Migraine

i'm trying to manage life as a working mom, have been dealing with migraines over 10 years but mostly the last 4 have been steadily worse. I tried the preventative 2 kinds, some worked for the headache but side effects were unbearable. I'm lucky that I get any side effect of any med to the extreme. My knock out med is Maxalt but it makes me unconscious for 2 hours, so I can't take it till evening. I have been to the ER 1x while on a daily since I could only take 1/2 dose of Max. They would only give me a half shot since my reaction of unconscous which I told htme. I think its my metabolism? anyhow has anyone else ever been knocked out by a med? I need to find one to take and stay alert.
Then I tried acupuncture for 1.5 years which lessened the intensity but not the frequency. I started with a wholistic doc, nutritionist who gave me a food allergy test and said everything I eat I am slighlty sensitive. I took vitamin cocktail in an IV for 2 months. Now started with a chiropractor who said my neck, back and hips are way out. Any part of the back of my head always hurts to touch, which makes sleeping tough. I have sinus allergies and usually my headache starts as a sinus, it feels like a knife going from the nostril straight through my eye and out the back of my head. So massage is out of the question, sorry for my poor hubby.
Oops sorry for not so brief an introduction. I am just living with rebound headaches, just learned the name from this website. Looking for company and will be trolling these message boards. Trying to remain positive and live with whenever this demon strikes, that I can react.

Welcome PurpleKris!!

I'm so sorry you have had such a difficult time, but you have definitely come to a place where people truly understand!! We've been there and know what it's like to have migraines which truly take large chunks out of your life!

One of the best things I got from this forum was to find the right migraine doctor for me! I encourage you to keep looking. Someone far more knowledgeable than I will come along and give you a link, but there is a list of recommended migraine docs on this site!

You are way ahead of the game with your positive attitude!! Keep it up and welcome to the site!!

Cyn

Hello and welcome to our forum family, purplekris! Our goal is to provide everyone with the information and support that we all need to manage our Migraines and/or headaches. To that end, we consider this a “safe harbor,” where nobody tries to sell us anything, and we all use “family-friendly” language so parents are comfortable letting their children read the forum with them.

Please take a few minutes to review our policies and guidelines along with the other information in the START HERE folder. For information about Migraines, a good article to begin with is Learning About Migraines - Where to Start

Okay. Now to cover some territory...

If you've only tried two preventatives, then you've not even really scratched the surface. There are nearly countless options ahead of you at your disposal. There are over 100 meds currently used as migraine preventatives, and when used both singly and in combos, the potential regimens are literally impossible to exhaust if you were to give them fair trials. Also, studies show that it's possible to find an effective preventative regimen for almost all migraineurs. The odds are very much in your favor. Here are links about preventatives for you...

The Evolving Role of Migraine Prevention

Migraine Preventative Medications ~ Too Many To Give Up!

Now, I understand about the side effects hitting, I really do. Sometimes I can be a side effect magnet, too, it seems like. I'm pretty sure the thyroid disease bit goofed up how I metabolize some meds. But I also realize that it's not fair to generalize and expect ALL meds to have adverse side effects that will keep me from finding something effective. The key word in potential side effects is potential. The majority of people will be able to find something that will work that they can tolerate. If everyone always had bad side effects from a given med, it wouldn't be on the market. Most people either don't experience them, or experience them mildly. You've got to keep the positive attitude and allow for fair drug trials of three to six months, as possible. If you generalize and expect anything you take to have side effects, you can work yourself into the self-fulfilling prophecy thing. Better to work yourself into the idea that something's going to work well than to work yourself into exaggerating side effects. It can work both ways, so stay on the positive, is my motto.

As for the knockout punch of some meds, yep. A lot of us will find meds that tend to affect us that way. But any med can have either effect on different people. For instance, I know plenty of people that have to be careful of taking Benedryl, because it turns them into drooling, snoozing-on-their-feet zombies. I take Benedryl, and I get the exact opposite. I keeps me awake with insomnia, jittery and climbing the walls. But...there are other triptans you can try, and some may have less of a groggy effect on you. You might have to try several meds before you find your best fit. You've got to just keep that positive attitude you've got going, and have the courage to keep trying, with the idea that you'll find something that works.

