Six Years of Daily Chronic Migraines....Help?!?

Question

-20 years old
-knew the word tylenol at 2 yrs of age
-have tried over 20 meds, currently on Effexor xr (75mg) for anxiety/depression/and migraines
-tylenol, acetominephin, advil only work maybe for 20min
-had ct scans, blood work like you wouldn't believe
-pain occurs EVERY day; the intensity however always varies, so not all the time is it disabling; though it makes it hard to participate in school and work
-always gets worse in the summer heat
-electromagnetics make pain ski-rocket
-very sensitive nervous system
-tried various diets (cutting out possilbe allergies)
-fat/oils are a MAJOR trigger; also have slow metab.
-not really controlled by menstral cycle (though often worsen); daily occurance started few months after first period began at 13; had blinding migraines however @ age 10
-cold paks, heat packs dont work
-been to MANY MANY specialists and doctors

I know no one is likely to know the "cure" for my migraines...but maybe someone has suggestion to help me cope with the pain

-constant pain, lasts ALL day
-tried chiropractor...now my neck clicks LOL
-saw the Complex Pain Team at BCCH
-tried: Imitrex, Zomig, Amerge, Elavil, Nortriptyline, Propananol, DHE (requires hospitization), Paxil, Excedrine, Tyleonol, Tylenol 3, Advil, Ibprofen, ASA, Zopoclone (for sleep), and a list of at least a dozen more I cannot remember off the top of my head
-tried massage
-only pain relief is sleep - though obviosly pain comes back when I awake :( (however somtimes pain follows me into my dreams)

Answer 1

Ask your doctor to check ALL of your hormone levels. Your body releases hormones all the time...it's just about the only constant in the human body. So that's where I'd start. Then you can try allergy medicine...could be sinuses...If there would not be any drug/drug contraindications, next sign of a headache take Benadryl. If this works...it's your sinuses.Whatever you do be persistent and DO NOT let your doctor treat you like a "head case". Pain is real whether the doctors know the reason for it or not!

Answer 2

I have an idea what youre goin' thru. I have chronic migrains for about 8 yrs. I'm 23. My problem is that I have TMJ that has gone too far. The disks have completely fallen off the bone. That causes tremendous pain constantly. That has also put my neck , left shoulder & left side seriously out of wack!. I can hardly write anymore - typing is easier. And I have Fibromyalgia - which also causes serious pain - & I might have a chemical imbalance which makes it hard to cope. I use to take morphine for the pain I got off of a cancer patient. Nothin' helps. But that is only because I waited too long too figure out what my problem was. I pray there is still hope for you. Have you considered any of the conditions that I have listed above? It could be TMJ. I think it is alot more serious than alot of people think. TMJ can mess up your whole body, & cause major pain! I would sugest you see a chiropractor with the problem - it might not be too late. If TMJ is the problem by some chance, and the chiropractor can't help, then surgery is another alternative. It didn't help me, but it has helped alot of people.
I don't know what else to tell you. I understand goin all over to different Drs & having all thise tests. I feel for ya, & hope you can find the prob, & ease the pain!
I hope this has helped!

Answer 3

That has to really stink, I had one of those migraines this past wed, it was horrible. I have had bad headaches for awhile and this one was a full blown migraine, flat in bed, dark room wanting to die it was that bad. I'm ok now though.

Alot of the things you mention are what people will recommend. One guy posted above me about the new electromagnetic article, that's something brand new to try. What I would recommend and I have been researching it since Wed is trying some other things, it looks like you have tried alot.

Do you take daily meds? Vitamins like magnesium and B? Those help aid in muscles and pain levels. Daily meds like tylonel and aspirin can cause rebound headaches.

you have the electromagnetics in your description, just saw that. Ok what about, jaw problems? Does your jaw click or snap? Sometimes a jaw problem can trigger a migraine and it makes sense cause you chew food every day, it might not be the food but the jaw. Try eating soft foods for a week, soups, pasta's etc, and if your jaw does click at all when you open and close or chew, see a DDS, they can make a nightguard possibly, give you tips like jaw exercises to do, pain creams, etc.

Next possibility, sinus. Do you have any allergies and/or sinus problems that might be reactive to rising or falling barometric air pressure? That can trigger them too.

I gather you been tested for different illnesses. Have you seen a pain management center or specialist? What about a rheumatologist? They can help more with pain meds.

Next, when you get one, have you ever tried a chiropractor or massage therapist? Sometimes muscle problems can be the trigger for one and if you sit in school say in the same position every day, well that could be partly the problem esp if the desk/chair are not ergononmic. Muscle problems can stem from a misalignment or spinal compression, muscles spasm can cause the headaches. An adjustment might help as well as a massage to relax the muscles.

Have you tried deep breathing and meditation, biofeedback?When you feel the pain coming on, you need to relax. Do you go in a dark room and lay down with soft music or quiet? Do you take anything like ibuprofen to relax the muscles? Do you try to sleep?

