Hi Marita,
Sorry to hear about your whopper!
I began having occasional migraines when I was 8. They worsened in my 20's, then subsided a bit.
But.......and I'm sorry to tell you this.....they were awful during perimenopause.
Things were complicated for me in my late 40's, when I had a big vaginal bleed and D&C, and my doc put me on HRT. So it was hard to assess if the HRT was causing the headaches, or if they were from my natural hormonal fluctuations around that time.
From that time, until recently, I had major migraines alot. The intense auras seemed to occur mostly after my period (or when I was supposed to have a period, but didn't), when my estrogen was going back up.
I had daily migraines for about a year and a half. I had alot of tests by the neuroglogist, and it just showed migraines. He put me on Fiorinal/fioricet......which worked great, but I became a big addicted to it. By that, I mean that when it would wear off in a day, I would get another headache, which only could be treated with the fioricet. This went on forever. Finally, I went to a different neuro doc and he told me to get off that fioricet, and never use it again, as it IS very addictive, and famous for it's rebound headaches.
What was I going to do? How could I live through these without treating them? A sample of Exedrine came in the mail one day and I took it. The headache was gone!
I guess I'm one of the lucky ones whose headaches respond to caffeine. So for years, I took 1 Exedrine Free (with tylenol) every day to prevent headaches. Some days I needed 2-4, but that's the way I had to live. And that's the only caffeine I took in a day, to be sure that it would work when I needed it.
I quit using Exedrine, when I went on Welbutrin, because it made me too anxious.....and just had to spot-treat with Maxalt. That worked okay, but was very hard on the rest of my body.
Then, during the height of perimenopause, my heartrate went crazy, and my BP went up, and I went on a beta blocker........and 99% of my headaches went away! It was soooooooo wonderful!

I'm now almost off the beta blocker, and so far so good. (I'm 57). I only get a bad aura about twice a year, with a mild headache afterwards. I feel that my hormones have finally calmed down, and think the headaches will (hopefully) be few and far between.

Be sure to see a neurologist who deals with alot of headaches.
I think its a good sign that your headaches respond a bit to caffeine. Some people have NO response to caffeine with their headaches, and I feel that the options are lessened for them.
If I were you, (after you ruled out any other problems with your head), I would save all the caffeine you took, for use with your headaches. Unfortunately, caffeine can cause rebound headaches too. The doctor might give you a stronger prescription med to treat your migraines.
If they happen alot, I would definitely consider a low dose of a beta blocker. Unfortunately, they made me tired and spacey.......but definitely contolled my headaches.
One thing you might do if you know you get them with your period, is to start taking an NSAID several days before your period, and that might help. Avoid all those food triggers too.........chocolate, nuts, yeast, MSG, etc.

I found that the slightest things would cause my headaches......like sleeping in too late, eating after 6:30p.m., laughing too hard, etc. It was an awful 7-8 years for me, but I think you can find a treatment plan that works for you.
Definitely keep a diary of foods, sleep, weather, etc., and you might find your triggers and avoid them.
Those auras are extremely scary......especially if you're driving or at work. Once you figure out a medication that works for you, take it the second you get the aura.
I always got a panic attack right before the auras too.......and breathing into a paper bag helped alot. But auras usually only last 30 minutes at most. Mine lasted 20.......so I would comfort myself by knowing it would pass in 20 minutes.......even though the headache would start then.
The blue ice bag became my closest friend!

Its curious what you said about waking up at 4a.m. with the headache.....because I woke up every morning between 3:30 and 5:50 with mine! If I got one in the afternoon, it would be between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m............so I began to think it had something to do with the natural cycles of things in our bodies.

One of the most curious things for me was that I couldn't eat or drink ANYTHING after 6:30p.m., or that would positively give me a migraine in the middle of the night.
So I think our GI tracks are also involved.

I know I've said alot here, and I hope I haven't confused you. Lots of women unfortunately get worse headaches around perimenopause. But at least there are meds out there to help. And becoming aware of your own triggers can help you avoid some of the headaches.
I also joined a headache forum during that time, which was very helpful. Lots of people there had good suggestions. I can give you the link to one, if you'd like. Also, The Robbins Headache Clinic website is a great, well-respected one.
Good luck Marita. Perimenopause can be a real challenging time for many of us.......but the good news is that it DOES finally pass! Hang in there, and please feel free to ask me anything.

