Migraines

I thought I’d read a post on here a few months ago about suffering with Migraines but I can’t find it now. I suffer from pretty bad Migraines but I can have nothing for a month or so then a couple in the space of a week. So far the doctors haven’t prescribed me anything that either stops them coming on or stops them when they start.

I can usually tell when they’re coming on and get home from work so I can get to bed. If I can’t get to bed, or to sleep, I end up being pretty sick. I had a pretty bad one yesterday, my first child is due in October so soon I won’t just be able to go to bed as I’ll have a little one to look after when my wife is at work.

Can anyone who suffers from these (or any forum medics) suggest things to ask the doctors, is there anything I can do (alternative remedies?). I don’t know whether I should be pushing to see a specialist or whether I just need to try more tablets?

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/headaches-and-migraines-natural-remedies

Only thing that stopped mine was Imigran.

I can spot the signs, I immediately take extra strength pain killers (own brand anadine extra) which stops it getting worse. I always carry them with me, without it’s bed and sick.
I’m sure this doesn’t work for everyone, but seems to work for me. I haven’t been able to work out the trigger, and I love dark choc, which lots of people say is a trigger.

I have frequent migraines and have tried various things. I find that Triptans (like sumatriptan) are pretty effective but can only be taken a few times a month. They are prescription only.
I would advise keeping a migraine diary for a couple of months or more if you want to discuss it further with your doctor- at a minimum, note every day that you have one.
The National Migraine Centre has a very good website with fact sheets, treatment options, ways to work out your triggers, and recommendations on keeping migraine diaries.

Cheers Drac, doesn’t come up in the search for Migraines or Headaches but your link does 😀 thanks for the suggestions guys, willing to try anything. Head still isn’t right today after yesterday’s migraine.

No problem.

Cocodamol works for me if I can’t sleep.

Try sumatriptan – it’s expensive but you can get it on prescription.

My gf gets really bad migraines and that’s the only thing that seems to work.

You need to work out your triggers,

Do you need glasses ? , are you eating regularly ? , are you staying hydrated ?,

Cheese ? Tired ? Stressed ?

Can you work out what the triggers are? Though personally I believed if I was about due for one, something would set it off. The M25, bright sunlight, loud noise, a long list of things.

I have also found that imigran works really well, I keep it on me at all times and as soon as I start to get the symptoms coming on ( I lose my sight ) I take one and normally escape the migraine, just tend to feel a bit spaced out for a while but that I can cope with. They are not cheap but worth every penny.

Another vote for sumatriptan here. Great stuff.
Cocodamol and nurofen plus (both with codeine) work at deadening the pain but don’t remove it completely.

Sleep doesn’t help my headaches, just time. Usually lasts for two to three days.

My mum is 70 and she’s suffered all her life with them, nothing the doctors have ever prescribed has made much difference. She has found managing her diet very carefully has been the best solution plus she has to avoid stress and in particular eye strain.

Hydration is key. Even when not riding.

Migraleave pink for me . I second the identity and avoid the triggers strategy. Red wine , retsina , cheap brandy , stress flashing lights low sun all effect me. Thankfully cheese and choc don’t.

Have had migraines for 40+ years. Have tried every prescription drug out there as well as over the counter. Most prescription drugs work for me if I take them right at the onset of signs (visual aura in my case). Biggest downside to the prescription meds is price and side effects.

About 2 years ago, someone turned me on to an over the counter medication called Lipigesic M (combination of Feverfew and Ginger). I tried it and was astounded at the result. If taken at the onset, it aborts the headache from developing (the aura still has to cycle itself through, but that’s only about 20 minutes or so). Almost no side effects at all compared to the prescr. meds

I don’t know if it’s available in the UK (a couple of the big pharmacy/drugstores here in the US carry it–Walgreens and CVS), but it is available online http://www.lipigesic.com/

The cost here is about $15 for a box of 8 of the gel packs (you put it under your tongue and it’s absorbed—I usually take one, then a second in about 5 minutes) and that’s compared to the cost of the most recent prescription med my doctor gave me, Zomig, which is about $35 per tablet.

Migraleve pink for.me too. Need to take them ASAP otherwise I’m stuffed for a day.

Downside is constipation followed by the need for curry

Thanks for all the advice. I’ve been prescribed 100mg Sumatriptan. It seems I took these in 50mg form two years ago so he though a stronger dose should sort me out 🙂 I really hope so…..

If this doesn’t work I may start to explore alternative remedies, acupuncture sounds like a good start.

Sumatriptan is also available in nasal spray and self injection form.

I use it for cluster headache and the injection certainly works fast, not had so much luck with the nasal spray though.

I find that Triptans (like sumatriptan) are pretty effective but can only be taken a few times a month

Twice in 24 hours is more like it, have taken three, but felt a bit rotten especially sore neck and sore throat.

