HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Migraine headache 7 nights in a row

Support Forums
>
Migraine Headache
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 11/25/2012 3:51 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I usually post on the Hepatitis forum as a caregiver and a Co-Moderator.  But here I am today, on the Migraine Forum, for me.

I have suffered with migraine headaches my entire adult life.  They are mostly the same. In the middle of the night I wake up to the pain.  It feels like a knife jabbing in the back of my head and coming out my right eye. I have the typical light and sound sensitivity and the pain is a 10 out of 10.  If I stay still and in the dark I don't get the nausea...but IF I have to carry on...I get the nausea for sure.

I put ice on my neck, a sleep mask over my eyes, and take 1 Butalbital/APAP/Caffeine Tab (Fioricet), lay on my back and pray for sleep to come. 

Generally, in an hour or so I DO fall asleep.

If I am lucky, and it is early enough in the night I get time to sleep the headache off.

In the morning I feel as if I am "hung over" and it takes some time to get going...which isn't so great if I have early meetings. 

In 20 months I have taken 80 pills of the 100 in my last RX (...so I get 4 headaches a month), not bad at all, I can take that.

For about 25 years I have taken a small daily dose of 60 mg propranol and 10 mg of elavil and that has chased the daily migraines away but for basically 1 day a week...maybe a day I was especially stressed, or had chocolate or the odd glass of red wine, or found just that item on the menu that HAS MSG!  (Don't eat the breaded fish at Olive Garden!)

More recently my doc gave me Indomethacin to try.  I have taken 2 capsules and it seemed to work for me the same as the Fioricet...ice, mask, pill, wait, sleep, hangover.

BUT, and this is why I'm posting today.

All of a sudden I have had 7 migraines in 7 days...EVERY NIGHT for a week.

I can't go on like this. Why the change?

The one thing that is different, is that I have just taken a 3 week course of prednasone for bad bronchitis, tapered down 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 5. The last pill was 8 days ago.  Is this now a reaction. Will this settle down. I dread going to bed, hoping the pain will not come back.

Any ideas?  Encouragement that I'm right about the pred and it will get better.

I'm going to have to find a neurologist locally if this goes on.

Thanks for listening,

Mama Lama

Asthma, Migraine, Anxiety

Symbacort

Veramyst

Albuterol

Propranalol

Elavil

Buspar

 

Posted 11/25/2012 1:22 PM (GMT 0)
8 nights in a row.
Posted 11/25/2012 3:01 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,

So sorry to hear you are going through this. I think there is a strong chance this is a reaction to the pred -I get a bad reaction to that too!

I may be wrong but taking pred and indomethacin is not safe because of the effect they both have on your digestive system. If you take indomethacin on its own you need a tummy protector such as lLansoprazole or Omeprazole taken each morning the days you take Indomethacin.

Was it a neuro who diagnosed Migraine for you? It is unusual for Migraine to be purely nocturnal a yours is, so I would strongly advise you to see a Neurologist who is a Headache Specialist ordinary Neuros do not know enough about headache for a differential diagnosis!! Hope this helps.

Take care

Ann
Posted 11/25/2012 3:31 PM (GMT 0)
Ann,

I finished the prednisone a week ago and the migraines started AFTER the taper. I also think the pred is the culprit. I told my pulmonologist I would likely avoid the pred another time...but NOT BREATHING is a problem for me sometimes. Pred has a good/bad side for sure.

I am careful about taking some yogurt when I take the indomethacin. But adding omeprazole is a good idea...I have some on hand.

It was a GP who diagnosed me years ago. and since the small dose of propranalol keeps them at bay (til now) I was satisfied with that diagnosis. Throbbing pain, one sided, light and sound sensitivity. I never thought to question it.

And from time to time I have that odd optical migraine with the zig zag flashing lights on the right side of my vision field.  And can't see to read or anything til that resolves. The optical ones have no pain. I've had that checked out with my opthamologist...no worries he says. I was amazed to see the drawings of the vision...If I could draw, they would be exactly as shown.

But now I think I have to see a Headache specialist...this is difficult. I am 68 and retired. If I was going to a regular job I don't think I could manage...at least not until 10AM!

Thanks again for your prompt reply.

Carol

Posted 11/25/2012 4:20 PM (GMT 0)
From your post, your condition doesn't sound that bad (compared to my case). With little help, I believe you should be able to get on track.

I believe, you are on Elavil because of your anxiety? Please confirm.

Hows your Lifestyle? Weight? Food habits? Other medical issues? From your post, I believe that you have figured out few triggers like MSG, Sulphites and caffeine? May be you need to avoid it completely. You may think that your migraine is under control with Propranolol but it may not be, you may need to switch the medication to say, Verapamil or up the dose of Elavil.

