Migraines

[MaggieTheCat]

I've had migraines for...almost as long as I can remember. I think they really started when I was in high school, so 12-14 years ago or so. I haven't exactly kept track of them but I'm pretty sure they've gotten progressively worse over the years. They were the worst when I worked in the warehouse at my old job; between the emotional/mental stress of the job itself, and the physical stress and heat of being in the warehouse, I actually had to get FMLA (family medical leave) to excuse all my absences, because I was risking verbal and written warnings due to absences otherwise.

I think they have gotten better since I quit that job, but I still get them, on average at least once every two months, sometimes once a month, sometimes once every couple of weeks. As far as I can tell, there's no trigger for them. I'm not overly stressed (physically or mentally), they don't happen after I eat a particular kind of food, etc.

I've always just lived with them. They're just sort of a part of my life at this point. I have been to 6 or more doctors over the last 5 years (including chiropractors) and I've told every one of them about my migraines, and none of them have acted like it's anything to be concerned about. I've never been prescribed special medication for them and when I bring it up, the doctors are pretty much like, "Oh, that sucks, sorry, moving on now." None of them have ever asked for details or made any suggestions for how I can further treat them, other than OTC pain meds.

When I get them bad, I can easily down 6 advil and 2 excedrin migraine and the pain will not budge. I also get nausea, vomiting, light/sound/smell sensitivity, and dizziness, besides the extreme, unrelenting pain. A lot of the time, the pain seems to start in my neck/shoulders. Like I said, I have been to chiropractors regarding this, and getting an adjustment does help. But usually not for more than a couple weeks to a month at the very most, and then the neck/shoulder aches return. None of them have ever taken x-rays, even when I've suggested it, as they don't feel it's necessary. I've never had an MRI, CAT scan, anything like that. For the record, they don't occur in the same spot every time; I've gotten them on both the right and left side of my shoulders/head, and in different areas, which one chiropractor told me was a "good" sign as it meant it probably wasn't something like a tumor.

I'm wondering what I can do. Yes, yes, I know you guys are going to tell me to go to a doctor. I wish I could. Believe me. But like I said, every doctor I've ever told this to, has acted like it's no big deal and nothing ever gets done. I have had some extremely bad experiences with doctors -- those of you who read my post in Sickbay, and who may remember my godawful experience just trying to get a pelvic exam done earlier this year, know what I'm talking about. I currently don't have a primary care provider, as I refuse to go back to the one I was going to; that god forsaken clinic can't even get a simple pelvic exam done without making one gigantic clusterfuck out of it, I sure as hell am not trusting them with my spine/shoulders/head. I would consider going to a specialist of some kind, but I don't even know where to start, or if I'd need a PCP's orders or something to get in to one.

So, I'm wondering what to do. Maybe this is just something I have to live with, and if it is, fine. I've sort of adapted. But it sucks. And if anyone has any suggestions, I'd really appreciate it.

[telecom_goddess]

I went through the same thing....I used to get them every few years and then BAM it became daily.

Go to a headache specialist...they are usually neurologists. They are the only doctors that will care enough to help you manage them and hopefully find out what's triggering them and maybe get rid of them.

However if they ever suggest taking Topomax to prevent them I wouldn't advise you do that....it can make you feel like a zombie.

A GP kind of doctor isn't helpful in this kind of situation at all in my opinion.

[Solumina]

I can't believe that your doctors wouldn't at least give you something for your pain, I guess some of them just don't get that a migraine isn't just a bad headache. I wish that I had something helpful that I could tell you but my migraines seemed to stem from the prescription medications that I was on and have all but vanished since I went off of those drugs. You have my sympathy and I hope you find some relief.

[Parrothead]

I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but I have found that Feverfew capsules taken daily help with the intensity and frequency of my migraines (but YMMV). Also, I've found that a face/eye mask with lavender in it, stored in the freezer and worn with a migraine help a bit, at least with the nausea.

Again, not a doctor, but these help my migraines.

[MaggieTheCat]

I do take feverfew every day, I've taken it for about a year now. I think it has helped a little. I also ice my head/face/neck/shoulders when I get migraines, but I've never tried lavender. Thanks for the suggestion.

[AccountingDrone]

Hm, can they be hormonal based migraines? I fond that after my hysterectomy I have dropped to maybe 1 migraine every 3 or 4 months instead of 2 to 3 per month.

I can highly recommend midrin for stress based migraines and frovatryptan for the hormonal based ones.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Here's the problem with doctors and migraines... no one who has never suffered a migraine themselves understand how devastating migraines are. Doctors tell you to suck it up or quit being a baby or give you pain meds that don't work because they simply cannot comprehend the suffering that goes with a migraine.

Migraines are so agonizing that people who have them have a substantially higher pain tolerance than people who don't, because after going through a migraine, few other things hurt as bad.

I actually read this over and over again looking up migraines, causes, and treatments. Many doctors simply do not get it.

