Migraines

Shadow Leader

Shadow Leader

At the Start
Joined
Nov 9, 2003
Messages
9,884
I suffer from migraines quite a lot but they've got a lot more severe recently. At the moment I've had probably 3-4 migraines in the last month or so, the last one I had took the best part of four days (including at least 2 days in bed & 3 sets of medication) to finally shift. In between these migraines I am suffering from a virtually permanent headache which although no-where near as severe as a full blown migraine is making life very difficult. These headaches inbetween are similar to the migraines I get in that they are nearly always concentrated behind my right eye & on the front, right hand side of my head & are usually accompanied by a large buil up of pressure behind my right eye, but they are nowhere near as bad as the migraines themselves (which I find totally debilitating, I have no choice other than to try to sleep in a darkened room when I have one) and are not accompanied by the nausea I get with a full blown migraine. It is making life pretty difficult at the moment to say the least, & I must be rattling with the seemingly never-ending taking of painkillers! I went to see the doctor today; he suggested going on daily medication (my GP in the UK was keen to put me on it about 3-4 years ago but I didn't want to go on daily medication) to prevent attacks & headaches in the first place. When I wasn't so keen he gave me more of the medication I take for the migraines (zolmitriptan) & ibuprofen 400mg for the headaches in between & said that if they don't improve in a month he will put me on the daily medication. So, basically, I was interested to know if anyone has tried this preventative medication & if so, how they found it - would you recommend going on it? If anyone has any other tips I'd be grateful too - I'll try anything. The osteopath I've been seeing suggested accupuncture, she says it's very good in preventing migraines but I'm not so sure it will actually work & I don't want to fork out fortunes as I'm brassic! I've sent off for membership & a load of helpsheets from the Migraine Trust which I hope will help, but literally any advice will be gratefully received! Cheers!
 
I am sure I am the last person you would look to take advice from... but as a fellow migraine sufferer and with all your other aches and pains have you ever considered treatment from a chiropracter? You may already know that so many aches and pains can be contributed to a problem in one of your joints elsewhere and migraines are evidently no different. They could be brought on by a problem in another area of your body. ie. neck or back. It certainly helped me. I have been reliably informed (by my Mum) that only intelligent people suffer from migraines. :) The last one I had was about 3 weeks ago and was the first one for a year, and was nowhere near as bad as yours. I started having them was I was about 7 years old and was told when I was in my late twenties that they came in 7 year cycles which is, in my case, is almost true. I tried changing my diet, cutting out cheese and chocolate and red wine, but nothing really helped until my regular visits to the chiropracter. They helped sort out my back and neck (which I didn't really know I had a problem with apart from a couple of falls from horseback when I was in my teens) at the very same time my migraines definitely subsided. It could have been a coincidence of course.

The downside of a chiropracter is that they are quite expensive, mine was £30 an hour, but I know when I have a migraine I would willingly pay £1000 for someone to do something to ease the pain.
 
Cheers Kathy - no, I hadn't thought of a chiropractor, not for migraines at least. It's certainly worth bearing in mind - I might be covered for that kind of treatment with my work health insurance, I know I would have been covered for the osteopathic treatments I had in the summer if I had got the cover sorted in time, which naturally I didn't! I saw an osteopath throughout the summer for the back & stuff & she did wonders. The funny thing is that it may have to do with a previous fall as I didn't start getting them until after I picked up a serious head injury (yup, another fall...). I saw a neurologist at the time & had scans & stuff but nothing showed, he said that for some unknown reason some people have a tendency to migraines in their make-up & can go through most of their lives without ever having had a migraine but they can suddenly start suffering migraines if they receive a hard blow to the head that effectively triggers the tendency to having migraines.

I have also started keeping a diary of everything I eat to see if I can spot a pattern - so far the only things I have isolated as triggers are red wine, periods of stress and lack of sleep.

Relks, darling......I'll bear that in mind...... ;) :lol:
 
OK, here's some advice for a fiver!

On your next break try drinking only white wine (no cheese or chocolate), go away somewhere quiet for a few days (get loads of kip) and absolutely no breakdancing at the local disco. You will come back a new woman & hopefully no migraines.

Sortid!

If that doesn't help, try a chiropracter. B)
 
I suffered with migraines for 28 years with the classical pain over the right eye lasting for 2 days every month.
I did have bouts where I was vomitting for the whole two days but they were rare.

