Posted on 01/05/2011 9:28:01 PM PST by MacMattico
I would NEVER put a young student on Topamax with its serious neuro-intellectual side effects. In fact, I would not put her on ANY of those daily “preventive” drugs! Drugging a young girl cannot be the only solution.
Has she been to a good and new-thinking endocrinologist? Her migraines could very well be from her hormonal changes. I would want her to see an endo who specializes in bio-identical hormone replacement, NOT a conventional endo. I would ask to have her hormones checked at different times of the month / day, I’d want her to have a migraine chart to let the doc know at what times in her cycle she has them or has them the most, and I would want her to have them adjusted in the most natural way possible by only vaginal or topical bio-identical hormones, in order to bypass the digestive system and the liver assault. Rubbing a little estrogen on her skin at some times if the fluctuations of that hormone seems to be causing the migraines is not as harmful to your little girl as going on the oral Pill, with its fake progestin that can have bad effects.
While the doc is figuring all of this out, I would get from your regular doc or anyone a prescription for Frova or another -triptan drug, for her to use at the first onset of a migraine. It’s a rescue drug and it will prevent migraines wonderfully if used at the first sign. She will need to carry this around so get permission so she can do this. The side effects are minimal and will not affect her cognition at all, nor make her sleepy.
I do think that getting her young teen hormones regulated to a nice pattern, with a -triptan drug like Frova always with her for emergencies, she can be migraine-free or close to it with minimal drugging.
Been there, done that.
Also, have you totally searched your daughter’s diet? You probably have. If not, do not let her eat ANYTHING with MSG. It hides in everything processed so be aware. MSG is the worst migraine trigger you can find.
It is in: all commercial crackers, most chips, goldfish crackers, all canned or packaged soups, all packaged rice mixes, all commercial frozen meals, all chicken nugget style things, all pre-cooked roasted chicken*, all hot dogs, most processed meats, all commercial salad dressings, all fast food#, cottage cheese, lots of cheap breads, etc.
*They literally inject MSG and water into those supermarket and costco warm roasted chickens — that is why it has that taste. Fast food chicken like Koo Koo Roo has it in there too.
#Not In and Out Burger, though.
I may have forgotten some things. Basically everything commercial and packaged. She should ONLY eat clean organic meat, dairy, breads, nut butters, veggies, fruit, etc.
To be avoided with extreme prejudice also: ANYTHING with food colorings in it, and ANY diet foods. This means all chewing gum and most mints, sorry sweetie, because they all have aspartame, a poison that can also cause a migraine.
It is very hard for a young teen not to eat the junk their friends are eating. But with her reactions, I’d not touch anything commercial except some very pure snacks like Larabars, which are only dried fruit and nuts.
Of course you can get migraines without eating a trigger food but they can really mess you up. Also she needs to make sure she is regular because constipation can cause migraines too.
Good luck to her — I wish no one else had to ever suffer these.
Drop all the “diet drink” poison. Even if Splenda does not give you a migraine, it’s killing you. Switch to natural sodas with cane sugar if you can’t stand water.
Splenda is chlorinated sugar and it will kill ants. Stay away from it.
Indeed, and it works great for me as well, though I usually must take three for them to kick my headache. Also Walmart's generic is identical, and it's dirt cheap.
The docs don't let an asprin anywhere near a twelve year old, however. Reye's Syndrome is often fatal, and headache can be an early flu symptom.
Yep. There's a website out there called "thetopamaxtrip" or something to that effect, and I was all over it when docs were suggesting it for me. People post their side affects and issues.
They appropriately refer to it as "Dope-a-max." If you don't have ADD yet, you will.
"Hmm,...great. No pain, but I'll be bitchy and stupid."
Took a pass.
Try transdermal Magnesium oil instead. Apply it on the skin. It should absorb in 20 minutes. It may sting a bit in the beginning. I use the brand Ancient Minerals but there are others available. Whenever I feel any pain, even arthritis in my hands, I apply this and the pain is gone in just a few seconds. No joke. Even I am surprised. I haven't had a migraine lately to test if this works on them, maybe it is preventing them.
http://www.magnesoothe.com/magnesium-oil-pain.htm
Well the school nurse isn’t very well informed about migraines. During a migraine, the blood vessels expand/dilate. During a headache, the blood vessels constrict. (They’re exactly the opposite in nature. Head pain vs. head ache, essentially.)
