Hello. I'm fifteen years old. I've had headaches and migraines since before I was two years old. Sure, I had headaches a few times a week back then, but over four years ago I began to have headaches everyday. So I visited my doctor and within two months I tried; Feverfew, Inderal, Atenalol, Imitrex, and Claritin for my headaches. Finally, my doctor decided that a CT scan was in order. It showed that nothing unusual was going on in my brain. Now, four years later, I still have chronic daily headaches. Last fall I had a really awful Cluster series. I've since then had Toradol, Tylenol #4, and Roxicet. In a few weeks I have to decide whether I want to try Amitriptaline. I have mixed feelings on this and it's giving me some trouble. Some people have recommended the shot form of Toradol. I've heard that it works better.
I just don't know what to do next.
May tomorrow be less painful for each of us.
Melana

Melana
Tuesday, August 27, 2002 at 22:17:02

Hi everybody. I'm still taking the Coenzyme Q10 and my last two migraines have been surprisingly mild. It may be just coincidence, but I'm not about to stop taking it. Also, my GP and I have discovered a treatment that seems to work for me when I do get a migraine, it's Promethazine 50mg and Dihydroergotamine 0.5mg. This is given to me IV, it makes me EXTREMELY dopey and sends me to sleep. I wake up about 10 hours later with no migraine, my brain feels fuzzy, but I'll cop that. I lose 10 hours of my day, but it's better than losing up to 3 days, which is what it was like before.
Please, make sure someone comes to the Doctor with you if you go for this concoction as you CANNOT DRIVE.
Hey, it's helping me, give it a go.
As an added bonus, there's no narcotic element, which makes mee feel more comfortable about having it.
Best of luck to all of you, and if anyone tries either of these methods, or comes up with any more, please let me know how you go.
Stay healthy,
Emma.

Emma <emmaleahnorris@yahoo.com>
Friday, August 23, 2002 at 06:16:02

I have found a book that has made me feel not so alone in the migraine world. "A GUIDED TOUR OF HELL MIGRAINE, IN THE WORDS OF ITS SUFFERERS" BY KRISTINE HATAKh This is a great book to read. You see that you aren't alone and there are so many others out there like us. It also helps you vent your frustration because you aren't the only one hearing the same answers about medications.

TARA THOMPSON <SWPFRECY@AOL.COM>
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 12:24:18

My name is Erin and I am 21 years old. I have been having migraines as long as I can remember. I had my first really bad one when I was 5 years old. I really feel for people who have them every day. I only get them about three times a month, and when I do I just feel like dying would be easier. Migraines run in both sides of my family, but no one in my immediate family has them but me. I think alot of my migraines are caused by stress (people say I'm a worry wart). I've also noticed that I will get one if I don't eat for a long period of time or if I cry alot for some reason. Certain types of cheeses and processed foods will also trigger one. I haven't really noticed a connection with caffeine but I'm trying to drink more water and stay away from the sodas. I always have the same type of migraine. It starts with just a hint of pain behind my left eye, blurred vision, nausea, and I turn as white as a ghost and get super weak. I always have the same terrible pain behind my left eye, and I vomit uncontrollably. I have always had some sort of headache almost every day of my life, but I've learned to deal with those headaches as part of my everyday life; but I just cannot deal with the migraines. I currently take Zomig (in the tablet form) for my migraines, but I can't really tell that it's very effective. Sometimes it helps a little bit if I take one right when I feel that first twinge of pain, but if I don't catch it right away I might as well forget about relief. My doctor prescribed Imitrex at first, but it did not relieve the pain and it made my head and all up and down my spine tingle and burn. With the Zomig I don't have the burning and tingling but it doesn't really help. I still take the Zomig anyway, but I also take Loritab; but it takes forever for that to help any because I can't keep the pills down long enough for enough to get into my system. I end taking way too much medicine to try and get some relief, so even after my migraine is over I feel like a walking zombie. I have thought about trying something in a shot form since I can't seem to hold down a pill for longer than five minutes. All I can do when I get a migraine is go to bed as quick as possible, put a cold ice pack over my eye, and lay as still as possible (when I'm not throwing my guts up) in a pitch dark room while my head throbs and feels like its going to blow off. I've tried just about everything with absolutely no success- muscle rub, banana peels, and those stupid Migraine Ice strips you're supposed to stick on your head just to name a few. Migraines really interfere with my personal life and my job. I work in the accounting field, and when I get a migraine I just can't function; especially when I spend all day looking at rows and rows of fine print and numbers. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

