Ugh... Migraines

I am so tired of getting these migraines.  I've missed quite a few days at work and it's very frusterating. As the manager I need to be there, I feel like I'm letting my team down.  The perscription doesnt seem to be working. Im going to see the doc today about preventative medicine rather than on the spot.  I just needed to vent.  Anyone else out there ave this problem?  What seems to work best for you? 

I used to get terrible violent migraines.  I feel your pain!!  I don't get them as bad as I used to....but they are still bad when I do.  I find that drinking a lot of water; taking 2 to 4 extra strenght tylenol (no more than three!!) and visualization in a dark room really helps.  If you take the pain killers and lay down; focus on an ocean washing over your brain and taking the pain away.  I know it sounds strange-  but I was on Ultram, Esagic, Wygraine; then started Blood pressure meds that made me faint; then tried anti-depressants known to help migraines and NOTHING worked. 

So, I would try the three extra strength in a silent dark room with ocean visualization washing over you-  it really takes away my migranes.  Hope this helps. 

I get them but only when I am super stressed out.  At my old job I was getting them almost daily and I knew it was time to quit.  As soon as I quit I never had another one for almost 5 years... the next one came when my mom was diagnosed with cancer. 

I don't know if yours are brought on by stress, but perhaps you should examine that and see if there is anything you can change or cut back on to reduce stress.  Maybe take up yoga or other relaxation techniques if you don't already.

As far as treatment, once I had one, no amount of OTC meds would have helped my migraine.  Without treatment or only ibuprofen, my migraines would last about 3 days.   I have to have prescription medication.  I used to have the kind that dissolves under the tongue - cannot remember the name - and it would usually make the migraine go away within 30 minutes or so.  However, it would leave me feeling very groggy and out of it, with a "migraine hangover" for the rest of the day.  So even though the pain went away, I still couldn't work. 

I am not sure if there are any preventative medicines, but it would probably be helpful to detemine what some of your triggers are and work on them.  Good luck!

Edit:  I remembered the name: Maxalt.  I used to take Midrin, too, but it would generally make me go to sleep for about 24 hours straight.  Not good. 

I used to get them really bad from the time I was 5 until about 25.  I'm 28 now, and I rarely get them.  It seems I outgrew them.  I have heard many people do outgrow them as your body matures and chemicals change.  It happens quite frequently with pregnancy where you had them before and they stop after or vice versa.

They had me on all kinds of meds and nothing ever seemed to help.  They altered my diet by taking out caffeine and certain foods (like bacon, hot dogs, cheese, anything with nitrates).  I even gained a ton of weight from some of the meds.   I honestly went home at least once a week in third grade particularly and always threw up with them before they would ease up.

I've found for me that no OTC's worked either.  I would just have to lay in a completely dark, quiet room with ice or a heating pad and try to sleep. The only relief I would get is if I slept a full night or threw up.  Sometimes they'd last for days, and I also got the migraine hangover. 

The one thing I took that helped was Imitrex (I think that's how it's spelled).  HOWEVER, I rarely took it because it made me really anxious and I felt like my throat was closing in...but my migraine would ease.  They are also expensive.

My step son has seizures and they have him on anti seizure med and a preventative migraine med (they believe that the migraines may trigger the seizures sometimes).  He is on Topomax and it seems to be working well for him.  When he gets a migraine, it comes very fast and he throws up within a half hour and is fine the rest of the day. He's only had two or three the last year since we put him on it. 

(His situation is unique because he had brain surgery as a baby and we could never really tell the difference between a migraine and the onset of a seizure, so I'm not sure how often he was having migraines to begin with. )

Good luck...I feel your pain!

I literally feel your pain.  I have 2 different kinds - the classic and clusters.  For over a year I had a dull headache 24/7 and thought that I had a sinus infection that wouldn't go away.  The neurologist put me on Topamax daily for those and it has gotten rid of them.  It has also lessened the number of classics that I have.  I have a med that I take when I get one of those and it works for me pretty good.  I was never able to take the first meds that came out because they would knock me out and then I would get a rebound headache worse than the original.  You might have  to try several meds before you get the one that works best for you.

Oh, I feel your pain.  For the past 4 years I had at least 2 a week and they were so terrible all I could do was attempt to sleep.  I took a lot of different meds and I tied Topomax as well although it made me sick to my stomach.  Imitrex injections- if you want your life back it is worth the 15 minutes of strange sensations after the shot.  Once I started losing weight I stopped getting them as frequently and I think that also has to do with the fact that I left my stressful job.  I would def talk to your doc about the preventive meds but still keep an on the spot med for those times when it doesn't work.  I hope that you start feeling better because it is truly a terrible way to live. 

Original Post by desertbeauty258:
 Imitrex injections- if you want your life back it is worth the 15 minutes of strange sensations after the shot. 

