Migraine

FYI, anyone interested in a good resource for herbal remedies at a good price check out http://www.iherb.com (I don't have any financial interest in this company, and I get my products wholesale... but I do refer people here sometimes).

Talking to Dr. Rosenberg at Johns Hopkins, I found that Butterbur (the herb in Petadolex-brand name) and Feverfew can be taken with Topamax & most other prescription drugs... of course ask your neurologist/ MD about it just to be safe.

** iherb.com sells a great combo of standardized Butterbur 75mg of 15% and Feverfew 200mg at .4% The Butterbur is also free of alkaloids that can be harmful.
The price is only $11.19/60caps, when Petadolex is usually around $25-$35/60caps.

just passing along a good resource for that product, as well as many other vitamins and herbs that they sell.

Hey there, everyone!

We've see both buterbur and feverfew be very effective for some people. I wanted to remind everyone though that it's important to talk to your doctor before taking any supplements, whether you take other meds or not. Supplements have much less stringent regulations, and I've see supplements on sites that give you not information about potential side effects.

An especially important note on feverfew is that it's not recommended for anyone who is or might become pregnant because it can cause miscarriage.

Personally, after the lax regulation by the FDA in doing their mandated role in making sure that products that they approve for use-- in both animal and human products... I'd be scared to touch anything that didn't at least have to face this level of regulation...

My mom and I have had this argument for years- she's mega- supplement lady. After recent FDA stories, she's realized that my point is quite valid.

There are companies- known by those who work with these supplements and/or are in the industry- that apparently make supplements which contain what the label says is in the pill... and only those ingredients. I'm sure that if anyone's done the research and asked the questions, it's Teri

i'm not going to post my mom's recommendations. I don't know how she came to these conclusions re: purity. I don't count a clerk at "the vitamin shop" as a reputable source. However, I'd consider a physician's recommendations to be more reliable- especially if this physician would (or does) have their own family members use the brand, or product.

Ok. rambling, I am. It's just a pet peeve of mine... Especially when people think that all of the supplements are the same- may as well get the cheapest. Yes, it does say that it's the same thing on the label... but if it's THAT much cheaper... hmmm... makes me wonder how they managed to make the same product using the same QUALITY of ingrediants and preparation(s)...

Jamie

quote:

Originally posted by Teri Robert:
Hey there, everyone!

We've see both buterbur and feverfew be very effective for some people. I wanted to remind everyone though that it's important to talk to your doctor before taking any supplements, whether you take other meds or not. Supplements have much less stringent regulations, and I've see supplements on sites that give you not information about potential side effects.

An especially important note on feverfew is that it's not recommended for anyone who is or might become pregnant because it can cause miscarriage.

Edited to remove random smiley face caused by letter combinations....

You do have to look for a product that is "Standardized" as I mentioned... that means that the product does contain the amounts of the active ingredient that the bottle states that it does indeed contain & it has been stringently tested.
This site just happens to sell things at about a 30% discount, because they sell in volume. Any retail store marks up twice the price, so a nice discount is not so bad. Petadolex was the original "brand name" & the company who did the first research... so they are more expensive. Like buying "Kleenex" vs the store brand of tissues. But this does have the same amount of active ingredient that Petadolex also has.

quote:

Originally posted by kristen:
Any retail store marks up twice the price, so a nice discount is not so bad.

While I don't agree that ANY retail store marks up twice the price (I hate unqualified remarks like this- largely 'cause I had a college professor, who, when I wrote stuff like this would always put the comment. How do you know- have you been to them all to test? If so, I'd love to hear your experiences." You get that back a couple of times,... and well... I started to use words a little more carefully- even now, I find myself doing it... and STILL hear that comment in my head.

Anyhow- the real reason I responded was profit margins and some supplements... This is what tends to be the particular reason that it sorta scares me when I see a bottle of 200 pills of 500mg Mg for $2.99 at a drug store. (no- not their generic drug store brand.. just another item on the shelf!!)

Jamie

Nothing against supplements, I just started magnesium, B2, and melatonin, but make sure to check with your doctor and possibly your pharmacist to see that you don't have any interactions. I found out when doing research on Migrelief that I couldn't take it because feverfew is contraindicated with blood thinners. I take baby aspirin everyday and that combined with the feverfew could cause serious blood clotting issues. I am really hopeful that the supplement my doctor specifically started me on will be very helpful!