With your weeklong headache, you are the only one who will be able to figure out whats triggering the headache. What did you do for living? How is your posture? In my case, my posture is a massive trigger. I usually work on the laptop and if I sit in front of the laptop for more than 4 hours, its sure to kick migraine. So I started using Life-Flo Magnesium oil to massage my neck. Initially, I thought it will be one more snake oil that I am trying but I was totally surprised at the effect. I am sold at this $9 bottle. Now I massage daily at least once (in addition to oral Mg supplement).

If you have been prescribed, I will ask a switch to Nabumetone instead. Indomethacin, Ibuprofen and Naproxen are pretty bad on your stomach as previous poster has mentioned, Nabumetone is not. If you decide to keep going with indomethacin, be warned you are not supposed to take Omez more than 2 weeks at a stretch and do supplement yourself with B12. At the same time watch for gastric disturbances. You could also ask for some triptan prescription to abort it. It will solve your once-in-a-while problem but not if you have headache 7 days in a row.

The vision issues you mention are auras and you should have a diagnosis of Migraine with Aura. My auras were same as yours but all is contained with Verapamil.

Your final conclusion is pretty on the spot. You need to see a headache specialist.



Now that there are 2 moderators on this thread, can anyone of you help me?
I have made a sticky for migraine forum but response from admin has been, well zero. I requested help from Red_32 from UC forum and she may have posted a question on mods forum but I have not heard yet. This is my last request to post the sticky. If I get response, good enough, otherwise I have nothing to lose. I am doing it only because I have been suffering from this for a while, that cost me job and tons more. I thought if I could help someone, it will be great. I never expected 'such' response from admin, which otherwise is a great forum.
Posted 11/25/2012 4:48 PM (GMT 0)
I take 80 mg of propranalol because they had to bring my dose down...I was getting night terrors and some pretty odd inbetween wake and sleep visions. so they added the little bit of elavil to pump up the anti-migraine effects of the bp med.

My bp is fine. and my migraines have been held at bay for YEARS but for the few break through events I can generally put my finger on the trigger...chocolate is big for me and stress.

The aura stuff is very rare, generally I have no aura with migraine...but if I am going to have a bad one (stress related) I have a certain feeling the day before that tells me it is looking for me...I get especially crabby.

They are not cycle related because I am 68 and long finished with all that -- AND had a hysterectomy in 1984 soo....

I think the trigger for this long episode is the prednisone I took earlier in the month. I've looked that up and it is a sometimes factor with weaning off. I take some HOPE from the fact that last night's headache was a 4 instead of a 10 pain wise and the indomethacin did the trick. I have only taken 3 capsules of that so far, and had no stomach side effects. I always take some yougurt with it. And will add the omiperasol.

Meanwhile, I dread another over night!

Thanks, Mama Lama

PS: I moderate on the hepatitis forum. My partner had a liver transplant about 18 months ago and this is my way of "giving back" as we have received so much help from the forum during this process. Communication with our Administrator is irregular. He works full time, does this forum, and is not well either. He gets to things in his own time. The Hep forum is awsome too. Thanks for your service. Carol
Posted 11/25/2012 8:30 PM (GMT 0)
Why would your cardio stick guns with propranolol? The drug is awesome, no doubt about that but the effects are so, sort of, spread. I wanted it desperately for my migraines but my neuro wouldn't budge. I was in my 'action' years and she was more worried about my libido than migraines (yes, she said that!).
Why would they not put you on something else for BP. There are literally a gang of meds for that.

How long did you take Pred? Did you taper?

Hope you feel good soon.
Posted 11/25/2012 11:21 PM (GMT 0)
Propranalol never prescribed for high BP. My BP is fine.

Propranalol was only every prescribed for migraine, and has done a great job for years..like 20+.

I take Buspar for anxiety. The elavil helps that too I'm sure, but it was to add to the propranalol effects since I could not tolerate a higher does of propranalol.

I took two of those packs of prednisone...one for 7 days that had a lower dosage..like 5mg each,starting at 30 mg day one and tapered to 5 the last day. I was off for 4 days ands started again with the big pack for 12 days, starting at 60 mg the first day. I had horrible side effects with the higher dose, no sleep, very jittery, etc. I tapered but only took a 1/2 pill the last day...I was so done with that. Maybe I tapered too quickly and set this off myself.

I found a neurologist/headache specialist in my town and will call Monday. My PCP is little help. Takes her Medicare reimbursement but does nothing but refer me out to others for care. I sometimes feel like a need a different doc for my left toe and my right toe!!!

