Migraines: Or, Tunnel vision, light sensitivity, can't focus sympathy thread
- Thread starter OrionGirl
- Start date
OrionGirl, sorry to hear about that!
The only headaches I get are from 'brain freeze', after eating/drinking cold stuff too fast. It's possible I had a few sinus headaches, but none to complain about.
Guess if I get a real headache, a bad one, I may think of getting a CAT scan!!
The only headaches I get are from 'brain freeze', after eating/drinking cold stuff too fast. It's possible I had a few sinus headaches, but none to complain about.
Guess if I get a real headache, a bad one, I may think of getting a CAT scan!!
I've had them since I was in high school. They call the lights you see a visual aura. Sometimes I get them..sometimes I don't. I actually prefer them...it may sound silly, but it gives me a heads up to take meds and deal with the the problem earlier. And I know it's a migraine instead of a different type of headache.
I started out on Cafergot, then went to Ergostast, and Midrin. The first 2 are ergotamine based and you run the risk of ergotamine toxicity if you take too much, and I had a lot when I was first pregnant both times..actually that's how I knew I was pregnant the second time. They don't give you ergotamione when you are pregnant...can cause uterine contractions...hence the Midrin. I resisted the Imitrex for a long time, and finally tried it after a trip to er and a long talk with the ER doc who's wife got them. I tried the nasal spray first. but it tastes nasty. Now I take the pills. Never leave home without them. And some nice Vicodin for pain. The best rx is to go to sleep in a dark room when you get one.
Migraines can be caused by a variety of triggers...hormones, stress, certain foods, flashing lights, maybe even more causes. Mine are hormonal or stress related, altho bright lights can do it too.
I even had one brought on one time by the www.hampsterdance.com website.
Stupid on my part..I'd had a migraine earlier in the day and had to get my internet fix for the day. It was a really bad one.
I've had them last up to a week a couple of times, thank goodness only twice.
Anyway..the point to my rambling is that there is lot of different meds out there, work with your doc to find what works for you.
OrionGirl...you are on to something with the caffiene...one of the migraine meds out there is basically aspirin, tylenol and caffeine. I don't know what kind of meds you have had problems with, but you might want to think about trying either the Midrin or the Imitrex. They felt Midrin was safe enough to take when I was pregnant....that was 20 yrs ago tho. My daughter is an honor student in college...didn't seem to have any ill effects
Timmain..what i usually get is like "B" in your pic..only the opposite side. What that tells you is exactly where in the visual field nerve paths the migraine is acting.
They can be hereditary...women get them more than men. Both my daughters get them, and my mom had them when she was younger...but not after menopause...so I guess there is hope
I started out on Cafergot, then went to Ergostast, and Midrin. The first 2 are ergotamine based and you run the risk of ergotamine toxicity if you take too much, and I had a lot when I was first pregnant both times..actually that's how I knew I was pregnant the second time. They don't give you ergotamione when you are pregnant...can cause uterine contractions...hence the Midrin. I resisted the Imitrex for a long time, and finally tried it after a trip to er and a long talk with the ER doc who's wife got them. I tried the nasal spray first. but it tastes nasty. Now I take the pills. Never leave home without them. And some nice Vicodin for pain. The best rx is to go to sleep in a dark room when you get one.
Migraines can be caused by a variety of triggers...hormones, stress, certain foods, flashing lights, maybe even more causes. Mine are hormonal or stress related, altho bright lights can do it too.
I even had one brought on one time by the www.hampsterdance.com website.
Stupid on my part..I'd had a migraine earlier in the day and had to get my internet fix for the day. It was a really bad one. I've had them last up to a week a couple of times, thank goodness only twice.
Anyway..the point to my rambling is that there is lot of different meds out there, work with your doc to find what works for you.
OrionGirl...you are on to something with the caffiene...one of the migraine meds out there is basically aspirin, tylenol and caffeine. I don't know what kind of meds you have had problems with, but you might want to think about trying either the Midrin or the Imitrex. They felt Midrin was safe enough to take when I was pregnant....that was 20 yrs ago tho. My daughter is an honor student in college...didn't seem to have any ill effects
Timmain..what i usually get is like "B" in your pic..only the opposite side. What that tells you is exactly where in the visual field nerve paths the migraine is acting.
They can be hereditary...women get them more than men. Both my daughters get them, and my mom had them when she was younger...but not after menopause...so I guess there is hope
I'm just grateful mine seldom last more than 12 hours. If they did, I'd likely try a script--but not Vicodin--that stuff gives me the spins. Not good when I've already got nausea. The sparkles and floaters were much worse this time. The sparkles I see are literally flashes of light, the floaters are just little colored blobs floating right in front of me. I made it home, curled up in the downstairs (only area of my home without sky lights and big windows) and got a couple hours of kitty therapy. When I'm sick, my cats that can barely stand to be in the same room together curl up on me in sympathy. I was mobile by about 4 yesterday afternoon, and just a little wobbly for the rest of the night. But--to all that get them, my sympathies! The best advice I've ever read was that if you can find anything that helps, stick with it. Too many people try fighting through them, and studies show that can extend the duration.
But--to all that get them, my sympathies! The best advice I've ever read was that if you can find anything that helps, stick with it. Too many people try fighting through them, and studies show that can extend the duration.
A little late with this, but anyone who is cursed with these has my sympathies.
My wife gets them, the auras, the migrains, the floaters, the blindness. She's off the pill now, she read that if you get migrains with auras that you shouldn't be on the pill, I can't remember what it increased the risk of, I'm gonna guess and say strokes, but not a good thing. It's the first thing that started me thinking that hormones might be a trigger, nursie's pregnancy anecdote furthered that. Of course she went on to give away the answer...
My wife gets them, the auras, the migrains, the floaters, the blindness. She's off the pill now, she read that if you get migrains with auras that you shouldn't be on the pill, I can't remember what it increased the risk of, I'm gonna guess and say strokes, but not a good thing. It's the first thing that started me thinking that hormones might be a trigger, nursie's pregnancy anecdote furthered that. Of course she went on to give away the answer...
http://managingmigraines.msn.com/article.aspx?aid=14>1=6136
Interesting--I hadn't heard of tyramine as a suspect before. