Who suffers from migraine headaches

[grumpy]

As a long time sufferer of Migraines I am curious how many of you are afflicted with them and how you treat them. Thanks

Grumpy

 

[240sx4u]

Grumpy, I used to get them ALOT when I was younger. Many times the only way to get rid of them was to try to go to sleep. Not always a real option but it did help me. I did not have any, but once a week I would say.

I feel bad for anyone with this affliction, its unbearable at times I am sure.

Evan

 

[Rodzilla]

i'm at work and currently having the beginnings of one...going home very shortly,a couple of tylenol and a few hours sleep is about ALL that works for me..

 

[DougMac]

Migraines

I've pretty much grown out of them, which I understand is not unusual. It's one of the advantages of age! I'll have one once in a blue moon.

The biggest help was moving out of my parent's house. My parents and older brother were heavy smokers.

I still had them. The next big help was to establish a reasonable sleep schedule and stick to it seven days a week. The work schedule the Mrs. and I have has us up by six and in bed by 10:00 or 10:30.

I never have taken any of the new medications. I've heard they help some sufferers.

Doug

 

[Scorpion8]

Occasionally, but not as often as before I got on Hi-BP treatment. My treatment was always dark rooms, very low and subtle noise (like soundscape relaxation kind of music), and sleep if at all possible. Sometimes a very hot shower on the back on the neck helped too, or a hot compress.

My thoughts go out to you if you get them often.

 

[Squidward]

I get them infrequently now, much more in the past. Noise and light sensitivity coupled with intense pain behind one or both eyes. Nausea was actually welcomed, because if I can vomit it brings a temporary measure of relief.

I had no idea you had migraines Dave! Sorry to hear that, I never like hearing about a friend who has to suffer.

 

[Charivari]

Grin, bear it, and find a place to lay down for a few hours. If its one with the optical component, then I try to enjoy the light show and make sure I have everything I might want nearby so I won't have to stumble after it if the majority of my vision is wiped out (bad ones). The trouble with most of the medications is that they're not far from being sedatives. My sister tried one (don't recall the name) for hers and preferred her migraines over the constant spacey feeling from the medication. My health coverage is too poor to try any of that.

- JP

 

[grumpy]

I thought I would share some things I have learned over the years. Of course before trying anything you should consult your doctor.

For 24 years I have suffered through them. My 20's through early 30's were the worse with 3 straight weeks a month of debilitating migraines.

Up until about 5 years ago I tried every medicine including many experimental.

Some things I learned over the years.

When it comes to Doctors not all are equal when it comes to migraines.

Most misdiagnose them and ultimately mistreat them. I have seen no less then 50 doctors for these and most would throw pain meds at you, call you chronic after so long and write you off. This is the worse thing that can happen and if you are stuck with one of these doctors find another fast.

You would not believe how many doctors do not keep up on the latest Migraine meds. These new meds must be taken at the onset of the headache and do not dope you up. They stop the headache before it can reach the point of no return.

You must learn your triggers. Meaning what causes yours. With mine its many things and most of which I can control. Smoking and Caffeine are the worse for me. For many triggers can be Chocolate or something as simple as Milk products.

There are different kinds of migraines. Clusters being the worse. These type affect your vision the most and usually cause you to see spots and weird crap. I have read reports of sufferers of this type committing suicide. These are the type I get.

With better control of my weight, blood pressure and cutting out other triggers in my life Ive cut them down to maybe once a month. Sometimes even every other month.

To those that suffer these you have my sympathies. Please see the right doctor and you can learn how to control yours as well. I learned this from other long time sufferers who taught me. Hopefully others will chime in here to.

Grumpy

 

[Sandy G]

I used to get WANGING headaches, when I got bit by my sister's Chow-Chow, I went to the Emergency Room for a tetanus shot, my BP was peggin' the needle. Started on meds, my BP is a helluva lot better, I still have headaches, but they are like an order of magnitude lower in intensity & duration than before. I'm NOT a violent person, but if I could have ever hurt myself or someone else, it would have been when I was under the thumb of one of those headaches...I haven't had one of those "cross-yer-eyes" ones since I started on BP meds. Yeah, I had the loss-of-vision, seeing "sparklies", sick-to-your-stomach, all that other stuff. Mucho fun.

 

[jaymanaa]

I've dealt with clusters for years, and like Grumpy said, finally found a doctor that new what he was doing. I carry a nasal spray "Migronal" in my truck and use it at THE VERY FIRST SIGN. That is the key for me, and I have learned to not hesitate. The stuff is amazing and the headache is actually gone before it gets a decent start (without narcotics). I used to curl up in the jacuzzi and cry like a little girl. They are a lot less frequent now, and my Doc says that most men just quit having them by about age 50.