I find avoiding triggers helps a lot. There are many triggers, you'll have to figure out what yours are. Mine are nuts, chocolate, alcohol, bright lights, flashing lights, hormones, and lack of caffeine.

That's not to say if I drink booze I will get a migraine. But I probably will if I drink one around the time of my period. Or if I eat nuts AND chocolate and then go out in the sun without sunglasses. One or two triggers alone probably won't hurt you, but you start stacking them up you're probably going down.

I also learned that they were far fewer if I controlled my sugar/insulin levels and kept them on an even keel (I'm hypoglycemic.) Roller coaster sugar levels can trigger one, too. That's in pretty much anyone, I think.

[Sapphire Silk]

I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but I have found that Feverfew capsules taken daily help with the intensity and frequency of my migraines (but YMMV). Also, I've found that a face/eye mask with lavender in it, stored in the freezer and worn with a migraine help a bit, at least with the nausea.

Again, not a doctor, but these help my migraines.

Feverfew works well for some folks, not at all for others. It does not work for me, durn it

Here's the problem with doctors and migraines... no one who has never suffered a migraine themselves understand how devastating migraines are. Doctors tell you to suck it up or quit being a baby or give you pain meds that don't work because they simply cannot comprehend the suffering that goes with a migraine.

Migraines are so agonizing that people who have them have a substantially higher pain tolerance than people who don't, because after going through a migraine, few other things hurt as bad.

I actually read this over and over again looking up migraines, causes, and treatments. Many doctors simply do not get it.

I find avoiding triggers helps a lot. There are many triggers, you'll have to figure out what yours are. Mine are nuts, chocolate, alcohol, bright lights, flashing lights, hormones, and lack of caffeine.

I've had migraines since I was 12 or so. When I was a kid, I'd take aspirin, and lay down in my room until it went away. It never occurred to my parents to take me to a doctor because the headaches were infrequent. I'd get maybe one or two a year. The one time I got an ocular migraine and went blind, my father didn't understand what I was complaining about (because I could see again by the time I got back to the car from the store we were in), so it never got checked out.

I started having them more frequently in nursing school. Excedrin worked for awhile, but as the frequency and severity increased I finally went to my doctor (who was very good), who unfortunately misdiagnosed me with a sinus infection. It wasn't until a couple of years later I was finally accurately diagnosed.

My doctors tried a variety of things over the years: Midrin, fiorinal, and the triptans, biofeedback, and prophalyctic meds like Depakote and Tegretol. After awhile, the medications would lose their ability to affect the headaches and become useless.

I got to a point where I was getting 3-4 debilitating migraines a week; it affected my work performance at my last ER job and played a big role in why I left that job.

Narcotics never worked for my migraines. At best they knocked me out and let me get a few hours of sleep.

Eventually, I detoxed myself from all my anti headache meds. It was a miserable couple of weeks, but once I stopped taking the medications, the headaches went away.

Overuse syndrome is a real problem in migraine management. It starts a feedback loop of headache-med-headache-med-headache. Cold turkey is the only thing that works, and the headaches are so bad that some people have to be hospitalized.

Maggie's headaches sound like classic migraines, though she should see a headache specialist as was suggested. RecoveringKinkoid has some great suggestions. A headache diary can help you identify triggers. Weather is my trigger: when the barometric pressure drops before a rain, I get a migraine.

Currently, I'm taking a beta blocker to reduce my borderline high blood pressure. One pleasant side effects has been fewer migraines, and I can take Excedrin and it will work just fine.

But the treatment is really individualized because everyone's headaches are different.

Good luck.

[MaggieTheCat]

Thanks for all the info, guys. I really do need to start keeping a diary. I always mean to keep track of what I eat, what I've been doing, what the weather's like, etc. when I get migraines. But usually by that time, I'm pretty much in agony and can't do anything except curl up in a dark room with an ice pack and whimper. And the day after a migraine I'm usually pretty exhausted and always forget or just get lazy and just don't bother to document stuff. I probably have some triggers, but the only obvious one that I've identified is hot weather/humidity. I don't care how many breaks I take or how much water I guzzle; if I spend any amount of time outside when it's above about 90 or 95 degrees, I am bound to have a migraine later on.

Now if I could just find a good headache specialist/neurologist...

[protege]

I probably have some triggers, but the only obvious one that I've identified is hot weather/humidity. I don't care how many breaks I take or how much water I guzzle; if I spend any amount of time outside when it's above about 90 or 95 degrees, I am bound to have a migraine later on.

I get migraines from that too. Doesn't matter if I'm outside though--if it's that warm, and there's no ventilation, I'll get a migraine. That's why I have to have the A/C on, or the fans. Sure, I do have meds for the pain, but I'd rather not use them. I've found that some caffeine (either Mountain Dew or an energy drink--anything to open up the blood vessels in my head, and make the pain go away) is usually enough to make the room stop spinning. Not perfect, but it'll make me feel well enough to drive home from work. Once home, I'll take a hot shower (clears out the sinuses), and take a nap.

