It worked last week but I still had a mental headache and ‘shadow’ of it for a couple of days afterwards. The pills took away the diamonds/shapes from my vision though.

Anything else viable as the instructions also say if you are over 40 you shouldn’t really take Imigran?

My mum swears by Syndol and doesn’t get on with other brands – which seem to solve some, but not all of the symptoms, particularly the visual stuff. But Syndol is pretty much unavailable since Reckitt bought the license then stopped production/distribution. Some bits of stock might be about still somewhere though.

Chatting with her pharmacist it appears syndol is basically paracetamol, codeine and antihistamine so now she takes Co-codamol and a hay fever tablet.

she takes Co-codamol and a hay fever tablet

Thats interesting. I need antihistamine’s like crazy in summer months due to insect bites. I hardly ever get migraines in summer..

MrsbeanZ used to swear by Syndol , now uses Zomig [prescription only]does the trick with no side effects .

Only thing I found that worked when I was getting migraines was Imigran I’m afraid. Though you have to take it early for it to be effective.

I heard a neurologist on R4 recently said they have done initial basic trials which appear to show that only a few mins on oxygen gets rid of migrane immediately. apparently it was 100% successful, but test wasn’t a clinical trial, they need funding to do proper research.
imigran for me, shhh, dont tell anyone im not in my 30s anymore….

Sumatriptan works for my wife.

Do the instructions really say that you shouldn’t take it if over 40? BNF.org (medical website with all licensed drugs in the UK) just says “caution” in the “elderly” is advised. Maybe have a chat to your GP about it? These patient information leaflets can have a lot of worrying but unimportant information in them.

The patient info leaflet says you should “talk to your dr or pharmacist” if you are a heavy smoker and especially if you are a man over 40. I interpreted that to mean being over 40 isn’t a problem unless you smoke, but I agree the wording is a bit open to interpretation.
I wouldn’t take syndol, co-codamol or anything else containing codeine unless you only get infrequent migraine, as codeine can make migraines worse.
You can take another sumatriptan 2 hrs after the first dose if the migraine is still present, provided the first dose made some improvement.

Imigran product data sheet (SPC) says:[quote]Sumatriptan should not be given to patients with risk factors for ischaemic heart disease, including those patients who are heavy smokers or users of nicotine substitution therapies, without prior cardiovascular evaluation (see section 4.3). Special consideration should be given to postmenopausal women and males over 40 with these risk factors. These evaluations however, may not identify every patient who has cardiac disease and, in very rare cases, serious cardiac events have occurred in patients without underlying cardiovascular disease.[/quote]

Go for physio? I went to Howard Turner at Wilmslow Physio and after a year of suffering flashing lights, severe migraines etc etc, 3 treatments and I’m more or less cured (again! Migraines started at primary school, I puked all over the staff room floor with my first one – Weetabix always goes a lot further when it comes out as vomit..) I went 3 years ago and had 2 years without problems. Have tried sumatriptan – gets rid of pain, but shaky and can’t drive for about 3 hours after. Even tried amytriptilline (the gp said it was my age and related hormones (I’m female and ancient!)…but it wasn’t)

Sumatriptan should not be given to patients with risk factors for ischaemic heart disease, including those patients who are heavy smokers or users of nicotine substitution therapies, without prior cardiovascular evaluation (see section 4.3). Special consideration should be given to postmenopausal women and males over 40 with these risk factors. These evaluations however, may not identify every patient who has cardiac disease and, in very rare cases, serious cardiac events have occurred in patients without underlying cardiovascular disease.

— https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/751/SPC/Imigran+Tablets+50mg+Imigran+Tablets+100mg/

Sounds like you only need to worry over 40 if you have specific risk factors. Unless you’re a post-menopausal woman??

Rachel

I also have physiotherapy for migraine. Tim at Sportmed Physio in Stockport does quite a lot of migraine treatment.