Migraine

Hi I'm new to the forum. I spent all morning and afternoon researching migraines and figured out i have Migraines w/o aura. I've tried Imitrex and had the worst side effects. Now I'm trying Axert and it basically gives me the same side effects as the Imitrex to a lesser degree. I havent found a good Neuro in NYC yet. I've been shopping around. Every single one i've seen has brushed my migraines to the side saying its only stress. I've tried acupuncture (i cant find my center and the needles just hurt) and meditation (made absolutely no difference). I can't afford to live stress free. Im a college student paying my way. Granted my job isn't perfect for my migraines (party plannning and events) but it pays the bills. If anyone one can refer a good neuro or specialist in the NY area it would be much appreciated.


Miserable in NY,
Liz

Welcome Liz.

We have a list of member recommended physicians, and I'm sure there are some in NY. Here is a link:

http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/headache-specialists.html?ic=4018

Welcome, Liz!

Anyone who is stress-free is dead! Living without stress just can't be done. Do you know what your Migraine triggers are. Since you mentioned stress, please allow me to comment on stress as a trigger. There is some controversy as to whether stress is an actual trigger. The International Headache Society has moved it from their list of triggers to their list of exacerbating factors on the premise that it doesn't trigger migraines but it does make us more susceptible to our triggers. An analogy is the best way I know to explain it. When we're stressed, we're more likely to "catch a cold." It's not stress that causes the cold; it's the cold virus. The stress just made us more vulnerable to the virus. Stress and migraine have the same kind of relationship. Stress doesn't actually trigger a migraine, but makes us more susceptible to our triggers.

I've seen people who were sure stress was a trigger take a closer look at stressful situations and discover that it wasn't stress that was a trigger, but other things that happened in stressful situations -- things such as drinking a lot of coffee, yelling, crying, clenching their teeth. So, I think people who just accept stress as a trigger do themselves a disservice by not looking for other triggers.

Neurologists aren't necessarily Migraine specialists. When you stop and think about all the different things they treat, that makes sense. There are several good specialists in the NYC area. Deb gave you the link to our directory of patient recommended specialists. Take a look at it. Maybe Dr. Newman or Dr. Lipton?

welcome again!

quote:

Originally posted by EBerger:
Hi I'm new to the forum. I spent all morning and afternoon researching migraines and figured out i have Migraines w/o aura. I've tried Imitrex and had the worst side effects. Now I'm trying Axert and it basically gives me the same side effects as the Imitrex to a lesser degree. I havent found a good Neuro in NYC yet. I've been shopping around. Every single one i've seen has brushed my migraines to the side saying its only stress. I've tried acupuncture (i cant find my center and the needles just hurt) and meditation (made absolutely no difference). I can't afford to live stress free. Im a college student paying my way. Granted my job isn't perfect for my migraines (party plannning and events) but it pays the bills. If anyone one can refer a good neuro or specialist in the NY area it would be much appreciated.


Miserable in NY,
Liz

welcome liz!

i'm glad you're here -- i've learned so much about migraines here, and have found friends and sympathizers. sometimes it helps to know you're not alone.
i hope you can find a migraine specialist to see - at least living in NYC, there are some nearby! some ppl. have to travel quite a ways to see a specialist!
please to 'meet' you, and i'm looking forward to getting to know you better!
emily

Liz,
Welcome to the forum! Glad you are here.

Joyce

I'm glad you've found us and have joined us, Liz! Hopefully you'll find a good doctor in the NYC area that will be a big help. College and migraine is not an easy combination to deal with, especially when you throw work schedules in on top of it.