Migraine

Hello, My name is Alan
My son who is 17 has debilitating Migraine Headaches. We have been working with the Mid-Atlantic Headache Clinic for about 6 months, before that with his pediatrician and have tried many medical regimens to no avail. Tried Topamz, Maxalt and many others. He has had MRI's, CAT scans, etc. Nothing seems to work.Currently he is taking Sertraline, Seroquel and Depakote along with his rescue meds of Promethazine, Dexamethasone, Ketorolac and Imitrex. For unrelenting pain he adds Oxycodone.(Rescue meds limited to 3 days, Imitrex limited to 2 days)

He gets better after a few days but then it returns. He gets at least 4 migraines a month with durations of 5 to 6 days or longer. In other words, he always has a headache. On a scale of 1-10 the worst is a high 7 and the least is a low 4. He is never headache free.
He is currently on Medical Leave from High School as he cannot function in class.

I am at my wits end. I have just called the Johns Hopkins Headache Center (I believe it is relatively new) and asked for a consult, but they have not responded as of yet.
Any suggestions for Doctor's or clinics will be appreciated

Welcome to the forum Alan,(apk), I'm sorry you and your son have the need to be here but I'm so happy you found us. You've come to the right place for information and support.

Here is the list of recommended migraine specialists that you asked about. I started seeing a specialist in January and I'm already seeing improvements with my migraines.

I know finding the right treatment plan can be frustrating but there are over 100 medications that can be used for migraine prevention:

Migraine Preventive Medications: Too Many Options to Give Up

Imitrex is actually an abortive not a rescue medication. Here's an article to help you sort out the differences:
Preventive, Abortive & Rescue Medications-What's the Difference?

One final link to help you begin:

Learning About Migraines-Where to Start

Again, a warm welcome to the forum family. I look forward to seeing you and your son around the forum. If you have any questions, just ask away

Hi Alan

Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear about your son.

My son is 14 and suffers from migraines most days of the month. We have a wonderful doctor in Baltimore. He is a pediatric migraine specialist. I"m not sure if your son is too old for that or not. His name is Jack Gladstein. He is located at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Also, Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia would be a good choice.

My son has had migraines since age 5. They became severe in Nov 2006. We are still working on our treatment regimen as well. It's frustrating that it takes so long.

My son is also out of school on homebound instruction right now too. We will most likely be taking him out of regular school and putting him in cyber school for the next school year.

Good luck. I hope you can find a new doctor that will be very helpful.
Jean Ann

Hi Alan!

Welcome to the forum!

I'm sorry your son is having such a bad run with migraines!

It looks like Laura already gave you some great links to start you off and Jean Ann gave you some advice on Jefferson, which is in Philadelphia.

If there is anything else you need from us, please feel free to ask.

Welcome again!

Hi Alan -

So sorry things have been so hard for your son, and of course for you! I see you got a lot of great links. You also might search the forum for posts by member Lothianjavert - I know her mother is a patient at Johns Hopkins but they are looking at going to Jefferson in Philadelphia - some of the posts by her will tell you more about one person's exprience with Johns Hopkins, anyway.

Best of luck to you!

- Megs

Hello! I am new to the board, but also started having migraines when I was a child. It was so hard for my parents to understand the horrible pain I was going through. I hope that you can get lots of support and education through people here :-) BEST of luck and let us know if you need anything!!!!!

Hello, Alan, welcome to the forum. We're glad you found us.

No wonder you are at wit's end. We're here for you. Have you looked through the folder for Children and Migraines?

Take care.

I'm so sorry your son is in such misery. I've been there with daily head pain for months on end, and I know how wearing it can be.

I've been working with a local neurologist for a long time and started seeing a specialist in November. I'm seeing real improvement for the first time in a long time. So there's hope for your son.

Just wanted to welcome you. If he's able, encourage your son to look around and post. We're family-friendly and never post anything we wouldn't want our teenage sons and daughters to see. He'll find lots of understanding and support.

Gretchen in Mississippi