Migraines C/D

Excedrine Migraine helps a little sometimes...

and Pi is classic

The worst migraine I ever had was when I was in elementary school...I came home from school, lay down in the middle of the living room floor, and when I woke up it was the next day.

best remedy I found was to take 2 (normal) extra strength Excederin pills at the onset and vision would clear up in about 15 minutes (sure beats 6 HOURS!). (before I found the Excedrin trick, could occasionally fight them off with yoga breathing)

eventually traced most migraines to red wine. I hardly ever get them now that I've stopped drinking wine and eating gluten (wheat/barley/rye). combining lots of alcohol (especially RED WINE) with rich food is the migraine-sufferer's recipe for disaster

The medicine that I currently take as-needed is very effective, but unfortunately also makes me very drowsy so sort of ruins me for work. I've gotten used to just taking advil and laying down for an hour or so.

Why do you say this? I ask because I'm not certain myself. I've had two doctors diagnose migraines (this was years ago), but on the basis of the nature of my complaints (i.e. no MRI or whatever)--more recently by doctor said he wasn't sure. Nevertheless he's prescribed Imitrex which seems to work, although much of the time it makes me fairly drowsy.

My impression is that doctors don't currently understand either phenomenon too well and go by a "whatever works" rule more than usual. Hmmm. Frankly most of the literature I've read is inconclusive or unconvincing.

Can migraines be determined by their frequency? Someone upthread mentioned getting them every few years (!) while the headaches that plague me recently seem to happen every few weeks (?!)

The worst are the 3-day overnight specials, which luckily I don't get too often.

I've tried avoiding wheat, sweets, etc, and it may work, but it's just pretty damn hard to keep away from stuff I'm so used to eating.

i've only had 1 migraine in the last 8 years and i thought i was going to die.

I'm sorry that it's not working for you though. Maybe try the above.

unfortunate after-effect of surviving migraine: sometimes, for the rest of day, brain feels like it's been shortcircuited
positive effect: yay! I can get stuff done

Although it's only every two years, they do last overnight. Severe nausea and coloured pulsating blobs.

i have headaches lot (too much coffee, far too much reading, sometimes air-pressures shifts in the weather) but never genuine migraines: one good solution (as well as anadin extra) = drink a whole bottle of water

One out of six people in the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia and India suffer with migraine headaches. Approximately seventy percent (70%) of them are women.

http://lifematters.com/bfbarticle.html

it sounds like you've been having a variant form of migraine which is sometimes called "ocular migraine" (though your doctor will probably call it "acephalgic migraine"). i can imagine that having to put up with those unwanted visual effects must be pretty distressing. i think you should make a point of telling your doctor, especially since standard migraine treatments (including avoiding triggers) may help your symptoms. of course, as you can see upthread, current migraine therapy is hardly a panacea. but you might want to give it a shot.

good luck...

* suddenly notice vision distortion or get a vague sense that something's not right (suspect migraine onset)

* planes of vision (left eye/righteye) don't jel right: as if there's a missing part I can't focus on between. like if you look at a page in a book and there's a part in the center of your focus where the words disappear or are occluded

or it goes directly to:
* pulsating jagged line area in vision, often seems more to one side (left?), though still visible if I shut one or both eyes. it's a bit like a cartoon explosion effect

* vision rapidly goes: entire area of sight can go silver/grey - like if you've stood up suddenly and gone faint

* headache - usually centered on right temple (though it can spread to the back of head by neck) - begins, sometimes accompanied by nausea and slight drymouth

* need of darkened room, isolation from sound/noise/activity
(can last up to 6 hours or until you wake up next day)

that's why I don't drink red wine any more, even though I used to like it...

i called my doctor dad and he just freaked me out and told me he didn't know what it was but that it could be really bad and that i should see the doctor as soon as possible (thanks for freaking me out).

i then called my fiance's doctor dad and he told me it could be either a floater or a ripped retina

i'm glad the opthamologist today told me that it was just a minor migraine. i wish they had told me not to drive to the appointment. i had my eyes dilated and had to have my fiance leave work early and come get me and the car.