[telecom_goddess]

my headache specialist/neurologist has been a godsend. Like I mentioned I was having them daily and the drug she gave me is Fiorinal. Which still works like a charm for me. But she managed to get me to a point where I only get them once a month or every two months if that, and they are NOT nearly as bad as they used to be.

So yeah definitely find one. It's worth it.

[42_42_42]

I suffer from headaches and migraines. I've had them all my life (even as a child). My ENT has me take 200 mg of magnesium and B-2 every day. This has cut way back on the number of headaches I get. The NTI I wear at night to prevent teeth grinding and jaw clenching also helps a LOT as both of those behaviors cause tension in the head and neck muscles. However, I still get headaches and migraines. Usually, I can take excedrin and/or naproxin and my headache will go away. However, with my migraines, the only thing that really works is time. I get knots in my back between my shoulder blades, my shoulder and neck muscles get really tight along with my migraine, so backrubs from my husband with lots of icy hot help. I tend to get a migraine every month when I have my period, but I can get them other times, too. It's just something I've learned to live with. I've tried some of the prescription medications for migraine, but I don't tolerate them.

[AccountingDrone]

I suffer from headaches and migraines. I've had them all my life (even as a child). My ENT has me take 200 mg of magnesium and B-2 every day. This has cut way back on the number of headaches I get. The NTI I wear at night to prevent teeth grinding and jaw clenching also helps a LOT as both of those behaviors cause tension in the head and neck muscles. However, I still get headaches and migraines. Usually, I can take excedrin and/or naproxin and my headache will go away. However, with my migraines, the only thing that really works is time. I get knots in my back between my shoulder blades, my shoulder and neck muscles get really tight along with my migraine, so backrubs from my husband with lots of icy hot help. I tend to get a migraine every month when I have my period, but I can get them other times, too. It's just something I've learned to live with. I've tried some of the prescription medications for migraine, but I don't tolerate them.

Lidocaine patch for the stressed out muscle works a treat for me. And you might try asking your OB/GYN for the pill and stop your period totally. Unless you are reproducing, there is no need to bleed monthly FWIW. Norethindrone was my drug of choice. Stopping the damned period was a lifesaver, it dropped my migraines down to stress related ones only. Of course the hysterectomy worked well and now no pills, and one migraine every 2 or 3 months at most.

[Der Cute]

I have had migraines since I was a kid. The child age ones were seizure leftovers. Thanks!

During my late 20s and early 30s I developed a new kind: super bright light into an eye starts it rolling, and it feels like Evil Elf is taking a pitchfork to the back of my eye.

I had to do a diary to find the pattern: Tueday nights, studying, glare from light: migraine in Wed Day.

I went to my doctor and described it as such: Behind one eye. throbbing. severe pain on scale towrads 7. Need dark and no sound. He listened and prescribed Imitrex.

If your doctors aren't listening to you (and it also sounds you haven't had a consistent doctor to hear you out) you march back in and focus the visit on the migraine. You need diary, explanations and not just a "oh migraine on me" So many people claim that it's not a good way to ask for help. Let THEM decide it's a migraine.

Next, you better do that diary. Since you're so prone, just diary for a week. Wakeup Lunch and Bedtime. Record food and soda intake, and weather. Now if those things dont start one during that week...another week, add a criteria; chocolate?

I found that someone who smoked turkeys with mayo on the outside - it gave me migraines right off!!! Tasted great, headache wasn't worth it. Tried another food from that place- came clean. Hm....had to do it again..Yep, turkey. Poo...
Diary for at least 2 weeks til you catch one and can point surroundings. And, PP's right about rebound headaches....Get one, pop pills, goes down, next day KABAM and pop pills. You've trained the brain it'll get a reward if it hurts.

Good luck, and Imitrex worked for me. Specifically a migraine pill. And chat w/ the neuro.

Oh, are your eyes up to par? I get headaches if my contacts are off kilter/bad script.

[MaggieTheCat]

Had an eye exam in December. All's good there. I'm pretty sure it's not med-related; there are weeks where I'm fine and I don't take anything at all, not even Advil. On the days when I do get migraines, I down a ton of stuff, but the next day I'm perfectly fine. In fact, usually for 3-4 days after a migraine, I feel great and never have to take painkillers for anything.

I asked for a migraine-specific painkiller at my last visit to my PCP. She wouldn't give me one, instead prescribed me continually BC pills so I wouldn't get my period and said see if that helps. It's hard to tell but I don't think it has, yet. I've been taking them for about 4-5 months now and still have gotten probably 3-4 migraines in that timeframe. I will certainly give it more time as I know my period is still kind of messed up (I spot a lot when I'm supposed to get my period still) so I'll give my body more time to adjust.