Migraines

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
My sister has them and she swears by ginger tea
When she feels one coming on she makes her tea

measurments i don't know

she'll grate fresh ginger root and put into hot water
 
I had migraines very badly in my teens. sometimes they were unrelenting for over a week :( and I certainly lost a day a week regularly. when i was 17 my wisdom teeth were removed and the migraines stopped. Only in the last few years have I had the occasional migraine again.

Good luck finding a good control method to you all.
 
Topomax is a daily med that you can take to prevent migraines. It does seem to work pretty well. I've used it in the past.
 
As far as meds go, one that sis takes is imitrex

Yes but the problem with imitrex is you do grow immune to it. After some time it wan't help at all.
 
For those of you who have not been able to find relief from recurring head pain, please consider that it might not be migraine but cluster headache. They are not the same, and meds that work for migraine will not work for cluster headache. HTH.
 
I get headaches daily. Sadly, they can all be cured with my prescription migraine pills that are $40 for 6. Rarely do I have tension headaches and I think a lot of them are caused by my back/neck. Estrogen was the culprit many years ago when I would have excruciating daily migraines, emergency room visits at 3 am for shots, etc. Once I visited a neurologist he decided to take me off the pill and the migraines went away...sort of.

I have one now, but it's just a little one that is tolerable. Anymore I think I get full blown migraines a couple times a month.

Angie, you might consider contacting the manufacturer, or asking your doctor to - many pharmaceutical companies now offer programs to help people who can't afford the meds they need. It's worth a shot :)
 
Angie, you might consider contacting the manufacturer, or asking your doctor to - many pharmaceutical companies now offer programs to help people who can't afford the meds they need. It's worth a shot :)

That is a good idea. I'll give it a try. I can't imagine what the cost would be WITHOUT insurance!! Thanks!

ETA: From CVS.com

MAXALT MLT 10 MG TAB
g_rule_cccccc.gif

Quantity: 3
g_spacer.gif
Price: $74.59Quantity: 12
g_spacer.gif
Price: $298.99
 
Last edited:
That is a good idea. I'll give it a try. I can't imagine what the cost would be WITHOUT insurance!! Thanks!

ETA: From CVS.com

MAXALT MLT 10 MG TAB
g_rule_cccccc.gif

Quantity: 3
g_spacer.gif
Price: $74.59Quantity: 12
g_spacer.gif
Price: $298.99

:) MAXALT MLT is also known as this
[SIZE=+1]Rizatriptan Benzoate Oral disintegrating tablet[/SIZE]
What is this medicine?
RIZATRIPTAN is used to treat migraines with or without aura. An aura is a strange feeling or visual disturbance that warns you of an attack. It is not used to prevent migraines.
This medicine may be used for other purposes; ask your health care provider or pharmacist if you have questions.
 
There are different kinds of migraines, and they are caused by different things. I get what my doctor said are called "Classic Migraines." I lose part of my vision, sometimes I see sparkles, once I got sick to my stomach. Then about 20 minutes after I lose part of my vision I get the headache. The doctor said the blood vessels to the eyes close up, then after about 20 minutes they open, causing the headache. He prescribed some pills, which I had to take after the headache started.

Then I started reading about it and found out that Niacin keeps the blood vessels open (also helping with cholesterol), so I tried it. I used to get a migraine every week or two. Now I get one every year or two, if that. I buy the non-flushing Niacin capsules at WalMart. They only cost a few dollars and have done wonders for me.

:)Barbara
 
There are different kinds of migraines, and they are caused by different things. I get what my doctor said are called "Classic Migraines." I lose part of my vision, sometimes I see sparkles, once I got sick to my stomach. Then about 20 minutes after I lose part of my vision I get the headache. The doctor said the blood vessels to the eyes close up, then after about 20 minutes they open, causing the headache. He prescribed some pills, which I had to take after the headache started.

Then I started reading about it and found out that Niacin keeps the blood vessels open (also helping with cholesterol), so I tried it. I used to get a migraine every week or two. Now I get one every year or two, if that. I buy the non-flushing Niacin capsules at WalMart. They only cost a few dollars and have done wonders for me.

:)Barbara

Thanks Barbara.. I might have to give that a try! At this point, I'll try just about anything.. Do you take it each day, or only when you are getting a headache/migraine?
 
