Migraine Update

[mkoven]

I just wanted to follow up on where I am with my migraine prevention regime, since my starting with the Diamond Headache clinic.

I really like them, and think that they have plenty of tricks up their sleeve, but I am having a rough time. No magic bullet yet.

They first had me on nimotop, a calcium-channel blocker, as a preventive. It dropped my bp too much and we had to stop.

I've been on keppra for several weeks now, a relatively new anti-convulsant. At first I thought it helped with the pain. Now I think not so much. It hasn't made a dent in my creepy neuro symptoms-- vertigo, losing the ability to focus one eye, blurring, eye coldness and other weirdo visual symtpoms and sensations, clumsiness, and strange sensations of numbness/weakness on one-side of my face and/or one arm. And possible some of my bp drops could be migraine related, as they think I have basilar artery migraines.

And since we increased the keppra dose, my mood has taken a turn for the worse. I frequently want to just start crying randomly throughout the day-- not typical of me.

I've let the clinic know all this, and am following up next week. I don't know what the follow up plan will be. I have a feeling keppra is not going to be the drug we stick with. With the mood symptoms, I'm not comfortable increasing the dose.

I clearly need to be on something preventive. For this type of migraine, triptans are out. I can't take beta-blockers with my history of anaphylaxis, and I"m allergic to at least four tricyclics. So we'll have to see what the next step is.

On the upside, by keeping a diary, I've learned more about my triggers.

Besides hormones, I'm super-sensitive to light in general. I find that I do better if I work with just natural daylight, no overhead, and wear sunglasses whenever I'm out. I need anti-glare screens on my computers.

I've also noticed that I often start a migraine after getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I wonder if the change in position does something strange to my bp, that then sets a headache in motion, if I've been sleeping before. And after it's triggered, I can't lie flat without intense head-throbbing. I then have to sleep with my head a little elevated (like in a recliner.)

Thanks to biofeedback, I've noticed that when I am more headache-prone, my hands are positively frozen. Can't always warm them, but that's the goal. And this is a little embarrassing, but I've noticed that sometimes sex can stop a headache. Good to know, but not always effective, practical, or appropriate.

[MightyMouse]

I'm glad to hear that your experience, thus far, with the clinic has gone well. I hope that you can find an abortive med that will work for you!

Nina

[ajw4790]

I hope you continue to find help! Maybe you will find the magical solution yet!

[Mrs. Burschman]

The migraines triggered by getting up to use the bathroom is interesting. Do you turn the light on? I'd think that going from dark to bright light in the bathroom also could cause it. A bad trigger for me is glare, such as sun reflecting off of something into my eyes.

Amy