I'm assuming you found out about rebound from this article... Medication Overuse Headache: When the Remedy Backfires. I learned about rebound here from the forum, too, when I was in deep, read about it, and recognized my situation. It's important to remember that you need to get a firm diagnosis and confirmation from your doctor. It's dangerous to self-diagnose. And, if it is rebound, you should never try and get out of a rebound cycle without your doctor on board and supervising. Okay? Another tidbit to remember is that if you are in rebound, preventatives and abortives tend to not work effectively. You have to get past the rebound issue before they have a fighting chance.

One more thing, and then I'll end this novel. If you are out of alignment, particularly with back and neck, it can help trigger migraines. I've got neck and back issues from fibromyalgia and other things that I'm seeing a chiropractor for, and her work has really made me notice how my neck especially affects my triggering and also how well meds will work for a given migraine. If everything's out of whack and unhappy in my neck with a migraine, the meds I take don't seem to work quite as well, because there's so much to overcome. A good, thorough chiropractor can make a huge difference for some of us. Others don't have as much luck, though.

Okay. That's probably enough overwhelming you with a reply. We're glad you found us, and if there's info you aren't finding, just ask, and we'll try to help. My experience with the search feature, which is accessed by the search window above right of where the posts show is that it's pretty thorough. It'll take you to articles, shareposts, and ask the clinician answers.

Nice to meet you!

Hi purplekris! Please add my welcome to the pile!

Have you had a chance to try an other abortive medications? There are several of them out there that may not have such a "knock out" effect on you. There's Imitrex, Relpax, Zomig, Axert, Frova and Amerge. They also recently came out with Treximet which is Imitrex and Naproxen combined.

Also, getting to know what your triggers are can be very helping in reducing the frequency of your Migraines. See this article:

Common Migraine Triggers

Again, welcome to the forum!

Adding my welcome to the pile purplekris! I'm glad you found us. This place has done wonders for me. Droolie and Laura have given you some helpful links and lots of good things to read. I hope you can find a migraine specialist that will help you find the right combination of meds to make living with migraine disease easier for you. Here's a list of migraine specialists around the country...Migraine and Headache Specialists - What's So Special?

Please keep checking in here, it's such a great place!

Meli

Meli brought up a really great point...thank you, Meli

Seeing a Migraine Specialist is a great idea. I see a local neurologist in Virginia and I also see a Migraine Specialist in Texas. He's been very helpful in reducing the length and the severity of my Migraines. See this article for more information:

• Patient Recommended Migraine and Headache Specialists

Take care,

thanks for everyone taking time to reply and with all the links. I couldn't go to work today because of my head, had just enougn energy to help get my kids out to the bus before I got knocked out. Even after returning to consciousness it was a few hours before I could even eat. But the warm shower always helps, and we made it to school open house on time.
Then I read the link on Mrs. McCain speaking out. Wow that will help immensely. My mother-in-law watches the Today Show so maybe she learned a little bit. She totally does not understand how a medicine can knock me out, but I had to ask her once to come watch the kids as my hubby had a meeting. I've seen the 'look' which I know others have, the 'take an aspirin and get over it' look.
Anyhow I will follow the links, I did not know there are actual migraine specialists. I got my scrips from my gyn who has headaches. I only saw one neurologist and he wanted to sell me his air chamber treatment. He laughed that I thought the side effect of losing weight was a bad thing, so I quit going.
I will try to keep looking, it does get overwhelming as this is only 1 of the 'invisible' diseases I have and life managing chronic pain is emotional enough. Throw an ice pick in the mix and that's why I sometimes give up on treatment. The thing is, I know that I could have a migraine free week since I had 3 using a preventative. Not 3 in a row, but still. It could happen again someday. It's just such a long journey.
Going to follow some links and try to find a local expert. thanks again for the helping comments

Hi! It's great to see you again. I just re-read your first post, and realized I missed something you said the first time around. You mentioned your sinuses contributing to your Migraines and it reminded me of this article:

• Sinuses Giving You a Headache? It’s Probably a Migraine

I'm glad to hear you're going on a doctor search. Finding the right doctor to help you will make such a difference as you've already seen by trying some preventives. It just takes time and patience to find the right preventive but hang in there, it's bound to happen for you.

Please let us know how your search goes, okay? Good luck!!