Erin <erinb107@hotmail.com>
Tuesday, August 20, 2002 at 15:42:53

I am 24 years old. I got diagnosed when I was 18. Since then it has been a living hell. I have been married for 2 year this November and I have a 7 month old baby boy. I have been to numerous amounts of doctors and it doesn't seem to be getting me any relief. I take about 20 to 30 pills a day for the migraines. But as I have been told there are no such cases of migraines everyday, so it can't be. I have decided if the doctors haven't read it in a book it doesn't exist. It is all in my head or I'm doing something to make myself have these migraines everyday. I have sensitivity to light, to sound, to smells, to voices, I could cry at the drop of the hat. Sometimes I think taking out part of my brain would be easier. No one around you can begin to understand you or how come it affect every aspect of your life. When the pain does go away you don't even notice until it comes back. And it is usually is worse. So as soon as the pain begins you know what is to come and everything about you changes. My next question is when you ask a doctor about a drug you read about and done some research on, why don't they listen to you, you know your own body they don't. If anyone would like to talk just e-mail me I'm always around.

TARA THOMPSON <SWPFRECY@AOL.COM>
Thursday, August 15, 2002 at 21:35:13

Hi, I have been suffering from migraines since I was 8 years old. I am now 32, married, no children. My doctors always told my mother that I would grow out of it - HA! I am 32, will I still grow out of it? I exercise 4-5 times per week. Watch what I eat, drink tons of water & basically live a healthy lifestyle. I take midrin right now, but I hate it because it makes me a zombie & I have a very good position in a Food Service company that requires me to be alert & socialble with customers, as well as aggressive. These things are all very hard to do when you are a zombie from pain or a zombie from meds. I really hate the time that I am robbed of when these attacks come on. I wake up with them, I get flashing lights before hand, I get floaters in my eyes sometimes. And the very bad ones make my legs feel like they weigh 500 lbs. each & I vomit. I run 2.5 miles every morning, and when I have a migraine I can barely walk up a flight of stairs! It is so maddening!Midrin only works for a while, they come back the next day, and this can go on for a week!!! I am glad that there is a site like this, I can at least vent! I have been to numerous doctors & the only thing that seems to work is a shot of Voltaren & a prescription of pethdine & then I go to bed. but you can't live your life running to the Doctor every month for a shot, and then pop morphine until it disappears! So I am looking for other answers, can someone please help!

Jennifer Blankenship <jblankenship@bahamafood.com>
Thursday, August 15, 2002 at 16:02:57

I'M LOOKING FOR SUPPORT GROUPS IN JACKSON MISSISSIPPI. If any of you know of one would please post contact number or email

thank you
Mark

Mark Doyle <dancing1234@comcast.net>
Tuesday, August 13, 2002 at 16:18:10

Hi everyone. I'm not a suffer like the rest of you and you have my complete understanding and compassion. I wish I could cure this horrible illness. But I have a friend who does. Can anyone testify to the efficacy of BOTOX.
Thank you
Mark Doyle

mark doyle <dancing1234@comcast.net>
Tuesday, August 13, 2002 at 16:11:29

Hello everyone!

I am so glad I found this site, I didn't realize so many people have the same problem I do. It's a relief to know I'm not alone.

I've had migraines my entire life, 28 yrs now, even when I was a little kid. The first one I can remember was when I was 6 yrs old. My mother thinks I had them as a baby because I would scream forever and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. They seemed to stop in my teenage years, but returned when I was 19. My mother has had them all her life too. I am concerned with having children, becase 1) I don't want to pass this on to a poor child and 2) I do not want my own to get any worse.

