ARRRRRRRGH!!!!! My head hurts! Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
Amen to the topic line.
Mr. Funny
AJ
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
Migraines aren't any fun at all. I get fairly mild ones and have for about the last 7 years. I take prescription medication for them (and swig caffeinated soda if I don't have my medicine handy), but I know some people for whom Excedrin works well (it's the aspirin and caffeine that work the wonders).
Do you have anything you can take?
[ August 05, 2003, 02:26 PM: Message edited by: ludosti ]
Posted by Mr.Funny (Member # 4467) on :
Well, I took some gel-cap advil about 20 minutes ago, so hopefully that will kick in soon. Caffeinated soda, you say? Maybe I will try that.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
You could also try caffeine and ibuprofen. For caffeine, an espresso or coffee/caffeinated soda. If you are older than 16 years old and have no ongoing medical problems, then you can take 3 of the 200 mg ibuprofen tablets.
Also, try submerging your hands in ice water up to the wrists for 5-10 minutes at a time. (The ice water and caffeine both have been shown to stabilize the vasodilation of vessels in the brain implicated in migraines.)
You should be formally evaluated for migraines, if you haven't yet had a formal medical diagnosis. There are medications and therapies that can be useful in preventing occasional migraines from turning into chronic pain syndromes, and a good physician or nurse practitioner should be able to help you piece this all together.
Good Luck!
Edit: you can take extra advil (up to 600 to 800mg total per dose, every 6-8 hours) if you are an adult.
[ August 05, 2003, 02:34 PM: Message edited by: ClaudiaTherese ]
Posted by Jacare Sorridente (Member # 1906) on :
prescription medicines are only a pain reliever, some caffeine and a barbituate to help you sleep. Get the pain reliever and caffeine and it'll get you through.
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
You have my complete sympathy. No two people I know experience migraines exactly the same way except for one outstanding feature - the ability of a migraine to suck every ounce of joy and pleasure out of life while it endures.
I go months at a time without one and then - bam - get several major ones right in a row. The last major bout in January consisted of one extreme migraine of 4 day duration that landed me in the emergency room.
Had a recurrence about a month ago, but the daily meds I'm taking now seem to be working to reduce the severity along with the increase in dosage of the Imitrex I take for the major ones. Got a lot of back-up stuff for the aftermath too.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Ah, Jacare, we now have the sumatriptan family of drugs to abort migraines (also works on constricting the blood vessels), and there are preventive medicines for people who have migraines more than twice a week.
They don't work for everybody, but they do help a lot of people.
(hi, sndrake! glad you're getting some relief)
[ August 05, 2003, 02:37 PM: Message edited by: ClaudiaTherese ]
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
Migraines suck. Prescription painkillers don't work, but after taking them, you don't care. (My kids orthopod confirmed this suspicion when he broke his arm.)
I was hospitalized for 5 days to get DHE IVs every eight hours. Blew out every vein I had in my arms and legs, but got rid of the migraine. They they put me on Imitrex and 48 hours later, the mirgraine was back. So far, I've only gotten them 4 times (the first time, I was 2), but each time, they last for about 9-15 months.
My personal favorite painkiller combo is a narcotic (vicodin, Tylenol 3, or something like that) along with Compazine/promethazine. Ahh, good times.
[ August 05, 2003, 02:50 PM: Message edited by: Kayla ]
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
My wife used to get bad migraines that drugs didn't do much for. She had good luck using biofeedback techniques.
Posted by Jacare Sorridente (Member # 1906) on :
CT- cool. Who woulda guessed that there are different vasoreceptors in cranial blood vessels than there are in the rest of the body?
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
For one of my friends with bad migraines, accupuncture worked really well.
Back after my migraines were first diagnosed, my doctor recommended that I take feverfew (which has shown promise in some European studies for helping prevent migraines). After several months, it had cut down my migraines from about 4 a week, to 2-3 a month. Now I only get them about once a month.
If you have not been evaluated by your doctor, you should. They can also help you to isolate your triggers. Be aware that certain foods have a tendancy to trigger migraines - cured meats, chocolate, MSG, red wine, and aged cheeses. I know there are a few others, but I can't remember what they are. Stress, hormones, and food allergies can also trigger migraines.
In my case, stress and hormones are my main triggers. Also, occasionally MSG and bananas (which I am allergic to) trigger my migraines. Knowing what can "set you off" is helpful to managing them, as is finding the particular medication that works well for you. I am really lucky that I rarely have debilitating migraines. Usually they are just bothersome and annoying.
Posted by Mr.Funny (Member # 4467) on :
Thanks guys for all your support! (((((Hatrack)))))
It turns out that my migraine wasn't a really painful one (as far as migraines go) but it still was very very very very unpleasant. Thanks for all your helpful tips! Fortunately, it seems to have left, so I just hope it doesn't come back.
Kayla, 9-15 MONTHS!?!?! Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
Glad you're feeling better. Did you have any caffeine? (I'm not coming home if you did!) Posted by ak (Member # 90) on :
Mine started when I was 12 and got more frequent with age. Mine almost always last only one day. (If I had one for months like Kayla, I'd have jumped off a building to make the pain stop, I think.)
First tried Ergotamine which worked great for 10 or 12 episodes then the increasing nausea from the ergotamine became worse than the headache. Next tried Codeine which never killed the pain but did dull it. After a few episodes that started making me throw up 10 minutes or so after I took it. Next tried Percodan which worked well for a number of years. Then it got where it made my muscles contract and got less and less effective for the pain. Now I have Midrin and it doesn't really kill the pain either, but does dull it some, usually enough to let me sleep it off.
One time I had a terrible migraine that none of the pain medication would fix that lasted 2 days and I was almost in despair. I really really can't see how you survived all those months, Kayla. Finally my dad took me to the ER and they gave me a shot of something which STILL didn't kill the pain but got it down into the bearable range.
Taking cortisone nose spray and putting in cortisone eyedrops will get me over mine in about 4 hours. So there does seem to be some inflammation somewhere that's involved.
When my pancreas quit producing much insulin I almost totally quit having migraines. I think my formerly high insulin levels (2.5 times the normal amount at one point) must have had something to do with them.
I sure would be interested in a new effective drug for treating them. Particularly it would be nice not to have to give up and go to bed as I must now for bad ones. Ergotamine, during the short time it worked for me, allowed me to keep going. All the others have knocked me out not just for the day, but left me feeling groggy and hung over the next day as well.
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
Anne Kate, the neurologists kept asking me if I was depressed. By the time I saw the 4th one (six months in) I said, "I wasn't when it started, but I am now!" Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
ing DUH!
*pat pat* you got good advice, though.
Posted by littlemissattitude (Member # 4514) on :
One of my best friends swears by Diet Coke and chocolate when she can't easily get to her migraine medication. It's all the caffeine, of course.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
Mine seem to be triggered by carbohydrates. (No, I'm not diabetic)
What works for me, well, as well as anything works, is Advil + Sudafed + All the coffee I can drink.
I don't know why the sudafed works. I think it's because it makes me slightly high and less likely to worry about the pain.
Sleep helps a ton if you can manage it. Usually I get washed out and sleepy *after* the migraine. Something about being in pain for 20hrs at a time (mine almost always last 20hrs) is just exhausting.
Pix
Posted by Laurenz0 (Member # 5336) on :
quote:No two people I know experience migraines exactly the same way except for one outstanding feature - the ability of a migraine to suck every ounce of joy and pleasure out of life while it endures.
Oh god yes!
Mine are horrible. It get pins and needles everywhere and makes it hard to move and talk. Plus some times i feel uncoordinated and like my arms aren't really there or something.
Flashing lights of course.
God. The ora is worse than the hellish migraine.
I take those advil gel caps things to, but i find if you can get to sleep that tends to work the best.
you know what, A full steam soak helped me extremely well when I was at a friends house. Weird eh?
Edit: Oh, I also had one of those crappy cluster migraines that last for weeks. Those suck. But for me it was far less pain.
[ August 06, 2003, 01:50 AM: Message edited by: Laurenz0 ]
Posted by Jenny Gardener (Member # 903) on :
I hate migraines, too. Sometimes, when I'm in the throes of one, I fantasize about how good the cool barrel of a pistol would feel against my throbbing temple. Probably a good thing we don't keep a gun in the house.
