To Swayze & JARhodes~~I am no expert, sorry to say. But, I feel so bad for you to be suffering so, and to not have received an answer to your entries.
I, too, have sufffered with migraines since I was first diagnosed at 10yrs. My mother did not believe a child could possibly have a headache, let alone a migraine, so there was no treatment.
I am now 57yrs, and I have chronic sinusitus, chronic migraines, and seasonal allergies. I no longer try to discern what kind of headache I have so I can give it its applicable medicine. Instead, my neurologist has insisted I medicate with one of the 3 abortive meds prescribed, or any combination thereof, IMMEDIATELY, no questions asked!
It took me a while to concur bc migraine meds are so much more $$$ than sinus or allergy, but now, I do comply with an immediate does of any one or combo of any of the 3 abortive meds, and usually meet with desirable outcomes, less severe, less duration. For me, that means getting a migaine 4 days out of 7, duration now is about 2-8hours, and severity (pain) is about 4-5/10 on pain scale.
This is a dramatic improvement over what I used to experience: migraines 300 days/yr.; some lasting up to 3wks without reprieve; and insane pain, 7-9/10pain scale, with me slamming my fist into my temple as hard as I possibly could. Of course, sometimes ER visits were necessitated and infusions were administered bringing pain level down to about a manageable 5-6/10, better than nothing!
Now, I've also been on a "preventive" prescription, Gabapentin, which has been increased gradually over a period of 2yrs, now up to 2400mg/daily. It is largely responsible for really bothersome cognitive impairment, dizziness, and loss of balance (I often walk with a cane now). When Gabapentin is no longer effective, I don't know what I'll do! Topiramate caused hallucinations---very scary---so I was taken off after only 1mo use.
That's my story. You probably didn't need to hear another story, but somehow I keep hoping you might read in someone's testimony of an idea which you had not yet considered, and that after you try it for a while, might actually bring you desirable results. I pray so...
moxie