Migraine

Hello all,

I am new here but not with migraines.
I am a 30 y/o female who has had hormonal migraines for about 4 years. In the last year the have increased to 2x per month vs 1x per month.
Each attack was usually 3 days. I used to treat with Excedrin, which never took it all away, but I managed.
I finally took a Frova 2 months ago and it worked. But since then my head pain had changed and I have had and MRI and been to a neurologist.

It's very strange and I am looking for some guidance.

It is near daily head pain, but not all day. It hurts but not severe. It's sharp but not stabbing. It lingers for awhile and is always unilateral, the same side as my migraines. I have no problems with nausea, lights, etc... I have pain sometimes behind my right eye as well and once in awhile at the back of my head toward the top.
Never the neck or shoulders.

I am wondering since the neuro said pain can present in different ways and my MRI is fine, if this is not a "headache" per se but possibly TMJ or something. I do sleep with a device at night that I had my dentist make, awhile back because I thought I was grinding at night, but its doesn't seem to make a difference in the head pain.

It is present at different times of the day as well, not always at the same time.

Any light you can shed to help relieve some anxiety will be much appreciated.

Do we have muscles in our skull that could be "out of whack"?? Or a nerve that is just overly excited?
Had anyone ever had this and it eventually subsided?

I can handle migraines, they eventually go away for me. I can't handle this daily pain and not knowing if it will ever stop or if I will wake up with pain or not.

Thank you all,
Nicole

Hi Nicole!

Welcome to My Migraine Connection!

Please take a second to look over our START HERE folder so that you know the in's and out's of the forum.

Ah, Excedrin Migraine. I really don't like that label. I don't care for any of the OTC's (over the counter drugs) that have the word Migraine in them. The reason being, they are just pain relievers - they will not abort the Migraine process.

I understand that you are looking to see if someone else has had or has the same symptoms as you. We cannot diagnose you over the internet, but we can give you information that will help you learn about your headaches and Migraines.

You mentioned that your MRI was fine. Most of the time they are for Migraineurs. Just because your MRI is fine does not mean you do not have Migraine or another headache disorder.

TMJ could trigger a Migraine or headache of some sort, but so could grinding and clenching your jaw. One thing you may find interesting is Pathways of Migraine. That link will show you the areas that can be affected when we have a Migraine with head pain. The trigeminal nerve runs along your jaw, which can cause pain not only from Migraine, but TMJ as well, I would imagine.

Take a look at Types of Migraines and Headaches too. That has many different articles you can click on that explains all about Migraines and other headaches.

Did your neurologist or treating doctor tell you about Medication Overuse Headache, aka Rebound? This can happen when we take too much of the medication that is meant to get rid of our pain. If you're taking Migraine abortive meds such as triptans or any kind of pain med more than two days a week, a big part of your problem may well be medication overuse headache. See Medication Overuse Headache: When Remedy Backfires for more information on this. If you're in an MOH situation, nothing you take is going work, neither prescription nor "natural" medications. If that's the case, you need to work with your doctor to stop the medications causing the problem.

Also I see you mentioned that your Migraine pattern has changed. Any time this happens, we want to let our doctors know. This could be anything from increased pain, different triggers, more frequent, and of course, new symptoms.

I am so happy you have found us! I know how lonely it can be with Migraine Disease. Please jump right on into the forum! We are all family here, and we all understand what you are going through because we have been there ourselves!

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

We look forward to getting to know more about you!