Need Help with Migraines

Have you looked into chiropractic? If you are in the Charleston, SC area I recommend Dr Heather Wyantt, Atlantic Coast Family Chiropractic on Trolley Rd in Summerville. She runs a great family practice and specializes in family care.

I've had migraines since i ws 12 yrs old; the only time i didn't have them was when i was nursing or pregnant. Its definitely a hormonal thing for me and I take relpak. 8 out of 10 times it works great. I call it my miracle drug. i know they are worse if i am not seriously hydrated. i tried going on the pill since i remembered having migraines as a young adult but them not being as severe when i was on the pill. it worked for about a month and a half and i was excited. then bam-one worse than they had been in ages. took about 4 months to get my period back to normal after coming off of it. imitrex gave me some very uncomfortable side effects and didn't work most of the time anyway. i'm 45 so with perimenopause they are harder to track and predict. used to only get them after my period; now its when i ovulate (i think cuz my system isn't regular anymore so i don't know exactly when i am ovulating)the day before i start and then at the end. It sucks. lots of people have luck with chiropractic, but even the NUCCA method doesn't work (it helps in otherways but just doesn't get rid of the headaches) I'm considering massage therapy and/or accupuncture. I just got over one that lasted of an on for 7 days--so yes, i feel your pain, figuratiely and otherwise

I have a CD about headaches and would be happy to send it to you via email in mp3 format that you can listen to from your computer if you would like. I listened to it a while back and found it to be full of great information. It is by a nurse practitioner or nutritionist...I don't recall which, but let me know if you would like to get it and I will e-mail it to you. I would need your regular e-mail though. I have a friend going through the same thing right now so I feel for you. Hers turned out to be mold so they are in the process of taking care of that. They moved into a different house and the inspector missed it.

Sincerely,
K.
www.shaklee.net/takecontrol

I'm curious as to what you are eating and drinking. Make sure it is nothing with "diet" or no fat. These all have aspartame in them. I had this and it was the aspartame causeing the headaches.

I had migraines for years after my childrens' births, and MD's kept putting me on different drugs like Valium and narcotic pain pills which would help, but I worried about the possibility of addiction to those types of treatments. Well, we moved from our home to another area of the country and lo and behold, no more migraines! So I'm all for your listening to Dawn's post here, seeing what foods you might be allergic to and eliminating your triggers rather than turning to drugs for help. I can tell you this much: I inadvertently stumbled upon a very simple help when we revisited our old homestead and a migraine came on me suddenly and I had nothing to help me. My husband went inside a convenience store, came out with Goody Powders and said, "this is all they had". I had never used them before, but was desperate and took one. Voila! No more headache! So these became my standby helpers/quick relievers. It's worth a try. But for sure, find out if you have allergies because they can and do trigger horrible migraine headaches in young mothers.

Have you tried a magnesium supplement as well? migrains and leg cramps can be a symptom of magnesium defiencey...worth a try.
Good luck
Nikki

Hi A.,

How strange that you posted this. I too am having horrible ongoing headaches for the past few weeks. At first thought it was caused by a toothache but that has been corrected and I'm still having them. I have a doctors appt tomorrow so I'm going to ask for some assistance.

I've ready the comments that others had written you and I see a chiropractor on a regular basis and his treatments aren't helping me as he thought they were related to my sinuses. Keep me posted if you find out somthing works for you!

Thanks.

If you had an epidural or a spinal of anysort they can be related one of the many side effects of them sadly to say. Have you thought about going to a chiropractor i can't emphasize enough the many benefits of going for me including no mor emigraines after being diagnosed with them when i was about 6 and suffering for over 20 years its so nice to get maybe 1 or 2 a year vs the 3+ a month i was having!

