Hello

Hello there!

I'm glad I found this headache/migraine forum. I've got some queries.

I am 21yrs old and I've had headaches and migraines since I was 6 or 7. I have no idea what causes them and no painkillers that I can get my hands on work to make it go away, some of them just make the pain somewhat bearable. Most doctors I've talked to here have shrugged me off and told me that they don't know what's causing them without wanting to really give me the time of day. I don't have my own doctor and there are no migraine clinics around where I live.

I've been asked to keep a journal of headaches/migraines but I've always gotten frustrated with this because my head hurts pretty much from when I wake up till when I go to sleep, with varying intensity. I've gotten used to the lower spectrum of pain but when it gets bad, I can't function and this usually ends up creating problems in my personal and academic life. I realize that I've ignored for many years that this isn't really normal for most humans and I'm finally going to march into the first doctor's office and dramatically announce how I cannot live like this anymore and force him/her to sit down and help me out. (anyone else from Canada that knows good tricks to make doctors pay attention to you, please share!)

I guess I wonder if anyone else has experienced this and can share some pointers. Or if there is anyone that can enlighten me as to what could cause this... or a way to figure out and narrow in on causes or ways to diminish the pain.

I just wonder what it feels like when there is no headache or migraine. I wouldn't know anymore.

Thanks for listening to my banter. Looking forward to any comments/advises. =)

Cheers

Hi Chromee....I'm a 59 year old male.  I started getting them at 13 and they were quite severe up until I was about 35 or so, then the pain became less.  I had one yesterday and it does still carry over.

So let me give you a little about what I've tried and done over these many years and how it's worked/not worked.

Traditional Doctors....They've generally proven useless.  The only benefit that I've seen from them is to get pain killers, which for me, do help. (oxycodone, etc.)

Acupuncturist....I see a mainland Chinese acupuncturist every week for general aches and pains (when you hit 55, everything starts to hurt).  He treats me for migraines, but I don't think it does much good.  In fact, the very first time he treated me, the moment I left the office, I got one!  So at least I thought he was doing something which was close to the key nerves.

Food....I know, that for me, not eating in the morning will highly increase my chance of getting a migraine.  HIGHLY.  Coffee + empty stomach = migraine by 11am.  For sure!  So unmitigated caffeine in the morning is a sure thing for me. I really suggest you look at what you have eaten prior to the headaches.  There could be something there.  Caffeine, nitrates, and who knows what else could be kicking this thing into gear.

Headache treatment....As soon as the 'halo' begins (losing portion of my eyesight for 20 minutes with 'flashing') I immediately eat unless I already have a full stomach, which is sometimes the case.  I also, immediately upon seeing the 'halo' start, breathe very deeply or do whatever I can to increase my heart rate.  Sometimes this will make the 'halo' disappear and the headache never comes.  That's about 1/4 of the time, so worth the effort.  Then...NEVER lay down, ALWAYS keep moving.  Subduing the heart rate for me increases the pain level.  Maybe this is related to blood moving through the vessels in the head, who knows?  And I usually take 1 Vicodin or similar pain killer.  That combination of things has helped me over many years.  But giving in, laying down, that's a killer.  I used to get them in my sleep often when I was your age.  Some of the worst ones I had was when I was serving in Vietnam.  I had to keep going and that was beneficial, I think.

Sometimes now, even though I get the 'halo', etc., there is no headache at all.  I hope you can get there someday.  But don't think the medical community will help, because generally there are limits to their knowledge and what they can do anyway.  Stuff happens.  Migraines are one of those things that happen.

One last word...if you do NOT get the 'halo' or blurry vision first, this is not a vascular headache, I think.  In that case, I WOULD do everything possible to find another headache specialist, not just a family doctor or standard neurologist.  Good luck!

It sounds to me like part of the trouble may be so-called rebound headaches.  If you take painkillers, especially opiates, every day, after awhile your body gets conditioned to having them there.  Then when they wear off you get a headache.  SO you take more painkillers, and so on and so on...

I don't know the answer to this, but it would be a talking point with your doctor, if nothing else.  I've always had trouble getting them to listen to me, so I sympathise.

I used to have serious migraines every week until I gave up wheat and other ground up grains.  That pretty much fixed me, and now I only get one if I accidentally slip up and eat something I shouldn't or get really tired and stressed out.

Diet is pretty important, so you should keep that food log for awhile.  But it isn't the only thing that matters when it comes to headaches.  For example--one day you might eat chocolate and it doesn't give you a headache, so you think it doesn't affect you.  Then the next time you eat it, you get a whopping migraine.  Why?

I developed what I call "Bucket Theory."  It goes like this.  Every day you wake up with an empty bucket.  All day you are feeding individual triggers into it, either caffeine, insomnia, stress, tomatoes, chocolate or whatever your triggers may be.  When the bucket gets full you get a headache, but its the combination of several triggers that does it--not just one.  The trick is to figure out what your triggers are and manage them. 

In my case, once I discovered the grain thing and took that out of the bucket, then all of a sudden I could have coffee, chocolate and even red wine again without getting a headache.  

I am 26 years old and have suffered from severe headaches and migraines since I was 15. I have seen my regular doctor and a neurologist for the problem. Both were helpful although the neurologist was finally able to prescribe medication that worked. I have taken more than a dozen different medications for my headaches. I do not believe in taking prescription painkillers. I am a paramedic and I think that they should not be used for migraines. They also do not help me very much except for possibly help me fall asleep which usually helps my migraines. I am now taking a drug called Topamax twice a day. It is an anti-seizure medication that has been proven effective for migraines. Initially there were a few minor side effects but these go away after just a few weeks. I also have tried every migraine medication on the market: imitrex, relpax, etc. I have found that a lot of them didn't work for me except relpax. It is a miracle drug for me. I have gone from a migraine almost every single day to only a few a month with the Topamax. You can also research the triggers for migraines. Start with a website such as mayo clinic or webmd.com. I do not reccomend researching anything on wikipedia, it is NOT a reliable resource. I found a long list of common food and drug triggers of which a few have applied to me. I highly recommend you see a neurologist and attempt some medications that are not painkillers such as vicodin and percocet etc. These truly just mask some of the pain and are highly addictive. Keep in mind that migraines are a disease that you suffer from. Also everyone has an opinion about what is the best treatment. Don't stop trying different treatments and medications until you find something that works for you. Good Luck!