Have a nice evening folks,

Mama Lama
Posted 11/26/2012 1:28 PM (GMT 0)
9th day.

Calling DOC this morning.

ML

Posted 11/27/2012 7:14 PM (GMT 0)
Deltaforce's comments about posture are spot on. In my experience, the noturnal headache is often times caused by a swollen disc (compressing a nerve) that simply swells more at night. Likely, you have a pinched nerve at T3 which is just below your neck between your shoulder blades...of course this can easily cause a headache. You need to find a Gonstead chiropractor near you to fix this and I would expect your symptoms to be corrected.
Posture--- need to make sure shoulders are back and head is up at all times. Are you sitting behind a computer during the day? If so, make sure the monitor is at eye level and you are not looking down as this will only make things worse. At night, do you sleep on a big pillow that has your head raised up to high? ideally at night, your posture should be good just like during the day...
I'm sorry to hear of your suffering. I do agree that the prednisone has triggered a reaction in your body but if there wasn't an underlying cause already there, it would have had no effect. It simply aggravated an already bad condition. I do NOT think the answer here is to find more meds... The more meds you are put on, the more toxic your body becomes. Good luck!
Posted 11/27/2012 9:29 PM (GMT 0)
Thx Jason, and YES I do lots of computer work. I try to be careful of posture and scold folks who don't sit correctly.

Interesting thought about the pinched nerve. Must look into that.

I had a better night last night. I took the advice of my PCP who suggested I take an antihistamine at bedtime and one of the Indomethacin caps. I slept through til 6AM when I woke with a tiny headache that left town with a cup off coffee! Well, that was better than the 9 days prior!

Mama Lama
Posted Yesterday 3:48 PM (GMT 0)
10th night in a row. Keeping journal. Back to doc Friday.
Posted Yesterday 7:30 PM (GMT 0)
Annuk posted this on this thread a few days ago.

 If you take indomethacin on its own you need a tummy protector such as lLansoprazole or Omeprazole taken each morning the days you take Indomethacin.

And she was RIGHT.

I had a lot of fresh red blood in my stool this morning and have sworn off Indomethacin forever. 

I'm scared and I have headaches.

So much for Omeprazole helping out.

I read a study that said about .14% of folks who take that med have bloody stools. Lucky me.

Carol

Posted Yesterday 9:47 PM (GMT 0)
You misunderstood.

NSAIDs side effect is hyperacidity, also called as heartburn in the US. Omez blocks this excess acid.

The red blood you saw in the stools is ripping off of your intestinal mucosa. Visit your doc ASAP, you may need to take a short Prednisone course to stop it right away.

This is exactly what happens to me when I take any NSAID, you might try Nabumetone which is good with me so far.
Posted 11/30/2012 5:03 AM (GMT 0)
Night 11...I almost hate to go to bed. It is midnight in my timezone and I'll give it a try. I have been getting about 4 hours of sleep in before IT starts. Please let tonight be different!

Mama Lama
Posted 12/3/2012 8:02 PM (GMT 0)
Due to your location of the migraine, it is a combination of food and allergies. Take two benedryl with your migraine medication and call me in the morning lol!

Ok Now back to seriousness time, write down everything that you put in your mouth food drinks so on for a couple weeks. 2. go to drugs dot com and use the interaction checker to make sure your meds aren't the triggers. 3. Tell your husband to hit you in the head with the iron skillet at bed time (just kidding hehe) for more than 4 hours of sleep.

I get migraines for lack of sleep, some food, some drinks, allergies and long thick hair are my triggers
Posted 12/3/2012 10:00 PM (GMT 0)
SS,

I think you are spot on.

My PCP has recommended I have my bedroom deep cleaned (fan blades, under the bed slats, the comforter, the bed skirt, etc). And has me taking any genertic cold med with phenylphrine 5mg in it twice a day. Especially at bed time. And my regular preventative -- propranalol.

DONE and DONE.

And my food journaling has found that msg, chocolate (especially) and a food additive in some spices that I keep forgetting to check for cause I can't remember the name...in cajun type spices folks use for blackened preparations...I always avoid that preparation and tell them not to put the "fairy dust" or whatever on meat and veggies at some chain restaurants...just plain please!

But I do certainly think the month of prednisone set this off!!! It was awful ON the pred and awful off the pred. I had 11 days of HE**.

Feeling much better the past 2 days. November was a total loss.

Thanks,
Carol

COPD, Asthma, Chronic Lichens Planus, Migraines, Anxiety
Symbacort, Veramyst, Albuterol, Propranalol, Elavil, Buspar and NO MORE PRED for now.
Multivitamin, B12, Fish Oil
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply