Migraine

I called my GP today due to the length and severity of this current bought of joy and told him that the IMITREX wasn't working, the Endocot wasn't relieving the pain, and the Flexeral wasn't helping. So he called me in a script for the Fiorinal. It's one I haven't tried in the past, just wondering if anyone here had used it to help break the cycle of the migraines?

-:¦:-•:*'""*:•.-:¦:-•*Hello!*•-:¦:-•:*'''''*:•-:¦:-•*Welcome to the family!*•-:¦:- •:*'""*:•.-:¦:-

I hate to be negative, but Fiorinal can't break a Migraine cycle. All it can do is mask the pain for a few hours.

Fiorinal also has an extremely high risk of medication overuse headache, aka rebound, if use more than two or three days in a week. For more information on this, see Medication Overuse Headache - When the Remedy Backfires.

Is this one long Migraine or a series of Migraines?

Welcome again!

At this point, to be honest I am not sure if it's one long Migraine or a series, I just know that for the past two weeks it feels likes its constant, though the past 3 days have been the worst. It actually got worse right after my appointment with the opthamologist. I noticed the pain got drastically worse after they dialated my eyes, this was on Thursday and in follow up to my vision loss in May. Does anyone else have problems after having their eyes dialated?

The only time I get a break from the pain is after I have taken enough pain medication to knock myself unconscience. (Yeah I know...bad idea!) Haven't been able to hold anything down since, still going to work, but not getting much done. My temper is on a short fuse right now because it feels like someone is holding a blow torch to the right side of my skull and brain. I asked my GP for a mellon baller today, he thought it was funny...I was somewhat serious.

Since the Darvocet, Percocet, Flexeril, Etodolac and Imitrex hasn't been working. (Not taken together, taken at different times) I have to try something else. I don't want to spend another week in the hospital. I can't afford to lose this job because of these migraines. Already had enough problems at work today with my supervisor because of them.

Don't ya just love the sarcast "how's the headache" comments? I have periords of about 30 minutes to an hour where I feel almost normal, but then my hands and feet start going all tingly, I get a funky feeling to my vision and then my brain feels like it exploded. Getting flusters, frustrated and just plain wore out. My desk looks like a pharmacy with all the bottles of full and half full scripts that either worked for a short time or didn't work at all.

I really don't know what else to do. All this time the doctors have focused on the seizures and let me muddle through the migraines, now the seizures have seemed to go away but the migraines...they just keep getting worse.

Hi CharlieGirl & Teri -

I take fioricet, which has acetaminophen instead of aspirin. The last time I got a cycle of daily headaches, I was taking it by the handfuls. Then I learned about rebound headaches, so I backed way off. I can't remember how I finally got rid of that long headache, but I knew that fioricet was not the answer.

I still take it - it's the only thing that has worked consistently for me to get rid of the pain (except morphine injections, but I try to stay away from those). I try to rotate it with large doses of advil if I'm getting daily headaches. I think Teri is right - you need to watch out with this medication - one book I read said not to take it more than twice a month. I do use it more than that, but I try to be careful....

Good luck - I'm in a multiple day migraine cycle now too - I think it's been almost three weeks. I can't imagine it without fioricet, but I take it as a last resort.

Good Morning Charlie,

I take Fioricet as a rescue medication if after 3 doses of Frova my migraine is not gone. I limit it to 3 doses due to the possiblity of medication overuse HA's.

For me it has been useful if I have nausea associated with the long term migraine.

As Teri stated it won't get rid of the migraine and there is a high probablity of MOH. But it has been useful to me. Don't try to drive!! It puts me to sleep or really drowsy.

Good luck.

Cindy

Fiorinal used to be my rescue medication until I began seeing my Migraine Specialist. With the frequency of my Migraines, I was taking it to often and also running the risk of MOH so he took me off it and prescribed a different rescue medication.

I can't remember if I posted this article to you in another thread but just in case, it's about not being able to break a Migraine cycle. It's important to get that cycle broken as soon as possible:

Status Migrainous - The Basics

Take care,