Migraines

[MithShrike]

OK I get bad migraines about twice a week. Now, I would normally just take some 50mg Imitrex pills then stay home from school. However, lately the Imitrex isn't helping so the doc doubled the dose and added on Amidrine. Do any of you have any experience with Amidrine? What, if any, side effects have you noticed?

On a related note when I talked with the doc today he decided to give me a shot. I felt a bit better after an hour but in the pharmacy when I went to fill my prescription I got up from the waiting chair too fast and I must say this is about the scariest experience I've had in my life; my vision went to a whole field of pulsating brown squares with black holes in them, and all I could hear was ringing. I luckily made it back to the chair and sat down thinking I was going to barf but thankfully I didn't. After I realized I wasn't going to barf and my vision started to clear I noticed how much I had sweat within those tow minutes, it was NASTAY!! Apparently the backs of my hands and forearms sweat like crazy and my face was just flushed with it. I think the greeter guy outside store thought I was retarded by the way I walked out... he said 'Hi guy!' Oh well.

 

[OREOSpeedwagon]

I've had migraines since I was about 6 or so (I'm 15 now). A few months ago I'd get them about once every three or four weeks but now I'm getting them MUCH more often, I think allergies have something to do with it. I'm getting them about once a week now.

I was prescribed Imatrex a few years ago but my mom didn't want me to take them, she read something in a magazine about a few people having weird side effects from Imatrex and actually dying from it. Now when I get a migraine I take 2 Advil Migraines (this stuff is gold, I'd buy it if it cost $50 a bottle) and sleep for an hour or so. 90% of the time I wake up and my migraine is gone.

 

[olds]

I've been getting them for about 10 years. I take Midrin but it doesn't always work. If I get the auras and vision problems (which I don't always get) before the actual headache set in, the Midrin works. Dr also gave me Vicodin to take after the migraine sets in but it doesn't do much good. I do notice that sulfite's (wine, garlic, nuts) set mine off as well as stress.

 

[Lola]

When i get stressed, i get them and bad. at times, they last for days. My doc put me on some kind of high blood pressure meds(even though i dont have high blood pressure) and Zomig when they come on really fast, it seems to be working

 

[jlarsson]

I was diagnosed with migraines when i was quite young. Initially they were quite bad, but since I was young, I don't remember what it was. Now, I take 600mg of Ibuprofen, and take a nap. Works every time.

 

[Kevin]

There are three kinds I get. Most common is the pinching pain and sensitiviy to light. Second is the pinching pain, sensitivity to light, dizziness/light-headed. Third is the worst, the pain, light, dizziness and nausea.

They happen pretty sporadic. I know some people are on like a migraine cycle. Sometimes I think people don't actually get "migraines" they just say they do.

I take Maxalt 10mg which works fairly well. They are disintegrating tablets, so you don't have to swallow them. Its great when you're out and you can take it right away. Only bad part is they try and give it a minty flavor which leaves a horrible taste in your mouth. Mixed with nausea, its pretty bad. I got a free sample in the mail of "Migraine Ice" which you put on your forehead for cooling. It works pretty well in addition to the medication. It stayed colder much longer then a wet washcloth. If I use real ice though, it makes it worse. Very weird...

 

[compudog]

Just this past weekend I had a caffeine withdrawal induced migraine. My neurologist suggested I take Imitrex, but the pain was so intense that I couldn't take any sort of pill and keep it down (chest and diaphragm muscles are still sore from the retching and heaving). There are now a couple of different nasal spray migraine meds and one based on some sort of mold (ergot) spore called Migranal (dihydroergotamine mesylate) that are also supposed to work. The caffeine withdrawal thing never occured to me until my wife called the doc and described my last few days. Normaly I drink 2 cups of coffee every morning but last Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun I didn't and Sunday was the day I had the attack. I guess if I want to quit coffee I need to ease off and not quit cold-turkey.

 

[slycat]

mine are 'sleep-based'.
i get them unless i sleep like 10hrs a day...or at least 9.
Anything less..for 1-2days ok...but i feel it coming.
After like 3 days of around 7-8hrs sleep and i'll get it.
And prob is sometimes i get insomnia so that doesn't help
my 'need to sleep' problem...so on nights when i feel
like i can't fall asleep, i take some sleep aid to help me fall asleep.

i finally narrowed it down when for 2 weeks i had no work/school,
i slept whenever i felt like it and woke up whenever i felt like it,
i had no headaches. Initially i thought it was because i sleep too late(1-2am)
but after some self-tests...found that it was just because i need the full 10.

why do i need so much sleep?

