Topamax was what my dr. wanted to put me on, it's dangerous Actually for epileptic seizures. I told him after they took MIdrin off the market(compounding pharmacies will sometimes make it) I wanted to try what 100 hrs of research on Internet told me. Children can not be given Imitrex as too dangerous so they have found that they can give even a 3 month old baby an herb from Germany called Butterbur, it has to be purified or could cause problems but my dr. didn't think much of it but I've gone to him for almost 40 yrs so he said he would look into it. He called back that night & said he had also found 3 more very reputable studies & recommended by American Pediatric & Surgeons Academy& said yes by all means try it & see how it works. It is supposed to take 3 mos to work. 1 week later I noticed when I put lotion on my hands that they weren't sore as usual(broke wrist while back) that was nice but didn't think it was helping with headaches but gradually I was able to reduce prescription med. So went from 8 Midrin(generic) down to about 4 a day & as summer came I could tolerate a little AC. still allergic to any kind of smoke, cigarette,BBQ, forest fire, they still messed over me good. But after being on butterbur for 2 yrs & 3 mos I sometimes don't need any to get through the day, if humid or in AC 1 or 2. Strange thing too, my hair as kid gave me headaches as so thick, I wore 3 ponytails 1 under the other to ease headaches, Often had stomach aches, but just thought it was sick mom, taking care of 4 little bros. etc. Didn't know anyone if family had migraines until went to specialist ,several actually & then found out 3 cousins on dad's side ,his 3 sisters, & his mom all had them. Was told to avoid all the triggers I could & I was like "bubble boy"(wonder if he ever got out of that thing) I could not figure out why when 100 degrees out I would be down flat sick for 2 days or more. Finally I heard same thing on news often enough that it rang a bell- strong winds coming up coast of Mexico expected to move on out towards Hawaii by later today- UH! Why am I sick every time storm off coast of CA. Nobody recognized that weather & barometric changes could make you sick. I kept insisting to point I would tell dr. storm was coming even before news reported it ,I told friends it was going to rain or get windy & they laughed & then came back & said" How did you know" So even with keeping track of what you eat staying away from nitrates,msg,bananas, all the things, there are unseen things like smoke or chemicals or weather changes that some of us can't deal with without getting migraine. Interesting that 3 mo. old baby has migraines(guess it's not imaginary as child too young to dream a migraine up- they can tell from MRI) So if you look up Butterbur get it at Whole Foods grocery by co. called Solaray out of Park City Utah. Health food stores didn't have it except mixed with feverfew(allergic to that) & I don't want any more junk in my body than I have to have to feell good. Oh, about the hair, got really thin with all the medicine, well about 3 mos ago I noticed I had hair flying around all over & everybody said, wow, your hair is getting long around your face(rest in bun) so I am getting more hair in on my head. What butterbur does is stabilize blood vessels so they don't go up & down all day & clears a lot of inflammation out of them. My sore veins from broken wrist no longer hurting showed me that it was actually working some after 1 week. It smells like a weed even through the clear capsule & comes in 50 mg ones. Take 3-4 a day I take with meals & it doesn't not react with anything else medicines or foods. Outside of adjusting to smell it's terrific. I'm about 80 % better than I was 2 yrs ago & I have been through so much stress with sick & dying parents, hospitals, rehab, etc Had I not started butterbur I would not have been able to care for my dad & now my mom. I've had 2 headaches bad enough to put me in bed for hours since 1st of year. Back then it would have been 2 times a week! It is reasonably priced also. Bottle of 60 last 20 days for little under $20. Since I don't use much prescription drug I get to keep all that money that went for it. I did see big bottles by this company on Dr. OZ 1 day & so probably easier to find it. Check it out yourself & if you have a child with migraines this is what they need to take & not bunch of prescriptions(will need them for awhile until this herb gets working in their system)

My migraines got much worse during perimenopause. Then after that, they improved alot. I would only have the auro, and very little headache. Now, 5 years after having no periods, I seem to be developing episodic intense Vertigo. I have it for a couple days, along with the ill-feelings and fatigue that I would get with migraines. Anyone else have their migraines turn into vertigo spells?

They are so debilitating. What do you do to lessen the pain?

Cran, I am sorry to hear you have lupus. I hope yours is in remission. Mine presently is and it makes such a difference! I had a very long remission, 27 years until my stroke. For years I needed only survalance after initially, at 23, needing prednisone for kidney issues. Insoluble fiber acts just like resistance starch. So, I saw Dr. Kreigel' team at Yale but he recently left to work with Roche to develop possible treatment or vaccine for lupus so now I see a colleague of his. It is very hard to alter our flora but studies of high fiber diets and lower sugar were proven to work for matabolic syndrome, i.e. Type 2 diabetes, so it was suggested I beef up my fiber intake to atleast 20 grams a day. I eat two cups of all bran with unsweetened rice milk every day and have a bowl of steel cut oats for an afternoon snack to hit almost 30 grams of fiber. The rest of my diet is normal fruit, fish, veggies, yogurt, some treats, potatoes and pasta so the bran and oats are the change I made. Resistance starch is in pasta and potatoes and many other foods. Pasta and potatoes cooled after cooking are supposedly higher in resistance starch than heated is. Yams are a good source. I like to use food sources more than supplements. High fiber, low fat and sugar diets are proven to help maintain health and diverse gut bacteria. Fiber, (resistance starches) are considered prebiotics which feed the good bacteria while sugar and fat feed the unhealthier ones. Also have your vitamin d regularly checked. Insufficiency is linked to higher lupus and Antiphospholipid antibodies and thus flares. I now supplement for mine was low. xo