Does anyone else suffer from horrendous migraines?

FM is horrible sometimes but exercise with it truly is the best medicine bec ;;;;;;ause medicines dont really give you relief they just keep you messed up so you dont think about it. another idea my mom uses which i have used also , she has FM also but unlike me chooses to remain inactive. she gets migraines more often than me. She keeps a bag of frozen peas in the freezer, one they stay cold for a while, two they break apart easy in the bag so that you can form them into any body part, and they are soft and kinda massaging with the bumpy texture. when you are done you can refreeze them. they work well.

I have suffered since I was 14 I'm now 22 almost 23. I take two daily prescriptions, Elavil and Depakote. I missed my senior year of high school due to migraines (I was homeschooled b/c of it).

I have a headache about once a month now that I take those meds--have been on them for 5 years.

The issue is that without them I have a constant headache--never fades.

Now that my husband and I want children we are challenged with the possibility of having to adopt, so that I can stay healthy. I've dreamed of being a mom since I was 12, dreamed of carrying a baby. Now it is up to the Lord if I carry my own children or not.

We are currently working with a high risk pregnancy ob-gyn to determine what our next step is--what medications are "safe" to take during pregnancy and if we want to risk it.

Leslie

You can also try taking a calcium-magnesium supplement twice a day. You want one that's got roughly 500mg of calcium and 250mg of magnesium. This will not help right away, but if you're religious about taking the supplements twice a day, you may notice an improvement in terms of lowering the amount of migraines and the severity of migraines after 4 - 6 months. For some people they go away.

Some Docs recommend just the magnesium - but it usually gives people diarrhea unless taken with the calcium to balance it out, and women need the extra calcium anyway.

Here are some helpful migraine sites: http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/
http://www.migraines.org/treatment/index.html
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mig...P=0&DSECTION=2
http://www.headaches.org/consumer/index.html
http://www.migraineresearchfoundation.org/Welcome.asp

Laurie

Originally Posted by Jack31

Now that my husband and I want children we are challenged with the possibility of having to adopt, so that I can stay healthy. I've dreamed of being a mom since I was 12, dreamed of carrying a baby. Now it is up to the Lord if I carry my own children or not.

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Some women with chronic health problems get a reprieve while pregnant, I honestly hope you are one that does as well.
Has blood pressure (even low can do it), brain, or even cerebral/spine pressure been ruled out as a cause? How about working with an allergist to get rid of any possible food triggers?

Originally Posted by LDG

Some Docs recommend just the magnesium - but it usually gives people diarrhea unless taken with the calcium to balance it out, and women need the extra calcium anyway.

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If I'm not mistaken, that's because the most common type of magnesium (and cheapest) is magnesium oxide. This isn't as bioavailable as other forms either. Citrate is another form that's cheap and not as easily absorbed. Though if one is constipated they could use those forms for that...

Chelated is generally considered better, such as magnesium glycinate, magnesium orotate, magnesium taurate, and magnesium malate (malic acid in particular could be helpful to some).

As for calcium - calcium carbonate isn't absorbed as well as calcium citrate and if you're going to take it you may also want to take vitamin D along with it.

I suggest if one is going to take extra vitamins daily that they look up/research as to avoid side effects like sour stomach and diarrhea.


I've learned that, unfortunately, my stomach cannot tolerate vitamin C at all - even in multivitamins.

... There's my semi useless info of the day.

We have had all those things checked out except the allergist--all three doctors I see firmly believe it can't be an allergy--if it was such a bad reaction it would have shown up earlier in life. We are still running a lot of blood work etc..

At this point they do not believe the headaches will subside with pregnancy. Due to ovarian cysts I take the birth control pill consistently which means no periods and a constant balance of hormones. So they don't think a pregnancy will help.

We are still doing tests and whatever we can. I have personally already decided that if I can remain some what healthy I will try one pregnancy with no daily medications. If its the worst 9 months of my life (well technically I would have to stop meds 8 weeks before even trying to get pregnant, try to get pregnant, then not restart meds til after pregnancy) well the whole time window without meds is at least 11 months--then we'll adopt instead of try pregnancy again.