I too suffer from migraines, daily, and though the neurologist hasn't mentioned the Perimenoposal thing, I'm sure that is what it is (started in mmy 40's and I'm now 46). Without daily preventative medicine (topamax) I get them daily or they last WEEKS. Did the fiorinal and other MAJOR pain meds for weeks, and they will rebound on you...your body/headache starts to DEMAND you take the medicine. So I got a neurologist that took me off those, thank goodness! I do have a couple of abortitive meds that I take if I feel one coming on that USUALLY will take care of them. But sometimes only a trip to the ER will get rid of a mega headache. Long story I won't bore you with, but you can contact me if you wish at my page!

SOOOO, my recommendation to you at this point since you only get them 3-4 times a year, that you can control with OTC drugs, and this one that was MEGA.....talk to your dr. about IMITREX (works form most people, not me, but most people), a great sumatriptan that is either in pill form or epipen injectible that will get rid of them quickle. There are other options that will also abort them. Maxalt (dissolivable pill), relpax (pill), migrinal (nasal spray)...among just a few. Again your doctor can prescribe an abortive drug. One thing I would advise...and I as well as many migrainers do this...when you have a migraine...take it easy, let your body heal. You would if you had a flu (I will keep pushing myself, things have to get done!!!). Go to your room. Darken it, relaxing music if you can stand sound, if you can't..ear plugs work great. Ice packs on the back of the neck help. Lavendar scent may help, if you're not sensitive to smells (I am when I have one). Caffeine can help of hinder. All depends on the person. You will find people that say USE THIS IT WILL WORK. Bologna, what wouks for one does not work for all, that is the horrible thing about migraines. There are facts: the rebound from pain meds, The "hangover" the next day, but not all migrainers are the same. I've had people say...IMITREX godsend, will work...doesn't do a thing for me. I recommend it because it USUALLy works. I have no triggers for mine except stress and lack of sleep. Some can say "If I eat XXX I will get a migraine, you should find out what your eating that causes it and cut it out"...sorry, nothing like that for me. Cut out stress...ya right. Keep on a sleep schedule (I suffer from insomnia, and lack of sleep triggers them...great combo huh!!) to prevent them. Ya right. Know your body, your migraine, etc. I have great info I can E-mail you if you wish, and as with catherinet,contact me anytime with questions.

Vickey-MN

Thanks for your responses! It is good to gather all this information. I thought I'd report on my doctor visit. I am blessed with a very knowledgable and sympathetic woman doctor, who really listens and understands women's issues. She agreed that this migraine was hormonal and stated that, yes, they may continue to be bad through menopause. I'm going to keep a headache diary so that I can establish a pattern. She spoke about Imitrex as a possibility in the future, if these attacks persist. In order to knock this cycle of migraines out, she prescribed a steriod (prednisone) to take for three days, a muscle relaxer (cyclobenzaprene) to take for 5 days, and tylenol with codeine for pain. She also advised I keep Excedrin Migraine on hand to take at the very first signs of a future migraine. It is interesting that I had no additional stressors in my life when this came on so I can't say it was anything but hormones. The only foods I know that definitely cause me illness are red wine and too much sugar, and I've already eliminated both from my diet. Any way, thanks again for your responses. I think I'm on the mend and just pray this doesn't signal incapacitating migraines in the future.

Hi Marita,
Its great that you have a doctor you can trust to help you and listen to you.
when my headaches were at their worst, my OB/GYN sent me to see a reproductive endocrinologist. She looked at me in bewilderment when I said I was having hormonal migraines.....like she'd never heard of that??!!
That's when I knew she wouldn't be of much help. How can OB/GYN people NOT know about these headaches??
If Exedrine Migraine is more expensive than regular Exedrine, be sure to check the ingredients. I believe they are the exact same medicine. If you have any trouble with aspirin, the Exedrine with tylenol works great too (I think its called Tension Exedrine). Its the combo of caffeine and pain reliever that seems to work so well.
Definitely be careful using steroids.
Another thing to keep in mind with foods, is that sometimes you can get away with eating them, and sometimes you can't. Also, sometimes its a combination of 2 foods that can cause the problem.
It really ends up being a mystery that each woman has to figure out for herself. That's why a diary is so important.
I also learned that tylenol can actually cause me rebound headaches sometimes too.
Its funny........I never thought I would actually look forward to getting older, but I definitely did when I was having all those perimenopausal headaches!
Good luck to you Marita, and I'll hope that you have as few migraines as possible!

I agree about checking, I am almost positive Excedrine Migraine is just extra strength Excedrine...it has caffeine added. Watch the Tylonol 3, as stated above they can give rebound headaches (they can also be a godsend, so try and see). Do NOT take the T3 more than 2 days is a good piece of advice a friend gave me. If you ahve to take more than 3 days in a row, you're rebounding and defeating the purpose. When I get doosie migraines (the kind that send me to ER), I get a steroid (for you prednisone), Dilaudid--synthetic morphine (for you T3), and Toridol (muscle relaxer)...so you are getting a milder cocktail of what I get, so sounds good. Remember the 2 day rule and all will sound good. I have a migraine calendar you can copy if you wish, let me know...it's a little more detailed than a regular calendar.

Vickey-MN

I'm better--no 4 am pounding headaches although I still feel some mild head pressure in the morning. Thanks for the warning about Tylenol 3; I did take it two days in a row so I won't touch it now. The last thing I need is a rebound headache! Excedrin Migraine is a combination of aspirin, acetomenophine (spelling isn't correct I know; whatever tylenol is) and caffeine. My doctor said that recent studies show the combination works better than plain aspirin or tylenol along, which is interesting. I have another day to go on the predisome and two more on the muscle relaxer, so I'm hoping I'm over the hump. Thanks for all your advice and encouragement.

Hi Marita,
Although its probably your hormones, just keep sinus problems in mind too. I don't know what there is about perimenopause, but lots of women I've talked to have had lots of sinus problems during this time, and they can cause real humdingers of headaches. I had 2 sinus surgeries during perimenopause! I would love to figure out the connection.
I didn't realize that about Exedrine Migraine. Try not to wreck your stomach with all these meds. I found that if you really want the most relief possible for your headache, you need to take the meds on an empty stomach, with some juice. But be careful not to get an upset stomach/ulcer. I was so relieved when I found out that Exedrine also came with just tylenol. I just can't take aspirin.
Good luck to you marita. I will keep my fingers crossed that you won't have many of these during perimenopause. But at least there are alot of medication options out there for you.

vickey__mn -- I don't mean to hijack the thread, but do you mind talking about your experience with topamax for a bit? I started taking it a couple of months ago for my migraines. I'm only on 50mg (25 x twice a day), and most of the side effects are bearable (nausea, sleepiness, food tasting weird), and it HAS knocked my migraines down to a tolerable level. The one side effect I'm having trouble with, though, is memory problems...I'm finding that I have trouble remembering certain words when I talk, and I'm just generally forgetful. Have you had this at all?

I take 100mg topamax 1X a day, only at night, helps keep most of the side effects at night. They got better as I adjusted to the meds. (I had to slowly build up to that level). Topamax's nickname is Dopamax...meaning you stupid. It'as a migraineres joke. I too forget words. Not as bad as when I was on zonagran. I can literally see the word, know what letter it starts with, but in no way do I know what that word really is. It is a side-effect that, as I said isn't as bad as the Zonegran for me (I stuttered with that also a little while trying to find words, fun fun fun, this I don't do that). My close friends, family and people at work know it is either migraines or the medicine, I chose the meds and this side effect. I work in customer service, so when talking to customers I usually blame is on 1) to little coffee in the AM or 2) too much coffee in the PM. Some days are better. One customer who is a regular can tell by my speech if I have a migraine, she jokes with me when I forget words (She knows it's the meds..I've let her in on my secret).

I keep a notepad and send myself a lot of E-mails for the forgetfulness. I'd rather be forgetful than have the horrible migraines.

Good luck.

Vickey-MN

I lost most of my mind on the Toprol XL (beta blocker) too. I've gotten most of it back, since weaning off of it.
But like you said Vickey.........I'd rather be mindless than have migraines!

Hi,

Im new to this forum, but I wanted to share my story. I know what a MEGA MIGRAINE feels like. My name is Merry Cookston and I am 56 years old. I have suffered from migraine headaches since I was in high school. I was on Topamax 2xs a day plus Zomig when the headaches came on which was about 2 to 3 times per week.

I would come home on those headache days to a dark room, not being able to eat or talk and nearly vomiting from pain. At one point, 15 months ago, my husband did have to take me to the hospital because the migraine was so out of control. It took 5 shots to finally knock out the pain.

After 20 years of pain and trips to the ER, I wanted to find a better way to cope. I had a doctor friend refer me to a natural product, which has changed my life. In fact, I have had only 2 migraines in over 15 months.

Over the past couple of months I have been sharing my story with other people who suffer with migraines like me. My son has created a web page for me so I can reach more people who struggle with migraines and feel like they have NO HOPE.

THERE IS HOPE! Please feel free to check out more information about my story and the healthy alternative I have found to significantly help my migraines.

Since this website will not allow me to provide you the direct name of the product or my web address feel free to email me at UniveraLiving@yahoo.com.

I look forward to hearing from you all!

My whole family suffers with migraines.Oddly,I have only ever had one.
My mom gets them the worst,and her symptoms are much like yours.Sometimes worse.She has to go to the emergency room and throws up for days at a time.She's 49,and hers are also brought on by Period and stress factors.
She has been on a beta blocker,anti-depressants,IMITREX,zomig,and topamax.They seem to help for a while and sometimes they dont help at all.

My daughter also gets migraines at 9 years old,but mostly in her stomach (I know it sounds weird but it's a real thing)
Anyways,one thing her doctor told me to do,at the onset of the migraine,which has strangely helped alot~
is to give her a pedialyte pop.Something about how some migraines are brought on by dehydration,and a pedialyte pop or gatorade restores electrolytes and can fend off a migraine.
You may want to try this with your coffee,since coffee and caffeine can dehydrate you even more,making the headache not go away.

I wish I had more advice,but everyone is different and sometimes you just have to play around with different meds before you find one that works for you.
Hope you feel better and dont have anymore doozies!

Coolmama........I had sort of forgotten about your daughter's migraines. (Sorry!) How's she doing? Have you tried the motion-sick pills at all (along with the NSAID)?
My migraines have come back, 3 months after I weaned off the Toprol. I hate them. I think I'm too old for Maxalt any more. Fortunately 2 Exedrine seem to take the edge of it.....but then my GI track suffers.
Migraines are so unfair!
I think my sleep apnea has something to do with them.
Coolmama........does your daughter snore?

Hi catherinet! Actually,the weirdest thing,my daughter hasnt had ANY stomach migraines at all lately.She did one night however,compalin of a really bad headache.She was crying because she said it hurt so bad. I gave her children's motrin,and after about 45 minutes she was fine and went to bed.So,I hope they arent manifesting in head now (which I was told may happen as she got older,but which is worse,I have no idea!)
Funny thing,she does snore some.It is usually rather quiet,but sometimes I can hear her snore when I'm in the other room.
Migraines are the worst! People who dont get them,or havent seen someone who does have them seem to think they are made up.Wish they could find out exactly what causes them and how to get rid of them! Seems like such a horrible torture.

Hi coolmama,
Glad to hear she hasn't had any in awhile....but I'll hope they aren't "morphing" into head migraines! I had a friend once who had never had a headache! There were so many times when I didn't see how I could make it through one......but I did. I'm very lucky that Toprol worked for me, even if it did make me really stupid, and hungry 24 hours a day!
I'm wondering....can you associate your daughter's headaches with one season more than the other?
I snored as a child too, and got my first migraine at age 8. I didn't get an aura until I was about 22. Both my kids got auras when they were around 8, but thankfully, my daughter didn't get migraines after that. Like I said above, my son gets them, but they are still all just severe nausea and dizziness. Maybe they aren't even migraines, but they sure act like them......just no severe headache (fortunately). He always gets one if he doesn't get enough sleep over several days, or if he eats poorly. Sometimes he gets them with caffeine.
Anyhow......I'll keep my fingers crossed that your daughter is outgrowing them!

I dont know about the season thing...although they seem to worsen if she gets a sinus infection or the flu or something which is usually in the winter.
The main thing I have noticed is nerves that bring it on. Being very upset,or even excited seems to give her one.Once she even got one from motion at a carnival.And...because she is a girl,will probably get them around her period (when she starts getting them) poor thing.
Almost sounds like your son has them in his stomach as well? Except when my daughter gets them, the nausea and dizziness is accompanied by severe stomach pain.
I read about something called CVS (Cyclic vomiting Syndrome) which sounded almost just like what my daughter goes through too.That's even less known about then the migraines though.

What do you mean by getting an "aura" I havent heard of that before?

An aura is a visual thing that happens as a "prodrome" to a migraine. A prodrome means it happens right before the migraine. Usually its something like losing half of your vision in each eye, or having blank spots in your vision, and it usually includes seeing something flashing in your vision. I usually get these flashing crooked colorful lines. Its very disconcerting. I think its usually considered a "classic migraine" if you get those auras. The auras only last about 20-30 minutes, then they go away, and then you get the migraine.
I also get the prodrome of feeling very panicky, or feeling like I can't breath right, or having major problems thinking, or I can't talk right. Its no fun at all!
My son gets his migraines mostly from not getting enough sleep over several days, or having to do something scary (like speak or perform in front of people).
I think for him, its mostly a matter of having his vessels get constricted (from being nervous), and then when he relaxes, they dilate too much, which seems to cause the migraines. Your daughter's stress might have the same effect.
I, too, get headaches very easily with any other problems.....like viruses, sinus problems, etc. In fact, sometimes everyone in my family gets sick, but I just get the headaches. Weird!

I get classic migraines as well. I used to get them fairly regularly (i.e. almost every other week, sometimes almost weekly towards the end). My doctor put me on a drug called Topamax about 5 months ago, and it's worked wonders. It's really reduced the number of migraines for me!

rivkadr.......glad to hear it worked for you. Has the Topamax caused any weight gain?

catherinet -- far from it. Topamax works as an appetite supressant, and has helped me to lose weight :) It does have other side affects that are not so great, though -- my hands and feet tingled for the first couple of months, and I tend to have some mild memory loss and difficulty finding words, which is mildly annoying. I'm willing to put up with that, though, to not have migraines!

When I was on Toprol, I had BIG thinking problems. Plus, I was hungry 24/7. But like you said......there are lots of things we put up with, to not get those horrible headaches! I'm just thankful it worked for me. It doesn't work for alot of people. My migraines were definitely related to my hormone fluctuations.
I feel really sorry for all of us who get migraines!

I'm posting this here, although it seems different than what everyone else has written. A few weeks ago I would wake up at night and see a spider crawling on the wall or aboveme. Sometimes it looked like a regular spider, sometimes it was orange or spotted green and yellow, or a big lady bug the size of a dime. If I wasn't scared I would try to push it away and my hand went through it. I went to an eye Dr yesterday. He said my eyes were fine but I was having miraine auras without the headache (yet). I had TMJ before so he's sending me to have another jaw splint made and says my blood pressure is erratic and I have to go to my primary physician. Execpt for a few times of seeing a floating "thing" that looked like fiberglass with red thread through it, all I usually see are these scary spiders. I've looked on several migraine sites and they describe shapes and blobs and flashing lights as auras. Does anyone else see these types of things? Even when I know it's not real it's still scary. I'm 60 and on Clonidine, Toprol XL, diuretic and progesterone. Dr says it's not hallucinations from mediccation, that's what I thought it was......LinnZ

When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I would often see colored blobs that would float across my vision. Nowadays I mostly just see these "floaters" in black and white.

Daily, I usually get a "thin halo" effect -- it's pretty similar to what you get when you've been on the computer a lot and then look away, but I get it all the time. I'm not actually having a migraine, but I call it my "proto-migraine" state -- I'm in this phase usually about 60-70% of the time, but thanks to the Topomax that I've mentioned in earlier posts, I rarely have an actual migraine. When I'm having a true migraine, then that's when I get the real visual effects -- usually a big slash across my vision that expands to a huge blinding halo that blinds at least one eye for about half an hour. Great fun.

It's a good thing that you're getting this checked out -- if you don't have a history of migraine, the fact that you're suddenly getting these auras would be worrisome, at least IMO. Please do go see your primary care physician as the eye doctor recommended.

I have migraines with aura and I also have tons of floaters.
But about 5-8 years ago, when I was in the throws of perimenopause, I would get a fair amount of hallucinations at night. I would see bugs all over the ceiling, or I'd see smoke, etc. It seems to have passed.
I also used to see all sorts of interesting designs, moving in concentric circles in my vision, as I was trying to fall asleep at night. My opthomologist didn't know what they were.
Do you find that your vision is really sensitive? I know that I can see cells in my vision, coursing through vessels. I just seem to have lots of things like that. I'm thinking some of us are just really visually sensitive. But I'm glad you're having your's checked out.
Are you completely awake when you see these things, or are you in a partially asleep state? I get auditory hallucinations when I'm in that state. I hear doorbells, loud bangs, etc. My mind plays tricks on me alot at night.

Hi Catherinet! I am just falling asleep or have been asleep an hour or two when I open my eyes and there is a bug, just one. I'm awake because my husband asks me what's wrong when I jump up. Sometimes the bug fades away, sometimes I can follow it crawling off. I'm 60, hopefully menopause is over, I kept spotting at least once or twice a year, they found 2 polyps in the uterus and removed them several months ago. I really thought the spiders were a side effect of Clonidine or Toprol since hallucinations were described on a few sites. Eye Dr said hallucinations are different(???) The last few nights I have been wearing one of those eye masks so I don't see anything, so far it's worked, as long as I don't see things with my eyes closed I guess it's okay. I will go to the other Drs as he recommended, it just sounds like it doesn't fit the auras I've read about......LinnZ

Hi LinnZ,
That's interesting.........I was on Toprol for 5 years. Can't remember if it was during that time that I saw all those things, but its highly likely! I had never heard of that as a side-effect.

I was thinking that a mask wouldn't help, as I think the images are from the brain, not the eye. But if the mask helps.....then I'm all for it!
Isn't it amazing how real things seem in that twilight time? I would swear there was green smoke all through the room. But as I would awaken, it would go away. And all those bugs everywhere! Its pretty freaky!

I miss the good effects of Toprol.........slower heartrate and lower BP, not as anxious.......but man did it make me stupid! And I was hungry 24/7 and I had absolutely NO motivation EVER. Does it affect you that way?

I take ToprolXL and I still have a fast heart rate. Once I went to the ER but they told me it was a panic attack thing, nothing wrong with my heart. They said I could make it slow down myself, and I do now when it starts beating faster. I do feel tired alot, don't know if it's medication or age! I know what you mean about the mask, but so far it only happens when I open my eyes, weird stuff! I'll let you know what I find out......LinnZ

I started out on Saturday with what I thought was a sinus headache. It progressed into the worst migraine I ever had. Everything I ate I threw up. I couldn't lie down because the pain was so bad. My favorite spot was the bathroom floor, right by the toilet! I stayed home from work yesterday, and was a complete couch potato. Only got up when it was necessary. I'm back at work today, but still feel weak and a little disoriented. I have a doctor's appointment next week for bloodwork related to my cholesterol medication (I'm also in menopause). I will ask then what medication I can take. I only had regular asprin in the house. Going to buy Excedrin Migraine to keep with me. I don't wish this on anyone.

Hopefully he'll prescribe something like Imitrex or Relpax (I prefer Relpax myself, as I find the side effects are less severe then with Imitrex). I've found that taking a Relpax with a more heavy duty pain pill (I'm totally blanking on what it's called; it's a prescription medication) will get rid of my migraines in about 2 or 3 hours. Whereas just trying to "tough it out" without any medication or just regular excedrin/aleve means an all day long migraine.

Relpax/Imitrex on its own helps a lot -- I think combining it with a pain med, though, goes a long way towards reducing the severity of the migraine. There was a study recently that showed Imitrex in combination with Aleve made a big difference, for example, than Imitrex alone.

I was able to see the doctor yesterday. She wants to start slow in determining what I need. She prescribed Fioricet, which is Tylenol, caffeine and a sedative. I took it last night. It relaxed me, but has not done anything for the headache yet. When I go on Monday for my regular bloodwork, she will also check my hormone levels. They haven't been checked in 2 years, when I was shown to be in menopause.

DO NOT take the fioricet for more than 3 days with a migraine, you will get what is called a REBOUND migraine, your brain will give you a migraine to get more meds. Odd I know but that is what it does. I wish she had treated the migraine and not the pain (there is a difference). If you still have the migraine in 3 days and it is bad I would go to the ER to get it knocked out - if you have good insurance. Seriously, often too your head will hurt from hurting so long. This long and it may take a bit to knock it out..I usually get a cocktail of a steroid (I don't remember which, probably prednizone), Dilaudid--synthetic morphine, and Toridol (muscle relaxer)---and benedryl because the Dilaudid makes me itch!!!. That will usually knock it out.

Vickey-MN

Vickey - I took one last night before bed, and took Excedrin today. When I saw that it can become habit forming, I've decided to be selective as to when to take it. You're right about my head hurting from hurting so long. The pain is subsiding, but I still feel something up there, if that makes sense.

I understand completely the "hurting from hurting" you're talking about! I've had migraines for weeks (literally one for 6 weeks before we got that one to go away) before we finally got them under control, I'm down to one or two a month now, and they only last for hours and not for days YEA.

It's not the habit forming I worry about with the firinol (I know I spelled it wrong, but don't want to look up the correct spelling), it is the migraines's response to pain meds, and the rebounding. AND it can happen with the excedrin also. Just a warning. IF you think the pain may no longer be a migraine, but the "hurt from hurting", stop all meds for pain and the hurt will go away, if it is still a migraine, I still go with the ER, or back to the Dr for an abortive med..imitrex (doesn't work for me, but nothing says it won't work for you), relpax, migrinal, etc.

Try adding Magnesium tablets. Up to 1000mg per day. Yes 1000mg. DO NOT start at 1000mg (they cause diareah)...they also help prevent migraines.

Another option is chiropractor, helped DD#1. Didn't help me, I also tried Accupuncture..also didn't help me, but that doesn't mean I do not think they will help people. Mine finally took a Migraine specialist and playing with many drugs to get the righ combination.

Vickey-MN

I'll definitely get some magnesium. My husband had said to me, "headaches shouldn't last this long". Obviously he's getting as much of an education as I am. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday. I was wondering if my cholesterol medicine could have caused it? I've been taking it since April. Could be hormonal; hope I can isolate it and deal with it.

I just saw that this thread was back in action. I'm the original poster. I'm happy to say what happened last November, when I went though several weeks of constant migraines, never reoccured. Hurray! It is amazing how, at the age of 50, every new ache and pain I get makes me think, "oh, oh, now I'm old and will have this forever"--but then they disappear. I still don't know what caused that huge streak of migraines but I would not wish that torment on anyone!

Went to my chiropractor yesterday, we've gone to him for many years, and I told him about the "spiders' I see at night and that the eye Dr thought it was migraine auras without the headache. Without stepping on any toes, he told me before I have a jaw splint made I should seriously check out if the medications I take could be causing the problem. Both Clonidine and Toprol can cause hallucinations. So I'm going to my primary physician first....LinnZ

I bought a bottle of 250mg magnesium. I took one yesterday afternoon, and had the runs this morning. I can only imagine what happens if you take 1000mg at once! I'll still give it a shot, because anything is better than a migraine.

I had my first migraine at age 20, I'm now 62. They were the type that occurred every 12 to 24 hours like clockwork. Never lasted very long, but totally incapacitated me. Tried many different medications, but nothing really kept them at bay until a doctor prescribed a steroid nasal mist for cedar allergy. I think that was in the 80's. Anytime I try to get off the nasal mist (nasacort now) I start having migraines. The information with the medication says not to stay on it for long periods of time, but I'd rather be pain free now and pay the piper later. Don't think my current dr. believes me, but it willing to write the rx.

Just an update, I posted several times about seeing weird spiders, after seeing several Drs. apparently it was a side effect of Clonidine. I've been taken off that and put on Zestoretic. So far so good.

rioritarae.....As I was going through perimenopause, I had them like clockwork too.......every 3-5a.m. If I got them in the afternoon it would be 3-5p.m. I was thinking it had something to do with steroid production in me, since I guess it works like that.
But.....through alot of pain and migraines and meds, I discovered that I easily become "addicted" to meds. What I mean by that is that I get rebound pain whenever I try to come off them......whether they be migraine meds, caffeine, PPIs, pain meds, etc.
I have learned to expect the pain. In fact, I learned to expect to feel awful for 2 months after coming off HRT and for 2 months after coming off a beta blocker.
I have learned to not think that I need to be on the medicine, just because I get symptoms after coming off them. Sometimes you can find a different kind of drug to help you through this bad time. Anyhow.....I just wanted you to be aware of rebound pain........and it doesn't mean you need to be on the med. It just means that your body needs a little while to adjust being off it. Good luck!

Imitrex now is in a nasal and I love that one. Oral made me feel really weird and frightened me so off that one. My stress from work is WAY down. My script for butalbital was last filled in around November and I still have 4 left. I'm excited. I would get it filled roughly every 4-6 weeks. I'd not take it unless I had a crippling headache - and then I'd take it one or two days and it was fine.

I do keep Extra Strength excedrin around - but I take walmart's brand - checked and its the same thing, but cheaper.

Now to figure out why my 8 YO sometimes gets them. She's had 3 now I guess - once or twice a year. VERY hard to keep a food diary when they are that seldom.