I've been experiencing classical migraine symptoms since I was 7. (That first one...I thought I was going blind, it was that scary). Headache is typically on only one side of my head, and that pain is preceeded by strange auras of light and loss of peripherial vision on the opposite side. The light show lasts about 20 minutes, starting from a flicker until it grows, almost blocking out everything in my line of sight. It ends as slowly as it builds. The pain can be bad enough to be nauseating to hardly noticable. In my case, it's entirely hormone level related. Birth control pills and pregnancy brought the headaches on almost daily. I don't take anything for them except the ocassional aleve.
 
Then I started reading about it and found out that Niacin keeps the blood vessels open (also helping with cholesterol), so I tried it. I used to get a migraine every week or two. Now I get one every year or two, if that. I buy the non-flushing Niacin capsules at WalMart. They only cost a few dollars and have done wonders for me.

:)Barbara
This is really interesting, Barbara. I do get little headaches when I get overheated in the sun, but they go away quickly as soon as I cool down. Since I've started on high-dose Niacin for cholesterol, I haven't had a single one, but I hadn't put the 2 together. Thanks for this. I have a friend who suffers from headaches and I'm going to pass this on.
 
It could be tension headaches. I should probably do what was suggested and start logging possible triggers that set the headaches off. But usually I get them from when I wake up, so it's not as simple as say, eating something and then I get it an hour later. It's rare that I'm already up and it comes on. I know it's not my BP. Every year when I go to the doctor it's the same: 110-114/70-74. The last time I mentioned my headaches to the doctor, he didn't really give me a succinct answer as to what could be the cause, he just prescribed me vicodin. Maybe I should see another doctor.
 
Thanks Barbara.. I might have to give that a try! At this point, I'll try just about anything.. Do you take it each day, or only when you are getting a headache/migraine?
Every morning. You will want to try the non-flushing capsules and not just regular tablets. They weren't that big a problem, but when you first start taking the regular ones they can cause you to turn kind of red, and you might get an intense itch (especially wherever there is pressure, like elastic, or your rear if you are sitting, etc.) that will last for 5-20 minutes. Once you have taken it for a week or so, this usually stops. With the non-flushing capsules, you don't get that at all.

I did stop taking it for awhile, but then I started getting migraines again, and my cholesterol was up, so I take them every day now.

:)Barbara
 
That's what I thought too! It really was scary!

:)Barbara

How old were you? I remember it like it was yesterday. I was in second grade. It was during recess. At the time I was in the parochial school, taught by nuns. I started crying and tried to explain what was happening. I got yelled at and then sent to the nurse. She yelled at me and then called my mother. By the time she got there, the lights had ended, but the headache was awful.
It wasn't until I was much older that I connected the lights with the headache and longer still before I connected it with hormonal increases.
 
Ironchef, if what you have are tension headaches may I suggest you look at massage to help? I tend to clench/grind my teeth and it causes all the muscles in my neck to tighten up giving me nasty headaches. The massage (once every six weeks) is a lifesaver and has really helped the frequency. If they are migraines, well I have never had success with Imitrex, but I take Cafergot (ergotamine and caffiene) with a chaser of Maxeran (anti nauseant) and it works within the hour. The cafergot works by constricting the blood vessels that have dilated huge (which causes the blindness, pain etc). It does have the nasty side effect of making you nauseated and if gravol works for you try that with the cafergot.

Vera and Barbara, reading your posts was like reading my own life. (Wow was that a messed up sentence) Anyway...I was in grade 8 and went blind for a few minutes then the pain hit. WOW! I thought I had a brain tumour and was dying too. Also, when I was pregnant I had a migraine every week to 10 days until I was over 30 weeks. And all they let you take is Tylenol. HA! Thats like throwing tic tacs in the ocean to change its flavour. I'm down to about 1 or 2 a year now. I've discovered that commercial red wine, aspartame and most dark green veggies in larger quantities are triggers for me. I've worked around those and life is MUCH better now.
 
How old were you?...
Fortunately I was older. I was around 25. If I had been younger I wouldn't have had the resources to investigate it and find something a lot cheaper than the medicine the doctor prescribed, and that prevented them rather than having to wait for the headache to hit. My doctor said that although they can happen at any age (he got them also), they are very common during the "child raising" years, as they are pretty stressful. You think? :-p

:)Barbara
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom