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History Of Migraine In Your Family?


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I never had headaches growing up. HAd no idea what they felt like at all, then in 2001 I got a headache that lasted for 5 months.....nothing else just a dull ache sometimes with sharp pains from the moment i got up to the moment i went to bed. i had many tests and nothing was revealed and it went away by its self. 6 years leater i got POTS. i wonder if they were related!

my sisters both suffer migraines occasionally.

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I'm the lone weirdo in my family. I also never had migraines till my late 30s. But I've been told that migraines and dysautonomia are related--that migraine is a form of ans dysfunction--just more episodic. My migraine doc told me that migraines and dysautonomia "live togehther" or are "comorbid" conditions.

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I have a strong family history of migraines. Mostly on my mother's side, she had them, her aunts have them and my great-grandmother had them. My cousins on my Dad's side have them, but my Dad and paternal grandparents rarely even suffer headaches of any kind.

I got my first one at the onset of puberty and did have them monthly in my late teens and twenties, until a bright OB/GYN decided that I only needed to suffer 4 times a year instead of monthly and put me on extended BC pills. My migraines were severe and and unresponsive until I tried Naratriptan (Amerge) which seems to work for now.

My migraines are severe, unilateral (always left,) throbbing, photophobic (light-sensitive,) phonophobic (sound-sensitive,) allodynia (touch-sensitivity,) usually without aura and debilitating. And I am due for one in two days...hope the meds work :(

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From Dr. Raj's overview of POTS:

"The second (and less common) form of primary POTS is referred to as the "hyperadrenergic" form. These patients tend to report a gradual and progressive onset of symptoms as opposed to an abrupt onset. Hyperadrenergic POTS patients report significant tremor, anxiety, and cold sweaty extremities when upright. Many will report a significant increase in urinary output after being upright for even a short period of time, and over half suffer from true migraine headaches. The hallmark of this form of POTS is that in addition to orthostatic tachycardia they will often display orthostatic hypertension..."

Nitric Oxide is implicated in the mechanism of migraine as well as H-POTS. I would love to hear your or any doctor's theory on the correlations! How does all this fit in with Dr. Stewart's work?

Thomsen LL, Olesen J.

Nitric oxide in primary headaches.

Curr Opin Neurol. 2001 Jun;14(3):315-21.

"The molecular mechanisms that underlie the primary headaches-migraine, cluster headache and tension-type headache-have not yet been clarified. On the basis of studies in headache induced by intravenous infusions of glyceryl trinitrate (an exogenous nitric oxide donor) and histamine (which liberates nitric oxide from vascular endothelium), it has been suggested that nitric oxide is a likely candidate responsible molecule. The present review deals with the biology of this small messenger molecule, and the updated scientific evidence that suggests a key role for this molecule in primary headaches. This evidence suggests that the release of nitric oxide from blood vessels, perivascular nerve endings or from brain tissue is an important molecular trigger mechanism in spontaneous headache pain. Pilot trials have shown efficacy of a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor in both migraine attacks and chronic tension-type headache. These observations suggest new approaches to the pharmacological treatment of headache."

There's that histamine (MCAD? with H-POTS) connection again!

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Prior to POTS, I got frequent headaches (just took ibuprofen and laid down), but no migraines. But in the last year, I've had 3 migraine "episodes." I call them episodes because they build over a few hours but take days to recover from. The head pain is so horrible I think I'm having a stroke or something, I get nauseated and start vomitting, and I get these wierd shakes that start in my lower legs and work their way up through my body. Totally uncontrollable.

Now, my mom has carcinoid syndrome (but she also has small fiber neuropathy like me). I've had to go to the ER with her for a horrible headache before her carcinoid symptoms were under better control (now she uses octreotide at a high dose through an insulin pump). The progression of her migraine was just like mine, horrible head pain, nausea/vomitting later on, and shakes that start in her legs and move up.

Nothing really helps these migraines. My mom got morphine but it just made her not able to stand up. I've taken oxycodone but it does nothing. Advil sometimes helps. And by the way, my mom and I both have orthostatic hypertension although hers is under better control now with her meds and mine is under better control with salt, fluids, rest, exercise and compression.

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My mom started getting migrains after she had a brain anurism. Mine started after I started taking medications. I don't know if there is a relation. Kind of hope there isn't considering what she had that triggered hers!

Suzy

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another vote of "just me"...anyone else (if they exist) would have to be at least several generations back.

i never had a migraine until years into my fun with dysautonomia; i got my first ones during a significant "flare-up" that was a notable chapter of my downward progression over the years & they've visited me intermittently since. all in all, though, they are not near the problem for me that they are for some others and they rank relatively low on my list of "most problematic &/or disabling signs & symptoms." when i get them they're definitely rough & almost always incapacitating for several hours (or up to a day) but i don't get them all that often so that if they were the only health issue i had i'd be thrilled.

;) melissa

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I remember occasional really bad (migraines) when I was in grade school. Not often, but a couple stand out.

After puberty, I did get migraines. I tried various forms of BC and finally found the steady-dose types like Seasonique work. My migraines have mostly stopped...but now of course I'm changing to an IUD so we'll see! But since I only get a crappy headache (not migraine) during my cycle, I hope it stays that way.

I know my Grandpa had migraines, I remember him going to a dark room sleeping them off.

I'll have to task my mom, I know she has headaches sometimes.

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thanks for the reply - just anothre lead i thought id follow up with you guys.

Im not at all surprised that nitric oxide has been implicated - along with histamine - in migraines. its the buzz chemical in circulatory science at the moment...

As for me, I got migraine auras before I got POTS, bit no actual migraines until the onset of POTS. I actually had a migraine aura that arrived out of the blue with visual snow that lasted for ages. THis was just before I got POTS. And Id fit the hyperadrenergic variety although I know that the jury is still out on whether it is truly caused by impaired norepinephrine reuptake.

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