On the other hand - is it better to know or not know? I mean, meningitis can kill pretty damn fast by the time the symptoms show up.

I'm always torn in these situations. But I am really glad that he said it was just a mild migraine and not something horrid.

one of my biggest nightmares (besides drowning and being burried alive) is having some sort of schizophrenia (i think it's more of a feeling of being completely out of control). in fact the first time i'd ever done mushrooms, i ended up having a horrible bad trip where i convinced myself i was schizophrenic. pretty scary. i think i was in an abnormal psychology class at the time and i just kept saying to myself, "these are the symptoms they talked about in class!"

so once again, i'm glad it was "just" a migraine

And sorry, didnt mean to alarm you Jason! I figured you already knew all was well anyway... I was being more general :)

I have Anna-like timings - one every couple of years since I was 15. The first one was a terrifying ordeal, as I didn't know what it was. All I could do was lie down and vomit (which must be the most painful part of an agonising experience). The most recent one was preceded by my eyesight going a little weird, with brighter patches and a slight lack of focus, before becoming tunnel vision and the usual headache. No nausea that time, though, thank god.

I haven't been able to put my finger on any triggers - this last one was in the morning - I first noticed it as I was preparing breakfast, so I can't imagine it was food or drink that caused it.

I can't figure out what sets it off. I thought cheese might be one thing -- I heard it can be -- but I don't think so. I've had it a couple of times after having cheese, but then other times, no cheese, or I have cheese and nothing happens...

Not always, unfortunately - I just had the headache to the point where I couldn't open my eyes and every sound felt like it was going to kill me - and I sat in the emergency waiting room with some idiot two chairs away eating bag after bag of chips. Crunchy chips. And crackling the bag. So I threw-up on him. He stopped making noise after that. Anyway - I never did develop the fever - just the migraine and the stiff neck (though that came on later). And how I get migraines frequently, as a result of the virus still hanging around - so everytime I get a migraine I immediately think it's another bout of meningitis and decide that I'll just die instead of all of the tests. And then it passes and I think I had made an idiotic decision and that the tests weren't all that bad at all.

for over 2 years now, i have been mostly migraine-free...i get them every other month, maybe. i still get tension headaches, but they can be relieved with a good massage and a couple of advils. i had to make a few changes though; i no longer drink red wine, i now (try to) sleep at regular hours, also a tip that can help many girls is taking your pill non-stop (skipping the placebo), so you only get your periods 4 times a year.

best wishes + good luck

I am currently wallowing in self-pity and mysterious shame

When I've been having migraines, though, I've been treating them with muscle relaxants, which works but ... uh ... knocks me the fuck out. They seem to be triggered by the fluorescent lights on campus, but will last for a couple days -- I'm not sure that's entirely it, because I've noticed the patterns of my headaches have varied drastically depending on where I've lived -- in New Orleans I mostly got them when a storm was coming.

I forget what my point was. I'm on Tylenol Cold AND the giant fucking Q.

Indiana is my kryptonite. Stormdetectingman fights no more.

http://www.painreliever.com/sinus.html

Next time you get one, try feeling your shoulders and at the base of your skull, in the back: you may be able to locate, by touch, the muscle that is spasming and use pressure points to cause it to relax. Also, try heating pads and ice, massages, hot showers (try stretching your neck in the hot water), hot tubs/spas, professional massages, and/or a chiropractor. Also, be aware of stressful situations and when you start to feel those muslces tense, stretch and try to keep your muscles loose. You might also have success with meditation, yoga, tai chi, or other practices that help to control stress and center your body and spirit.

I'd been treated for migraines waaaaay back when I was first in college, but never refilled the prescription, or let it lapse during the summer when I wasn't covered and the health center wasn't open, or something. Isocet. Didn't work miraculously, but it worked. But I haven't had those particular headaches in eight years or so, so I have no idea if the current crop is at all related.

Some days lately I can't even tell the difference between what's coming from the headache and what's coming from the various things I'm trying to kill them with -- excessive amounts of Excedrin Migraine, caffeine pills, kava kava, sometimes I hit a combination that works just right and it's like a muscle unclenching inside my head. Other times, not so much.

