My sister is 23 and gets horrible migraines about 1-2 per wk. She's lost 2 jobs already because of it and she's afraid she'll get fired again from her current position. Her doctor keeps giving her meds but they don't cure the problem. She has an anxiety disorder and she started getting migraines after her heart surgery last Feb. Any advice?
2007-04-07 09:58:35 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
Migraines are in the news. There's a possibly solution for your sister:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/04/04/migraine.drug.reut/index.html
Wish you luck!
2007-04-07 10:02:32 · answer #1 · answered by love2travel 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I get cluster migraines - i would have them three or four in a week and then nothing for three or four weeks. I tried various medication preventative and relief and nothing has been able to cure them completely...........but I do now take propanolol which is a beater blocker and amitriptilene (sorry spelling is probably incorrect) which in a much higher dosage is an anti depressant (but not in the low 10mg that I take) daily. I now only have the migraines about every 3 to 4 months (still 3 or 4 at a time though)
They are still really annoying and debilitating but at least it is only one week in about every 12 to 16. It only seems to work when I take both of these drugs together. When you read all the information that comes with the drugs there is no mention of them helping migraines but they have discovered that for some reason they do work.
Hope that helps your sister I really do know what she feels like and she has my sympathy. I hope she finds something to help her soon.
2007-04-07 10:09:03 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Before meds can be effective you have to know the cause of the migraines. Are they stress related? Are they medication related? Are they food related? First you have to be a real detective and find the trigger. Sometimes it can be as simple as caffeine, or as complicated as stress. It is different with everyone. Have your sister keep a food/drink diary for a couple of weeks noting the time the migraines start. I would have her include meds on that as well since it could be a combination of food/meds as well. If that doesn't give you any clues then keep it up including moods/feelings of anxiety as well. She might want to talk to a specialist in migraines as well. Migraines can be managed! It just takes alot of work and patience. Good luck & best wishes.
2007-04-07 10:12:40 · answer #3 · answered by Barbiq 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Back in the 70's I had accupuncture for migraines and never had them again. I would look into this, and also first go to the doctor and tell him that the meds are not working and consider going to another doctor. I would read up on everything I could find online, especially forums where others with the same problem have found sucessful results.
Also, therapy for the anxiety disorder may help too.
2007-04-07 10:02:58 · answer #4 · answered by octoberbabye 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
She really needs to find a different doctor. Unfortunately with migraines, there's usually not much you can do other than taking medicines, there's no magic cure-all surgery for them, but a better doctor would make sure that the med's she's on are working.
2007-04-07 10:02:57 · answer #5 · answered by summer_00_butterfly 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't know if this will solve her problem. I had migraines for about forty years and had a separate problem, hypertension. My doctor started treating the hypertension changing medications in the process. I now take 2 for that. But during the process my migraines went away. They were diagnosed by many doctors.
2007-04-07 10:04:01 · answer #6 · answered by sgt 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First change doctors, because they're meant to solve a problem! You need a referral to a specialist.
Meanwhile, here's my regime for controlling the pain to something bearable. The moment the visual signs strike, take the strongest painkiller you have at hand plus some NoDoze (caffeine tablets) and/or very strong coffee. The caffeine relaxes the blood vessels in your head (the flashing lights are caused by the blood vessels 'cramping' or squeezing tight) and the painkillers give you a head-start on the remaining pain before it hits you (the pain is caused by the blood vessels relaxing after the big squeeze, so with less cramping you get less pain).
2007-04-07 10:19:40 · answer #7 · answered by Cassandra C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have migrain problem as well.
I used to take medication from doc and switched to herbal medicine after using too much drugs.
Ask her to practice a bit of yoga...migrain is very much tied to your emotions yoga is gonna help her control her emotions.
Ask her to have a very healthy diet, proper sleep....afraid to say everything is related, if she is not gonna take care of her daily eating habit,sleep its really not gonna go off.
Get her to do light exercise at least 2 times a week.... weekeends of weekdays.....
She might need help...i think she might need a therapist to help her through this...
She needs to take care of everything else for the migrain...good luck
2007-04-07 10:10:03 · answer #8 · answered by Anne H 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As a lifetime sufferer I can suggest tracking meals and routine to try to identify the trigger. In many cases it can be tracked to food allergies that only reveal themselves in combination with other foods. Some triggers for me are chocolate and red wine. Also see an increase in headaches after extreme exertion/exercise.
Have tried a number of medicines, triptans, imitrex, etc - but usually only work if taken immediately at onset. Also tried anti-convulsants like midrin which have had moderate success.
2007-04-07 10:05:05 · answer #9 · answered by raleigh b 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First of all she needs some peace and quiet. She should go away some place, for a little while and rest. The more problems you have, the more pain. Believe me, I could have 5 attacks the week.
Get rid of the problems, and then start over. It's very important that you are there for her.
2007-04-07 10:05:46 · answer #10 · answered by Festblues 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