Hellobee Boards

I'm so sorry. The one thing that has helped me is changing up my allergy meds (flonaz now).

I'm headed to the neurologist next month.

That flu-like feeling is how I get them without meds. I can take pain meds but that don'ts stop those symptoms.

Mine were not as severe as your describe, but I used to get headaches very frequently, occasionally migraines. Mine were usually either sinus, tension, or hormone related.

I did several sessions of acupuncture and it honestly has been amazing. If t were me, I would want to try some other options (like acupuncture and chiropractor) before going on a long term med. I hope you get some relief!

@Littlebit: Are they around your cycle? I have also heard taking some B Complex and other vitamins prior to AF can help.

@Littlebit: I went through a period where I was getting daily migraines for about 2 months. It was absolute hell. I finally was able to get an appointment at the Headache Center at a local hospital. My first appointment was 4 hours long - I saw the neurologist who did a full neuro workup, a neuro RN, a psychiatrist, and a dietician. I also had to take the MMPI-II personality test. It was really interesting and I learned a lot about myself from just that 1st appointment.

Long story short, the neurologist recommended 1000mg of magnesium per day, as studies have shown people with chronic migrains have low mag levels. He also started me on low dose of Topamax in the mornings and nortryptilene at night. Topamax is an anti-seizure medicine that is FDA approved for migraines. I had actually been on a higher dose of that previously, and it helped but I wasn't a fan of the side effects at higher dose. At lower dose it was fine. The nortryptilene is an anti-depressant which he gave me to help me sleep, because lack of sleep is a huge trigger for me. I was also going through a tough time in my personal life, and the psychiatrist felt there was possibly an underlying depression. My rescue med was prescription-strength Aleve and Reglan. My emergency med (when the rescue meds weren't working) was Migranol, which is a nose spray, and I felt ZERO negative effects from the Migranol other than mild sleepiness.

I stayed on the Topamax and nortryptilene for about 1.5 years until I weaned myself off. I continued taking the magnesium until I was about 36 weeks pregnant when I stopped it because I was afraid it would prevent me from going into labor (ha ha). About 2 years after I gave birth, my migraines started coming back and I was just about to talk to my physician about starting some medications again when I got knocked up, so I'm just going to wait.

What did the neurologist prescribe for preventative? I would strongly encourage you to see a headache specialist, if you're able. Neurologists are great, but they aren't all versed in migraines. The first neurologist I saw told me I wasn't having migraines because I wasn't having aura.

Sorry for the novel, but I feel your pain (literally!). I hope you can find releif. Feel free to wall me if you want more info (as if I left anything out)!!!

@Littlebit: The other thing I want to discuss with my neurologist is the link between the migraines and heat and exercise. When I was in shape and exercising multiple times per week I feel like I rarely got them (or maybe I was just younger and on the pill then?). I know I need to exercise more, but whenever I get over heated its a huge trigger for me.

@Littlebit: Imitrex made me feel exactly like you described. I take Relpax (eletripan) for migraines and it works magic for me.

ETA: it is more expensive though, and insurance wouldn't cover it until I tried imitrex (sumatriptan) first.

Without going into too much detail, I'll just say that I discovered my migraines were increasing in severity and frequency because of hormonal birth control (they were always worse on birth control and absolutely debilitating when I was on NuvaRing). This honestly took me almost 8 years to figure out, all the while changing birth controls maybe once a year or two. A few years after I got married I basically decided to go off all hormonal birth control (honestly only after DH straight up told me that I should never take HBC again) and my entire life changed. I still get migraines but they're back to my normal rate of about one every few months, vs. constant migraines. They came back really strongly in my first and second trimesters, though, so I don't know what that's all about.

I'm so sorry you're going through this! I always felt so weird missing work because of a migraine because I felt like people don't really understand how debilitating they can be.

I was getting migraines stemmed from tension headaches from clenching my jaw at night. I was getting a headache every day with a few a week resulting in migrains. I'd tried lots of meds and just wanted to stop clenching my jaw. A friend at work reccomend Energy Kinisiology, it's pretty hippy-dippy holistic medicine but it's the only thing that worked.

I have to go in a couple times a year for a session, it's like $150. I totally recommend it. They are hard to find online, I've seen a couple different people who I've only been able to find word of mouth, in my area any way. Ask around, it really works.

It's an extension of chiropractics, so you can start there if you are more comfortable with that.

I get silent migraines, which basically consists of floaters and tunnel vision with occasional nausea and/or vertigo but not the actual head pain. We haven’t figured out the cause and since I’m not in severe pain and they don’t disrupt my life too much, my doctor doesn’t want to put me on meds. She did prescribe a large dose of vitamin B12 combined with magnesium, I don’t remember the exact amount. It’s not a total game-changer but I do think it helps when I remember to take them regularly. My mom used to get awful migraines and pretty much nothing helped, so I’m just grateful mine tend to be merely annoying and not painful.

@agold i havent had any problems taking maxalt and going about my day except being more tired but migraines in genereal make me more tired. My migraines are not silent. I present with pain on one side of my head and nausea/vomiting. I'll take maxalt when i feel that a headache is becoming more than just a headache. Key for me is to catch it early. I usually also take zofran for the nausea. I do tend to have very vivid dreams if I've taken maxalt and feel a bit spacier.

@hellobeeboston: Thanks for these suggestions. I will consider diet changes. Do you have any specific diet changes you can share that have worked for you? The neurologist suggested avoiding red wine and dark chocolate - the two things I keep stocked in my house! I am going to look into it more. Its really an odd thing to be considering, mirgraines, because besides this random (significant) pain behind my ear sometimes, I didn't consider myself someone who ever got headaches. And its kind of this other random cognitive issue that I was being seen for. So to now have someone telling me it might be migraines, as opposed to seizures, a stroke, or worse, I'm actually so happy to think this is what it is. I've been keeping note of my "episodes" and it may all be making sense. I'd love regular visits to a chiropractor, and I'd love to lose 10 pounds of baby weight I'm still holding on to while nursing, so this could all be the kick I need to start doing it. Thank you so much for these suggestions. I am really new in to this world of migraines!

@jennlin821: thanks. Really, the thought of figuring out my diet to this degree seems daunting. I just read I should avoid aged cheeses. and I’m already in major google search of migraines and am wondering where I Fit into this world. I’m still very much pursuing my medical diagnosis. Thank you so much for your thoughts. I’m going to consider all of this.

@hellobeeboston: These are all great tips. Thank you so much. I am still pending some treatment with the neurologist and am also contemplating paying out of pocket to go see a migraine specialist doctor who does research and may be interested in whats going on with me and hopefully can help!

@jennlin821: I can specifically tie the first episode I've ever had back to March 2015, which is when I was in the midst of my second IUI. In all, I've had 2 IUIs and two IVF cycles, followed by two pregnancies and two year+ long stretches of nursing. I'm still nursing one baby. I think they could be hormone related, so that's a starting point.