migrain headaches

[rock n roll kid]

no , not me . i had a couple of severe head injuries when only a small child but strangely enough , very seldom have more than a sinus headache .
my friend suffers with these badly ! to the point of sometimes missing work & vomiting is usually there. different pills from doc helps very little. anyone hear of something to cure these or at least keep them in check ?
thanks so much.

 

[cougar14]

Ther's lots of meds, some work better. My son responded best to the inhalers, there's almost instant relief. And most important is to identify triggers. Document everything you did an hour before the onset, and study the lists.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Mine are ocular. When the kaleidoscope starts I have usually 20 minutes before the Anvil Chorus starts. That gives me time to dull it with hydrocodone or 3 Tylenol if I'm operating farm machinery. The times when the nausea is unrelenting I use Phenergan.

I used to use Cafergot until my heart went south.

I feel for your friend as migraines are absolutely no fun.

 

[5-Shot]

Your friend's misery duplicates what my wife suffered for years. The development of Imotrex (sp?) changed her life. At the time it was an expensive self inflicted shot, but it worked and was worth any price. I don't know if it's still around.

Ed

 

[WardenRoss]

I suffered with them for years. They would start as a kaleidoscope and soon block my vision on one side. Especially driving at night in Atlanta would trigger them.

We finally figured out that it was artificial sweeteners that were causing the cluster headaches. I was drinking about six cups of coffee each morning with those pink or blue sugar substitutes added. Then maybe a diet drink for lunch and artificially sweetened tea for supper.

It was a quagmire as caffeine seemed to help.

My eye-doctor was actually the one who helped me solve the puzzle. She took a lot of interest in my case because when the kaleidoscope would begin my vision would soon be pitch-black on the right side of both eyes (it was emulating an eye related neurological problem).

She was able to document this with an instrument that measures depth of field of something. She was my angel as the regular doctors just did expensive tests (MRI) and couldn't find anything amiss. She actually listened to me and refused to throw in the towel.

When we eliminated the artificial sweeteners, Bingo, immediate relief. I never had a recurrence. Never, and it's been since 1999.

 

[g-dad]

Mine are also ocular with the geometric designs. Completely blocks frontal vision if I do nothing. If I take 3 Advil at the onset the geo designs are minimized and generally gone in about 15 minuets. I've been blessed to have suffered no pain or headaches with this. Just vision loss.

Thru a medical event my bride had 10 yrs ago or so her neurologist explained my eye events as common. He said he treats a judge that looses his voice when he has migraines. Thought that was interesting.

 

[Absalom]

The important thing is to have a competent neurologist have a go at diagnosing the cause or causes.

I've had headaches since I was a kid, but it wasn't until 20 years ago when I started seeing a neurologist for another reason that I happened upon a good diagnostician who made an effort to find medications that nip the onset of the migraines in the bud, rather than just being painkillers.

Since I'd been living on Excedrin for decades by then, there were some ugly withdrawal times, but I have been on a steady daily dose of Topamax for many years now, and will for the rest of my life, but I don't get the migraines anymore, and need some pills for a regular headache maybe once every couple of weeks. Topamax doesn't work for everybody, but there are other meds like that.

 

[Doug M.]

There a heck of a lot of potential triggers that have been identified, and some are triggers for some patients, but not for others, and some are only triggers in combination with other triggers, including changing weather. My wife has them, and weather changes are a BFHD. Treatments vary, and vary in the level of success; she has not had a lot of success with any of the treatments, including being a Beta tester for more than one.

 

[Tradewind36]

I also suffer from ocular migraines, no pain involved and they last about 30 minutes. I just wait it out, usually with eyes closed if possible.

For migraine headaches, my wife has suffered from them for 30 years. The only thing that has provided relief are botox injections around the scalp every 90 days. FDA approved for migraine treatment, our insurance covers the treatment. Discuss this with your neurologist.

 

[johngalt]

My sister gets migraines. She was recently diagnosed as having Celiacs (intolerance of wheat gluten, it causes the immune system to attack the intestines). When she quit eating gluten she got the migraines less frequently and they were less severe.

 

[ameridaddy]

Your friend's misery duplicates what my wife suffered for years. The development of Imotrex (sp?) changed her life. At the time it was an expensive self inflicted shot, but it worked and was worth any price. I don't know if it's still around.