One thing that truly does work for me (at least it keeps the nausea from overwhelming me) is to use a teeny hairclip - the one that looks like the mouth of a venus flytrap - and pinch my skin where it hurts. It looks strange to have a hairclip (or several) hanging off my scalp like glutted ticks, but hey, it works.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Sudafed constricts your blood vessels.
(Sudafed gives ME anxiety attacks o_O)
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
Hey, I'm never glutted.
Posted by ak (Member # 90) on :
Jenny, I'm going to try the hairclip thing. And my fantasies in addition to the gun barrel, have to do with jumping off balconies or stabbing an ice pick into my brain, so that it hits the pain spot first a moment before my death.
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
Something that I've heard helps with lessening the number of migraines and cluster headaches is to seriously cut back on foods that contain nitrates and nitrites. Usually found in processed foods as a preservative, they can apparently trigger migraines and such.
Also, our cocker spaniel suffers from seizures now and then. On a lark, I checked the ingredients of his dog food and found nitrates listed in the ingredients. We changed him over to all natural dog foods and two years later, we've seen a real difference. Before, he would have a grand mal seizure about two to three times a month. Now, it's generally one seizure every two or three months.
I can't be sure that we got the correct reasoning, but I can see what a difference it's made. I did buy him a bag of the Purina Beneful dog food thinking it was the good stuff, but he seizured within about 6 hours of eating it. And yep, nitrates were listed fairly high in the ingredients.
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
People actually refer to the type of migraines I get as "ice pick headaches," or "suicide migraines." They are really called CPH, or chronic paroxysmal hemicrania. It is only on one half of my head, but feels like someone is stabbing me with an ice pick.
Mine are truly bizarre because of the fact that they happen about every 9 years and last for about a year. Also, I should contact those people that wrote that. I have documentation that shows I was 2 when I had the first attack. Of course in 1969, all they did was an EEG and then told my mother I'd live because it wasn't a brain tumor. However, I've heard that I looked pretty pathetic sitting on my tricycle with my head on the handlebars. Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
I tried coffee, it works but is bad for heart so I stopped. This smiley seems to have been created to express the way you feel when you have a migraine.
[ August 06, 2003, 03:18 PM: Message edited by: Anna ]
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
I have occasional ones, my mother has them fairly often. My doctor told me there is a strong hereditary tendency. Thanks, Mom. 'Preciate that.
I was on Ercaf for a while, but I didn't refill the prescription. What works for me is to load up on caffeine, take ibuprofen, and go to bed. Usually it's gone when I wake up.
I get auras, so I'm always forewarned. If I can get enough caffeine in my system as soon as I get warning, then I can sometimes even ward it off.
Posted by Alucard... (Member # 4924) on :
Durnit, I missed this post and got here late!
CT is right about what she said in the treatment of migranes (as usual! )
If you suffer from infrequent migranes or the occasional cluster headache (very similar onsets) then the use of an over-the-counter analgesic is fine. I too usually recommend ibuprofen 600-800MG every 6 hours.
The occasional use of Excedrin is ok, but should NOT be used daily. As caffeine addicts will attest to, the caffeine will help a migrane, but the body's ability to adapt to the caffeine levels will cause rebound headaches if the caffeine is not supplied daily. Therefore, be very careful in how often you use Excedrin or similar drugs.
If you are having multiple migranes per week or month, you need to start a journal or calendar of them to track the incidence, duration, and severity of your migranes.
I usually recommend working through your primary care physician to see a specialist, usually a Neurologist or a Migrane Specialist. The average patient who has seen using prescription drugs without seeking out a specialist to treat migranes has tried between 30-40 different drugs when they finally arrive at a clinic or specialist.
When you and your doctor formulate a plan, you will usually be put on a series of drugs, not limited to the following:
Preventatives:
Antihypertensives can act as preventatives such as beta-blockers and calcium-channel blockers.
Inderal (propranolol) and Calan/Isoptin SR (verapamil) are an example of each.
Tricyclic Antidepressants are also used to prevent migranes, such as Elavil (amitryptiline) and Pamelor (nortriptyline).
Serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac (fluoxetine), Paxil (paroxetine), and Celexa (citalopram).
There are other preventatives like Neurontin (gabapentin) or Topamax (topiramate) as well as many others, but too many to list.
