Migraines

[plunkybug]

As many people well know. I suffer from frequent headaches, usually migraine or sinus, but both equally bad and debilitating. Earlier today, in reading the migraine management link from Glitter in my last post, interesting things have come up. Things I knew, but more importantly things I did not know. I really want to stop (or at least reduce the frequency of) my migraines, but some of the triggers are things out of my control...like being a woman, and the weather outside. Currently, I treat them with Excedrin or Benadryl, sometime alternating throughout the day, and sleep (in a dark room if possible). I am going to look into some of the more natural options first, like magnesium and riboflavin (B-2), and maybe butterbur which is something relatively new. I had no luck with feverfew, but mainly because I couldn't stomach it. It tasted horrible (like dirt), but granted it *was* liquid, and I never tried it in pill form. I was also reading about the prescription medicines, though I admit to not having much luck with them in the past. Imitrex sent fire pulsing through my sinuses and made it hurt to swallow, and was just as debilitating as the migraine alone. I was told about a lower dosage clearing that problem up, but that is only in a nasal spray, and I am not good with those. Not to mention it is $50 on my insurance plan, so yeah, I want to try something else. I tried Elavil daily for the prevention of them, but that left me a fatigued emotional wreck and I stopped it after a week. Now I have seen that there are other prescriptions out there and was wondering if anyone on my friends list has experience with any of them and could give me some feedback for if I decide to go that route. I would like to have more info about these medicines before going back to my doctor and asking about a prescription. One further note, for those who have not seen me or know me outside this journal, I should end by saying I am very petite, slightly over 5' and a little over 100 lbs, so I am the size of a teenager, which may be one of the reasons I react to medicines strongly.

Any thoughts tips etc would be helpful. I think I may cross post this into a community, but which one? ah, just found migraines

Comments

[plunkybug.livejournal.com]

This is why I usually start out by taking benadryl, to knock me out for a few hours, and then I take excedrin if it is still hurting and not sinuses.

[katykate.livejournal.com]

I usually just bend over--if I don't feel increased sinus pressure, I go for a migraine treatment instead of sinus.

[plunkybug.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see. Very wise. With my allergies, it doesn't usually hurt as I am usually stuffy to some degree all the time.

[katykate.livejournal.com]

you know what's weird with me? I thought I was having allergy symptoms, but I would start getting this stuffy nose leading up to a migraine, even though I had taken my allergy meds...then it would resolve after the migraine did. It's a symptom for some people--swollen eyes, stuffy nose etc. and then it resolves once you kick the migraine. I had no idea until recently...

Not that that's what's happening for you, but it was for me just sort of out of the blue. It was very bizarre.

[plunkybug.livejournal.com]

Well, the excedrin usually helps whether it is sinus or not, but I stop sneezing for a day or so after taking benadryl or something similar. I have been contemplating nasal/sinus irrigation lately.