Any migraine headache sufferers out there?
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » EDS Lounge

free skin care · Sun Jan 14, 2007 9:40 pm

I am getting migraines since my 30s. I was even hospitalized a couple times (cluster migraines). Imitrex never worked for me. Maxalt-MLT does work!
Another thing that now works for me, is massaging the acupressure points on the top of my head. My DH does it for me (he is a doctor), and it usually helps. Sometimes it wouldn't take a 100% of the pain away, but it would diminish it considerably. Only a couple of times it didn't work at all. He used to massage the acupressure points on my hands and temples, and it usually didn't work.

free skin care · Sun Jan 14, 2007 11:31 pm

SO going to try and get my mits on Maxalt-MLT

I HATE having 3 day headaches/migranes/whatever you want to call them.

free skin care · Mon Jan 15, 2007 8:02 am

I too experience migraines (since my early teens). Crying or Very sad

I take Imitrex each time one come on which is now about a couple of times a month. It seems chocolate and hard cheeses trigger mine. GNC has a supplement called Migraplex. I find that my migraines are less in intensity.

free skin care · Mon Jan 15, 2007 8:41 am

It's so interesting for me to read about everyone else's experience with migraines, since I've been suffering from them for so long! Like others mentioned, a lot of my migraines are either menstrual (start a day before my period and then last for 3 days or more, ugh!), or they come when I over-exert myself physically. However, since my last post in this thread 7 months or so ago, I've still been using maxalt-MLT and I still love it! Getting off of Birth Control really helped with the period migraines too, so if anyone suffers from those it might be worth talking to your gyno...

free skin care · Mon Jan 15, 2007 8:55 am

I never thought about the BC pills. I'll have to talk to my doctor about getting off of them next time I see her. Thanks for the tip!

Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:30 am

I agree with Manslayerliz, it is very interesting to here how many of us have migraines. I wish massages would fix my migraines, but unfortunately it makes it worse. Rats. I have a trigger point along the side of my right shoulder blade. When I push on it,(or have someone else massage it) the pain shoots up my neck across my head and into my tongue----how weird is that???
I used to wish that the trigger point could be taken out surgically, or numbed with a permanent lidocaine injection. But honestly, since Istarting the Vitamin B2 400mg daily, not only has my headaches diminished greatly, but the sensitivity of the trigger point is greatly decreased too!!

Does anybody else have trigger points that give them problems? And if you do, is there anything topical that you rub on them to make them hurt less?

Thanks everyone. I guess in this case, the old saying is correct......."misery loves company". It certainly makes me feel better to know that I am not the only one battling these painful, life altering headaches.---beth

Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:36 am

Now I know why my "11" is so prominent and hard to minimize---I've been grimacing for 23 years! Confused

--beth

PS sorry for the mispelled words and poor grammer in the last message. I took a phone call and hit the "submit" button without proof reading.......good grief, almost as bad as my kids.

free skin care · Fri Jan 19, 2007 3:13 pm

Yesterday I had an appointment with a new neurologist concerning my migraines. She told me that a lot of her patients are taking "Migrelief" with very good results. She also told me that instead of taking "Migrelief" I can take the following:
Fever Few - 100mg
Magnesium - 300mg
Vitamin B2 - 400mg.

free skin care · Fri Jan 19, 2007 7:10 pm

I was diagnosed with migraines in 1976 ... and have battled them ever since.

Initially when I'd have a bad attack, I'd go to the ER and get a shot of demoral [?sp?] and a shot of gravol. This combination didn't get rid of my migraine ... but for 7 hours I didn't care! Laughing

The doctors at the time seemed to consider migraines to be a "nervous disorder" ... because they prescribed valium for me. That never worked either ... but I got addicted to valium ... Crying or Very sad

I suffered migraines that lasted from a few hours to a couple of weeks ... and it was very depressing.

I noted all my triggers ... or so I thought. Nothing helped.

Then a few years ago, they came up with the triptan drugs ... Imitrex, Amerge etc. Imitrex didn't work for me ... but Amerge did. I've since tried other drugs but nothing worked better than Amerge so I've stuck with that.

My husband owns his own business ... so I don't have a drug plan. Amerge costs $105 for a package of 6 pills ... which seems cheap when I have a migraine. However, up until a couple of years ago, I was going through a package of 6 every 7 to 10 days! Rolling Eyes

When I went on the Atkins Diet ... I discovered something I found almost revolutionary! My Amerge package lasted me a month ... SUGAR was one of my triggers! All these years I'd never been able to isolate sugar [and those things that convert to sugar] as a migraine trigger.

Now ... I still get about 6 migraines a month ... some months I get more ... some months I get less ... but it's still a 75% improvement.

About once every year or so, I get a whopper that doesn't respond to the Amerge ... and I have to go to the ER. I can't recall what they give me there ... but whatever it is, it usually works.

