UC and Migraines?

Does anyone that has UC suffer from migraines as well? How do you deal with them? Are they connected? How do you deal with them?

I get migraines as well. I would also get them after my b12 injections.

Bananagirl.... Have you tried sublingual b12? If so do you get migraines with them? I stopped the shots but have thought of trying methyl b12 sublingual.

My migraines have also been hormonal and weather related. Other triggers for me have been lack of sleep or eating as well as neck problems.

My guess is that if you are prone to migraines UC can wear you down so that migraines increase in frequency. Meds I'm sure can also play a role.

I try to get extra rest, take Tylenol and have recently been prescribed muscle relaxers.

I had terrible migraines while on high doses of prednisone. I'm down to one a day now so it's been a while since I've had one. I dunno if that helps but I hope you get to feeling better!

I had a a headache since late May. Everyday and night I have a headache. Now I get a migraine every few days. Usually they aren't so bad. But I get auras and that's when I get nasty migraines and can't do anything for days. I have never experienced bad head aches except when I would get a head cold. I never took anything for them before now. I am now taking Axert at the beginning of an aura and take 90 mg of codeine a day. I have no new drugs that started getting the migraines. No new diet changes but I did start decreasing my Imuran. That is the only change I made could that start the headaches?

I get an occasional migraine. Both my mom and I have weather changes as a trigger. They start out as sinus headaches then morph into migraines. Being water or chemically dehydrated will also trigger mine. I have thrown up from them. I've never gotten them with such frequency to persue a solution via a doctor. If its sinus triggered, I'll use some Afrin (awful for you, use sparringly) and two Excedrin Migraine (contains NSAIds, bad for UC). If its dehydration triggered I'll water or gatorade up, take an electrolyte pill, and Excedrine.

My mom has a script for Topamax for prevention. She also loves Advil Congestion Relief. Of course, she does not have UC. I've had mine per and post UC so no help there.

I don't anyone else has complained about migraine more than I have on this board. If you search, you will figure out.

We are different gender so the case/solutions may be different.

I did a lot of stuff, already posted in some other thread, and since I am one of those very few who do not respond to triptan derivatives and NSAIDs are only solution, I have to stick to NSAID. Now as a UCer you can not use NSAID, still I was using it and then my PCPC gave me Relafen (Nabumetone 750mg) to give a try. It worked, slowly but it did and no flare. That was my wow moment.

I took 200mg Mg-Citrate (Mg-Oxide is rock = useless = you are flushing your money) 3X a day and it took 3 months for me to see the effect. The ferocity of my migraines reduced significantly and my pretty good neurologist was very skeptical about its effect. I still continue to take, albeit at little lower dose 200mg 2X a day.

Babe came to my rescue even then. His GF was using Lifeflo Mg Oil and she was noticing benefit. Honestly, I did not believe it but I thought, heck, its just $10, not much to lose. My headache originates in cervical region. DW (Physical therapist) used this Mg oil to massage all cervical region, right from scapula to neck on both the sides. That was another wow moment. It was not day and night difference but noticeable help. Thanks to him for suggesting it.

Fast forward, I enrolled in one botox study and that was best wow I ever had since migraine started. It lasted for only 3 weeks and the effect subsided but those 3 weeks were awesome.

Few pointers for you
- Maintain a diary, to record your migraines i.e. frequency, duration, style, time on onset etc., to check if you have any triggers. If you visit neurologist, they will ask you all these questions. Go to Montefiore headache center's website. They have patient intake form. The most comprehensive form I have ever seen in my quest to find solution to my migraine.
- Check various abortives to see what helps. Consider some prophylactic medication if its that necessary (NO Topamax, higher chances of kidney stone because of UC.)
- CHECK YOUR POSTURE, this is an issue with me but I don't believe its the sole issue. I strongly feel UC and migraine are connected.
- Instead of sleeping pill, consider melatonin, slow release if you will. Melatonin has 2 benefits, puts you to sleep and it is the only natural (truly natural) antioxidant that crosses blood brain barrier, so if something iffy is going on there, this one will help fix it. This is no magic wand but I would prefer melatonin over sleeping pill on any day.
- Instead of Mg-oxide, use citrate or malate form. (ignore expensive chelated forms). This will also cut Miralax from your routine (BTW, long term use of Miralax is responsible for pacreatitis, FDA has a page on their website, hidden somewhere deep.)
- Instead of folic acid, consider metafolin. Solgar Metafolin is cheap, 800mg of Metafolin is lot better than 1mg of folic acid. (I take metafolin)
- If your insurance covers, get a PT consult to see if they can help anyway. There are a lot of exercises that DW suggested me, some helped, some did not.
- Last but not the least, consider meditation.

Good Luck. I know it isn't the easy part of the life. I can tolerate UC flare but not migraine episode.

I used to get migraines all the time.
And found that diet and supplements help a great deal with it.

Magnesium oil is a great way to go ( great suggestion delta!).

But I bet if you keep a food diary, you'll be able to find your trigger foods.

For many of us, it can be dairy, HFCS, sugar, gluten.

Since watching my diet, and adding lots of supplements, the only time I get a migraine is if there is a storm system in the area - the barometric pressure changes affect me.
And when that happens I take the homeopathic remedy, Kali Bich, as soon as I feel the congestion build up in my head and sinus area.

I have migraines and UC. I do not know if it's related but my migraines were around before i developed UC. I believe mine are hormonal. since switching birth control pills I get them very infrequently. The other day I had a really bad one that was debilitating. I ended up taking a zomig and a ponstel and neither provided any relief. Ponstel has been a great migraine eliminator for me up until recently. Zomig used to work well too... It's difficult to figure out what works for you. I tried so many tripthans before finding one that worked and now that one doesn't seem to work anymore. The thing that worked flawlessly was pristiq antidepressant but I didn't want to take it forever and I was doing well with the birth control pills so I stopped taking it. I think it's smart to work with a neurologist who is a headache specialist. I have tried magnesium and unfortunately I didn't notice a difference. I think there's probably something to the posture thing, I always feel very hunched and my neck and back are loaded with tension.

Have you considered cast iron pan or crockpot for your cooking? Our midwife suggested DW during pregnancy and it helped us so much, in terms of hemoglobin levels, that we kept using it. We removed all aluminium (i.e. non-stick) from our life.

With juicing, I overdid it and I went into flare, via serious constipation, first time ever in my life, so be careful there. I noticed, about 8 oz of juice doesn't hurt, so I do it a couple of times a week. And, do not use centrifugal juicer, instead use masticating juicer, expensive but worth it. I have Omega J2005. Macy's sells this one often for less than $180, keep an eye. (Amazon has fantastic review on which model should be chosen and why).

With the pain, I do not have fibromyalgia, so I can not help you there. A note to mention though, DW is a physical therapist and she works with a pain specialist. I used to take a lot of pain killers for my migraine and she discussed him about it. He was not in favor on popping pain medications, although its difficult to handle that pain. His remark was, eventually the brain hard wires itself for these pain signals and it becomes VERY difficult to treat. In his 30 years of practice, he came across a lot of patients that he can not help, because they are 'hard wired' for the pain. I don't have any solutions for you here on how you should control the pain, but if what he says is true, you are only half way through your life. Give it a thought.
(And if Imuran is the stumbling block, some discussion with your GI to try other non-biologic medication may be helpful. I was on Imuran and Balsalazide, it stopped working after 5 years and my GI put me on Sulfasalazine, so far so good.)

i get them too, mine are very much hormonal, usually around ovulation and then again upon menstration. years and years and years of making due with tylenol or advil... (functionable level during the up to 48hr 'headache') finally talking to my GI one day i mentioned them asking if he knew something else i could take since not able to do advil anymore with colitis- he called in his secretary and asked her what she takes and wrote me a prescription for the same ... RELPAX.

Gotta say i was a bit hesitant to take them as my gi prescribed so easily something she had gotten from a neurologist.. but it definately works!!! lol . recently tried the generic and dont' think it worked nearly as well.. gonna go back to relpax i think!