Migraine Relief!!!

I have the same problem. My doctor prescrived Frova that I take for 7 days prior to my period. It works like a charm.

I have been through this is well!!! I went off the pill because it was making my migraines worse!

My doctor prescribed me "Relpax" and it has helped tremendously!! I hate taking meds and am not a pill popper, however, you take one when you feel the migraine coming on it helps big time. I don't feel heavily medicated either. Sometimes a little tired or weak, but I get worse than that from the migraine so no big deal!

I do have some suggestions and they are nutrition related. Give me a call tonight, ###-###-####, thanks!

I got the IUD device implanted in my uterus and now I don't have cramps or periods anymore. It didn't hurt to get put in, my doctor did it in the office and it is 99.9% effective and lasts 5 years. My insurance completely covered it. You can have it removed easily and then immediately try for kids. It is AWESOME!!!!

Hey, M. I myself am a migraine sufferer.Mine are hormonal induced also I went through early menapause after my second child at 35. I had to finally see a neurologist and she put me on a medication called topamax, it has helped alot i have not had a migraine since. Just something to think about hope it helps. Hope you fill better.

I have the same problem. I make sure that I have more caffiene, water and rest during that time. You know what that means, indulge your chocolate cravings!!!

Okay, it doesn't knock them out completely but it does soothe the beast some. I also make an extra effort to exercise, mostly yoga and gentle pilates.

I've used the migraine relief pills but it always rebounded twice as hard. I prefer hydration.

hi M., i would first make sure its not birth control if you are on any. i was on the nuvaring and it causes migraines, i had a really bad migraine about 2 years ago and the dr put meon topamax there are some side effects some good and some bad. i havent had another migraine since i took it and i havent been on it for almost a year now. hope this helps a little. W.

I treat lots of patients with migraines with quite a bit of success. I actually struggled with migraines myself before I came across the Upper Cervical Technique that I now specialize in. Here are a few websites I recommend:

www.blairchiropractic.com
www.upcspine.com
www.dunndc.com - this is my website.

You obviously have some hormone issues that need to be resolved as well.

Hi M.,

I am currently being treated for menstrual migraines. I started seeing a neurologist a few of months ago and am already getting a lot of relief! The onset of my menstrual migraines was up to 2 days before to 2 days after the 1st day of my cycle and lasted 5 days. I was incapicitated that whole time. My doctor took me off of tylenol and ibuprofen and put me on a daily migraine preventative medicine and then gave me other strong medicine to use when I did get migraines. The first month, my migraine only lasted 2 days instead of the usual 5. My current cycle, my head hurt some ... but I could definitely do my usual stuff and I'm very optimistic about things continuing to get even better based on the doctor's plans for me.
I am seeing:
STACEY D.YOUNGER (Neurologist)
5701 W 119TH ST STE 102
OVERLAND PARK , KS 66209
###-###-####
I am 42 years old. I'm a stay-at-home mom with 3 wonderful boys.
I wish you good fortune in making headaches a part of your past too,
D.

I too had migraine headaches while on the pill. I have been on probably 5 or 6 different birth control pills to help control my ovarian cysts and most of them gave me migraines. I am currently on Loestrin and haven't had any headaches with it. I believe it was Mircette that was the other one that didn't give me headaches. Good luck though, I know how bad they can be and it's hard to do anything else when you've got a headache so bad it makes you almost vomit and it physically hurts to lay your head on the bed pillow! I hope you can find some relief soon :)

My husband gets migraines and takes Imitrex for them. Also, he is finding that when he gets irregular sleep or takes naps that seems to affect it. You might try going to bed and waking up at the same time every day and eliminating naps. Also, try to not eat or exercise in the few hours before bed.

1) find a good neurologist (Dr. Juan Escandon, of Barnes Jewish Hospital, is an excellent neurologist, he has helped get my migraines under control)
2) ask about using a triptan for prophylaxis, just before/during your period.

There have been some promising studies with using a triptan (group of migraine medications), for migraine prevention in women who have migraines associated with their periods. There are some contraindications to using triptans in some persons, so a neurologist would be best able to decide if this is a good treatment option for you.

Hope this helps,
B.

Hi M.,
I also have many migraines I am on a very strict diest to combat the migraines also my doc uses an anti inflamitoys called Torradol as well as pain meds and Axert(migraine triptan med) my doc also uses preventative meds a beta blocker i have seen quite a bit of help..I would start with the OB and neurologist and sign a consent for informantion to be shared by both drs so they are working on the same team to help you vs. one trying one thing and the other trying it diffrently i do believe it might very well be hormone related my OB/GYN literally stopped my periods with birth control with the same doseage of continous birth control no day or week off with the week of placebo pills it helped bunches, might be worth a shot

S.

There are many things that you can do to help! Start with having someone rub a ball of some sort (golf, tennis) over your lower back. drink lots of water! The best thing that it sounds like you might do is either go to a chiropractor for an adjustment, go to an acupuncturist, or go to a massage therapist (not only for massage, but also for Cranial-Sacriol). If you need any help finding any one of these let me know I am a massage therapist myself and would be more then happy to help you find one in your area! I have seen these things help other people also, if you don't want to try these things maybe try heat around your neck area and lower back! Good luck!

I have migraing all the time . I have had them since i was little and they last for as little as 2 days up to 10 days . The only thing i have found that help make it bearable is BC powders ( that is over the counter , there are many that are from doc u can try ). If u take one at the on set or when u know it is comming it helps . It is the fastest acting pain releifer i know of . It takes from 5 to 10 minutes to start. I will tell u that it is nasty tasting . Put it on ur tounge and then put it to the roof of ur mouth . It gets in to the blood stream fast and starts to work right away . You will want something to drink with u to help get rid of the taste .It also helps with tooth pain.

I get migraines, too, and a pharmacist friend told me to take Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2). 400mg (at least) taken with a coke to speed the effectiveness always helps for me. If I don't have any with me, I take three tylenol and drink a coke. I know how frustrating they can be, I hope you get some relief!

I just had this done and it seems to be working for me. I have Chronic headaches everyday.

http://www.headacheprevention.com/

M.,
You have been given great advice. I am an Independent Consultant for Arbonne International. They have a product called Prolief which is a natural progesterone. This product has many positive testomonials from women who suffer from migraines. It is not an expensive product and works.
We need more progesterone in our body because it is being over run by estrogen. This may be causing your headaches. If you are interested in more info you can contact me at ____@____.com
I live in the Springfield, MO area, if you are close there is a presentation by a nurse this Sunday, that will cover the benefits of natural progesterone.
Good Luck!! There are not to many things worse than a headache.

Now, I'm not a doctor, but it sounds to me like you're having some sort of a reaction to hormones in your body. I used to get hives before my period, well up until I got pregnant and had my son. Now I get them everyday. Talk to your doctor. There are a lot of medications out there to help you.

To be honest any Migrain that goes more than two days should be treated by a doctor. Actually, most doctors reccomend hospitalization for more than two days. I would personally see a doctor and get a prescription migrain reliever if over the counter isn't working. If you've tried all the prescriptions, then I really don't know what you could do. It might be related to something else that is going on as well.

Personally, the only medicine OTC that works forme is Advil Migrain. Excedrine doesn't touch it whatsoever. But please, go to your doctor about it, because they are not "just headaches" as many people tell you.

Call your Dr. There is medication that will stop the migraine. There is also preventitive meds that eliminate them or make them less frequent. I used to have approximatlely 10- 15 a month now I may have 2 or none at all. (I'm in nursing school,and have 10 children, it's the stress causing mine.) The migraines are normally caused by dialated vessels in the brain...so it is important that you speak to the Dr, to make sure nothing serious is going on. The meds are not pain pills, but let me tell you, they really work. D.

Have you told your doctor about it? I have used Maxalt and Immitrex and they both do great. Talk to your doctor about them!
Also, since I've been seeing my Chiro, I haven't had any and haven't had to take any meds. They can help you too!!

Have u went to your doctor and told them about it? If not I would suggest going to the doctor and seeing if they could maybe give u something stronger to take to help u.

I would go to Akin's natural foods or the Herb store and get an herbal supplement to help regulate your hormones. Unbalanced hormones are the source, so you should treat them first.

