Jaime Posted December 11, 2003 Report Share Posted December 11, 2003 Hi everyone! I have been getting the most excruciating headaches everyday for about the past 2 weeks. I finally went to my doc and she thinks that they may be migraines. I have had migraines in the past, but these are a lot worse and I don't get the "aura" before these headaches like I did with my previous migraines. Anyways, she prescribed me some migraine meds called Amerge, but told me that my pots may get worse for a short period of time when I have to take this medicine. I took one of these pills and for the past 2 days since I have taken it I have had pretty high tachycardia and pretty low blood pressure. So, my question is, does anyone have migraines and take medicine that doesn't do this?? Also, does anyone know if pots can bring about headaches like this?? It is finals week at my university so I have had quite a bit of stress recently, but I never expected to get headaches like this. If anyone has suggestions I would really appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted December 11, 2003 Report Share Posted December 11, 2003 I did not have any side effects with Migranal Nasal (made by Novartis), which is a form of DHE. It used to only be available in the hospital in an injection form (or IV?). It worked great for me for a while.I had less side effects with Amerge than with any of the others in the same class (Imitrex, Zomig, etc.), but it definitely made my POTS /NCS stuff WAY worse for a few days. I always used to joke that the drugs don't really work at all on migraines, they just make you feel like you're going to die so that once you realize you're not dead, the headache doesn't seem so bad. Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ling Posted December 11, 2003 Report Share Posted December 11, 2003 Dear Jamie I use to get migraines 3 to 4 times a week. Or a solid one for a whole week. I can still feel the pain and it evokes fear in me. I use to get such bad migraines that I felt I was dying and wanted to rush to hospital. For me the cure to my migraines was meeting my dietician. Migraines are your body’s reaction to foods or drinks. For some people it is coffee, oranges..... etc. For me it was the worst one sugar. I have learnt over the years to cut out sugar. I can't even eat tomatoes sauce or salad dressing with sugar in, then I get a migraine. Go and have a test done to determine what your body is reacting to and cut it out. I promise you it works. I have not had a migraine in a long time and I remember the pain so I will never do anything that would give me another one. I strongly advice a diet change versus medication. I use to take so much medication for my migraines that I look like a mini pharmacy. My doctor just gave me more and more medication. And this was seriously strong medication. The point is I was taking medication for the pain but not solving the problem. And the worst part was at the rate I was going with the medication I was going to land up on a kidney machine. Remember all the medication we put in damages our kidneys. Seriously find the course it is worth it. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaime Posted December 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2003 Thanks for your advice! I am actually going to school to become a dietician. So far I haven't been able to connect it to anything but stress, but my life is always stressful (I mean, who's isn't?). In your reply you said that you had some tests done......do you know what type of tests they were?? Were they food allergy/intolerance tests?? I would be very interested in finding out, not only for my problem but also for my future career. Any info you can give me would be helpful! Thanks!Jaime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted December 14, 2003 Report Share Posted December 14, 2003 Just an FYI, I have also been diagnosed with Celiac/Sprue and eating gluten doesn't seem to trigger my migraines. I've had the blood work done, which was negative at the time but my GI doc said the test wasn't valid b/c I'd been off of gluten for more than 4 years at the time of the test. It requires prolonged gluten exposure to show positive. Meanwhile, he's told me I do have Celiac based upon a lifetime of symptoms. Also, my doc had be try an allergy elimnation diet, which did before I had the Celiac dx. Based on the results, I thought I was sensitive to wheat...little did I know I actually can't digest gluten. But, I did feel better for a while until I found tons of substitutes which I didn't know were also gluten no-no's like barley and rye. No wonder I felt really yucky. I've since been off of all gluten for years and my tummy and the rest of my guts thank me (until I do a major cheat on pizza, which happens at least once a year).I'm also under tremendous stress--I work f/t and am a Ph.D. student in Behavior Analysis (Ed. Psych & Spec. Ed.). Stress doesn't seem to trigger migraines for me, just the regular ol' tension headache from time to time.The only things that seem to be food triggers for me are the standard items they always mention: processed foods like cold cuts, smoked foods (meats & cheeses), etc. I know that if I indulge in some really yummy smoked bacon, I'm going to have a wicked headache later. My most consistent migraine trigger is my hormones: the day or two before my period I'm most likely to get a doozy of a migraine. Lastly, if my sleep schedule gets disturbed, that's been a consistent trigger for me as well.If you don't keep a headache diary, you might want to do so. It may help you find a pattern to your migraine's arrival.Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goblin Posted December 16, 2003 Report Share Posted December 16, 2003 I have another question for everybody. Did anybody start getting migraines around the time that other symptoms came on? I have never had migraines before, but I have had several this last year. When I had the first one, I had the aura before, which was very scary... I thought I was going blind. I also had a time when I had the migraine aura without the headache. -Stacey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted December 17, 2003 Report Share Posted December 17, 2003 My migraines came on in my mid to late 20's -- and I've had POTS/NCS since I was born, so nope, not for me.Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ling Posted December 18, 2003 Report Share Posted December 18, 2003 As a child I had allot of headaches. As I became a teenager they got more and worst. From about 16 I started getting the worst migraines and by 18 and up was getting a few migraines a week. My headaches were one of the first signs for me that something was very wrong. But as I have mentioned before my gp just gave me more and more medication. After years of tablet misusing I went and got a second opinion. I have had tons of blood tests in my life. And many other tests as well. The worst test I have ever done was the glucose intolerance test. Once you leave sugar, sugar eventually doesn't taste as nice as before. I had to drink icing sugar with a few drops of water in. In nearly died it was so disgusting. For more than 5 hours my sugar levels just dropped and dropped, they eventually sent me home due to them closing for the day. It was then confirmed that I am reactive hypoglaceamic. Since I have excluded all sugar in my diet I don’t get Migraines anymore. I have a fantastic dietician who has been working with me for years. If you are interested in studding to be a dietician and need some personal health guidelines I can send you her e-mail address. She is the only "medical" person that has stayed part of my life over the years. The rest of them have got the boot long ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany08xu Posted December 22, 2003 Report Share Posted December 22, 2003 Hi,I have had Migraines as long as I remember but they have gooten much worse since I have had POTS. I saw a neurologist last week and he's not sure if it's the spikes in blood pressure or the stress of me not working or the Florinef,he wants to start me on Effexor. Has anyone been on this or know anything about it? My migraines have been so bad I can't do anything. I have been getting three a week at least,so I am ready to try anything,I did do the diary and can't relate any food.Bethany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divine spark Posted December 23, 2003 Report Share Posted December 23, 2003 One of the side effects of Effexor is increased blood pressure . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ling Posted December 23, 2003 Report Share Posted December 23, 2003 Dear bethany08xuFood is not as simple as you think. You have to clearly understand the concentration of the sugar levels as well as the fat levels. Certain food become sugar when you eat them. Go and see a dietician who is trained to determine if it is your food. Trust me you will die once you know what they put in our foods. The healthy foods are not as healthy as everyone thinks they are and often have high Fat levels. Please get help it will be worth it. I have an amazing dietician who has been part of my life for years. As my physical conditions change she is right by my side monitoring my diet according to the new changes. I changed my diet and have not had migraines every since. It is not easy to change your eating patterns so drastically, but it is WORTH IT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany08xu Posted December 24, 2003 Report Share Posted December 24, 2003 Ling, Thank you for the response. I would love to see a dietician but have no idea where to start. Does insurance cover the cost? Do I need a referal? I would try anything. My neurologist never went beyond asking me if I could relate any specific foods. I watch the chocolates, the cheeses,the obvious migraine foods. I see my cardiologist next week and I'm sure he's not going to want to put me on the Effexor due to my high blood pressure. Maybe he could suggest a dietician.Bethany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldicedance Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 Had very bad migraine headaches. Most sever triggered by florinef. Am now contolled (somewhat) on high doses of neurontin, some zoloft, and ritalin. Maxalt works well for me. Migranal as a last home resort followed by DHE in hospital. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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