It isn't sinus and it isn't eyestrain, I don't think; I know they'll ask the latter, but I wake up with the headache, and it hangs out even if I avoid vision-driven activities. Sometimes I get very very sensitive to light, especially light contrasts: headlights in the dark? Ow. Sometimes I get very sensitive to smell, too, but that seems like a once in awhile thing, not very frequent.

Bah. I have a doctor's appointment for Monday for a "headache workup," but this better not be one of those things where I'm gonna have to have my eyes checked and a bunch of other stuff before we ever get around to treating it. I understand the sense of that, if it happens, but it's so damn time-consuming.

and I drank red wine every day in Italy with NO problems, which seems to reinforce what people tell me about European wines being OK when IN Europe

A head scan, geez! This is all a plot to build more robots.

Excedrine Migraine is the only thing that works for me too (side note: also works well on hangovers), but even that isn't working as well as it did.

(I didn't have a headache Saturday night. Why? Because of a pharmaceutical cocktail of sugar glaze and beef, that's why.)

seriously though, good luck with your appointment tep. migraines = dud, to finally answer the longstanding question.

For anyone curious, since I didn't followup on this thread, my preliminary diagnosis is atypical migraines, which we're attempting to treat with daily beta blockers and Imitrex as needed. So far I'm just a sack of vertigo with just as much headache to tie it off, but the medicine takes time to stick. I would not mind a Krispyburger supplementary treatment, though.

(I do not currently have enough motor skills to cook. It probably goes without saying how irritating that is.)

(Strangely, I think there's been an ear-cleaning thread. Maybe not so strangely. It involved spoons and candles, possibly.)

the weather's gone from really cold to absolutely gorgeous here in the last couple of days, and i'm sure that's it.

(and yeah antihistamines don't seem too helpful, unfortunately!)

COURAGE (said the french way)

That weather-switching thing killed me last year, during the Fall -- first cold weather I'd had for more than a day or two in years, and it kept flipping back and forth. Then I started taking this French stuff, believe it or not, that's supposed to prevent the flu, and poof, hasn't happened since. (But those weren't headaches, so it's not the same thing; I was getting chest colds et al. Just reminded me.)

well, i see movies and review them for a living.

I saw the first one because my girlfriend's 18 year old brother didn't want to go see it alone, or he'd feel silly, so he offered to pay for both of us plus lunch.

(Which has nothing to do with migraines, but I'm sure Pikachu has triggered somebody's at some point.)

And yes that Oliver Sacks book is excellent.
]

i love oliver sacks though. he's not eww.

The weirdest thing about blowing your brain out of your nose is that you would know what your brain smelled like.

I'll consider the Sacks book once I catch up on the books I keep impulsively buying :) I'm terrible about that.

Pink, I hope your migraine stays at bay!

And no more saying "head x-rays." I'm not sure I know anyone offline who's had a head x-ray who isn't now dead of cancer. I know that's not exactly accurate science, that correlation, but still, if they need x-rays from me I'm going to call them something else, like, you know, "a cupcake." "Oh, the doctor needs me to go in and take a cupcake." That I can do.

http://www.art-reproduction.com/Raphael/St.%20George%20Fighting%20the%20Dragon%20Louvre.jpg

You'd spend the first day or two feeling like you'd just been dunked in a tank of half-frozen NyQuil, though. But it's originally meant for blood pressure, so it'll keep that where it's supposed to be no matter how many fleur de sel caramels you have.

seriously though, i'll ask my doctor; is it meant for high bp? because there's a history of that in my family, so maybe it'd be 2 birds/1 stone.

are there any contraindications or side effects?

What am I supposed to ask for/about?

I'm not sure that would help.

The side effects are mostly confined to the first day or two when you're getting used to them, but beyond that I just have a sort of slight woogishness in the morning, especially if I don't eat anything.

Originally for high blood pressure, now also used for this (I don't know for how long or how commonly, but I doubt the IU health center is doing anything edgy).

