Migraines

[vegasbound]

I figured I'd ask here since I'm sure I'm not the only one who suffers from migraines. I usually get 3 to 4 a month, depending on Chinooks and how much stress I'm under. I am on preventative meds. With that being said, I'm on day 12 of a massive headache. Not constant, but always pops up when I wake up or through out the day. I've tried pretty much everything, besides going to the hospital. My grandfather passed away last night and needless to say this morning, I woke up, puking. Took some Zofran and a Percocet but it was still there when I woke up again around 11. Gave myself an IM shot of Toradol but it still feels like a branding iron being poked in the back of my eyes right now. Help!

[vanisleflamesfan]

Mj

[CaptainYooh]

Sounds pretty severe. I've been suffering from migraines since I was a teenager. Moving to Calgary made them worse; Chinooks are horrible. In fact, any changing atmospheric pressure (up or down) makes things worse for me. There is no cure from migraines yet, as you probably know by now. Painkillers are somewhat effective but they also weaken your brain's ability to tolerate pain and have multiple side effects. Short of real drugs, you are on the strongest stuff already, so I don't even know what to suggest other than changing climate to something more stable. I know this advice could be useless based on your personal situation but at some point you've got to choose; how much decrease in your quality and enjoyment of life you are prepared to tolerate. Sorry about your loss.

P.S. I check this site regularly: http://www.accuweather.com/en/ca/cal...-weather/52479

[DuffMan]

search the internet for cluster headaches + psilocybin.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

search the internet for cluster headaches + psilocybin.

If he's typing on the forum, he probably doesn't have cluster headaches.

But yes ... you're right.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by vegasbound

I figured I'd ask here since I'm sure I'm not the only one who suffers from migraines. I usually get 3 to 4 a month, depending on Chinooks and how much stress I'm under. I am on preventative meds. With that being said, I'm on day 12 of a massive headache. Not constant, but always pops up when I wake up or through out the day. I've tried pretty much everything, besides going to the hospital. My grandfather passed away last night and needless to say this morning, I woke up, puking. Took some Zofran and a Percocet but it was still there when I woke up again around 11. Gave myself an IM shot of Toradol but it still feels like a branding iron being poked in the back of my eyes right now. Help!

Your not on a triptan? They're first line at aborting the attack on the first place


Metoclopramide is also very effective at reducing nausea and aborting migraines.

Both require a prescription

[JonDuke]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

search the internet for cluster headaches + psilocybin.

I get cluster headaches, and have done lots of research on it.
But even I haven't heard of that connection.

VegasBound....is the pain concentrated behind only one eye, or both?

[Regulator75]

I'd take a Migraine over my idiopathic Ice Pick headaches.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by vegasbound

I figured I'd ask here since I'm sure I'm not the only one who suffers from migraines. I usually get 3 to 4 a month, depending on Chinooks and how much stress I'm under. I am on preventative meds. With that being said, I'm on day 12 of a massive headache. Not constant, but always pops up when I wake up or through out the day. I've tried pretty much everything, besides going to the hospital. My grandfather passed away last night and needless to say this morning, I woke up, puking. Took some Zofran and a Percocet but it was still there when I woke up again around 11. Gave myself an IM shot of Toradol but it still feels like a branding iron being poked in the back of my eyes right now. Help!

Your not on a triptan? They're first line at aborting the attack on the first place


Metoclopramide is also very effective at reducing nausea and aborting migraines.

Both require a prescription

[Drury18]

Originally Posted by Regulator75

I'd take a Migraine over my idiopathic Ice Pick headaches.

I've had one of these. Lasted 2 hours off and on. I seriously considered playing in traffic that afternoon as a semi would have hurt less.

As for the OP, that's a rather long lasting migraine if it's been constant. I'd almost wonder if you threw a neck or shoulder out that's causing the migraine feeling rather then it being a true migraine. Or if your shoulder/neck muscle is locked up and causing the pain.

I also get 3-4 a month or more dependent on weather change or stress (have one now actually) but the longest I've had one go for was a week and found it it was partially due to throwing my shoulder out of place and it causing the head pain as well.

That's also a heck of a drug cocktail you have going as well. I got told to take Advil with Caffeine for treatment and that was it.

[Locke]

No worries man, I've got you covered.

I've already arranged for a mariachi band and the Blue-Man group to head over as we speak.

They'll cheer you right up!

[vegasbound]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Your not on a triptan? They're first line at aborting the attack on the first place


Metoclopramide is also very effective at reducing nausea and aborting migraines.

Both require a prescription

I have tried triptan's before, and have taken some in the 12 day period but haven't done anything. Tried Maxoren, but it doesn't have an effect so my doctor gave me a prescription for Zofran, which has helped. I saw my GP yesterday and he's beyond useless and didn't suggest anything except go to the hospital to get a shot of Dex or something.

I was having stupid amounts of migraines in May, so switched birth control even though none of my migraines were hormonal related.

I did make an appointment with my physio therapist for tomorrow to see if he can find anything wrong with my neck/shoulders but they don't feel tight.

[squiggs96]

I get usually two a year, but this year I've had four so far. I have a prescription for Zomig Rapimelt which is supposed to fight it off before it strikes. I get the aura beforehand which lets me know it's coming. These pills lessen it to some degree, but I haven't found anything that will stop them yet. I'm usually really groggy the next couple days, sometimes even for a week after one.

[dissentowner]

I suffer from them as well, 4-5 a month. Sometimes so bad I am throwing up, they run in my family. What I take for mine? A grin and bare it approach.

