise, environmental controls, etc are all used in treatment...

very often patients have pets and those pets are allowed in the bedroom (strictly off limits).. A "clean" room is suggested (usually the bedroom) with attention to bedding, flooring etc to keep dust mites and other allergens removed and controlled..

Sounds funny but if you are having migraines that bad, you will do what ever it takes to alleviate them.. Monday I can get one of the "patient education" packets for you.. (I dont work Fridays normally)
 
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