BTW, I did the beta blocker thing for a couple of years when the migraines were at their worst, it worked really well for me too, only side effect I noticed was that I got really cold feet and hands. I cut down on them and eventually quit them after a while and it's been pretty good ever since (though that's probably due to change of lifestyle and less stress (apart from right now, that is)). So yeah, it's worth a try!

your hands could also go numb as well.

then the fun headache starts.

take some painkillers and i hope you feel better

one of my early ones sent my blood sugar down to nothing and ended up having hypoglycemia induced hypothermia... in the summer. fun times.

First time I got a migraine attack was one of the scariest days of my life, as I couldn't at all figure out what was going on, as my sight just got blurrier and blurrier and I started wondering if it was possible to go blind just like that. Then the sight came back a couple of hours later, another half hour passed, and then a fucking planet decided to grow out of my cranium OW!

DUD!

My pregnancy was great cause I only had too headaches, not even a migraine attack. Now I get'em again and it PISSES ME OFF. :-) I didn't realize that grinding teeth (during sleep) and migraine is related. I just read this. :-(

I said it then, and I repeat and reaffirm it now. I hate you, migraine, you flashy lighted, make me wanna hurl BASTARD.

imitrex - if i take it at work, will it render me useless?

My migraines are "exertion-induced". In other words, any time I exercise, I can expect the sledgehammer an hour or two later. If I take a tablet of Zomig (zolmitriptan) before anything gets going, that usually prevents the migraine, but sometimes it's just not enough, and I end up on the bathroom floor. If I'm lucky I'll have some opiates at hand.

I hate to think what it would be like to have lived in the hunter-gatherer days. After the hunt, when everybody would be smiling and feasting on fresh meat, I'd be curled up under a tree somewhere, puking my guts out.

imitrex has no effect on me other than getting rid of my fucking headaches. it has no narcotic effects whatsoever...on me, at least. i wasn't told that it would have any such effect by my doctor either.

lately, i've been thinking that if i lived in olden times, they would have put me out on a mountain for the vultures.

so, i've been having this fucking migraine for 4 days straight. my doctor gave me imitrex, and it works for the rest of the evening, but then i wake up the next morning with the same headache. everyday has been getting less and less hellish, so hopefully tomorrow, i won't have a headache. also, today, my left side of my face started to go numb. that was frightening. i don't know if that's normal. i have an appt. with a neurologist coming up, so hopefully, he can sort that shit out for me.

man, that shit (imitrex) knocks me on my ass! i'm out cold for a good 2 hours, and then i wake up, and my limbs feel like lead. but, it's better than wanting to perform a DIY lobotomy.

I don't get them and I'm a sadistic bastard and a contrarian, so I say classic.

The only good thing about migraines is that it makes you whole-heartedly appreciate the people who have to put up with you while you're in the throes of agonizing, wanting-to-die pain, and you're crying on the bathroom floor, trying not to throw up on anything other than the toilet.

Shit...reading your experiences makes me feel better off that I don't get such bad migraines. It's only one part of other health problems for me.

How weird that imitrex has no such effects on me. Maybe it's a dosage difference? I take it, maybe 30-40 min. later the headache is gone. It's like a miracle. Sometimes they come back the next day, but if I take another one, they usually go away. My problem is that the pills are quite expensive, so I can only use them if I am in serious about-to-croak pain.

I remember the OBGYN saying, after I did a check-up because of the possible link between migraine and zee little pill, that once I was pregnant again I wouldn't have migraines again. har dee har. This is true for some women, but it didn't apply to me. This time around I had some horrid migraine attacks, lasting more than 24 hrs. Once I stop breastfeeding, I'll probably ask for some meds cause I don't want to suffer through those attacks again. I can sort of get time off work (hey one of the benefits of being more or less self-employed) but I don't want to lie in my frigging bed for 24 hrs or more wanting to be swallowed into a big black hole of nothingness.

Also, I do feel sorry for Ophelia: migraines often run in the family. My grandfather had'em, my mum and I do. So odds are that Ophelia will also suffer from'em (if doesn't already, poor thing).

I also discovered I can't drink too much coffee unless I want to have a m-attack. Which isn't so bad, I guess, cause I'm not really that big a coffee fan anyway. I mean, I can take it or leave it.

