Migraines & Headaches Community

Can you give us some more details, such as what you take for your migs, if you've seen a dr or neurologist? There is a type of migraine that includes vertigo.

My Internist has been treating me for years with different meds, I have an incredible tolerance for drugs. The cocktail of bipolar meds would knock most people out.

He now has me on fioricet but it does not last very long. I'm really incapacitated by these headaches, I'm going to look into a couple of drugs that Dr. Collins recommended.

I go through phases, except 2010 when I had a migraine every single day.

If anyone has experience like this, let me know what you think.

I don't know if this will help you but I take a calcium/magnesium supplement. I take 500mg of each and learned from the health food store that magnesium is good for migraines. I was having headaches weekly, not real bad ones, but since I started taking the magnesium I have only had about 12 headaches in the last 10-12 months. I hope you get to feeling better.

Hi Alison,

I have had migraines for 30 years and have tried everything. I have been on Pain Management with mixed results. Rather than bore you with all meds and treatments, allow me to share the latest and greatest with you.

My Neurologist asked the frequency of my migraines last week. My response was 22 to 30 days a month. He advised me that the FDA has recently approved Botox treatments for patients suffering migraines more than 15 days a month. Thus I qualified for Botox treatment to be authorized by my Medicare part D provider.

The treatment consists of 33 (yes, 33!) shots of Botox at migraine trigger points. This morning I received my shots and it was really quite tolerable. It may have helped that I've had success with acupuncture, and thus I was less traumitized by multiple shots with a thin needle. Shot pain ranged from a 2 to 5 on a pain scale of 10.

Now I await results. My Neuro said that the majority of patients received "moderate relief." He defined that as "fifty percent less pain and 50% less frequency." He stated that one in five patients noticed "no difference." I will post again within a week or two with my personal experiences. I pray that all of us that suffer chronic migraine pain may benefit from this and other new FDA approved treatments. No one who hasn't had a migraine can imagine what we go through.

Alison, you are not alone in your suffering. Regarding your dizziness, I also suffered the same with the most severely painful, or long lasting (16 days in a row was my record.) migraines. Once the migraine broke up, the dizziness was history. Try not to worry to much about it as it usually goes away. May God lead your doctors to give you the healing and help you need. Hang in there as when it can't get worse, then the future must get better!
Annie

You don't mention any treatments except Fiorcet which should not be taken more than 2x per week, or you get terrible rebound headaches indefinately. Instead you need a daily preventative medication which prevents the headaches. What kind of doctor have you been seeing to give you Fiorcet and no preventative medication. It sounds like the first neurologist that I had who just pumped me with opiates.

If the preventative meds don't help you, there are a lot of other treatments like the Botox injections (I get 25 of them every 10 weeks), and nerve block and trigger point injections which I get every 4 weeks. Both have helped me tremendously. Or a TENS unit inserted, or accupuncture, or physical therapy. There are many treatments which a headache specialist or a neurologist can advise you about.

To AutoAnnie,
If you don't get any improvement with your Botox, check the dose which may need to be increased which I needed. 100 units did not help me at all. At 225 units I got great relief.
Unlike you, I found the Botox injections to be far more painful than accupuncture (never hurt at all), nerve block or trigger point injections. I would rate the pain level being more an 8 on a pain scale of 10. But they are far less painful than the unrelenting migraine pain and have been tremendously helpful in my pain relief.

Yes, Annie, please tell me how you do ? I have had a migraine every day for 3 weeks. I learned the hard way that I need to stay home.

If my husband had not been in the store, I would have passed out. I'm going to look into Botox because I most definitely qualify.

Did your doctor get you the medicare approval for the Botox ? I have fallen so many times and broken so many bones, I have to get rid of these Migraines. Thank you so much for telling me.

Best
Allison

Hi,

My Internist started with Butalbital with Codeine, then Hydrocodone,
then Percoset and now OXY.

I have had a severe migraine for more than 4 weeks. It has been unbearable.

I think I will see if I can do the Botox, I'll try that.

Thank you so much for responding, I just recently started using the computer, I mostly was in the dark room, crying.

BEST
Allison

I've been getting botox for a while now. The relief is better than any pill, pain patch, etc. I have ever tried. I get my shots about every 90 days and my insurance has paid for it because I am treated by a pain Doc.

Be aware that you may have to endure MANY injections so be prepared. I get shots around my head, down my neck, upper shoulders and the area between my eyebrows. I think the amount of pain and the recovery time is different for each person. My soreness has lasted just a day or so. The relief is well worth it. Try It!

Allison,
Your doctor is being either terribly ignorant or incompetent to not try a daily prophylactic migraine prevention med with you which none of the medications you listed are such meds. In fact if you're only taking those medications, it's no wonder that you have severe migraines daily. That's what those pain pills cause. My first neurologist prescribed Lorcet (an opiate) and Tramadol 24/7. What an idiot he was!!!

You are probably not even eligible for Botox if you haven't tried at least several different prophylactic migraine prevention medicines. And Botox rarely helps migraines any better than the prophylactic medications and usually only helps people who do not respond to those medications.

So ask for a prophylactic medication immediately and if your current doctor doesn't know about them, get another doctor ASAP.

And I would not recommend Botox as a first option. It does hurt. Rarely, but sometimes, people get bad reactions from it.

Good luck to you.

Sara

Hi Allison,
I am new here but I would implore you to try and see another doctor if at all possible. My first visit to a neurologist was very disheartening. My appointment was literally the last before their Christmas break. He spent no more than two minutes looking at my MRI scans before saying there was nothing wrong with me and I should just be happy I was healthy. They were opening champagne bottles as I paid my bill. I left in tears.
I asked for a second opinion. The receptionist for this neurologist rang and said that if the surgeon decided to see me, she would ring me in about six months to let me know when the appointment would be - probably another six months after that.
I rang my GP in tears. Later that same day I received a call from another surgery who said they would see me in a week. This neurologist has been amazing. We still haven't got to the root of the problem but he cares AND he listens. That is half the battle. You need to find someone who will listen to you and really try to help you. I feel for you Allison and hope you find someone to help you soon.

To Dibba67,
You need to find a neurologist who also treats you besides listening to you. Much of the time no specific cause can be found, but you need treatment such as the daily prophylactic medications. What is your new doctor doing for you? Migraines hurt and are disabling.
Sara

I've had migraines on and off for most of my adult life. As I got older they got worse. We tried Imitrex which was totally useless, then the Dr. gave me Hydrocodone which worked for a few hours and that was it. Then I was given Lortab and Percoset, the same thing, the pain stopped only for a few weeks.

I have the aura, nausea, and a Migraine that feels like someone is smashing my head. Eventually, I start having vision problems.

It's been almost 5 weeks of lying in a dark room with no relief.

Between Fiorecet, Hydrocodone, OXY, Percoset, Butalbital with codeine. Going to the hospital and getting an IV of Dilaudid which did work longer. However, I do not know if Dilaudid can be prescribed.

I am just so miserable, I did change Doctors but all I seem to be is the
the guinea pig for Barbituates.