Posted on 01/05/2011 9:28:01 PM PST by MacMattico
A bit off topic, although Obama does tend to give me severe headaches.
I have a 12 year old daughter that has been suffering from pretty severe migraines for about two years, 2-3 a week, about 3 bad ones a month, w/out aura. I had migraines as a kid, into adulthood, and in my early forties still get one or two severe migraines, w/ aura per year. I use Maxalt for these, the only thing that even sort-of works, and I still need to lay down and ride it out for several hours.
The neurologist wants to put my daughter on a daily preventative. We agree with this, and she has tried a preventative before. The migraines had gotten better for a while so he had stopped daily meds, but she needs them, unfortunately, even at this young age. It effects her daily life so much.
We have tried Topamax (wasn't to bad, thought she was having some concentration problems and moodiness, now think this may have just been preteen daughter normal behavior, as it's still pretty much the same), Periactin (she gained 10 pounds in one month, which she lost as soon as this drug was stopped), and Lamictal (did nothing). The only two other drugs the neurologist will try is Elavil ( an old school antidepressant that is associated with large weight gain) and Inderol, a high blood pressured med associated with weigh gain and one that he said because she has low blood pressure to start with, may cause her to pass out! What kind of choices are these? We are looking for a new doctor/second opinion, but because a lot of people on this sight seem to know a lot about different subjects, I thought I'd ask for any advise/opinions. My daughter is an excellent athlete and student and these headaches are debilitating. Any ideas? Does anyone know if there's a way to combat the cognition problems caused by Topamax?
Amazing - three basic ingredients in one pill and it’s what knocks the headaches down for me. I now carry two tablets with me everyday just in case one flares up. My coworker recently had a nasty migraine (you could see it in her eyes) and I gave her my pills. She was thanking me for the rest of the day for handing them to her.
I would stick with Topamax, but gradually cut back on the dosage every week until the side effects are minimal and yet the migraines are under control. When you find a drug that works the next step is adjusting the dosage, which can take time. There may also be an opportunity here for a cocktail approach by using a little of one drug and some of another and using trial and error to find a good combination. All under doctor’s supevision of course.
When there is no apparent trigger, be suspicious of a) a food allergy or b) a hormone fluctuation.
1. Have your daughter tested for food allergies, especially gluten. Most insurance companies will pay for it when a neurologist orders it.
2. Have your daughter’s hormone levels tested, not just female hormones such as FSH, estrogen, progesterone, etc., but the entire endocrine system. Seek an endocrinologist for that.
Many meds list weight gain or weight loss as a side effect, but doesn't necessarily mean that each person will experience that.
I'm going to send you a PM about details, hope it helps.
I, too, thank God daily for finding Maxalt. Over the years, my doctor thought my headaches were hormonal. There is a diagnosis of hormonal migraines. They were like clockwork. At times in our lives, puberty, menopause, etc. when hormones are out of whack, the headaches can be more frequent and numerous. You might try that approach.
Topamax is very debilitating mentally. Computational, spelling and verbal skills really diminish. It’s terrible for side effects.
Have her avoid all chocolate, especially dark. Cured and/or fermented foods can trigger also, especially strong aged cheese, etc. Eat meals on a regular schedule, do not skip any. Also have her be sure to stay hydrated.
Best of luck. The above will help as much or more than the topamax.
Go to Google and type in “bubble test migraines”. Read some of the articles that come up. Maybe your daughter would be a candidate for that treatment.
Sorry about your daughter’s suffering.
Considering how often she has the migraines, I hope her neurologist did order an MRI, just to rule out more serious problems, if not, at this point, I would insist on one.
I knew someone, a young adult at the time who was suffering from migraines about as bad as your daughter — she was eating a lot of processed foods with preservatives, on her own she got the idea that there may be a correlation and stopped eating any processed foods for a period of time and her migraines went away completely. Now she can eat processed foods occasionally and she is still migraine free, years later. She did not go on any strict “no sugar, no fat, no this that or the other things” diet, just cut out things like salami, icecream with preservatives, in favor of natural preparations, so it was not hard, just had to watch what she ate.
Some do say that certain food can trigger migraines, or preservatives can build up in the system and cause it. I think it may be worth a try to put her on a preservative-free diet for a month or so, if it’s working, you would start to see the difference. Also make sure she has enough vitamins in her system, especially B and C vitamins, fresh fruit, etc.