Girl, I had terrible headaches toward the end of my pregnancy and several months afterward. I thought something was really wrong because it's just not normal to have headaches every single day.Toward the end of my pregnancy my blood pressure began to rise slightly. B/c of that it gave me constant headaches.The pressure would make my ears feel cloudy and the pain would be behind my eyes.I thought the headaches were due to lack of sleep and a crying baby which probably contributed to it. After I got on the blood pressure meds my headaches began to subside and after a few weeks they were gone. Get your BP checked. You can go the local pharmacies where they have a machine. I was also anemic from about 6 months on. I took iron 3 times a day and I tood it afterwards. About a week after I had the baby my iron levels were down to 7. With that in mind, keep taking the iron until you know up levels are up. Eat meat and greens and drink juice with your meals and your supplements, it helps you body absorb the iron. Did you have an epideral during delivery? Sometimes, spinal fluid can leak causing headaches too. The doctor can do what is called a blood patch where the epideral was administered and it should stop the headaches. I don't know much about the blood patch, but I know it can happen. Good Luck

Hey A., I've never had children, but I just had a hellish year of migranes. At first the Dr, thought it was sinus problems or allergies. After numerous rounds of antibiotics, sinus meds, nose sprays, vaporizors, ct scans, allergy tests,you name it, I have had success in elimiating my migranes by working with Dr. Hughes at Tidewater neorology) a neurologist in Mt. Pleasant. It is a common condition called rebound headaches (there was actually an article in the post & courier a few months ago) where you have rebound headaches from taking migrane meds!!! He took me off of caffiene, chocolate,all meds except for phenergren (sp?)for nausuea which works really well when you are experienceing mild to moderate headache, and also an anti-depressant to take at night to help with sleeping. I won't say it's been easy learning to live without caffiene, and oh, also alcohol, but I have also had my hormones checked and found out my progesterone was almost non existant. I'm 43 soon to be 44 and experiencing premenapause symptoms, (#1 of which is headaches), and you could very well be experiencing a change in your hormones after childbirth. Also, are you under a lot of stress or worrying a lot? What about your diet? are you eating healthy? All of this is very important and affects your health. I have completely changed my diet. I use mostly organic things now, no nitrates or sulfates, or preservatives of any kind. Learn to read your food labels. I eat oatmeal or a whole grain cereal low in sugar for breakfast, tuna or turkey on whole wheat for lunch with lettuce and tomatoe, and a sensible dinner usually chicken or pork or fish. For snacks I eat fruit of all kinds, and raw veggies such as carrots, celery, or a smoothie made with fruit, yogurt and peanut butter. Also walnuts and almonds for a snack. Also soy milk. What about exercising and special time for you? Try to take a walk, even if it is only for ten or fifteen minutes every day. I go to the massage schools every week and get an hour long massage for $25.00. Miller Mott Tech has massage available six days a week and Southeastern school of massage is friday and sat. only. Best investment in my special time. (Have your hubby baby sit) I love to take baths and read my favorite magazine. Does your husband help you around the house? Don't even try to be Martha Stewart, gave up on that one! I can only imagine the changes you must be going through and how stressful life must be for you. Take one day at a time.I also think you need to make a night at least once a week, or if that isn't possible, twice a month for a date night with you and your husband. The lady that has been helping me with my hormone treatments is the hormone lady.com. She is great and is very reasonable. She has helped me tremendously. Also, perfumes, washing detergents, fabric softener, anything with fragrance be aware of. Rest is important as well as prayer and meditation. Also, there are many books at the library on the subject that helped me get to where I am today. I'm not headache free but have come a long way from where I was. It takes dedication and a lot of willpower but I was willing to do whatever it took to get relief, I was miserable. I wish you the best. Let me know how you progress. ____@____.com

This happened to me after my second child was born. It got worse over several months to th point that I would be working at the computer & suddenly my eyesight would go black so that I couldn't see a thing & then the migraine would begin. I took several different migraine prescriptions over the course of 5 months. During the same time, having not gotten back on the pill, my periods were getting longer & heavier. My obgyn ordered an MRI an I had a condition called Adenomyosis (not sure on spelling). It is the reverse of endometreosis. I had a hysterectomy & my migraines stopped. I hope yours is easily relieved. One thing I did (prior to surgery) was take two Tylenol & two Advil at the same time. Sometimes that would help. Anyway, take care & good luck!