My Mom gets migraines a lot, and Imitrex injections are the only thing that works for her. It's worth looking into if you're living a lot of your life in pain.

I used to have headaches everyday and I still get them when I'm stressed.  I went to see a specialist and he had me take ibueprofen at the time of the pain and then every 2 hours after if it didn't go away.  He also suggested taking an aspirin every morning.  I had been taking excedrin tension and he told me not to take it because it has caffiene in it and I already have enough caffiene in my diet.  As for the migrains I take Frova.  If you take it at the onset of a migraine with 2 ibueprofen it works great!  And I don't even have to lay down. But I would check with your doctor and see what he recommends for you.

I occasionally get migraines too.  The best thing for me is to lay down, eyes shut, with no movement in a completely dark, quiet room with a cold wet washcloth on my head at the spot of pain.  I keep flipping the washcloth around to the cold spots till the migraine goes away.  Sometimes mine get so bad that nothing will work and it will last until it makes me vomit and it's like that relieves all the pressure in my head and it goes away.  I would never be able to make myself vomit, so I don't consider that a pain reliever-if it happens it happens.  I have also taken OTC Exederin Migraine at the very onset of a migraine and within 30 minutes the pain was gone, but again doesn't always work.

I'm sorry to hear that you have to suffer too.  Missing work is hard and horrible.  The medical community needs to take this more seriously and find a true cure.

If I may vent while we are on the subject....

I am having another f******  one right now!  I'm with you all, I am sick of this.  Nothing works.  I have spent so much money on cures and nothing.  Now, my head actually begins swelling.  It starts in the back and then engulfs the entire right side of my head. 

I was wondering  if you happen to be on birth control pills b/c they can cause migraines. If you are on them you could either try another brand or possibly try another form of birth control . I was taking birth control pills for 3.5 years and then they made my blood pressure go up suddenly and had to get off them. My blood pressures been normal ever since. 

My migraines used to hurt so badly that I would cry, which would then cause even more pain. 

I know that migraines are a bit different for everyone.  For me, if I take three Advil and one Excedrin Migraine at the very first signs of a migraine, the migraine goes away without fully starting.  That might sound a bit excessive, however, medications don't work very well for me so I have to take more than most people would. 

Also, keep a journal that shows what you ate, drank, listened to, etc.  That way, you can try to narrow down what your triggers are.  Once you figure out your triggers, you can try to limit your migraines and, hopefully, treat them in the most painless manner possible.

Good luck.

I also take two extra strength excedrin as soon as I feel a migraine coming on. This often helps but sometimes not, but even when it doesn't the migraine isn't as severe.

keeping a log to try and identify your triggers like aocean suggested is also a very good idea. Sometimes they're things you can avoid like foods or scents (airfresheners or other strong fragrant things are a big trigger for me) and sometimes there things you can try and lessen like stress (for me when I know I'm starting to stress exercising, and making sure I'm getting plenty of water and sleep help). And sometimes you can't avoid them, some people get triggers from things like big/fast weather changes (big changes in the barometer are a trigger for me I always get a migraine a day or two before a thunderstorm) but you can be prepared and take medicine that may lessen it enough that you can work through it.

i get migrines alot!! was where i was missing days at work.... that was no good!! so i went to dr. and after tests, he gave me max alt.... so expenisvie!! but works!!!  take one a first sign of migrine, and lay in dark quiet room with a hot pack (made my own) over my eyes and forehead..... and mirgine would go away quickly..... dr also gave me a list of foods to avoid..... that they trigger migrines..... some are yeast breads, chocolates, oh if  i could find the list.... anyway i know which ones to stay away from.... good luck i know migrines are very painful!!

I have severe migraines, too.  they knock me out for about 24 hours.  Severe pain, nausea, vomiting.  And after the actual migraine is over, I'm pretty much useless for 24 more hours because I'm so weak and exhausted.  I have several triggers.  Red 40 dye sets me off, as do hormonal changes and lack of sleep.  Once I started dieting, I also found out that a drastic reduction in caloric intake can set me off as well.  Great news is, there are several things I can do to help prevent them.  I make sure I get plenty of sleep and exercise.  I also skip my periods with my birth control.  (My gyno actually suggested this.  She says it's perfectly healthy.)  My family doctor put me on Topomax.  I'm taking 100mg a day now.  It's an anti-seizure med.  It's also marketed in Europe as a weight loss drug, so don't take it if you're concerned about maintaining your weight.  In higher doses it's also been shown to reduce the brain's desire for alcohol.  Another great plus.  These days I rarely have a migraine, and when I do, they are much, much less severe.  I can control them at the onset with Relpax, which is much less expense than Imitrex.  One note though, if you go on a maintainance drug like Topomax, don't stop taking it cold turkey.  It can cause a severe backlash.