 

[davidb]

I've been having clusters since age 17. They occur about every other year and last for about 4 to 6 weeks. They wake me up in the middle of the night and last about 2 hours. Nothing has ever helped. The thing that gets me through is knowing they will end soon and stay away for a year or two. It feels like a hot poker through my right eye.

 

[panhead]

Im lucky that my doc try's new medicines & treatments,i get migranes that last for days on end,at their worst they can last a week,i can go months without a migrane but when they hit me im all done,i tried a ton of different stuff & the only thing i have tried that is gauranteed to work 100% of the time for me is "Stadol NS",its a narcotic nasal spray that has been around for about 10 years now.

Supposedly i was the 1st person in Michigan to receive this product & until i got it i thought nothing would work,i went through the wringer with migranes,even morphine injections at the hospital offered little relief,demarol helped quite a bit but would never take it away 100%,the Stadol takes away all symptoms instantly.

If you dont mind a narcotic & your doc will give you a prescription Stadol NS is the ticket.

 

[75Center]

I'm also a migrainer. Mine are triggered by stress, not eating on time, fluctuating hormones (I am female) or eating too much sugar.

If I take Execedrin or a generic equivalent at the first twinge - it will go away. If I don't get to Execedrin on time or I wake up with a migraine, then the only thing that works is Imitrex. Within one hour the migraine is gone.

Imitrex has been a miracle drug for me. It does make me feel strange and I always go to bed after I take the medication. When I wake up - I feel wiped out, but the headache is gone.

 

[BULLWINKLE]

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) helps some people with migraines.
My 2 cents. Migraines really suck!

 

[Fran604g]

I started getting migraines after I had an open heart surgery to correct chronic atrial fibrilation in 1994. My mother had them when I was a child, and I never understood how debilitating they are until experiencing them for myself. I frequently lost my vision and the pain was indescribable. My doctor tried several drugs, and most actually made them worse. I would hide somewhere dark and quiet until the pain would subside.

In 2001, I started seeing a new doctor who discovered that I had hypothyroidism and treated it with synthetic hormone (thyroxine). At the same time he mentioned that my blood pressure was high and started treatment for that with an ACE inhibitor (I can't take beta or calcium blockers because of the procedure that fixed my A-Fib) that is precisely when my migraines went away.

I haven't had one since.

I feel for you, and hope that you find a treatment soon that is effective!

 

[OneMalt]

I had chronic cluster for about 12 years and then episodic for maybe another 6 or 7. I've estimated that I had 11 or 12 thousand cluster headaches over the years! Of all the crap the doctors had me on I found that I had the best results with simple oxygen inhalation. 11 liters a minute for me. If it didn't kick in after about 10 minutes, I knew I was in for a doozy. I haven't had them for about 18 years (knock wood!) but I still have the big-assed green oxygen canister in the bedroom.

 

[needforspeed]

I get them 2 or 3 times a month. I try to get to a dark place if I'm at work, Kill the lights in my shop, Stay at my desk. At home I lay down. 800mg Motrin sometimes helps. Usually I have to just ride it out. Sorry you get them. They are a bitch.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I am, fortunately, immune.

My mom was a lifetime sufferer, up until very recently. In her case, it ended up being mostly food allergies. She had to suck up and stop consuming a lot of things she loved -- sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol -- but now she doesn't suffer any more.

 

[draftingmonkey]

Migraines...oh the joy. Runs in my family. Pappy started getting them in his early 30's and still gets nasty ones at 72. Usually takes Imitrex and is done for the day. Pappy's sister gets them to. All 3 of my sisters and my brother get them as well as I do. Tried to avoid meds for as long as possible and started to take Excedrin Migraine a few years ago. Then had to quit that as the acetaminophen in it can cause liver damage, which I found out after some bad liver numbers in my physical this year. Am trying Maxalt at the moment, and if I catch it right away it seems to kick it with no side effects to me. Triggers are the real joy, fluorescent lights, perfumes/colognes, allergies. Makes work real fun. The wife and I don't go out as much as we used to so as to avoid these triggers. Was lucky at work that they were able to provide me with my own office so I can keep the lights down and avoid the perfumes/colognes in the office for the most part. Most Sundays am down with a stress migraine which comes on as I wind down for weekend or vacation. Of course the HBP doesn't help. The best are the ones where nothing touches it, can't lie down as the head hurts even more so pace around asking the wife to put me down, please. She hasn't done it yet but who knows what the future may bring if I bring to many toys home.
Yeah I really feel for all my fellow migraine sufferes too.

 

[ozmoid]

Noise and light sensitivity coupled with intense pain behind one or both eyes. Nausea...

My wife gets them just like that, except she hates the vomiting, makes them worse for her. I think it just adds to the physical stress.

Thankfully, while I have had some serious pain, I don't think I've ever hit migraine status.