Number one priority is identifying triggers. If you do manage this, and you can avoid these, then you should be able to minimise the occurrence. My trigger has nearly always been neck strain from playing cricket (I was a fast bowler). It was, sadly, a factor in my decision to stop playing. Coincidentally, I played a knockabout game last Sunday, and had my first migraine for two years! Reinforcing my conviction that I was right to stop playing! It was an absolute belter of a migraine as well, two separate bouts of aura and a filthy head until Monday evening.

As you know, migraine is pretty much unstoppable once it has started. I found sumatriptan good, but what it actually seemed to do with me was to speed up the onset of the aura from a pinprick to 50% vision loss. I found that the shorter the period of the aura, the less severe the actual migraine headache. The only other things I can suggest are maxing out on painkillers. See if you can get Paramax. It is just common paracetamol, but it has anti nausea drug in it as well. This allows your system to digest the tablets. Migraine shuts down your digestive process.

Other than the above, I found cold, dark and quiet places and a cold compress on the forehead helped. Also I managed to identify a food (curry and rice bizarrely) that I could stomach quite soon after getting past the worst. This helps as not eating prolonged the feeling of general crappiness.

Good luck. Have agood think about triggers, you may be surprised.

reading for more than about 10mins without my glasses, stress, and blue cheese.

Sumatriptan works for me-it can vary between 1-3 hours to kill the pain but nearly always works. I don’t get the aura or sickness but a blinding pain behind my right eye and a general feeling of unwell ness. Nothing else works. If I didn’t have Sumatriptan I would be in pain for several days.

Zomig (which is a triptan) works superbly for my cluster migraines. My record is a migraine each day for 7 days straight, but the Zomig’s always sort them out within 40 mins. Never needed more than 2 in any 24 hr period. Just brilliant.

It can be difficult to identify triggers, but I find that mine are stress, prolonged intense exercise, beer, hormones, and low blood sugar.

Where abouts do you get the pain in your head? I went to the doctors today as I’ve had a headache since Friday. He thinks it’s neck/posture related and wants me to see a physio

There’s a link between migraine with aura and a fairly common but generally innocuous heart defect known as a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO). This stems from research into unearned decompression illness in divers, so may be something that gps are not aware of. It’s relatively straightforward to fix a PFO, I know 3 or 4 people who’ve had it done. One of them used to suffer badly with migraines but hasn’t had one since.

Only one way to get rid of a migraine as far as I’m concerned.

I’m never that lucky though and just have to live with it.
As above, identify triggers if you can, otherwise tool up on weapons grade pain killers when you feel one starting, hole up and ride the storm.

Interesting point about PFO. Quite a lot of people have that apparently (according to the internet). I wonder if it’s ever the cause of essential hypertension (which I have)

Hers my experience of them…

About 2 years ago I started getting crippling headaches to the point I had to lie in bed and hardly move for a couple of days. Had a few of these episodes over a 4 or 5 month period so toddled off to the doctors and he diagnosed them as migraines. I think it was a family friend who reccommended something called Migralieve (sp?)? Basically two sets of coloured tablets – have one colour when you feel a migraine coming on and if the pain doesn’t go away, have the other colour one.

Since having these, I’ve not had a migraine – great stuff!

But… I also had my eyes tested and did need glasses so suspect this has helped as well.

My trigger by the way, is moving from dark to bright areas. Normally when I go outside into bright sunshine.

I’ve suffered them for around 12 years, normally one or two a month, sometimes as many as 3 a week.
An eye test and subsequently glasses has reduced the frequency to its lowest but not the severity when they happen.
Dark/light transitions, flickery artificial lighting and release from stress ( post important project completion for example) are my main triggers.
Aura leading to loss of vision is followed by left hand side of body becoming numb then the headache. Mind you, calling it a headache is like calling Everest a hill.
Triptans help if I ake as soon as aura strikes otherwise I’m just hanging on for the ride. I have found that NSAIDS make the headache seem worse so mainly use Sumatriptan, followed by codeine and paracetamol. Have Diazepam prescribed for when they are really bad.
Usuall? out of action for 24 hours or so but a bad one can see me confined to bed for 2 ads and weak as a kitten for a few days afterwards.
Rubbish, isn’t it?

I also take Migraleve pinks at the onset of symptoms if I leave it a while then they don’t work as well.
Stress is one trigger, but thankfully cheese and choc don’t start them off.

Can anyone who suffers from these (or any forum medics) suggest things to ask the doctors

I fit both categories…..
Glad you’ve ended up on triptans – and it seems you know how to use it.
As others have said, really try if you can to identify the triggers.

For me, it’s often looking at bright lights, especially when stressed or tired. I haven’t take the step yet (wife would bully me I think) but there’s some interesting reading here[/url] – I’m not affilliated in any way, and to me it seems interesting, but have yet to have an assessment!!

There’s a link between migraine with aura and a fairly common but generally innocuous heart defect known as a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO)

There most certainly is. However, correction of the PFO is not offered as a migraine treatment.
Interestingly, if you were to echocardiogram the whole population, a large proportion would have unidentified, asymptomatic PFOs also…. cool eh!

DrP