I have tried everything from drugs to herbs to reflexology. The drugs help for a while, but my body adapts to them. I have found the most relief in Feverfew and Primrose Oil. I've had a migraine - well that "migraine" precurser that you know will eventually blow up, for the past 5 weeks!! I have gone through 3 Rx's and finally began my herbs again and I am beginning to get relief, hopefully it will last.

I can only hope that the future will bring a "cure" or better meds/therapy to relieve this condition.

Denielle <DJ926@hotmail.com>
Tuesday, August 13, 2002 at 11:39:36

Dear Zuzu,
I am an RN. I have used Duragesic in the past and it worked very well!!!!!!!!!
VERY IMPORTANT- Never apply tegaderm,bioclusive, or any other type of synthetic material over the patch. It can intensify the release of the duragesic quickly and you could receive an overdose. It is the same idea that you don't want to apply heat to the patch. You are not allowing air flow to area and therefore creating a hot house which intensifies the heat and release of this potent medicine.
If you are going to use tape ask your pharmacist and tell him what it is for. Paper tape is the only type that I know is safe but I know that does not work very well. I'm sure there is something your doctor or pharmacy can suggest.
Take Care,
Good Luck!
gino

zuzu
Monday, August 12, 2002 at 23:46:31

Hi there! firstly I would like to say this a great website and I didnt relise how many people suffer from mirgraines/headaches.

Im am 25 years old, and I have had headaches and mirgraines since I was young. Im not sure what causes them, I did have a very bad car accident when I was 12 years old and I was in a coma for 6 weeks. I had to learn all over again, I had brain damage.

My mother and my grand mother both get mirgraines, also my dad. I didnt really know how serious a mirgraine was. I normally start off with a headache, on the left side of the skull.

I hate taking drugs, and I wish it will disappear but most of the time it doesnt. By then its too late, a migraine arises.

The pain in my head throbs, pain behind my eyes. Every pulse it hurts. Sometimes I make myself vomit, and it goes away. Sometimes the light hurts, and especially smell of a perfume. I actually brought a new one the other day, and it set off a migraine, my girlfriend got the perfume instead. My headaches have been more frequent.

I recently had my worst mirgraine of all. Ive never had it so bad, I ended up going to the emergency room for a needle in the back and two tablets. within 30 minutes I was fine. Since then I have been prescribed with a drub cause Maxolon and Ibuprofen. I take them straight away, any signs of a headache or migraine. They have been good so far, until they fail.

When does it end. Thanks for listening.

Jade Summers <jadestoneau@hotmail.com.au>
Sunday, August 11, 2002 at 08:09:31

Hi, everyone! I'm not going to leave a long post. I'm 48, have been having migraines for the past 23 years. They started out gradually with only a few a month until they became very frequent.

Over the years, they changed from migraines to chronic daily headaches plus breakthrough migraines. I am now on diablity and take numerous preventative and abortive drugs.

My main reason for writing to you guys is to direct ya'll to the discussion forums at this site. Just go to Discussion then click on the top discussion group.

These people are really great! You can ask questions about anything from medications to applying to Social Security Disability. You can ask for support. You can just vent.

The group has an unbelievable amount of compassion as well as knowledge. Hope you will take advantage of this portion of Ronda's website! Wendy

