Managing Migraines

[Adria]

I went to the neurologist today and she informed that the only thing that she can offer me for my migraine headaches is fioricet and some physical therapy for my neck. She is not comfortable prescribing the narcotics that my previous neurologist and primary care doctor have given me in the past. She wants me to prove that the fioricet does not work before realizing that she is going to have to go down the narcotic path. At least that is my great hope. I cannot take SSRIs because I am bipolar and they can trigger manic episodes. I am allergic to Imitrex and Elavil causes my heart rate to go into the 200s. Two more classes of drugs that I cannot have. I have tried DHE nasal spray and could not tolerate the extreme dizziness, nausea and sinus pressure it created. It also did not take my headache away. I have also struck out with anti-seizure medications. I am stuck in a rut and I do not know what to do. You know it's bad when even your neurologist admits that she is greatly pessimistic as to her ability to help resolve my headaches due to my drug sensitivities. It just makes me wonder what I am supposed to do. Just keel over give into insane pain levels twice a week for the rest of my life even though there is one class of drugs out there that will help me. I cannot afford to keep going back to the hospital for migraines. I need another solution. Please let me know what works for your migraine headaches so that I can see what other medications are out there. I would appreciate both medicine and non-medicine solutions that you have found helpful including but not limited to herbal supplements.

[firewatcher]

Propranolol is being used as a migraine prophalactic as well as melatonin and calcium channel blockers. Fioricet won't touch my migraines (not much will) but neither will Klonopin. Naratriptan is one of the newer triptans and is effective for me. Do you get the aura, etc.? I get a daily headache that comes really close to a migraine that IS NOT a migraine and klonopin does help it. Have you tried oxygen therapy ( a few minutes of breathing pure oxygen) indomethacin, or even benadryl? There are many paths to try if you get them this frequently, before you go down the narcotic path.

Good luck, I know how bad it hurts.

[mkoven]

I'm in a similar situation. I still get migraines too often. One thing that really helped is getting diagnosed with sleep apnea and treating it with cpap. but I need a preventive. anti-seizure drugs have been very hard for me to tolerate--they either mess up my thinking or flatten out my mood (and I'm not bipolar). beta-blockers and I don't get along because of mast-cell isssues and vasospasm. I just tried a higher dose of a calcium channel blocker. I can tolerate a lower dose that doesn't help the migraines, but at a higher dose it really messes up my ans issues. and I've broken out in hives with every tricyclic I've ever tried.

triptans and ergots are out for acute treatment as I get auras that mimic stroke/tia. at this point, all i do is ibuprofen + tylenol +tigan. allergic to fioricet.

my migraines are getting more frequent again--don't know if it's weather or hormones.

[ladyt]

hi..

my doc has told me that I cant take migrain meds as long as i use midodrin.. But i have found other ways to lower my migrains (still there but so much better).. I have stoped using cow milk.. And also using honny every day in my te has helped.. weird but ..

[twinmom]

I'm sorry that you are having such a tough time with migraines. I take topamax daily, which I know you said you can't do, but I also take a beta blocker as a migraine preventative. The topamax alone didn't prevent the migraines, but adding the beta blocker has really helped. My cardiologist believes the beta blocker has helped so much because of the relationship between migraines and the the other issues I have. Best of luck to you.

[bjt22]

I have had migraine and cluster headaches.

The frequency and intensity of both of these has diminished since I've been on all the medications to treat my other problems. I take a beta blocker and use Catapres. However, when I started having massive fluid retention a few years ago, I found myself going right back into cluster headache mode. When I added a lasix to my daily drug regimen, these again diminished.

A couple of years later, I did, unfortunately, find myself in the midst of a cluster headache cycle. Oxygen did help. It was no cure-all, but sometimes if I used it when I felt the first pings of the headache coming on, I could avoid having a full blown episode. If I waited too long to use it, however, it only helped while I was using it as when I would quit, I'd often go right back into headache. Kind of a rebound effect.

I can't use triptans. I have found exedrin to be about as beneficial as any prescribed short term med. My concern with it's use, however, comes from having months' long cluster cycles. Not crazy about taking above the recommended dosages of this drug daily for several months at a time. When I was in my last cluster cycle, Lyrica was recommended...I didn't try, however, as by that time the cycle was winding down.

[potsgirl]

I can't tolerate Midodrine or Florinef, but I can take Darvocet or Percocet. I only take the Percocet when I have a really bad migraine. Otherwise, Darvocet does the trick if I take it and then lay down in a dark, cool room for a couple of hours (I take one Darvocet N-100 with an Alleve). I get migraines several times a month, too, and can't afford Topamax. Depakote doesn't work for me as a preventative, either. I've tried everything else, so narcotics it is.

Cheers,

Jana

[Adria]

Thank you so much for all of your replies and advice. It makes me feel so much less alone with this migraine situation. I woke up with a really bad migraine at 3am that just would not go away. I think that lack of sleep is my trigger right now. I'm not sure what is keeping me awake but between all the rain and the lack of sleep my migraines are going crazy. I tried the fiorcet and it did not touch the pain at all. It just made me feel dizzy. I was started on benadryl and ativan for sleep and it still is not working. My doctor says that I may have to resort to sleeping pills soon. Something has got to break this migraine cycle. I have to use phenergan just to keep food down. I called my neurologist and she finally wrote me a prescription for 15 percocets because narcotics are the only option at the moment. I know she may not like to prescribe them but I have been kind of stuck for a while now. I really appreciate the advice and having this forum to vent

[ramakentesh]

nothing works on my migraines - i guess they are POTS related and they are what a neuro-type described as 'refractory' - ive had fun things like persistant migraine aura as well - for me the aural symptoms can be worse than the headache.

ive used DHE in the past for POTS and it was quite helpful when i had it mild, but made it worse when i was bad. it does cause nausea despite the claims of its benine side effects.