Migraine

I've had migraines for 23 years with the last 2-3 years being unbearable. I have seen a migraine specialist and have tried at least 10 different preventatives-some didnt work, others did but had serious side effects and had to stop.

I have daily headaches and migraines several times a week with prolonged ones in the past 3 months that that lasted 13 to 18 days non stop. I have done decadron and medrol at least 5 times in past 6-8 months to finally break them and worry about that usage.

Know I have rebounds from excedrin migraine and change over a few months back to the chronic daily ones as well. I finally got your book and the first part I read was If your situation appears hopeless? The doctor I have seen recently implied he only and one or two other meds he would try and it seems like he has given up as well.

I work in the helping profession and in a hospital, but cannot find something that will help and truly do feel hopeless about this pain. I have begun to believe there is nothing out there to help, and do at times feel like I could be one of those that dies from this disease .

Is there another doctor out there that will have novel ideas to try or give me the hope that this can be controlled? I work in a large teaching hospital so if a migraine specialist here has given up what next?

Lisa Kuntz

Lisa,

Hello and welcome!

First, let me say that there is always hope, Lisa, always. Even though you've taken 10 preventives, and that's enough to frustrate anyone, that's less than 10% of the medications now being used for Migraine prevention, let alone all the combinations of them. Many of us have eventually found that it's a combination of meds that works for us, not a single preventive.

I don't mean to criticize your doctor, and since I don't know who it is, it's definitely nothing against that specific doctor, but you mention only steroids being given to break long Migraines, and there are many meds that can be given via IV infusion to break intractable Migraine. Take a look at IV Treatment of Refractory Migraines for more information.

No doctor, even a specialist, is the right doctor for everyone. Yes, there are other doctors who have novel ideas AND won't give up on you unless you give up on them. Since you work at this hospital, I can understand that you probably don't want to name the doctor here. I don't know where you live, but take a look at our list of Patient Recommended Migraine and Headache Specialists for a listing by state. Also, please email me at the email address below in my signature if you'd like to discuss doctors privately.

In the meantime, Lisa, I know how horribly difficult it is, but you need to keep yourself out of rebound if you're to have any hope of preventives working. OK? We'll be right here to support you.

Welcome to the "family," Lisa. Everyone here will do all we can to help. If we don't have answers, we can search together, and we are ALWAYS here to support each other.

Hi, Lisa! Add a droolie hug to the welcome pile!

Hi, Lisa, welcome to the forum! As Teri said, please don't give up, and please stay out of rebound. We'll support you as best we can.