Leslie

I have never had migraines but I was hospitalized last Aug for heart problems and the Dr. put nitro patches on me. I had the worst head aches that I've ever had. Some of the nurses told me they were about the same as migraines. I can't take a lot of pain meds 'cause they make me sick. I had a morphine drip(the only thing we found that won't make me puke) that didn't even put a dent in the pain. Someone here has said they went blind from the pain and I can relate. My solution was to rip the patches off and to refuse anymore. The Dr claimed that nitro could save my life but in my opinion life isn't worth living like that. The nitro pills went down the sink along with my headaches. I really feel for ya'll with migraines 'cause your solutions aren't nearly as simple as mine. Good luck to all of you.

Nitro is horrible! The stuff made me feel like my head was going to pop off... then it knocked me unconscious.


faith's_mom - I forgot to put this in the post yesterday. Magnesium and maltic acid is supposed to be very helpful for fibro.

I rarely get headaches. I got a few wicked ones while pregnant though. The kind that last for days and you end up crying during.

However, I have watched my DH suffer through cluster headaches and migraines since we've been together (14 years). He didn't even know he had migraines - I was the one that figured it out. He just figured he kept getting the stomach flu since he gets the 'works' with them: The aura, flashes, incoherence, nausea and vomitting only in the worst ones.

It has been hard to find out the triggers and we've found a few - dark chocolate, msg, alcohol. He's tried vitamins, camomile, feverfew etc. He even tried prescription meds like Imitrex but they would only hold them off for a bit and once it did hit him it would be a totally BRUTAL migraine and he'd be in bed for a day or 2, wretching etc. Yuck. Since he's stopped those it's been better.

Changing to a less stressful job has helped too. He still gets headaches that Advil won't touch but not so many to the migraine stage.

I feel for all you sufferers out there - it's a miserable thing to deal with!

Yep, I feel your pain. I had to get migraine medicine from the Dr. to take when I first start showing signs of getting one. If I don't take it right at the beginning, it is horrible. I get the full blown ones where I get nauseated, throwing-up, and am down for a full 24 hours then it takes me another day (at least) to recoup.

The bad part for me is I'm like immuned to pain meds--they hospitalized me for a migraine when I was in high school. It took 3 shots of demeral to knock me out, the first didnt' even faze me, the second a little and finally the third knocked me out!

My doctor said if he took the amount of meds I did each day he'd sleep for 3 days!

Leslie

Originally Posted by Jack31

The bad part for me is I'm like immuned to pain meds--they hospitalized me for a migraine when I was in high school. It took 3 shots of demeral to knock me out, the first didnt' even faze me, the second a little and finally the third knocked me out!

My doctor said if he took the amount of meds I did each day he'd sleep for 3 days!

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Made me think of something I was reading earlier http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...041701274.html It's about genetic testing to determine how some people metabolize drugs. About half way through the article it discusses how liver enzymes affect how well a medication will or won't work. Interesting information and something to think about since it is genetic.

If anyone else has a problem with some meds not working at all or working too well (OD'ing at a normal dose level), the article explains the likely cause.

I had the weirdest thing happen at work today. I was sitting at the computer and all of a sudden out of no where I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head and the sides. As soon as it started it stopped. Anyone else ever have this happen?

I am the same way. I suffer from chronic pain since my neck surgery. I have major headaches then I have migraines. My pain specialist has helped me a lot. Found out that I am "opiate tolerant" which isn't fun when you have chronic pain. I didn't realize that this condition is genetic until my oldest daughter had to go have surgery for a broken colar bone. They asked me how I react to pain medication and I told them I don't get much relief. My daughter was suppose to have surgurey and go home. She spent the nite because they couldn't get her pain under control.

All three of my children suffer from migraines. They all had their first one at about 11 years old. I feel so bad sometimes because I wish they didn't have to deal with migraine pain and not be able to find relief except cold wash cloth on back of neck, black room and sleep.

I hope you start feeling better soon.

^Mine started at 11 too... first one happened during band class
Because my father thought they were "just headaches" and people didn't go to the doctor for that I wasn't allowed any option but a washcloth, dark room, sleep or really hoping I would get sick.

Originally Posted by tinkrbl5

I am the same way. I suffer from chronic pain since my neck surgery. I have major headaches then I have migraines. My pain specialist has helped me a lot. Found out that I am "opiate tolerant" which isn't fun when you have chronic pain.

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Do you get any relief from muscle relaxers?

Originally Posted by Duchess15

I had the weirdest thing happen at work today. I was sitting at the computer and all of a sudden out of no where I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head and the sides. As soon as it started it stopped. Anyone else ever have this happen?

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I've heard those called "ice pick headaches". Sharp stabbing pains that only last for a few seconds but can reoccur several times an hour or even day. They're not that bad, mostly distracting because the pain is just suddenly there then gone again.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I've heard those called "ice pick headaches". Sharp stabbing pains that only last for a few seconds but can reoccur several times an hour or even day. They're not that bad, mostly distracting because the pain is just suddenly there then gone again.

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I was wondering if I was going to have another headache start! I already had a migraine on Saturday the reason this whole thread exists. I also had a horrible migraine the Sunday before. It seems to be on a weekly basis now.

I haven't found anything yet that helps my migrains. If I catch it in time and I take excedrine migraine and head to a dark place I at least can hide through the pain. I have tried several different "prescribed" migraine medications and they don't work either.

When I had my first migraine I was told to "suck it up" everyone has a headache once in a while. Well I would tell them that I was going blind in one eye (aura's/white light) and would at times just end up getting sick to my stomach. My grandparents didn't go to the doctor's for headache kind of people. They were raised in the era when you go to a doctor only if it was a "real" issue.

I hope you get some relief soon. I would go to a neurologist. They might be able to help you out.

I am getting them monthly again. This happened last year for about 6 months. The aura is what kills me and nothing will stop that. It last for about 30mins which is fine if I am home and can lay down. The last one I was in the car with mom and we were 20mins from home. Sometimes I get a headache afterwards sometimes I don't.

When I first started getting them about 5 years ago my one hand will go numb then up the arm, the next arm then my legs. Next would be the aura. Thankfully I don't get the numbness anymore.

I still can't find the trigger. Sometimes I am in the dark when they start. Each time I had different foods the day before. They seem to come first thing in the morning mostly.

Originally Posted by Crazyforinfo

I am getting them monthly again. This happened last year for about 6 months. The aura is what kills me and nothing will stop that. It last for about 30mins which is fine if I am home and can lay down. The last one I was in the car with mom and we were 20mins from home. Sometimes I get a headache afterwards sometimes I don't.

When I first started getting them about 5 years ago my one hand will go numb then up the arm, the next arm then my legs. Next would be the aura. Thankfully I don't get the numbness anymore.

I still can't find the trigger. Sometimes I am in the dark when they start. Each time I had different foods the day before. They seem to come first thing in the morning mostly.

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I usually start to get mine in the mornings also. I get the aura off and on also. I mostly have the ones where I'm sensitive to any light or sound. It seems like either one will really intensify it...especially sound.

Originally Posted by tinkrbl5

All three of my children suffer from migraines. They all had their first one at about 11 years old. I feel so bad sometimes because I wish they didn't have to deal with migraine pain and not be able to find relief except cold wash cloth on back of neck, black room and sleep.

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Eek! I sure hope my 3 don't inherit their Daddy's migraines... They're still only 6, 7 and 9 so too early to tell. The oldest does get the occasional headache. Yikes, I'd hate to see them have to go through it too. Hopefully my non-headachyness will cancel out my hubbys...?

I have never had a mirgaine but my aunt has them EVERY day and my Grandma use to get them. My Grandma also use to get them every day but when she turned 75 they all of the sudden disappeared and she never had another one. She would get so sick for days at a time. My aunt hopes that her migrains will disapear soon too. She started getting migrains at age 2 and she still gets them.