migraines and you

[TOPEC]

so anyone else here on revscene suffer from migraine headaches?

symptoms, area of pain, etc etc?
what type of medication do u take?
what do u do when it comes?
how long does it lasts for?
how often do u get migraines?
how long have u been experiencing migraines?
have u been to a doctor about it?

just curious on what others do during migraine attacks?

- 30mins prior to the "attack", i would experience blindness, sensitive to light, auras, dizziness, nausea

- during the migraine, i would experience sharp pain in the right region of my brain, light and noise sensitive, feeling of vomiting (sometimes do end up vomiting), severe pain behind the eyeball

- 2 tylenol migraine paint ultra releif

- depends on when i take medication, if i take it right when i know a migraine is comming, eg: blindness, auras, then the pain would last 20-30 mins, if i take it during the migraine, it lasts quite a long while, somewhere between 1 hour - 2 hours.

- 1-2 times a month, but i noticed that since i cut off coffee completely, i only get migraines once every 2 months or so

- looking back at an old thread i looked up, it seems like i've been experiencing migraines since 07, that means age 19

- been to family doctor, refereed me to a specialist, said migraines r unexplainable, theres nothing u can do other than keep on taking pain killers. take as much as u need, if 2 tylenols dont work, take 2 more, and 2 more if needed, which kind of scared me since that is quite a bit of pain killers. oh the specialist also said it might be genetic, but none of my other family members suffers from migraines.

so, lets hear about ur migraine stories people.

[TOPEC]

So no one else in here suffers from migraines???
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[gdoh]

did u replace coffee with other forms of caffeine??

[TOPEC]

Not that I notice, but I do drink very dark red tea from time to time. Once or so a week?
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[TheNewGirl]

Until I cut gluten out of my diet I would have horrible sudden on set migraines (so from when I was 13 till about 29). They always started with a ringing/buzzing in my ear and a slight feeling of light headedness. Then my field of vision would narrow, often getting spotty, and pain would start behind my eyes. That process would take about a half hour, if I could get to a quiet, dark room and lay down that would be as far as it would go and usually I would be fine after a few hours.

If not though, I would start sweating, the pain would get debilitating, I have been rendered completely blind for periods of time before and also experienced vertigo (being suddenly completely blind and unable to tell up from down, I have to say is the most terrifying experience in my life). I occationally got sick, and always got very sensitive to both light and smells. Fortunately for me they rarely last longer than a day but they always leave me utterly exusted.

I never took any medication for them except when I was pregnant and nursing, my doctor gave me some tabs that I could take if I started feeling one come on because the fainting/falling that I would get from vertigo was a real concern when I was pregnant and carrying around a baby. I do know that the migraines were definitely made worse by hormonal changes, this is the time I had the most of them, as well as puberty, and as I said the big trigger for me - gluten.

Since I went gluten free 2 years ago I have only had 1 migraine and this was when my food was contaminated with bread crumbs.

I would suggest while coffee is making it worse for you, it's possible you have another trigger and HIGHLY recommend getting tested for food intolerances (wheat, dairy, egg and MSG being the most common), also diabetes and blood pressure. A lot of people who get them also get them from barimetric pressure changes... in which case this is like the worst place in the world to live.

[PJ]

Every morning I NEED a cup of coffee. Without it, I can expect a migraine within the next hour.
I always need to have a lot of dairy and a steady (acceptable) amount of sodium.

I'm a pretty healthy and in-shape guy, but my body's really sensitive to abrupt changes in diet. Once I decided to switch completely to healthy foods and cut out sodium and caffeine. Lasted a week, had terrible migraines every single day.

Like TheNewGirl mentioned, you should check out your food tolerances. Everyone's different and different things will happen. You can also develop intolerances. I used to drink milk by the gallon, and just recently I've been diagnosed that its causing my skin to break out (which is common, but just started in the last few months.) So I'm kinda in a shitty spot right now, as if I do not drink my milk, I will get migraines.. but if I drink too much, I will break out. I'm still kind of experimenting with what my body likes and doesn't like.

I just take a nice normal Advil when they do come..

[TOPEC]

well i cant take advil because im allergic to that ibprofen(sp) ingredient.

whats this test for food intolerance? do i get it done at my family doctor?

thanks

[TheNewGirl]

You need to talk to your family doctor, yes. Usually it's best to get a referral to someone who deals specially with allergies/intolerances (which are two very different things).

If you haven't had a full blood panel done you should also ask for one to make sure you're not high or low in something. Low iron and blood glucose can both trigger serious wicked head aches. Anemia (iron deficiency) can also be a symptom of other issues. Thyriod problems and blood pressure are other potential triggers. You should also get an eye exam if you haven't had one in the last year.

As Impulse said, everyone is very different in their triggers so it's a good idea to try and rule out as much as you can.

Also: It would be a big help to your doctors if you keep a diary of when you get them, what you're doing, what you ate that day, how you were feeling, the weather and such. You might find a common pattern.

[Nocardia]

Great tip as above!
Journals as to what you were doing can be a HUGE help to decipher what are triggers to migraines.

Just to note, those symptoms you experience prior to your migraine's are called "aura" which means you have classic migraines (vs. those w.o aura called common migraines). Aura's are helpful because if you can afford the medication, it bascially tells you to take the medication as a storm is coming


Also fyi: migraines are generally a clinical diagnosis so a good history is pretty important

[Truenosan]

Ask your doctor for some samples of different migraine pills. Some work better, some don't, it depends on the person.

Axert works fine for me, but at almost $20 a pill, it ain't cheap.

[kalekain]

See a Natural path or Acupuncturist, both really good at treating migranes.