Migraines?

I have had migraines since I was a kid and here lately, they have gotten way worse/more often. I am going to the neurologist Wednesday. Do you have any recommendations for meds that work? I've tried cyproheptadine, propanol, Maxalt, and everything OTC. I want something I can take that will knock me out and let me sleep the migraine off and/or something will stop the headache and let me function. Hydrocodone seems to help sometimes and does not knock me out, but even it is hit or miss whether it stops it.

I heard on here somewhere that pepper is good for migraines. My wife used to get them alot but she hasnt had one in years.

Just curious, do you know what's causing the migraines? Mine are caused by caffeine, food coloring, artificial sweeteners and/or preservatives (I know, about everything) in excessive amounts.

My doctor gave my some painkillers that allow me to sleep it off. Sensitivity lasts for 2-3 days.

Years ago i tried either imitrex or zoloft, and i ended up getting more migraines.

I know several people (including MIL) that Beta Blockers have helped with migraines:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/migraine-headache/DS00120/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs

Cardiovascular drugs. Beta blockers — commonly used to treat high blood pressure and coronary artery disease — can reduce the frequency and severity of migraines. The beta blocker propranolol (Inderal La, Innopran XL, others) has proved effective for preventing migraines. Calcium channel blockers, another class of cardiovascular drugs, especially verapamil (Calan, Verelan, others), also may be helpful in preventing migraines and relieving symptoms from aura. In addition, the antihypertensive medication lisinopril (Zestril) has been found useful in reducing the length and severity of migraines. Researchers don't understand exactly why these cardiovascular drugs prevent migraine attacks. Side effects can include dizziness, drowsiness or lightheadedness.

Wife gets them. She takes Axert at the first sign of one coming on. Also, we found that alternating hot and cold on her forehead and back of her neck helps a lot. Get an ice pack and a hot sock (or some other hot pack) and put one on your forehead and the other on the back of your next. about every 10 minutes, switch them.

I've done the cold washcloths since I started having them. Anything warm makes mine worse. I have random triggers-sometimes when I eat, sometimes when I don't eat, fronts moving through that changes the weather, getting hot, getting cold. Sometimes they will slowly build up, sometimes it hits me and within 10 minutes I am in full blown migraine mode. Sometimes I will start hurting with a kidney stone and that will trigger a migraine. I guess just the tension of feeling that pain. CT scans have shown normal. I'm to the point where if they can't fix them, just give me enough pain medicine to deal with them. Drs. around here like you are a drug addict if you ask for pain meds. Hydrocodone wires me up, demerol makes me feel like 10 lbs shoved in a 5 lb bag. Percoset helps, does not knock me out but I can sleep if I take phenagren with it, but oxycodone is the dirtyest word out there as far as pain medication goes.

Right now my sinuses are starting to clog up and I know that if I don't deal with that, a lot of times it will progress past a sinus headache and there is no stopping it then.

100mg of Imetrex taken orally is like magic for this 58 yr old acute migraine sufferer. My neurologist [ Leslie Kelman down at St Joseph in Dunwoody ] put me on an epilepsy drug named Depakote that gave me terrible tremula . I looked like I had Parkinsons.

He took me off that and now I take 25mg daily of Atenolol which is a heart rate and BP drug. It appears to have no significant side effects for me. If I stop taking it BLAM migraines every day. One nice thing is that it is very low cost.

I also have sinus issues [ my nose is just decorative other than supporting my glasses ]. Back when I was a heroic motorcycle competitor I discovered Breathe Right strips. WOW !!!! Massive improvement in my quality of life. You can forget about me being able to sleep well without a BR on. I leave them on all day unless social duties call . Usually when I take the BR off within a few hours I start to feel a 'low grade' headache coming on. Putting on a BR usually takes care of it immediately. It's like air conditioning for my brain

Other than the BR's my main issue nowadays is my messed up neck. The nerve bundles that feed down through the neck and the nerve bundle associated with migraines are in close proximity in the brain stem and they 'cross talk'. If I have a migraine most likely induced by possibly food one of my symptoms is a stiff sore neck. If I abuse my neck by driving long distances or picking up something too heavy or looking up too much then the stiff neck causes a migraine.

Abusing my neck also is a major cause of fortress aura in me. Fortunately the aura rarely ends up in a headache these days. Still distressing but I no longer take an Imitrex at the first sign of an aura like I would have back in the 90's.

Good luck

Imitrex works great for me also. I had a bullet put through my head that caused some nerve damage back in 1999. Have had migraines since then.

I was prescribed Zoloft around 2000 which seemed to help some. I discontinued use of them after a few months. I keep an Imitrex in every vehicle, my bag for work, wherever I go.

lbzdually said:

I have had migraines since I was a kid and here lately, they have gotten way worse/more often. I am going to the neurologist Wednesday. Do you have any recommendations for meds that work? I've tried cyproheptadine, propanol, Maxalt, and everything OTC. I want something I can take that will knock me out and let me sleep the migraine off and/or something will stop the headache and let me function. Hydrocodone seems to help sometimes and does not knock me out, but even it is hit or miss whether it stops it.

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You said you had a CT have you had an MRI of your brain done?
Do you have any other symptoms than just the "migraine"?

The reason I ask is I have always suffered with headaches "migraines" and when a brain MRI was finally done that is when they found my Chiari Malformation. I was born with it. But doctors have always just said it is a migraine.

There is a medication called Fioricet it is used for the headaches it is a combination drug that has caffeine/barbiturates/acetaminophen in it. It will work when it is mild to moderate but not when it is severe.

Huntress said:

You said you had a CT have you had an MRI of your brain done?
Do you have any other symptoms than just the "migraine"?

The reason I ask is I have always suffered with headaches "migraines" and when a brain MRI was finally done that is when they found my Chiari Malformation. I was born with it. But doctors have always just said it is a migraine.

There is a medication called Fioricet it is used for the headaches it is a combination drug that has caffeine/barbiturates/acetaminophen in it. It will work when it is mild to moderate but not when it is severe.

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I can't remember the last time I had a MRI. my headaches seem to be getting worse. I have been feeling pressure behind my right eye and when the headache hits, the vision gets blurry in my right eye.

Look up Intercrainial Hypertentension.

Mine does this but the left side.

I get tension migraines and I haven't had a prescription work better than Excedrine but the chiropractor is able to give me to most relief.

I got my first (and only) Migraine a few months ago.
Spinning lights and all..



I contribute mine to hormone imbalance when my Birth Control was removed.


Sat in my blacked out closet and waited it out.

dwhee87 said:

Wife gets them. She takes Axert at the first sign of one coming on. Also, we found that alternating hot and cold on her forehead and back of her neck helps a lot. Get an ice pack and a hot sock (or some other hot pack) and put one on your forehead and the other on the back of your next. about every 10 minutes, switch them.

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I agree with this... When I get them, I get in the shower and run water as hot as I can stand on the back of the neck and then as cold as I can stand...back and forth. It helps constrict and then relax the blood vessels that cause the migraines. I read about this treatment years ago in Readers Digest Home Remedy's of all places.

Excedrine migraine works better than anything prescription that I have taken.
Also look up "tmj". If you have tmj, it can be fixed.

Huntress said:

Look up Intercrainial Hypertentension.

Mine does this but the left side.

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It fits partly. I am going to ask if they can give me something to relax me. I find myself tensed up for no reason and going to sleep is difficult because my mind races.

AugustaDawg said:

Excedrine migraine works better than anything prescription that I have taken.
Also look up "tmj". If you have tmj, it can be fixed.

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For some reason anything with acetaminophen has never helped my headaches. I take ibuprophen and aleve, but I want to cut back on them because I'm afraid of them killing my liver. I go through thousands a year of ibuprophen. Right now I have a moderate headache and don't want to take anything unless I have to.

lbzdually said:

It fits partly. I am going to ask if they can give me something to relax me. I find myself tensed up for no reason and going to sleep is difficult because my mind races.

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Restoril is a good sleep aid. Mild but be sure you have 8 hrs to dedicate to sleep.

Tensed muscles and nerves will add insult to injury as far as the headaches are concerned. Restoril is one of the first things my MD tried with me before we ever got an MRI done to find out what was really going on. Flexeril is good too.

Get them to check your eye pressure and look at your optic nerve for swelling.

I could never do the heat and ice thing either. I feel your pain and hope that your Neurologist can find an answer for you tomorrow.

Huntress said:

Restoril is a good sleep aid. Mild but be sure you have 8 hrs to dedicate to sleep.

Tensed muscles and nerves will add insult to injury as far as the headaches are concerned. Restoril is one of the first things my MD tried with me before we ever got an MRI done to find out what was really going on. Flexeril is good too.

Get them to check your eye pressure and look at your optic nerve for swelling.

I could never do the heat and ice thing either. I feel your pain and hope that your Neurologist can find an answer for you tomorrow.

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I think things get compounded and I had been up most of the night 3 nights in a row hurting with kidney stones and the lack of sleep led to 3 straight days of migraines.

go to the herb shop and get you some hydrangea and some JPX take the hydrangea 2 every thirty mins and the JPX 2 every thirty mins for the first two hours you have them. Then 2 each every hour after that and lots of water. It breaks down a kidney stone naturally by getting all the spurs off the stone and breaking it down to a grain of sand size making it easier to pass.

Try quitting all caffeine.