I hope you find a cure without the meds.
Also — did you check her vision, if she does’t have 20/20 vision and one of her eyes is more nearsighted and the other is more far sighted, that imbalance can cause migraines as well.
Also talk to your doc about carbamazepine or gabapentin. I’ve used both. Carbamazepine worked great, but I was overdosed the first couple of months and was miserable until I worked out the dosage. However it may not be appropriate for a younger person though if they can’t recognize changes in their own behavior and report these. Gabapentin caused weight gain and constipation, so it was not for me, but I have friends who do really well with it.
Yes, she’s had an MRI. We’ve had her vision checked. We try to eat fresh and healthy, doesn’t always work, but it hasn’t helped much.
Excellent advice. Ditto all of it!
Sorry to hear it’s such a stubborn case.
Don’t give up searching — try other neurologists, there may be others out there who are more knowledgeable, including seeing some at reputable universities, who do research in this areas.
Also do researh natural treatments like herbs, accupuncture, etc, things that may or may not help, but they won’t hurt and maybe you find something that actually does help.
The meds you are describing with all the side effects do sounds like a last resort.
Good luck! I know migraines are difficult to treat/prevent.
My 12 year old son has had migraines for 3 or 4 years now. He takes topamax, and it seems to help. We recently had to up the dosage, as what he was on seemed to quit working until we increased it. He is still on a very small dosage though.
In the meantime, we have done a lot to try to see if we can find a trigger. My husband’s (with aura) were triggered by a change in stress level.... either an increase or decrease. My son’s seem to be tied to chocolate, caffeine or dehydration. It is hard to tell because the chocolate/caffeine deal seems to be about 12-24 hours removed from the headache, and getting him to drink anything at all is like pulling teeth, so he seems to live in a chronic state of dehydration.
The school nurse and I have had a number of long conversations about them. She was recently at a seminar and said if they are not hormonal then they are generally caused by the “3 C’s”.... Chocolate, Caffeine, Cheese.
I finally remembered something else, a natural remedy that worked very well for a friend of mine — I was doubtful, it’s herbs with sublingual delivery, but she swears by it, and since it’s natural, again, it’t unlikely that it’s harmful. She takes it at the very beginning of a migraine, when she feels it coming on. It’s not expensive, you might want to check it out.
It’s GelStat:
http://www.gelstatmigraine.com/products/gelstat-migraine/sublingual-delivery
But he has been putting in long hours recently.
My daughter, age 17, this past fall was tested for migraines.
Her doctor put her on pills that are not preventive, but she takes right when she needs it. She is on Sumatriptan. It has done well for her. She used to get migraines 2 to 3 times a week. Nothing she used would stop them. Since she has been on this medication, she has done much better. Some weeks she doesn’t need it at all. But it did take a short time to learn to time the medication correctly. You have to take it right when you need it. No waiting.
I understand that very few places still carry these tablets, and your doctor may have to do some research on them. There are some strong considerations for using them on a long term basis as a preventive, but as a treatment, it would take an episode that would last two to three hours and make it a fifteen minute ordeal, and when used as a preventative, eliminated the problem for me.
Treatment costs as a preventative is roughly $1.25 per day. Since she's having them so frequently, a small prescription filled from an online supplier (IndianDrugs is the only one I know at this time, I still order a small amount each year to refresh my emergency stock in case my present treatments lapse and I again suffer the migraines) to try it out as a treatment and see if it does have a strong effect on mitigation, and then perhaps trying it as a preventative.
Imitrex (or its generic - Sumitriptan Succinate) is the magic bullet for me, but I get migraines infrequently enough to treat them after the premonition.
I have found that, on the recommendation of my neurologist, cutting back on Aspartame (Nutrasweet) flavored diet soft drinks and substituting Splenda flavored soda has reduced the incidence of migraines by about 60%.
No offense intended, I'm not picking on your post, just please be aware, something that is 'natural' does not mean it's 'not harmful.' Arsenic, belladonna, and many other 'natural' things out there can be extremely harmful to your system. And most modern drugs have their basis, even for synthesized drugs, from 'natural' sources. Willow bark contains salines, and aspirin is derived from it, so always, always, always tell your doctor if you try any homeopathic solutions, and what the contents are.
You are, for all intents and purposes, just taking differently labeled over the counter drugs.
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