I took butterbur for awhile but it tore up my stomach.
Just an FYI on the Feverfew-I think its been mentioned here before-but can cause miscarriages if you are trying to get pregnant.

I am on Feverfew, Mag w/ Calcium, Co enzyme Q10, B2. Just started on Periactin.

Felt bad last Wed nite and didnt take my meds, didnt take them all day on Thurs and started to have withdrawl symptoms-not fun!

I was just prescribed Butterbur by my neuro, & Petadolex specifically....when I read about Butterbur, I read that there are components in the root that can cause a specific type of cancer, and that the Petadolex kind removes those components. I don't know if there's any other reason why Petadolex is the recommended kind to buy....

As a rule, though, I generally don't buy herbal products because I don't know how to be sure of the quality and efficacy. Unless I have a strong recommendation from a source I trust, I just don't feel as if I know enough about the product - especially for the prices.

Stephanie

Stephanie,

Butterbur is difficult and expensive to process correctly. The Petadolex brand has been thoroughly tested, and is known to be safe. Some companies do combinations of butterbur and other ingredients, and some of those buy their butterbur from the manufacturer of Petadolex.

My feeling on herbals and other dietary supplents is that we need to consider them medications. Their ingredients were mankind's first medications, and they do act as drugs in our systems. Being sure of the quality has been a problem. There have been tests done on some that showed them to have less of key ingredients than the labels state, some have more. The FDA has just issued a rule to address that. Take a look at Migraines, Dietary Supplements, and a Final FDA Rule.

My question to you at this point is why your neurologist's recommendation leaves you where you are. Did you ask him any questions you may have about Petadolex? It's one of the few supplements that have quite a bid of evidence behind them for Migraine prevention.

What can we do to help you with this?

quote:

Originally posted by Stephanie:
I was just prescribed Butterbur by my neuro, & Petadolex specifically....when I read about Butterbur, I read that there are components in the root that can cause a specific type of cancer, and that the Petadolex kind removes those components. I don't know if there's any other reason why Petadolex is the recommended kind to buy....

As a rule, though, I generally don't buy herbal products because I don't know how to be sure of the quality and efficacy. Unless I have a strong recommendation from a source I trust, I just don't feel as if I know enough about the product - especially for the prices.

Stephanie

Hi Teri!

Thanks for the info about Petadolex. Dr. S and I did discuss Butterbur enough for me to feel comfortable trying it, particularly since he told me the specific brand to buy. It's fairly rare that he suggests one thing so strongly; generally we discuss several options and I usually have strong feelings towards one, so we go with that. However, he really wanted me to try the butterbur prior to our changing anything about my drug regimen.

I don't have any expectations one way or the other; the stomach side-effect is not bad enough to stop taking it, so I'm willing to give it a shot for long enough to see if I have a good experience.

That's just my experience so far, and I appreciate any others' input or good info about butterbur or other natural remedies that folks find helpful.

Best,
Stephanie

Stephanie,

You're welcome -- always. Nancy and I saw a lot of good information on Petadolex at the American Headache Society conference last month. I've thought about it, but my regimen is solid enough that I pretty much decided to leave it alone. Dr. Young suggested several years ago that I try Coenzyme Q10. It helps enough that I'm still taking it.

Keep us posted!

quote:

Originally posted by Stephanie:
Hi Teri!

Thanks for the info about Petadolex. Dr. S and I did discuss Butterbur enough for me to feel comfortable trying it, particularly since he told me the specific brand to buy. It's fairly rare that he suggests one thing so strongly; generally we discuss several options and I usually have strong feelings towards one, so we go with that. However, he really wanted me to try the butterbur prior to our changing anything about my drug regimen.

I don't have any expectations one way or the other; the stomach side-effect is not bad enough to stop taking it, so I'm willing to give it a shot for long enough to see if I have a good experience.

That's just my experience so far, and I appreciate any others' input or good info about butterbur or other natural remedies that folks find helpful.

Best,
Stephanie