I had hoped that menopause would cut out most of my migraines. It didn't. Crying or Very sad

However, they are far more manageable now ... providing I watch my sugar intake ... and if the weather isn't too volatile [I have barometric pressure triggers as well.]

I also have smell triggers ... and get instant migraines from people who wear certain types of perfumes ... or too much perfume/cologne.

Migraines are something that you need to "manage" ... it's an on-going battle. Smile

Mary

free skin care · Fri Jan 19, 2007 7:34 pm

I'd had migraines since I was 7 years old. It would start to build over 2-3 days, then crescendo with debilitating pain, blindness and vomiting. Then 2 days of feeling "wrung out" and just weak and sick. Took BC powders like a "grown-up" even at 7. Nothing ever worked for me. My mom had them, as well. And, as I'd read that they're hereditary, I thought there was nothing I could do but suffer. Then, four years ago I read that headaches, and migraines in particular, are one of the signs of Magnesium deficiency (Interestingly so are wrinkles, but I digress). I thought "What the heck. Nothing else has ever worked." I have been migraine-free ever since. I would recommend trying Magnesium supplements. If they don't work, you haven't lost anything. But, if they do......

Ari

free skin care · Fri Jan 19, 2007 8:28 pm

Hi Ari,

I also read that article ... and have been taking Magnesium supplements ever since ... and while they might be helping, the magnesium certainly hasn't taken my migraines away. Crying or Very sad

I suspect that it helps with some of my food-related triggers though ...

There's still so much they don't know about migraines ... and so many different varieties. For instance, some people get vivid auras prior to a migraine. I never have. Some people get physically ill during an attack ... but while I feel some nausea ... I have never thrown up with a migraine. Some people get cluster migraines ... I don't. For some migraines I have to be in a dark room and I have to lie down. For the migraines that wake me up in the middle of the night, however, I can't lie down. I have to get rid of those sitting up ... lying down only makes them worse.

Some people just have food triggers ... some people have food triggers, noise triggers, light triggers, smell triggers, barometric pressure triggers ...

What's more, the migraines I get now are different from those I had as a younger woman. While I wasn't diagnosed until 1976, I'd had migraines since I was a youngster ... but since I've also worn glasses since I was 6, I assumed that what were migraines were "eye strain" headaches.

However, the magnesium difficiency is a good point ... I had forgotten about that one.

Mary

Sat Jan 20, 2007 5:29 pm

This thread is excellent. I thought that the Triptans were the end all to be all for migraine pain relief. They certainly were a god-send for me. But unfortunately I took one almost everyday for the last 3 years, and they are sooo expensive. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I started taking Vitamin B2 400mg a day, everyday and the results were amazing. Down to 2 headaches a weak!!!. Now after reading all the great info on this thread, I have added Feverfew and Magnesium. I am hopeful that my migraines will be even less frequent. Pray

I am also hoping that the magnesium will help my wrinkles too!!! Very Happy

--beth

free skin care · Sat Jan 20, 2007 6:57 pm

Candy, my boyfriend gets migraines. It's terrible. I've seen him inject himself with Imitrex. Looks just awful. I will try this recipe on him next time if we're still together. (We got in to a fight today.)

Candy8865 wrote:

I, luckily do not have to endure these. My heart goes out to you and other sufferers. My sister gets them pretty frequently & severe.

I had been doing some reading on essential oils for unrelated reasons and kept coming across Rosemary to help lessen or stop migraines.

I combined Grapeseed oil, jojoba oil & the Rosemary in a roller style bottle (normally used for lip glosses), you give it a good shake to mix it up well & roll it onto your pulse points when you feel 1 coming on. I made several, for all the women around me who get them (do men get these too? i've never heard 1 say he did Confused

) Good reports back so far. But none of them had a whopper hit since I've given it to them.

Something is better than nothing. The pain sounds tremendous. Maybe something to think about?

Sun Jan 21, 2007 12:59 pm

My heart goes out to everyone who gets them, but I am glad I am in such fine company. Laughing

Mine arrive with the aura, the flashing lights or stars, partial (temporary) vision loss, nausea, the intense throbbing pounding pain, etc. Sleeping is impossible when I have one; other times they will wake me up in the middle of the night. Weirdly enough, a few times I've had all the symptoms (plus light-headed dizziness) but without the pain--that really scared me to death the first time it happened but I was told that despite the absence of pain it was not a tumor, rather a migraine.

A few months ago I had one at work and was lying on the cold pavement outside the office attempting to get some relief. My boss brought me two large peppermint teas that she got me to drink on the spot and some peppermint essential oil to roll all over my head and temples, etc. It did not get rid of it completely but it did take the edge off in a huge way so that it became bearable. It seemed to provide some relief yesterday for my sister too.

I hadn't heard about Vitamin B2 either so will definitely give that a try. I've tried the Fever Few with little success but not combined with B2 and Magnesium. Thanks so much for sharing that.

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.