The only good thing about migraines is that it makes you whole-heartedly appreciate the people who have to put up with you

People around you (or me)? Fuck no. I crawl into a lonely place. :-( Leave me the fuck alone. That's my motto. It's for the best cause if you do come around, I sometimes end up crying, if I'm in one of the super dooper attacks.

I always hate saying I have migraine attacks. I mean, I have headaches, but it's like begging for some "sympathy or compassion or some shit" if I say they're migraine attacks, y'know. But each time I read about the symptoms, I realize that it all applies to me.

Oh yeah, when you say "expensive" when it comes to pills, how much is that?

it's roughly $12 (US) per pill. that's a lot for me, so if i need more than one it feels like it's getting more and more expensive to treat the headaches.

that seems reasonable actually. i'll probably see a neurologist or my regular doctor for some meds.

My problem is that the pills are quite expensive, so I can only use them if I am in serious about-to-croak pain

yep around 10 euro each for the ones I was prescribed. "zomig" they're called but may be a European variant.

at that price I only take it if I'm completely screwed, because sometimes I can have that nagging back of your head migraine that isn't excruciating and can either put up with it, or wait for it to go away.

I woke up with a headache again (uh, 5th day in a row), but it's definitely not as severe as previous days, which makes me think I don't need to call my doctor. I'm a bit congested which makes me think this whole nonsense is allergy and/or sinus related.

With my insurance, a 9 pack of Imitrex (at 100mg - yowza!), cost me $30, which is a lot to ask of someone who gets paid once a month, at the END of the month.

has anyone tried topamax? my dad takes it for non-migraine related severe hand tremors, but i hear it's amazing miracle drug for migraines. the only issues: 1) it's a daily medication, so you're pretty much tied to it and 2) expensive, which makes the daily thing worse.

coming in 2009: head transplants?

do any of you get cold hands and feet? I do but I'm never sure it's related directly to migraine. I mean my feet get so cold that nothing will warm them up while I'm sitting still and working, not even 3 pairs of socks.

i have very cold hands and feet, but i don't know if it has anything to do with migraines.

i am very warm hearted though :)

I haven't tried Topamax. I'm on enough medication, that it scares me to be on something else all the time. Also, I was just listening to something on "All Things Considered" about chemicals, and it's freaked me out/depressed me.

But, almost anything is better than a migraine, so...

ugh

Ronan - bummer! I usually have cold feet, so I don't notice.

My head still hurts a little, but the Excederin migraine is taking care of it. The only concerning thing is that I'll get a random shooting pain, as if the metal rod poking through my head decides to contract, in that really frightening and unhealthy way that a migraine feels, but then it goes away. Let's hope I can make it through an entire work day today!

xp - hah! i have been told i should knit myself socks that say, "cold feet, warm heart.

ScienceDaily (Aug. 8, 2007) — For every man with a migraine, three women are struck by the severe headaches that often come with nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and aura. That means a staggering 18 to 25 percent of women suffer from migraines, making it one of the most common disabling conditions faced by women around the globe.

I kinda suspected that was true.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070806094703.htm

has anyone had any success with yoga and migraines, i.e. helping decrease the amount of headaches?

i smokes w33d

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_47mDU4vB2hk/S7YlsUtcLRI/AAAAAAAAAP8/giQXGFkYuIg/s1600/fireworks.jpg

:S

i wonder if my anti anxiety pills will keep'em away. doubt it, but one can hope. lol. otherwise, as i stopped smoking, maybe i can take some heavy duty pills? then again i am not keen on'em.

:(. just had my first ever migraine aura. freaked me the fuck out

Yeah I get maybe a couple of those a year, perfectly copeable albeit unpleasant once you know what you're dealing with but my first one terrified me as well.

Not actually a migraine question but one that I think could be answered by some of the people that read this thread.

In the UK, if a GP writes a Fit Note that states that the employee should have temporary reduced hours (for example, a four-day week rather five), is that day off counted as "sick"? (I've always been under the impression it isn't).

Just "bumping" in case anyone has wisdom.