My husband has been on a whole series of painkillers for his migraines, but now what he does and puts a drop of peppermint essential oil on his tongue and it helps with pain relief. I have recently started getting migreaines at the beginning of my period (not as severe as yours or my husband's) and I use peppermint oil as well. It doesn't completely get rid of it, but it helps quite a bit without the side effects of a lot of pain medications, including rebound headaches.
Good luck!

Best relief in the world for migraines...visit a chiropractor. Seriously! It's a lot to do with pinched nerves and stuff being out of place. After the birth of my third child I got one literally once a week. It was horrible. I do keep the excedrin migraine relief at home, but the only thing that got rid of them was going to the chiropractor. When I told him what was going on he just did his thing and I never again have had them like that ever.

I went through the exact same thing. I tried every drug on the market and the only drug that worked for me was Maxalt. (Merck makes it.) I take 10mg and it works like a charm. Ask you doctor for a script and hopefully you will have some relief.

I have had migraines from the time I started having periods. Mine were almost always triggered by hormones and after having a complete hysterectomy because of severe endometriosis four years ago, I only have three or four migraines a year! These are usually from me not drinking enough fluids and getting dehydrated, or being out in the sun without a hat.

I take Zebutal at the first sign of a migraine (usually when my vision goes wonky) and take another if I actually develop pain. In the past four years I've only had to go to the doctor once for Toridol and Demerol injections because a migraine wouldn't go away. There are several prescriptions available now to actually prevent migraines from developing. You might want to check with your doctor to see if s/he can recommend one that will work for you. Good luck!

I have had migraines since the age of 14. They got worse after both of my pregnancies. I was averaging 3-4 a month. I am now on 125 mg of Topamax that I take nightly and I very rarely get them now. If I do get them I have the Imitrex shot that I give to myself. I have tried just about every medication on the market and this has finally helped me. I also wear a magnetic necklace that has helped and has helped me to lower the dosage of my Topamax.

Hi M.! I am sorry to hear you suffer from migraines. I have had them nearly my entire life. I got my first one when I was 5 years old. I now take Maxalt MLT and it is FANTASTIC! I get all of the classic symptoms, such as the light sensitvity and nausea, and it wipes them all out quickly. The pill dissolves in your mouth so you don't have to worry about it if you are throwing up, which is a definite plus for me, and it works faster than traditional pills, too. Since you have them so frequently you might ask your doctor for a daily preventative medication as well. If you can't get the migraines under control, I would highly recommend seeing a Neurologist. There are so many great treatments available now there is no reason for you to suffer! Good luck to you! I know how debilitating they are!

Hi M. B,
I am new to mamasource and I have been reading articles for
about a week. But I thought this is something I know about. So I am going to put my two cents out there. When my oldest daughter was 3 years old she started having migraine headaches. My daughter is 35 years old today. The first headache she had terrified me so bad I called my mom and she said,"The next one she has go to the emergency room. The nurses would have to take care of her to believe what was going on." The next one she had we were in the emergency room. Her head hurt so bad that the light blinded her, she would hollar and yell in pain. She threw up eventually and then pass out for 3 or 4 hours. Well of course she had some test done and the conclusion was she was having migraine headaches. What her doctor said, I was not to happy about. He said that it was phys co sematic ( this might be miss spelled) and that she was making them happen herself because she wasn't getting her way. She didn't get any medicine as she was to young. I also had to keep a log of all her headaches. At the age of 6 she started having them at school. The doctor said if the headaches interfeared with school that she would have to go into counseling. The headaches had started happening more regularly. A famous peditican found that food was the culpert to migrane headaches. I found out she could not eat chocolate, and pepsi which comes from the coco family. One bite and she has a blinding headache. Even to this day. After I figured out what was causing the headaches I told the doctor and he imediatley pulled out a piece of paper with a list of known foods that cause Migrame Headaches. Imagine that, I wanted to tell him what I thought of his phsyco sematic analogy. I didn't of couse. Chocolate was at the top of the list. My daughter had started drinking chocolate milk at school. Without my knowledge. Just so everyone knows the number one item on the list was baking soda. Who would of known? I might mention that if she dosn't eat or eats the wrong food on am empty stomach she will get a migrane headache.

I am a migraine sufferer, but the doctors have never pin pointed my triggers...they just seem to appear for no reason! Then on top of migraine, I also suffer from plain chronic headaces....I usually have a headache 5 out of 7 days of the week.