Ed

Mine too; sometimes lasting three days, crying and writhing on the floor, vomiting for hours, sometimes off to the hospital, and nothing I or the docs did helped.
Until Imitrex. And menopause.
Our important lesson learned was to take the shot as soon as there was a hint of an attack coming. Wait until it became full blown and not even the Imitrex would touch it.
We never left home without carrying a couple of doses and the injector.
Thank goodness, once she was fully menopausal, the migraines ceased, but the memory of them is so terrible, she still keeps a couple doses of Imitrex around.

 

[Gaffer]

My triggers were wind, cheese and some soft drinks. If unable to catch it early the whole mess had to go the whole route and vomiting until empty and sleep till over. Strangely enough a chiropractor treated me and they have never returned. Hope they never do!

 

[rwsmith]

Probably that.....

I suffered with them for years. They would start as a kaleidoscope and soon block my vision on one side. Especially driving at night in Atlanta would trigger them.

We finally figured out that it was artificial sweeteners that were causing the cluster headaches. I was drinking about six cups of coffee each morning with those pink or blue sugar substitutes added. Then maybe a diet drink for lunch and artificially sweetened tea for supper.

It was a quagmire as caffeine seemed to help.

My eye-doctor was actually the one who helped me solve the puzzle. She took a lot of interest in my case because when the kaleidoscope would begin my vision would soon be pitch-black on the right side of both eyes (it was emulating an eye related neurological problem).

She was able to document this with an instrument that measures depth of field of something. She was my angel as the regular doctors just did expensive tests (MRI) and couldn't find anything amiss. She actually listened to me and refused to throw in the towel.

When we eliminated the artificial sweeteners, Bingo, immediate relief. I never had a recurrence. Never, and it's been since 1999.

Probably something sophisticated like the little ball on a wire that they move around your head until it appears in your side vision. Today that test would probably be expensive, too. Anyway, I'm glad the gal fought with you until the last round.

 

[rwsmith]

Listening to you guys.....

.....I've got some hellatious problems, but I'm glad I don't have THAT one!

Not nearly as bad as a migraine, but extremely painful are these sinus headaches where the pain comes and goes every 10 seconds or so. It starts in my jaw and travels up the front of my ear, then creeps to the back of my head where it plants and stays there for a few days. The doctors say that such pain can't be associated with sinuses and the neurologist says there's nothing wrong with my head, so apparently these headaches are products of my imagination.

Oh, one doctor did suggest 'stress'.

 

[SC_Mike]

My wife has extensive food allergies, mainly to soybean and its oil which is in most everything. Too much of the wrong foods and she get a migraine like headache.

You may suggest to your friend to try an allergist.

 

[Usmc5811]

I used to get migraines 3-5 times a month. Sensitive to light, vomiting, no loud sounds I had it all. Then in my late 20's after having numerous sore throats and snoring problems I had my tonsils, adnoids, and uvula removed. After about two weeks of recovery my snoring and migraines cleared up. I can't remember the last time I had a migraine so bad that I vomited. For all of you that still suffer from this I feel for you.

 

[WardenRoss]

Probably something sophisticated like the little ball on a wire that they move around your head until it appears in your side vision. Today that test would probably be expensive, too. Anyway, I'm glad the gal fought with you until the last round.

Actually, it was the machine posted below. You look into the big circle and everytime a small light flashes, you click a handheld button.

I was actually near her office when an episode began. I ran over and she immediately placed me on this machine. When the test was completed, she printed out the results and I was completely blind on the right side of both eyes. The print-out indicated exactly what I was claiming. The test showed a backward capital "D" with zero vision on the right side. The left side was indicating I found all the little light bursts on that side. Zero on the right.

I would have never guessed the cause was artificial sweeteners. Thank God she did!

 

[BigBill]

My buddy had a anorizem. He had migraine all the time.

My 9 yo son complained about a headache. I thought he was kidding. The doctor at a local clinic on a weekend sent him to the hospital for testing on his gut feeling something was wrong with the lid. By Sunday the boy was in the fetal position and lost his eye sight. The anorizem swelled up the brain.
We had the best brain surgeon in the area. The boy is 42 yo now. Smart as a whip. He's a engineer.

I get headaches but I think it's just life.

 

[jimmyj]

My wife had Migraines.
When She felt one coming on She took four aspirins, and lay down in a cool dark room. Migraine would go away.

 

[e3mrk]

My Wife gets them pretty bad and she uses essential oils for Her's,They work really good for Her but She still has a supply of imitrex injections in case she needs them.