Posted on 01/26/2011 1:38:32 PM PST by ken5050
There are a number of prescription non-narcotic medications that treat the actual cause of migraine, not just relieve the headache. A visit to a Board-certified neurologist would be able to confirm the diagnosis and obtain treatment.
I forget whether my wife took ginger or mint...
Inderal (a beta blocker) and Neurontin (anti-seizure) both, at separate times, worked for me at the wicked migraine time in my life. Ask the doc.
It is possible that your girlfriend is getting the migraines from Menopause. The change in hormones can do it. I would suggest she not only talk to her Neurologist but her Gynecologist as well. If she has not seen a neurologist, please get her to see one. Migraines have so many causes and certain really bad diagnosis’ have to be ruled out. In truth, the Neurologist has to confirm that they really are migraines to begin with... then there are countless treatments. It may take some time to try/experiment with different medications; however, some really do work.
Imetrex. Comes in a nasal spray or pill form. I had them so bad I couldn’t function for days. One spray and it was gone. I didn’t care for the metallic taste, but was worth it for relief. They went away when I went through menopause.
Duradrin, works better than anything I have tried including Imitrex. It is an older migraine med and will need a prescription. The pharmacy may have to order it as it is not widely used now.
Many have given you excellent advice, but here is my 2 cents worth. I was having migraines for about a year, several times a month for days on end. They finally did a CT and found that I had a sinus infection in the ethnoid? that was not causing any other symptoms. Spent another 2 months on antibiotics that still didn’t help. Finally did surgery to “rotor rooter” the sinus out, haven’t had a migraine in 8 years.
Yep, there seems to be a connection between what they call a PFO, which is a hole in the wall of the heart between chambers. When they close the hole the migraines mysteriously disappear.
Well, it might not be so mysterious. My husband was having minor strokes that some people thought might be connected to the migraines. When he had the heart surgery, the migraines disappeared, almost.
He still gets the migraines if he has food with too much MSG, food coloring or aspartame, but since he avoids those foods like the plague, he has very few migraines, anymore. Oh, he still won’t eat chocolate, either.
Food coloring and aspartame (artificial sweetner) can be triggers for some people.
MSG (which is in everything) and processed meats, e.g., baloney, hot dogs, pastromi, etc. can be triggers. Drinking a lot of soda can be also.
My company makes a Migergot suppository that is the equivalent of Cafergot. Its an older drug - caffeine based - but still has a pretty loyal following and seems to do the trick. I also would suggest the Chiropractor.
My husband couldn’t eat any of those processed meats, either. For some reason, they don’t bother him right now, but if I use one of those packets of taco, or fajita seasoning mixes, with MSG, he gets a head ache every time.
Diet soda is a killer. Stick to diet rite, no caffeine, no salt and no aspartame.
Before my husband had his surgery, my mother-in-law was trying to talk him into having the out patient surgery that just puts a plug in the hole, but it was still experimental and the insurance wouldn’t have covered it, not to mention that because it was experimental, if the plug went all the way through and they needed to emergency open heart surgery to remove it. It was all on us, the whole cost. So, I said that it just wasn’t worth it.
As it turned out, my husband had not just one hole, but two, one the big enough for a golf ball to pass through. They couldn’t see it because it had a flap that closed over it.
MSG used to trigger really bad migraines for me. Then I’d be sensitive to any kind of over head bright lights. I just stopped eating processed foods and rarely get migraines now. Of course when I go to Costco I can’t help myself and I sample all their salty, saturated fat yummy samples.
Many, many thanks for the advice. As always, I’m amazed at the depth of knowledge, and caring, that this FR community displays. I learned a lot from all your comments, and what’s most interesting, is that many of you suggest the same possible remedies. We’ll be doing some research, as many of you suggested, and mosy likely I’ll be contacting some of you individually via Freepmail for more input and/or questions. Again, our thanks
Imitrex, a cold compress and laying down in a dark room (no sunlight) for a few hours typically did the trick. If I didn't get relief after two hours taking the first Imitrex I'd take a second.
A few times the migraines were so bad I'd be throwing up, tunnel vision/seeing nothing but spots, ears ringing, sensitivity to light, the whole nine yards. When I got those it was ER time for a shot of adrenaline and something else (forget what they used to give me) to knock it down.
Yeah, migraines suck.
If her symptoms are just a migraine (no tunnel vision, dizziness, ringing in ears) try some Excedrin Migraine with a cup of strong coffee to accellerate the absorption and have her lie down in a dark room with a cold compress on her forehead. Limit the noise and see how she is in an hour or so. If the symptoms don't let up or get worse consider getting something stronger through your doctor. Migraines can get out of control pretty quickly and get worse in a big hurry if you're not careful.
Best of luck.
Probably the best advice. Disruption in my sleeping pattern for an extended period of time (more than a few days) typically trigger mine, as does over-exerting myself in the bright sunlight. Once I learned what my triggers were my migraines became much less frequent and much less powerful. I used to get 1-2 a month that would last anywhere from 1-3 days. It's been a good 4 months or so since my last bad migraine.
Get at least 16 oz. of Gatorade®, any flavor will do, and drink it as fast as you can.
I can't recall where I heard about this remedy, but it does work for me...and I have some real doozies.
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