For my migraine, my doc prescriped Maxalt 10mg. It works the best of the meds that I have tried. there are many meds out their to help w/ a migraine, but in my expereinces they just make you really sleepy so you sleep through most of the pain.

What has helped the most for my migraines and headaches is seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis. She says I have neck and low back problems that contribute (we have also found that stress, weather and red wine to be triggers). Dealing with headaches is hard...it took me 4-6 years before I got mine to the point of manageable. You need to see a doctor...this is not something that you can fix yourself w/ home remedies.

M., I can't encourage you enough to find an upper cervical chiropractor in your area. Many many people have found relief from migraines in the past. And research done by the Kale institute found that 85% of people with migraines were able to overcome them entirely or showed incredibly significant improvement. This website can help you find someone in your area:
www.uppercervical.org
or
www.upcspine.com

Live healthy and well
J.

I'm sure you have gotten tons of good advice but for me I found it VERY helpful to keep a food diary. I found that things like changes in my caffiene intake, changes in the amount of sleep I get, eating bananas, and exposure to certain scents (like vanilla or coffee) trigger my migraines. Of, course there is an association with low atmospheric pressure that I can do nothing about, which may be the case with you menstrual cycle. Sorry.

I find that when I get a migraine the best thing to do is to drink a caffienated soda and take Excedrin Migraine as directed as soon a possible. It usually helps get rid of it but will at least reduce the length and severity.

R.

M.,

You just described the last two years since my daughter was born. I recomend going to your OB and asking for a different birth control pill. I was just switched to a new one called Loesterin24FE which is working very well. This is a new drug that is supposed to reduce the length of your preiod to about 3-4 days. I was also sent for a sonagram to check for fidroid tumors. The migraines and fribroids run in my family, thanks MOM!

Other things can trigger migraines such as alergies, stress, and for me visual over load. (To much TV and computer time gives me a raging headache.) However, if you have already
noticed the migraine is linked to your cycle then the hormone fluctuation is the best place to start looking for a cure. The only over the counter medication that helps me is Excedren Migraine combined with a dark bedroom and lots of sleep. My mother has a prescription for Imetrex.

Best of luck,

JenniferN

I have had migraines for years! I have tried so many treatments and nothing helped. I went to a physician about 3 years ago and he told me to try Meridia. It was first perscribed he said as an antidepressent then people were losing weight on it. Well he found that his patients that were on Meridia for weight loss also had migraine relief. I was willing to try anything. I went on the Meridia and I was excited I even lost weight for about 3 or more months and then it did not work on the weightloss but now instead of having several migraines a month and a headach about every day I have only had maybe 1 or two migraines a year. It has been a miracle drug for me. I know most doctors probably have not heard of it helping headaches. I even called the company who makes Meridia because I was afraid of taking it for so long. They of coarse said it is not medically for migraines. I have been to several other doctors since my doctor moved out of the area and they agree that If it is working keep it up. It is so nice to be able to function and not be in bed with a headach or throwing up from one. I use to have to go to the hospital for a shot to basically knock me out so I could sleep. Good Luck with finding a treatment.

hi, 3 suggestions. One is aleve. The other is accupresure. find a spot on your ear that is extra sensetive to touch and sqeeze really hard on it. You might also try to not eat chocolate, cheese, bread and drink any form of caffine around the time you normally get migranes, and if all else fails go see your dr. The problem could be bigger than migranes

M.-
I to suffered from Migraines every month just before my cycle. I finally found a wonderful doctor that believed me and he prescribed Maxalt. It is a self dissolving tablet that you only need to take when you feel them coming on. It relieves the pain almost instantly. Definately a lifesaver with two little ones at home.
Good Luck
T.

Try and get a massage once a month a few days or a week before your period. I'm a massage therapist and I've had several clients that have had the same problem, it really seemed to help them skip the migraine althogether or at least just make it a headache not a migraine. Good luck I used to get them myself. I've been told by a Dr. that my body went through a hormone shift when I got pregnant and that's why I no longer get them. But, I was also told that when I go through menopause I will probably get them again because of that hormone shift! Something to look forward to! Good luck honey!