[blankall]

I get migraines..but the visual kind. Kind of trippy as long as I don't actually have to do anything. Thankfully, the ones that actually affect me only happen about once a year.

[Beer-gut Murray]

Originally Posted by vegasbound

I have tried triptan's before, and have taken some in the 12 day period but haven't done anything. Tried Maxoren, but it doesn't have an effect so my doctor gave me a prescription for Zofran, which has helped. I saw my GP yesterday and he's beyond useless and didn't suggest anything except go to the hospital to get a shot of Dex or something.

I was having stupid amounts of migraines in May, so switched birth control even though none of my migraines were hormonal related.

I did make an appointment with my physio therapist for tomorrow to see if he can find anything wrong with my neck/shoulders but they don't feel tight.

I'll weigh in. Although there is truly too much to say.

Beware of migraines and oral contraceptives. You should consider a switch to a progesterone only formulation. Migraine with specific types of aura truly put you at increased risk of stroke when taking estrogen containing contraceptives.

The mistake with triptans is that people often don't take them soon enough, or they don't take the second dose. Try more than one triptan. Not all are created equal.

Nortriptyline is an effective migraine prevention drug. Talk to your doctor. 10-100 mg at night.

Lastly, the natural angle. Listen carefully. Caffeine can wreak havoc on the blood vessels in your brain, especially in sensitive people. Any time you have fluctuations (decline of levels) of caffeine in your blood, you will get a migraine. Approximately 28 hours after the last cup of coffee, is when the blood vessels dilate in the brain (ie headache). This is variable from one person to the next however. Try to drink nothing but water as a beverage and stick with this for 3 months to see a difference.

Other options: magnesium, butterbur, vitamin B2, coenzyme Q10.. These are preventative measures.

[Daradon]

I get them, I've found that I can actually prevent mine if I am aware of the aura coming on and I take the painkillers first.

As most know, the headache is only a symptom (the most common, and generally worst) of the migraine. They're still not 100% sure of exactly what they are but I think they have it down to swelling in the brain now. Which is why you can get a whole host of other neurological symptoms besides the headache. For me, I get a tiny translucent spot in my field of vision that slowly grows until it fills my whole vision. Then it grows outside my vision, and the headache comes. Often with that I get the nausea many have reported here. In rare cases I have had confusion and temporary numbness and paralysis in face and limbs.

As I mentioned for myself I have found that if I am aware of the aura early, I can negate it with a slightly higher than regular dose of ibuprofen, which is a anti-inflammatory as well as a pain reliever I believe. I don't even have to use the 'big time' medications, though I have in the past.

This is not to say that this will work for you. It is just to highlight that migraines are so different in people and can be solved by different things. The best thing is to pay very close attention to your specific case. Figure out your triggers, as it appears you have (mine for the large majority is sunlight as an optical thing, like if I'm driving and I have glare out the corner of my eye for a period of time) and pay very close attention to how they migraines come on. You may be able to stop them before they get really bad, or negate them all together by changing your habits. (Chinooks probably not, but you know what I mean).

I'm definitely not coming down on the big drugs, take the relief anyway you can. Nor am I saying, there might be a low risk, low drug, way for everyone. But if you can find a simpler, cheaper, and better way, why wouldn't you? Comes down to really listening to your body and finding what works for you. Can be frustrating, but at least in my case, was so worth it.

Hope that helps!

[Galakanokis]

Mine always started with some sort visual impairment, tunnel or spotted vision. That would last for 20 or 30 minutes than the headaches and nausea would kick in. Generally a day of that and than I would settle into my haze phase, no other way to describe it. My head would be heavy and light all at once, things seemed to be in slow motion, I would think a minute would go by and it could have been 30, just completely out of it. I tried all sorts of prescriptions with varying degrees of success.

This was all 20 years or more ago while I lived in Calgary, easily a migraine every month or two. Since I have been on the cost I might get one or two a year and they are way less in intensity and only last hours rather than days.

Sorry, I have no actually advice but you have my sympathies. Migraines are brutal.

[Daradon]

Sounds like we get the same sort of ones Gala. Those first two sentences are right on the button for mine. A bit different after that.

Sounds like chinooks are a really common trigger. I hear a lot of people complain about them, including my mother. It's funny cause I've heard doctors say there is no real reason for that. However, they're still learning about migraines (and the brain obviously) as I mentioned so who the heck knows. Not to mention very few places in the world experience the weather phenomenon we call chinooks, so there's probably very little research on it. Personally I believe the anecdotal evidence, though I will admit, I think a lot of people complain about migraines really just have bad headaches, and blame chinooks cause they hear others blame chinooks. Much like people and gluten. Yes some have Celiac disease or Crohn's, but the amount of people that whine about gluten is maddening.

This is not to say anyone here in the migraine thread is misdiagnosing their migraines at all. Just an observation on society, and why it's sometimes hard for people with the actual problem to get reliable help.

[Drury18]

I off and on get the aura headaches before the migraine and use that as a warning to take some Advil and chug a coffee so hopefully it kicks in before the pain/vomiting/weird body stuff does. I only get those with the dramatic weather changes and when the pressure is above 103 or below 99.

I think alot of people do confuse migraines and I just try to explain it to them that it's not the headache that really makes the migraine, it's the full body assault. I'm sure most of us that get migraines would actually welcome just the headache because as most have said in this thread, you end up with nausea/vomiting, the numbness or lack or paralysis, messed up vision that usually leads to balance or vertigo like symptoms because you can't see where you are going or looking at properly and so many other things which are triggered or made worse by sounds, light or smells.

The headache sometimes isn't the worst part of the migraine at all.