Then had a headache for 6 weeks ( correct 6 weeks) I was sent to a neurologist to check for a tumour and he diagnosed that my scalp muscles were constantly going in and out of spasm.

My migraines stopped when I was prescribed Imigran which has been the migraine wonder drug, at first I was on injections because of vomitting and then the tablet.
I took a tablet at the first sign and within 30/40 minutes they were gone.

Nearly nine years ago there was a big change in my personal life and the migraines stopped almost immediately and I realised over all those years that stress had played a big part in the problem.

SL. I am surprised imigran has not been mentioned by your GP
 
Stress definitely is a major factor 221bar1. Not sure how much stress I had as a seven year old though although my parents were in the process of splitting up. :(
 
Kathy - a few days away, drinking wine & getting loads of kip sound great! I'm on holiday for nearly 2 weeks at the end of next week so I definitely intend to get lots of sleep & generally veg out.

Brian - that's very bizarre, that article - it's amazing to see how an irregularity in a totally different part of the body can affect another so much. It's certainly interesting to see the breakthoughs scientists are continually making through research. I would be quite willing to be a guinea pig for a new trial, but in the article it mentions wanting to hear from people who suffer from auras with their migraines which I don't get, luckily.

221bar1 - I've taking Zomig for the past 3 or 4 years in the event of an attack, which is very, very effective. The active ingredient in Zomig is zolmitriptan which is one of the cylic drugs used to treat migraines. The active ingredient in Imigran is sumitriptan which is from the same family of cyclic drugs. I've also been prescribed Maxalt (active ingredient rizatriptan) which is also effective. I think it's down to the personal preference of the GP which triptan is prescribed as they are all very similar. The doctor I saw today said that in Gib Imigran is generally prescribed but that as I was used to Zomig he would keep me on it, if I could locate a pharmacy in Gib that stocked it! (Zomig is exceptionally expensive - it costs over £5 per tablet, I once paid just over £40 for 6, I was that desperate for some & you can buy several prescription drugs over the counter here. In the UK I was limited to 3 tablets per prescription even though they come in packets of 6, as they are so expensive the NHS are loathe to prescribe more than 3 per prescription) If I remember correctly, my GP in the UK put me on Zomig initially as it was a fairly new drug & had very good results, it certainly works for me. Incidentally I have taken Imigran & haven't found it to be quite as effective as Zomig but each individual probably differs.

I do find that stress plays a big part in my vulnerability to having migraines, as does a lack of sleep. The funny thing is that I'm not necessarily stressed out at the moment, but I do have a tendency to worry a lot! Funnily enough, Joe, work doesn't tend to stress me out & if it does, it doesn't last long. It's the rest of my life that gets me stressed!
 
I think its stress and depression too!! that causes these I don't eat cheese or chocolate or drink cows milk otherwise I feel ill.. so its a big no no to these try it leave them off and see how well you then feel...

I am a great believer in the fact that not ALL foods suit ALL people and that FOOD allergy is one of the main causes of headaches and migrains........ :o :P
 
Dom, one of the world's leading health and nutrition writers, the late Adelle Davis, writing in 'Let's Get Well' has the following to say:

Persistent headaches have been quickly produced in volunteers deficient in either vitamin B6 or Pantothenic Acid; usually relief came soon after the missing vitamin was given, but in one case they persisted for 6 weeks after the experiment was terminated. Iron deficiency, with or without anemia, causes headaches, which clear up when Iron is adequate. The headaches preceding or accompanying menstruation are usually relieved by Calcium and vitamin D. Both vitamins B1 and B12 have also helped headaches, including migraines.

Low blood sugar is another frequent cause. For example, 35 migraine sufferers, each studied by electroencephalograms for 5 hours during severe headaches, all had low blood sugar. The lower the blood sugar dropped, the more severe their migraines became. Their headaches were present on waking, when the blood sugar is particularly low, and invariably occurred when little had been eaten the night before. A high-protein diet devoid of sweets, and a snack taken before retiring brought permanent relief. Such a finding indicates that taking Potassium Chloride tablets may be far more helpful than aspirin.