 

[Brutuskend]

I used to get them ALL the time.

I stopped eating anything with MSG in it, and ....no more Migraines.

 

[slycat]

Originally posted by: Brutuskend
I used to get them ALL the time.

I stopped eating anything with MSG in it, and ....no more Migraines.

but msg tastes sooo good...

 

[compudog]

There are so many environmental/diet triggers for them. Sulfites, MSG, artificial sweetners, dairy, etc. Noise, perfume, weather etc... Like Brutskend said, avoid the trigger (If you can nail it down) and you can avoid the migraine.... in theory...

 

[fatalbert]

I used to have migranes constant and often, they were also very bad. however, I went to a Neurologist to deal with a seizure disorder I had developed and at that time also described my migrane issues. He told me the problem was cyclic, and that once I got 1 migrane I generally would have many for a long time. So he prescribe Amerge, which is the next generation of imitrex and I take that now. I find that if I can isolate the migrane early and take it the Amerge breaks the cycle and I can stop the set of migranes before they start. Otherwise, I am in for a couple weeks of pain.

 

[MithShrike]

OK, so Midrin works OK? Sorry about the Maxalt. I cannot take Advil or anything ibuprofen because it sets off asthma attacks, too bad. So Amerge is good? And the reason your doc gave you the blood pressure medicine ActPrincess is because the current theory for the reason of migraines is that blood vessels around your brain contract and cause the pain. OK thanks for the input.

 

[jst0ney]

You need to go see a head and neck pain specialist. It is possible that you have a pinched cranial nerve or something even worse. (minor stroke). Pain is very peculiar and non-specific. Don't mess around with this (it doesn?t sound like you are).

If you are already seeing a specialist, go get a second opinion but have full disclosure. That is to say, make sure you tell the other physician of other meds that you are taking from the first. You don't want to cross medicate.

Hope you start feeling better.

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: Mith
OK, so Midrin works OK? Sorry about the Maxalt. I cannot take Advil or anything ibuprofen because it sets off asthma attacks, too bad. So Amerge is good? And the reason your doc gave you the blood pressure medicine ActPrincess is because the current theory for the reason of migraines is that blood vessels around your brain contract and cause the pain. OK thanks for the input.

My experience is that Midrin works OK if I take it before the Migraine comes on. For me that is not always possible because I rarely get the vision problems before the actual headache. Mine usually start out as what seems to be a headache and ends up being a Migraine. I wake up with them a lot and it is too late for the Midrin to be effective. That's when I take the Vicodin.

 

[DanFungus]

I've only gotten one, and it was last month, I think. Happened at school, and sat it through....sucked..thought I was going to barf all over my desk/person in front of me , probably would have, but I just sipped on water.

 

[ultravox]

I ve had them since childhood and I've given up trying to find the trigger because there have been toomany different ones to nail down. I tried most of the imitrex/zomig medications and found that they don't really get rid of the headache but rather spread the pain around so it's more tolerable if you know what I mean. I gave up on them after awhile. There are narcotics you can take but they're highly addictive and I can tell you that from personal experience. Percocet, percodan and fiorinal . I had a good run with percocets for about 10 yrs taking them only when needed but eventually I got hooked on them and had to take them daily. I kicked by gradually reducing the dose from 2pills a day to 1/4 to none. It took about 10 days to get off them and now I take nothing...but when a real good migraine kicks in....boy do I miss them. Now all I do is go to sleep. Be careful if you take any of these....my doctor was very surprised I got off of them without going to a detox.

btw..in Canada, Imitrex are $20 a pop......percocet is around $12/30 if you get the generic

 

[SirFshAlot]

I used to get them

my triggers;

caffeine
chocolate
cheap flickering flourescent lights
too much direct sunlight

and stress

nothing ever seemed to help, and actually, drinking lots of water seemed to make my blurry vision even worse

fortunately I hardly ever get them anymore

 

[cherrytwist]

Anybody get visual migraines?

I've had them since I was about 10 years old, but didn't know they existed until I was in my twenties.

I get about 3 types of headaches, some migraines and some due to sinuses (allergies).

Damn visual migraines are freaky at times, last up to 30 minutes.