BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Headaches/Migraines migraine questions

i started having migraines a few years ago. they have increased in frequency in the past year, and now i have them 2 or 3 times a month, sometimes more. i saw my ophthamologist today for an eye exam and mentioned the migraines. he listened to the symptoms i have (wavy lines, strobe effects, seeing stars and spots, dizziness, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, throbbing pain even with movement, etc) and told me i need to get on meds to prevent them. he said i'm having them too often.

what meds do they put people on for these things? and do they work? what causes migraines anyway? i have not really complained too much about the headahces because my mom has brain cancer and has had AWFUL headaches every day since her brain surgery, so my migraines are peanuts to her. but lately, they have gotten unbearable. i've even cancelled plans because i just want to hide in the closet with the light off away from everything.

Welcome to the forum holles. I'm sorry to hear about your mom, my thoughts are with her.

Also sorry to hear that your headaches/migraines have been worsening. Have you had a chance to read the article about how a neurologist can be the turning point in diagnosing and treating headaches?
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art38169.asp

My mom suffered for a long time before her neurologist was able to find the right combination of medications to help. A doctor might prescribe any number of meds from NSAIDS (non-sterioid, anti-inflammatory drugs) to some of the other common migraine meds such as Imitrex, which are called triptans.

The key will be finding a treatment plan that addresses both prevention of your migraines and relief from migraine pain when they do hit, which means it is likely you will have several prescriptions.

Migraines are caused by all sorts of different things... and may not even have an apparent cause at all (or so the doctor tells me). Mine coincide with swings in hormone levels--every time I cycle, I get a migraine. I have friends that get them if they eat chocolate, drink wine, their blood pressure goes over XXX points, etc. Each person is so different.

IF you can pinpoint the cause of your migraines, that's helpful in reducing their number. I can't do the triptans--they cause my heart to run races without me.

Good luck!

My migraines are (were) closely tied into my menstrual cycle. The week before and the week of my period were excrutiating. A hysterectomy (total, including ovaries) took care of that part.

I still get them from time to time however. Weather pressure is a big cause for me - my husband jokes that I should be a weather forecaster for the news. Except I can only predict thunderstorms and tornadoes. <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Cheese (especially smoked cheeses) are the biggest culprits as far as foods go. Although red wine and even blush wines have caused them, too.

I take as a daily medication Topomax (but I also take it to help with my depression), and then for acute attacks I take Relpax.

However I have been through the pharmacy - Midrin, Imitrex (shots, pills and the nasal spray - that was horrid!), and others that I can't even remember the name of.

No matter what I would take, my best remedy was always to lie down and let it pass. Relpax has been the best for letting me stay awake and do things if necessary, but I always seem to still have the headache the next day if I do that. If I go ahead, take the medicine, and sleep; then I am more likely to get rid of the headache completely.

thank you for your replies. i did see my family dr and he gave me some midrin. we're pretty sure they're triggered by hormones (had my estradiol tested -for other reasons- when i was having a migraine, and it had dropped significantly from the week before). also, the weather isn't helping. i had 4 migraines last week, and we had 4 days of severe thunderstorms too. and food might be triggering them also. esp red wine which stinks because i love red wine. oh, well. c'est la vie, right?

however, due to family history (mom has brain cancer, and some of my dad's cousins do too), the dr wants to do an mri, so that's tomorrow. i'm pretty sure it's all okay, but i appreciate him being thorough.

thanks though. i appreciate your help.

The doctor gave me Midrin and it did nothing except really mess my stomach up. It has a lot of aspirin in it. Mine were triggered by a drop in barometric pressure, and there is nothing you can do until that changes. Red wine, alcohol, Hormones (the main culprit), stress (DSH). I had an MRI and the only thing that showed up were the changes that occur in people with migraines. The good news is they should lessen as you get older. Early menopause did the trick for my sister and I. Imitrex gave me the best relief, but towards the end it was making my heart do strange things, and then one day it nearly killed me, I think. Good luck, I hope you find relief soon.

The Dr I went to see gave me Imitrex, which really did nothing for my migraines. They say it either works or it doesn't. The part that really sucks though, is that without insurance, those pills are like $ 260 for 9. And then after all that they didn't work!!! I also have a script for Midrin but have yet to get them filled, still waiting to see if the insurance will cover them. Oh well. Onto the next round! Take care!