Headaches associated with both low blood sugar and low blood pressure are particularly common after PROLONGED STRESS. In this case, the adrenals are so exhausted that salt (sodium) is lost from the body. Taking 1/2 teaspoon of salt and soda in a little water to replace urinary loss can often bring quick relief, but FREQUENT MEALS and an ANTI STRESS PROGRAMME should be carefully followed to prevent further difficulty.

Headaches of psychosomatic origin appear to be of this variety. The unrelenting stress of suppressed, unconscious anger is a frequent cause of headaches. Totally without realizing it, the sufferer turns upon himself a primitive, unconscious desire to bash in someone's head, thus hurting his own head instead. If anger can be expressed harmlessly, such headaches usually disappear. A friend who had suffered from migraines for years was told by her physician to take up tennis as a means of blowing off steam - she not only got rid of her headaches, but also became a champion!

Well, there you go, duckie - a few things that might complement the drugs. It's as important to find the REASON or reasons for the migraines (bash on the noggin, stress, diet, lack of vitamins, etc.) as it is to try and relieve them with drugs. I know you like a drinkie now and then, but alcohol is the prime robber of vitamins, especially the B vitamins in the body. May I kindly suggest that you grab yourself some B6 capsules from a local health shop? I used to down half-a-dozen after I'd partied a bit too exuberantly, and never got a hangover when I did. They also helped to stop a lot of the dehydration, and the dreadful headache that brings. Erm... you ARE drinking a MINIMUM of 2 litres of water a day, aren't you? You do need to keep the right fluids up in a hot climate and with fairly high levels of sociable drinking, Dom, so getting enough fluid into you, to flush out toxins, will help too. Good luck! ;)

That's £25, please. :D
 
Great, cheers Aunty Jon....a very comprehensive guide!! I'll definitely try that as I have been feeling a little dehydrated for the last few days, but I have been hardly drinking alcohol & I've been drinking loads of water, squash & stuff but I've still been thirsty! I try to drink 2 litres of water a day as well.

As for the £25.....stick a fiver on Self Defense in the 2:15 @ 9/2 & you're nearly there!!! :D
 
Something else, my little poppa-Dom: have you tried, instead of ordinary water, the rather good 'Hydro' waters made by, I think, Lucozade? They contain some vits and mins in pleasantly-flavoured water, like citrus/lemon, or berries, and to be honest, it's been the best way to get my old Mama to drink the gallons she needs, due to taking anti-water retention pills. I like them, too, cos they taste pretty good when chilled. Keep them handy in the car and at work, and you won't mind chugging them at all. (Yeah, I know, the lemony one would taste great with Stolly!) ;)

And, seriously, grab a bottle of B6 vit pills to keep beside the bed for after a bit of a hooley. Take about six with water, and I guarantee you won't feel like a dog's bum the next day!
 
Great, cheers Aunty Jon....will pop over to Safeways this evening after work to see what I can find! Let's face it, it's the only place in Gib I'm likely to be able to find either the vitamins or new-fangled Luczade drinks!!
 
I'm sure these pains are all in your head, Dom...

Some good advice in here. I'm lucky. I get what's known as a "silent migraine" only once or twice a year. Dizziness, seeing stars, lack of focus (some argue this is usually around Champion Hurdle time <_< ) - and the only cure is to lie down in a cool, darkened room for a couple of hours. No pain whatsoever.

I'm sure ravaging your temple with alcohol can't help.
 
Cheers, Mo!! :D Seriously though, it probably doesn't help that I have a really low pain threshold!!

Those silent jobbies don't sound the greatest.....I tend to get lightheaded & lose all sense of spatial awareness when I get migraines - I tend to walk into door frames & stuff rather than through them! :wacko:
 
I used to get a pain in my right eye every time I drank a cup of Tea!
When I asked the quack for advice he told me to first remove the spoon from the cup!!
 
SL, there is something in the Mail (don't laugh) today about a hormone gel to help migraine sufferers. Evidently migraines could be caused by changes in the levels of the female hormone oestrogen and there is now a monitor called Clearblue that tracks your hormones predicting the days of ovulation? :what: Once the monitor is primed the monitor learns the womans pattern showing when the cylcle will begin and end. Evidently it is simple, you just rub on this oestrogen gel on the right days of the month and it is proven to help. I can send you more of the article if you are interested.
 
:o You don't say, Mo! Obviously the old "not now, I've got a headache" routine hasn't been working too well...
 
Back
Top