Migraines & Headaches Community

HI,

I just came across your article, and I'm experiencing a very similar situation. For the past year, I've been taking these dietary herbal supplements for weight loss....and I started having loss of sleep due to diuretics in the herbal supplements that aggravated my bladder. There were also stimulants and other ingredients that have thrown my entire system out of whack ! I started getting these terrible headaches..which I thought was just a tension headache..due to the stress I've been through in the past year..and especially in the past 7 months.
Went to the ER a few days ago (vomited,lightheaded,headache,dizzy,sleepy etc) and was told "get off the dietary herbal supplements right away" The doctor sounded urgent. I asked the radiology people "what is this headache"? Reply" You have a migraine" Lights/sunlight/noise hurts it.
Never had this in my entire life, and no known family history of migraines. I'm wondering if it is just due to a reaction to those herbs. (I"m off them, but they are still in my system) My balance/coordination at the moment is a little off....I have fallen a few times and have a little dizzyness/lightheadedness. My usual sharp memory...has been clouded..or I can't remember. My Brain Cat Scan appears normal.
I'm 30 and have never experienced a migraine headache before. Hopefully, somebody can help answer both our questions/situations. The pain is reducing slightly, yet still have the flashing ...spots or whatever those are. My memory is starting to come back slightly.
If you have 1 migraine, does that mean you necessarily have the condition or not?
It feels like you can go out of your mind!
Someone has got to have the answers.
Never lose hope.

Migraines can cause balance problems, but if this is a new problem, you should let your neurologist re-examine you.

Ask your doctor about the botox again. In our clinic, most insurance companies were not approving botox last year (even after FDA approval). All but 1 or 2 companies are approving botox for migraine now, if you are having more than 14 headache days/month

Wrap ice around your head if you've had a head injury, although I guess I didn't understand what you're asking completely, whether you had bad headaches and then after your accident they were worse? Many people get vertigo with their migraines, also maybe you had a concussion?

Get Techn-ice, cut it into strips and put them in water until they puff up, wrap them in bandanas and freeze them. Then wrap them around your head. It helps bring down inflammation.

I have had Headaches for about 3-4 years now that went to Migraines! I started Having them when I was pregnant with my son, then they went away and then got pregnant with my daughter and they got really bad to the point I was on bed rest and unable to do anything because any movement would make it worse. Now, I go day to day waking up and going to bed with these migraines and I try migraine meds and other natural things but nothing seems to help! What can I do? I have no insurance and can't afford a lot but if I have to save up for something I will because I cant take this much longer~

I'm hoping the information I give you will help. I have suffered from migraines for over 18 years. They are much better these days. They also began when I was pregnant w/ my daughter. Our stories sound very similar. I really feel for you. I completely understand what you are going through. I'm not certain if anyone has explained this to you and maybe a professional will see this and jump in. When you are pregnant your spinal fluid increases. In some woman after pregnancy, their spinal fluid does not go back down and that will cause migraines or daily headaches. They have to do a lumbar puncture to determine this—sometimes I think they can look at the pressure on your eye. Which is a very easy and cheap test. I know the lumbar puncture is expensive but it might be worth it. They drain fluid from you spine. I was actually borderline. It helped me a great deal w/ my headaches but difficult to get doctors to do since I'm borderline. However- there are more studies showing that the pressure might depend on the person. So your discussion may have prompted me to get some help. I have taken a break for awhile because it was exhausting and often disappointing. Make sure that you're not taking any meds that will cause rebound headaches. At one point, I got into that cycle. I had been so careful for many years but it still happened. It is hard when you hurt all the time. Hard to function. I wish you lots of luck.