Wendy Powers <winrat2002@yahoo.com>
Thursday, August 8, 2002 at 18:08:23

I don't know if this will apply to anyone else, but after suffering with such severe headaches for YEARS and being 4 days short of having to quit my job because of the inability to function- I have cured myself! I'm still on the mend from all of the side effects of everything else I have been on- but my headaches are gone. I could strangle myself and all my doctors for all the wasted days, the drugs, the doctor visits, the surgeries and all the pain.
First my headaches: I usually woke up with them, but not always. Sometimes they would just last for a day, but I have had one as long as a week. They were a pounding throb from the base of my skull, through my head to behind one of my eyes. It wasn't particular, it would switch sides sometimes. I was light, smell and noise sensitive and would spend entire weekends sleeping and come home from work and do absolutely nothing. I was a walking zombie. The fatigue was unbearable. Sometimes I would get nauseated, but not often. I had taken so much time off work, that I was going to have to quit because I didn't have any time left to take.
I was seeing four differnt doctors for the same problem (general practitioner, ENT, Sleep Doctor and Neurologist). I did suffer from chronic sinusitis which I had a surgery for several years ago. The sinus infections stopped, but the headaches didn't. I've been on every perscription and over the counter sinus medication available. I even tried the whole foods mart "sinus pot" cleanser. However, the headaches continued and I had two more sinus surgeries to try and "fix it"- to no avail. So, my ENT suggested I have a sleep study done because he had heard that a condition called sleep apnea could cause morning headaches. Despite the study not showing any apnea, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea for which I wear a CPAP machine at night. To try and alievate the sleep apnea, a 4th surgery was done (UP3) which removed my tonsils,uvula and soft tissue in my throat. That was the most painful 2 week recovery I have ever been through. However, even after that, I still woke up with headaches. I was then sent to a neurologist. He perscribed me a narcotic pain reliever (that didn't work) and amitriptiline (sp?), an anti-depressant that is supposed to work on headaches. The catch was that it may not "kick in" for months. My sleep study doctor perscribed me Provigil (the new "awake" drug). It is promoted as not having side effects- they lie. I felt like I had 17 cups of coffee and was puking or dry heaving every 5 minutes. So, not only did I have a headache, I was a puking, alert zombie. A baffling mix. On my own, I did a food elimination diet. I still had headaches.
Finally, my head got to hurting so bad one night while I was trying to go to sleep, I flung my pillow across the room and slept without it. The next morning- no headache. I sat there for 10 minutes waiting for one- like it was some cruel joke. Nothing came. I actually felt awake and had no pain. I thought it was a fluke, so I continued to sleep without a pillow. Still no headaches. Just be be sure it wasn't the medications that had fixed it- I stopped them. No headaches. I could just cry. All that time, pain and wasted life over a freakin' PILLOW!! The doctors can only guess as to what it was. One says it must have been the angle that it put my head in, causing muscle stress or blocked blood flow. Another says I must have an intollerance to pressure on the back of my neck and skull. Yet another said I must have been allergic to the fibers in the pillow. WHO CARES! I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE HEADACHES!!! It's a bit strange not sleeping with anything under my head, but it's a trade off I will take.
I don't know how many of you have the same types of headaches that I did, but if yours are similar to what I had, it may be very worth flinging that pillow away tonight!

Heather Reeves

Heather Reeves <Heather.Reeves@tyc.state.tx.us>
Thursday, August 8, 2002 at 12:12:26

Both Marielle & Karlee wrote about wanting to start families soon. For what it's worth, the migraines are one of the biggest reasons why I never had kids. On the one hand, I knew I would not have available baby sitters to take over several times per week during a headache, and on the other hand migraines are about 50% inherited.
If having children is something you really want to do for yourselves, then go for it. But, if some idiot is pressuring you to get pregnant because "the migraines get better during pregnancy" (like one of my idiot neurologists told me), then smack them upside the head so they can get an idea of what a migraine feels like and remind them that 10-20% of the population has migraine variants now because over the centuries young women were told "the headaches get better during pregnancy".
(A couple of idiot co-workers tried to talk me into getting pregnant because they decided that the stress of working full time was the cause of the headaches. What ever happened to the idea of having children simply for the sake of having children?)
Anyway, enough of my preaching. Use your own judgement.

Marilyn <Marilyn.jess@pressenter.com>
Wednesday, August 7, 2002 at 11:04:29

Dear Racingacademy: I have posted a few times on this site. I, too, believe that diet and exercise can help people who suffeer from migraines. In my particular case, the elimination of caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, MSG and salt have helped me in decreasing the frequency/duration of the headache. Again, it is not a remedy that will help all migraine sufferers, but a change in diet may help some. Jay.

Jay
Monday, August 5, 2002 at 21:24:34