I was 33 when I had my first son. During the pregnancy I started having migraines. They would last for days at a time and this continued for over 20 years. I went to many drs., tried many drugs, had brain scans, etc. Finally, about 7 years ago I eliminated chocolate from my diet. Not coffee or soda - just chocolate. That was my trigger. I had never been allergic to anything before and the dr said it was probably started by the hormone changes in my body during pregnancy.

It seems everyone does have a trigger and there are many different reasons. Start a diary and eliminate one thing at a time. Most people think it's strange that I can drink coffee but can't eat chocolate. If I had eliminated both at the same time I would have assumed I was allergic to caffeine.

Until you find your trigger, try tapping. www.emofree.com It is a form of acupressure.

Good luck. I hope you get relief soon.
Dawn

Hi A.,

Try Magnesium.. I had a family friend recommend it to me and I ddin't believe her, but I went to my neurologist and hse recommended the same thing along with medication. The medication did not work. It made me feel worse, so I took the magnesium, 2 caplets a day. It is a preventative medication. So instead of taking them for then, it prevented them from happening. Try it. I haven't had a migraine in about a year. I am not taking magnesuim anymore, but when I did take them, it helped immediately.

A.,

I had the same problem and had to make sure that I was not taking birth control with hormones since that was mainly the cause of my migrianes. One option to try is acupunture.

D. H- mother to a wonderful one year old son

Try Chiropractic-it can do wonders with migranes or any other type of headache.

Please check your meds for side effects which may include "Liver Damage." My sister (a R.N. for 24 years) suffered from migraines off and on for years. She took everything from over the counter stuff like Tylenol and Advil to prescription Imitrex. She developed Liver Cancer(Adenocarcinoma of Unknown Origin) and passed away Nov/2007. There have been studies that link Acetaminophen and caffeine combined can cause definite damage to the liver. If you check the labels of most "Migraine formula" pain relievers, they contain both. There is also a warning about taking too much may cause Liver damage. The study also linked intake of caffeine(coffee, soft drinks, etc.) while taking Acetaminophen can have the same effect on the liver.
I would talk to your Dr. to see if you maybe have food allergies that could be the root of your migraine problem. I read an email from another Mom mentioning Aspartame in some of your foods and Diet Drinks. Aspartame starts breaking down when it reaches temps over 86 degrees and turns into the equivalent of wood alcohol and formaldehyde which of course not good for the body. Many times the symptoms of Aspartame poisoning mimic Multiple Sclerosis symptoms.
Too many times the Dr.s treat the symptoms rather than looking for the cause of the problem.
I wish you well!

You have a lot of good suggestions. I had a chronic pain illness with a steady constant Migraine for 2 years. See a chiropractor and if you can a massage therapist or get someone to do trigger point therapy. You can look at a chart and have someone press on certain points on your head and neck in the right order. It isn't too complicated. Even just a massage of your head and neck will help. believe it or not a foot massage will help. i also recommend yoga and relaxation/meditation. Acupuncture is wonderful to balance your "chi" and blood flow and relax you.
CALM is a great magnesium supplement to take at night before bed in particular.I like the one with calcium and I sleep much better now. There are also pills. A lot of pills have a ratio of calcium to magnesium that is incorrect but correct calcium level is also good. There is a liquid by bluebonnet that I have also tried. (I had to ask my acupuncturist) If it is sinus related fennugreek and Thyme suppliment may help. I think I also took feverfew.
Most Migraines do have a trigger be it stress, food, hormones and most likely all of the above. I also recommend hot or cold pack depending on what feel better for me it was the ice. Also a hot bath with lavender followed by a 20 minute rest. Sometimes it is hard to break the migraine cycle and you can get rebound headaches from meds. I did a lot of reading and learned a lot of foods and preservatives can be triggers. I think it is hormones. They do some crazy things to our bodies.
I am sure you will find some relief. PM me if there is anything else I can help you with or anything info. you need.

I am 35 years old and started having migraines at age 6. After tons of testing, turned out I needed glasses. However, they never stopped. I have been on every medicine and through every test out there and after 29 years, have discovered that the number 1 problem(other than food triggers) is estrogen.

I cannot have estrogen at all. I am on Micronor for birth control and it is 100% progesterone. Whenever I have a natural fluctuation in my estrogen levels(like ovulation or menstruation), I get a migraine. I have at least 2/month and always have. As a teenager, they would last 2-6 days. As I have gotten older, they are usually 1-2. I also always throw up with them. Unfortunatly, chiropractic care/massage never helped me, either.

Watch your food triggers (caffeine, chocolate, fresh yeast) and watch your cycles. your body is out of whack right now and your hormones probably have a great deal to do with it.

All that being said, I know what you are going through and my heart goes out to you. Take Care.

Did you have any spinal injections/blocks? You may have a slow leak if so, and the spinal fluid is what keeps your brain floating, not resting on the skull. very painful. just an idea, hapned to me

I would get the hormones in order, followed by diet and chiropractic. Chiropractic care for you would be beneficial but it isnt going to happen overnight. Give it a fare chance and you will be thankful!

my mo inlaw used to have migraines. As a nurse she decided to rule out allergies. Once she figured out what she ate that caused the headaches, she quit eating that food.\

Maybe that would help. Docs only give drugs... there is something causing it.

Hi!

You are not alone - millions of us have migraines. You have gotten some good advice, but here is my 2 cents worth.

I, too, have suffered from migraines since my teens. For me, there is a link between hormonal fluctuations and headaches. Also, one of the biggest triggers for me is changes in barometric pressure. Lack of sleep (common with small children ;-) is also a trigger, as well as just *after* a stressful event. As far as food triggers, red wine, aged cheese, aspartame, MSG (and other soy) and too much caffeine can also trigger. For me, it usually a combination of several of these. Any one, or even 2, and my body seems to be able to handle it, but more than that and I get a headache.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that you should keep a headache diary; how you slept, relative stress level, what you ate, and weather. Once you identify your triggers, you can try to avoid them (at least the food ones).

Also, there are several (at least 8 or 9) different migraine meds, Imitrex being the first. I tried samples of most of them before finding a couple that helped. If one doesn't work, keep trying until you find one that does. I went to a neurologist (Dr. Kathleen Klotz in Alpharetta) and she helped me sort things out. I don't usually have a visual aura before the pain starts, but I do start feeling nauseous and get a weird tingling on my scalp about 20 minutes before the pain starts. Once I figured that out, I now recognize that as a warning and I take my migraine med immediately. Taking it before the pain starts really helps.

One other thing; I have always had trouble sleeping, but after being diagnosed with sleep apnea and getting a CPAP (breathing) machine, I sleep much better. This really reduced the number and duration of migraines as well.

I also take a magnesium supplement. Not sure if it helps, but the overall trend has been fewer migraines that are shorter and less intense, so I keep taking it.

I firmly believe that you have to treat your body as a whole system, not just the migraine pain. Just keep looking for things that are out-of-balance and hopefully you can reduce the frequency of the migraines. Search on-line; there is a lot of good info out there. Of course, there is a lot of bogus info as well, so be careful before eating/drinking/taking supplements. Make sure the info is from a reputable source.

Best of luck!
L.

I have to take a daily migrine med. I take topamex (sp) every day to control it and then if i get a mirgraine I have a med that i take at just that time. it sounds like you may need a daily med and one for just when they come on. Talk with the dr. and see if they feel you may need to do that.