Answer 4

This 'migraine' happens every day at roughly the same time? It lasts between 1 and 3 hours? It starts suddenly? And ends just as suddenly? Pain comes in waves? You can't sit still during an episode? Migraine sufferers retreat into a dark room and lay very still. Cluster Headaches are totally incapacitating and force you to rock back and forth with the pain.

You may not be suffering from migraines. You may have Cluster Headaches. I have them also. I spent 20 years looking for a doctor who understands how to treat them. I've been Headache free now for seven years.

The trick to treatment is to prevent them from coming. You need to find your trigger and do whatever it takes to prevent that from happening. For me, it was a drug call Verapimil, which lowers my blood pressure. Half a dose a day, and no headache. But you'll find out that Cluster Headaches are different for different people. One guy will get them when he flies, probably because of the increased air pressure. Another guy gets them because his sleep pattern was disrupted. A headache specialist can help find your trigger. Yours may be food related.

Answer 5

I have had daily chronic migraines since1998, started when I was going through a divorce. My husband would call me on the phone and I'd get an instant migraine. I tried the whole gammet of prescription meds, currently on Effexor too, also take Zanaflex for muscular relaxation, Inderall, another migraine preventative and I take 4 Aleve when I get a migraine. That works for me, along with ice packs. Have you tried massage therapy or acupuncture? My doctor put me on Topomax last year, took me completely off Effexor, which I had been on for years, and I had severe side effects. Mood swings, Vertigo, Nauseous, clumsy, couldn't form sentances (dulled mental awareness). It was horrible.
Have you ever tried any clinical trials for new migraine treatments?

Answer 6

Electrical pulse to aid migraine

The device is used during the first stages of migraine
An electronic device may help 'zap' away migraine pain before it starts, US research suggests.
The hand-held device creates a short-lived electromagnetic field which 'interrupts' the migraine.

At the American Headache Society meeting researchers said the device was effective in treating nausea, noise and light sensitivity.

UK experts said the findings were interesting but warned it needed to be tested in a much larger study.

People who suffer from migraine headaches often describe seeing showers of shooting stars, zigzagging lines and flashing lights, and experiencing loss of vision, weakness, tingling or confusion.

These neural disturbances or 'auras' signal the onset of migraine headaches.

"Perhaps the most significant effect of using the TMS device was 84% of the episodes in patients using the TMS occurring without noise sensitivity"

Answer 7

Well, I can't cure them but wonder if you have been on any meds to stop them from happening. Common ones now are Depakote and Topamax. Have you tried either of these? (Topamax will have you drop weight like a train, a nice side effect if you want it). Both have helped me a ton.

To treat them once they happen, 50 MG of Imitrex wipes mine out in 10 mins. Bad ones take a 6 MG injection (self-administered with a little gun) which wipes out the migraine in 5 mins.

There's no reason to have any pain any more. Imitrex even comes in a nasal spray now.

Answer 8

Try FEVERFEW!!! it's an herbal supplement that rescued me 10years ago...I was having them twice a month, & had jsut had a baby...couldn't crawl under the covers for a day or so to get rid of it anymore...so the hospital gave me Imitres...and promptly discovered I'm allergic to that....so talking to a friend, she told me about it & I started taking 1 capsule every day for the next 2 months...didn't have a single headache! Then it was almost 6 months before I got a vision disturbance (here it comes...) so I took another capsule & it went away, without ever exploding into a headache. Like I said, it's been over 10 years, & I've only had 1 mingrane since then, when I was out of town without my supply of feverfew.

Answer 9

-6 yrs of chronic migraines
-hospitalized many times (a week or more at a time for status migraine)
- have quit three jobs due to the fact that the pain is just too strong to deal with.
- Of course I am depressed as my whole life revolves around how strong the pain is; what casues the pain, medical bills ect.

I am sorry I do not have any great advice. I just wanted to send you and email to say,, "hello" and "hang in there" the docs that I have gone to do not have answers for me either. I have heard some interesting information though. They can dissapear as quickly as they come into your life.

It is probably hard for you to image though. I am on depakote and topamax for preventative. I also take fioricet with codeine and shots of Imitrex, occational DHE ( I have a prescription). They probably want to be very careful with you cause you are so young. rest is good. Take care of yourself! Its a tough life, huh?
Marie

Answer 10

there is a clinic the diamond institute I believe in AZ that deals with nothing but migranes(there was a larry King show about this around 2001 2003)there are things that can trigger a migrane (Believe it or not tyneol or iubpropen can actually make it worse due to the caffine)looking at your enviroment(such as being in a bad family/martial relationship)can have impact also if you are the type of person who holds stress in(let something eat at you) this may be cause for migranes a contrast for head may work take warm rag put on back of head and cold rag put on forehead this may help (use carefully first see how you react to this)also the reason it may bother you during summer heat is humidity is up(according to where you live)meditation may also be advisable along with pain management and conseuling hope this has helped I do not envy you in this