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Headaches Daily - Migranes @ 2X week

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Migraine Headache
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Posted 8/31/2006 6:45 PM (GMT 0)

I have had severe and frequent migranes since I was 12, I'm 29 now. I have taken every migrane medicine under the sun.  The neurologist put me on Elavil 25mg once a day. She wants to up it to 50mg but 25mg already knocks me out. My daughter (10) also has migranes and she also is on elavil (10mg once a day).  It doesn't seem to help me really.  The neurologist told me I was not to take any more excedrine, BC Powder, Tylenol nothing!  She said they cause rebound headaches.  Well I haven't taken those things but the headaches haven't stopped either.  The only thing I have found that even puts a dent in a migrane is one vicoprofen. I dont take it for regular headaches only migranes, and that isnt every day and I only take 1, but the neurologist refuses to write me a script because she said they are addicting.  Any sugestions on what else I can do?

Posted 9/1/2006 5:40 PM (GMT 0)
If your neurologist isn't trying anything else, it might be time to look for a new neurologist - preferably one who specializes in headaches. There are dozens of preventive medicines for chronic and migraine headaches, and the only way to find out what works for you is experimentation. If you don't get benefits, or can't handle the side effects, of one med, try another.

If finding a headache specialist isn't a possibility, follow the posts here and read archives to get names of medicines people have had success with and suggest them to your neurologist. If she isn't a headache specialist, she may not go much beyond Elavil or a couple of other tried and true headache drugs which have worked for lots of people. Well, that's great, but if they're not working for you, it's time to try something else. For me, it's been Topamax -- but lots of people can't tolerate its side effects.

I think the National Headache Foundation or American Council on Heachache Education has a list of specialists on their website - try googling them.

Good luck, to both you and your daughter.

Mark
Posted 9/3/2006 5:43 AM (GMT 0)

Hi C,

I' ve had cronic headaches for 11 years now and I've also tryed every migrane/headache medizine invented, only nothing ever worked. I learned in these 11 years that neurologists are not the right doctors to go to if anybody is in a situation like mine. It is at first of course to discard any tumors, etc. but if "everything is fine", yeah right! it's time to look a different way. Neurologists are head specialists that are never gonna deal with the problem (because they don't know it) but with the symptoms, because in their head your head has nothing. They r gonna tell u it's stress, tension, ..........and never gonna say: u know what, your head is ok so whatever is wrong with u is somewhereelse, u need to see a different doctor. How can they tell u u r ok when our body has hundreds of different organs, functions, etc, and they've only seen our head. I would love to sue them.

Headaches can be caused by million reasons: allergies, food intolerance (which is very different), constipation, heart conditions, sun sensibility, eye problems, teeth problems, and the list would never end.

I personally think a neurologist can help u deal with the symptoms while u find what's wrong in ur body, especially when the only thing the neurologist cares about is to dope u and doesn't really understand or wants to what ur going thru. Right now m going to a really good general physician and he is checking everything in my body one step at a time and we are also working together on finding headaches triggers and non-triggers. I have learned though that the doctor (whichever doctor gets to really help me) can't do it all on his own, I have to help myself too on this journey, otherwise, i'tll never happen.

PS (have u had ur heart checked for a PFO?, u may find the information below interesting?

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/8/prweb422569.htm

good luck!!!

E

Posted 9/4/2006 1:26 AM (GMT 0)
I am having non stop migraines, or at least 2 1/2 weeks out of a month stright migraines. I'm thinking it's hormonal and really don't know what can be done about it. I am currently on 75mg of topamax once a day. then I take execdrin migraine when needed, may as well not take it doesn't help. I get really sick to my stomach, light senative, sound just the whole nine yards.

I have an appt. to see my neurologist Sept 6th he want's to talk to me to see what's going on and why I am having so many migraines. I had brain surgery 4 years ago, due to scar tissue on my brain which was causing seizures, the migraines are not related, so they tell me and I really don't think they are. however sometimes I do think maybe the skull is pressing down on a nerve, could be the way the skull healed, who knows, I'm in pain that's what count's right now.

mercyme
Posted 9/6/2006 3:00 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all for the advice.  I have never had my heart checked.  I have had MRI's CAT scans X-Ray's the whole nine yards and they say they see nothing.  I have changed doctors a few times and Im on my 3rd neuro because no one can help me. Or they don't seem to know how to.
Posted 9/9/2006 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
i also suffer from weekly migraine"s and daily headaches and feel very let down by my G.P who makes me feel like i"m lying when i say how painful they are, i went to a conferance in london at the wk/end and found the talk by the london migaine clinic very helpfull
Posted 9/12/2006 12:03 PM (GMT 0)

I have been successfully using Rizatriptan 10 mg and Naproxen Sodium to stop the attack as soon as it begins. This has proved to be very effective for me 90% of the time. The drug Rizatriptan is not very expensive in India where I live. The only side effect of this combination is drowsiness which can be tackled and is a small price to pay for killing the attack. Just to let you know I have suffered from migraine for 20+ years and its only now that I have found this way to stop the attack. Also tried Topamax to prevent migraines but it did not work. I get about 2 to 3 per week.

Try this and let me know how it works.

Good luck.

Posted 9/12/2006 7:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hello since you are having a lot of migraines you may want to consult a Dr in the ear nose and throat specialty you may have sinus or other sinus induces migraines from hormonal imbalance that look like plain migraines. A sinus specialist could help you since many women suffer with hormonally induced sinus problems quite often but the sinus problems go unnoticed and the migraines go unwarranted as sinus related migraines. I hope all goes well with you take care
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