think i just started having migraines. i rarely have headaches, but these (i have had two in the last two months) are debilitating. every muscle aches, my fingers, the tops of my feet, i mean everyone really. my vision is blurry, my walking is unsteady, if i move my head to look one way, i get dizzy, i feel like a drunkard, literally. the reason why i think it is migraine is because i have this unbearable pain in my head, behind my eyes, and ite not like anything i have ever felt before. my body shakes uncontrolably, like when you get the chills and you teeth chatter and you cannot stop it. i talk a hot bath, it doesnt help but makes me feel better, until i get back out of the tub again, then i am back in hell. oddly, both times lasted about 24 hours. the headache and body aches are minimal, but i am exhausted. what i did this time and last time was stay in bed for almost 24 hours, got up to go the bathroom, kept water next to my bed and got snacks when i got upset stomach. i know of many stories of people who get just wiped out like this because of migraines, but seeing as i have only had two incidents and they came on so quickly, litterally i wake up and feel muscle aches, take a bath, usually middle of the night when it wakes me up, and after taking asprin or one of the others, it gets full blown out within a few hours. when these incidences happened, i cried like a baby, and i dont cry on a regular basis, and i dont get sick on a regular basis. i get suicidal telling myself i cannot go on, and if this is what it feels like to get old (im 42/43) i cannot take it. so i am scared, irritated and feel bad for people i have to cancel plans with at such short notice, like meetings and important things, leaving them with no options.

I've had balance problems with migraines, but memory problems tend to be the result of the meds. Whenever I'm on Fiorinal, I get seriously spacey. It can take awhile to clear up after stopping the meds, as well. Imitrex made me feel like I was having a heart attack, but as it was still a reduction in pain, I kept with it for almost a year. If your balance is bad enough that you think you might have hit your head, get to the doctor to find out if something new is wrong.

I also have balance problems with migraines, sometimes memory issues too. I also take Fiorinal, which kind of makes me a little loopy and dizzy. I take 2 other meds in combination with the fiorinal. Propanolol and amitriptyline at bedtime. I don't think the propanolol helps, I have been on that for over 2 months now, and I haven't notice any changes in the frequency of the migraines. I do notice, however, that at least 2 weeks prior to my period, that the migraines get worse and I can't get completely rid of them. I have even sat in the shower while the water cascades on my head for some relief of the pressure from the headache, which helps for a short amount of time at least. After the shower I usually try to relax in my dark, quiet bedroom and try to fall asleep. Then there are times when I take my meds if I have one late at night and then I can't sleep! Damned if I do, damned if I don't!!! Then you factor the insomnia and migraine

and I have to go to work in the morning with little or no sleep at all!! I feel as though my co-workers, supervisors and friends don't truly understand what is going on with me, I try to explain because either I feel guilty for missing work or being truly exhausted at work! I am lucky if I go a week without a migraine...I wish I knew what to do. I have had CT scans, and they said I have calcium deposits all over my brain, but they said there is no scientific proof that the calcium deposits cause migraines?? Anyone else have calcium deposits?? I have been coping with these debilitating migraines for over 13 years now, and been through A-Z in drug medications. It has become so bad that I had to get a FMLA form for my work, due to I miss at least 1-4 days per month with "chronic migraines"....SO to all of the men/women out there that have migraines, I feel for ALL of you!!! I hope someone finds a magic, cure-all medication for migraines for us all!!! Good luck to everyone above that posted, I hope you find relief soon! : )

Yes I have heard that having migraines can cause memory loss. I know for a fact my memory is really bad now, but I've also heard that menopause can cause that also. And as far as balance, I always feel a little uncoordinated when I have a migraine, but since you had that fall, I would go to your doctor but if you had even a small concussion that can also cause memory problems. I am on Pamelor for my migraines and I think it has helped a little -- they've decreased to about four per month instead of having them about 3 times per week! I just posted about taking Pregnenalone which is an over-the-counter natural hormone and it seems to have helped keep the migraines away, although I've alonly been taking it since Saturday -- but not one migraine for almost a week now. It seems to also help with having my mind more clear. But if you're only in your 30's I would check with your doctor before taking pregnenalone. Good luck with everything... I do feel your pain.