Caffeine causes the blood vessels to constrict. So caffeine is “bad” for headache but “good” for migraines. Note that many migraine drugs actually have caffeine in them.
Not all cheese is bad. Aged cheese is generally bad for migraine.
And not everyone who has migraines is affected by chocolate. I have had severe migraines for years. I drink chocolate milk like a fiend. Everybody said “There’s your problem!” I cut out all chocolate for 6 months. No reduction in the migranes, no increased when I resumed eating chocolate, and no direct correlation to eating it before a migraine.
Each person’s triggers are different. There is no “standard.”
I'll post more tomorrow, I have thirty years of trial and error on this, and I stay away from the strong Rxs as much as possible.
Migraine isn’t a headache.
When I moved from that house I didn't find the plant anyplace else...
A friend that was into herbal plant use told me about it and it worked...Just have to chew it at the very beginning of the H.A./migraine
It works about 95% of the time and that to me is a miracle.
I have no noticeable side effects from it.
I understand MacMattico is looking for a medication to prevent the migraines. I take the Maxalt as needed and sometimes that is a few days in a row. But don't know if you can take it each and everyday safetly.
I did try topamax for a while. What a horrible drug that was for me. It's nickname is “dopamax”. As in you will be so brain dead and stupid on it you will feel like a dope. It definitely did that to me.
Your daughter may have celiac disease or a non-CD gluten sensitivity. Both are implicated in pediatric migraines. Get your daughter tested for celiac disease and then, even if that is negative, try a gluten elimination diet for ten or twenty days to see if it reduces her migraines. Let me know via private email if you want medical articles that explain the basis for this suggestion.
my 12yo daughter went on low dose of Inderal three weeks ago for recurring headaches (less severe than you describe). I was not aware of potential for weight gain, so will keep an eye on it. We’re also being more diligent about her fluid intake (more), eating and sleep habits. Our next step will be to see a ped. ENT doc
In discussions with friends and my colleagues in the Pharma industry, I’ve heard that hormonal changes (puberty) can also be a factor. I trust other causes have been ruled out by MRI?
I was on elavil at that age, for about 2 years. It did pack on the weight but I had no other side effects.
I have a 16 yr old grand daughter that has had migraines since age 9 or so. She would actually faint from them. Her Doctor recommended mega daily doses of B2 to prevent them.
It has worked for her..
I have taken Cymbalta for 5 years for pain...lost 0 weight :(
I take Toprol as a preventative. I still get a migraine every few months, but they aren’t as frequent as they use to be. When I get one I take Midrin. It’s the only thing I’ve ever taken that works.
I have suffered from migraines for many years as a result of two serious head injuries that occurred within one year of each other. Neurologists have to try new medications to see if they work at reducing or eliminating them. I cannot tell you how many medications I have taken over the years. Unfortunately, I have only pain reducers in two form for them now. I would definitely check out a major teaching hospital (for example, I went to Georgetown). One idea that they had me do was eliminate all MSG, red wine, processed foods, hard cheeses. One or a combination may prove a “trigger”. Another thing to do is have her keep a “diary” of sorts. It may be interesting, for example, to see if they “flare” prior to her menses. (i.e. hormonal) I have learned a great deal about them over the years. I always wear sunglasses outside (even in the winter).. bright light tends to spur an onset. I also will not look directly at ambulance/police lights at night. They also spur an onset. Please, please, please be understanding of mood swings accompanied with migraines. Chronic pain can lead to depression and mood swings. Biofeedback helped me during a migraine to reduce the pain. It is a learned behavior and it may help your daughter. I am sort of surprised that your neurologist has not recommended it. God bless you and your daughter. If someone has never had a migraine, they assume it is just a bad headache. They don’t realize there is a lot more to it than that. Many people will say they have a migraine when in fact they have a stress headache. A migraine can only be determined to be such by a trained Neurologist.
A lot of good info at above website. I learned that my desire to “scarf” was a sign of an impending migraine. So when I feel that urge, I actually stop eating altogether. My “secret cure” is Day-Quill (cheap generic from Wal-Mart) and Pedialite (again, generic) cut in half with water. When I feel a migraine coming on, I get on and stay on both until it is over.
Also I have to stay away from the t.v. and refrain from watching videos on my computer.
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