Migraine headaches

I started getting migraines about a year ago, and they came on slow - a dull pain that felt like the start of sinus pressure, but then would morph into a pain that felt like my temples were caught in a vise grip and left me with horrible nausea.

I went to the doctor, freaking out and thinking I had a brain tumor, but the doctor told me the source of the migraines was probably one of two things - vascular or muscular. He believed that in my case it was muscular, the muscles of the neck and upper back were somehow scrunched up and causing tension elsewhere. While I got sent home with prescriptions for Imitrex and Etodolac, the doctor also told me to make a few ergonomical adjustments - to pull the driver's seat of my car forward and to pull the keyboard of my computer closer to the edge of the desk, and to sit closer to that edge of the desk. His theory was that reaching for said items was causing too much strain on my shoulders and neck, creating what he believed was a possible source of the migraines.

 

I always compare that pain to the gorillas in "Congo," you know, the ones with those stone paddles that smash people's heads in. Whenever I get a "gorilla headache," that's what I mean. Vice grip, indeed. :-\

They're not nearly as frequent now as they used to be, and I really don't know how to stop them except to lay down in a dark room and close my eyes (Excedrin doesn't help much, but I usually take two anyway). Don't get 'em enough to see a doctor nowadays, so time and rest are the best medicines for me.

My mom swears by Goody's Headache Powder and, as nasty as it is, it always worked wonders for me when she made me take it.

Not sure if either of those will help with the nauseating migraines -- I don't get too nauseous when I get 'em, just the intense pain that makes you want to scream and makes you stop doing anything -- but good luck to all who suffer from them. Nothing ruins your day more than one of those.

 

I am a migraine sufferer, too. Have been since I left the service. I've tried everything. Trust me.
Spup, is right. Topimirate is a Godsend. In the states, it's prescribed as Topamax. I take one 25mg pill a day and I haven't had migraine in 18 months.
It's an anti-seizure medication. But, is prescribed off-label for migraine sufferers. (Another side-effect is loss of appetite. Which, for me, is good. I've lost 25 pounds.)
Of course, consult you Dr. yada yada yada...

 

My wife gets them though she had none while she was pregnant (thank God).
She has used both Maxalt and Excedrine Migraine. Both seem to work equally well for her. Obviously the latter is cheaper.

 

Agreed. I'm on 100mg, but I was getting daily migraines.

And be careful with the loss of appetite. I didn't have one for the last couple of days. Didn't really eat. Ended up almost passing out yesterday afternoon.

 

Ditto on Topamax.

Mrs. PD, who was suffering about 2-3 migraines per week for awhile, has been on Topamax for 6 weeks and has not - knock on wood - had one.

 

Do you know what her dosage is?

 

50 mg - two 25 mg tablets each morning.

 

Does she have any of the numbness? I'm curious if it's a widespread side effect. My cheekbones start to get tingly throughout the day. And the heels of my feet. Not the normal places that you think of "falling asleep".

 

Not kidding when I tell you one of the best cures for a migraine is sex ... although it might be different for male sufferers.

If that's not available, I hunker down in a dark room and with a big bottle of water. I find keeping myself well hydrated starts to alleviate the torture.

 

"Not tonight, dear, I have a headache."
"I have just the cure...heh heh heh..."

 

Actually....really explosive sex can also cause migraines...the sudden increase in vascular pressure can overload the blood vessels and trigger headache hell, like an M-80 just went off in your head.