Treatment:
The triptans have become the hallmark of migrane therapy. Imitrex (sumatriptan) started the triptan revolution with its injectible form of the drug. Since then, there are several oral forms and even a nasal form as well. Some tablets are swallowed and others are orally-disintegrating tablets to ease in administration of the drug.
Interestingly, the receptor that triptans work at is not specific to the brain. These agents work at serotonin receptors in the brain, but in a mechanism different than the SSRI's like Prozac. But there are serotonin receptors in other areas of the body, like in the digestive tract. Therefore these drugs, like SSRIs, can have significant GI side effects!
Other than triptans, there are dozens of analgesics for migranes from anti-inflammatory drugs like NSAIDS (ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen), corticosteroids, analgesics like acetaminophen, butalbital, codeine derivatives, etc... and there are even prescription products that have caffeine as well.
Most patients who suffer from multiple migranes per month are on a preventitive and an agent to treat the migrane. Some patients may take 2 or 3 different drugs (OR MORE!) for the treatment/prevention of their migranes.
As for ergoloid therapy, this can be dangerous if taken too often. If a triptan does not work for the treatment of migranes, I save ergoloid therapy as last-line therapy. Ergoloid therapy has also been used to break a string of multiple migranes. If you have not tried a triptan, then ask your doctor if this would be appropriate.
Hope this helps!
[ August 06, 2003, 05:20 PM: Message edited by: Alucard... ]
Posted by ak (Member # 90) on :
That's great information, Alucard. Can you tell us more about the triptans? What are the names of some more of the drugs, particular those with oral and nasal delivery? I would like to give these a try, because even though I get migraines very seldom lately, when they do come they are quite severe.
It seems like during my life they've changed several times from seldom/severe to frequent/milder (though not ever what you'd call mild) and back again. So I can't count on them to stay in the same pattern. My mom has them too and hers do the same thing.
[ August 06, 2003, 05:46 PM: Message edited by: ak ]
Posted by Alucard... (Member # 4924) on :
TRIPTANS:
Zomig 2.5 and 5mg tablets (dissolving) Maxalt 5 and 10mg tablets Maxalt MLT 10mg tablets (dissolving0 Imitrex 25, 50, 100 mg tablets Axert 6.25 and 12.5mg tablets Amerge 1 and 2.5mg tablets
Imitrex 5 and 20mg nasal spray (adults use 20mg)
Imitrex statdose injection kit Imitrex 6mg/0.5ml vials for injection
As you might have guessed, my wife and I get the occasional migrane. We prefer the Maxalt MLT orally-disintegrating tablets. For very severe, refractory migranes, I prefer the Imitrex Statdose Injections.
Imitrex is the only drug available in a nasal spray, (in the triptans at least). There is an ergoiloid-based nasal spray called Migranal, and some pharmacies compound a lidocaine-based nasal spray that helps for migranes in some patients. If it helps, I have tried the Imitrex nasal spray, and I found it to be LESS effective than the tablets, which I found to be less effective than the injections. But who wants to shoot up every time their head hurts? (I know that last statement is ripe for funny answers!)
Remember, all drugs are poison. Give too little, and nothing happens. Give too much, and adios. We prefer to live in what I call the therapeutic window. Being informed can only help you and your doctor determine what is best for you!
Posted by Risuena (Member # 2924) on :
I've always had a lot of headaches but only recently were they bad enough for me to go to the doctor. I apparently have migraines and the neurologist has me taking topamax - which is working great! I haven't had any migraines since I started the medication and all my headaches have decreased dramatically - a bad month for me now is when I have one mild headache.
It's so nice to see that full bottle of ibuprofen sitting unused in my medicine cabinet...
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Group Hug]](graemlins/grouphug.gif)
Mr. Funny ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
glad you're getting some relief)![[Wink]](wink.gif)
(My kids orthopod confirmed this suspicion when he broke his arm.)![[Sleep]](graemlins/sleep.gif)
![[Cool]](cool.gif)
Who woulda guessed that there are different vasoreceptors in cranial blood vessels than there are in the rest of the body?
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
![[Kiss]](graemlins/kiss.gif)
ing DUH! ![[Wall Bash]](graemlins/wallbash.gif)
This smiley seems to have been created to express the way you feel when you have a migraine.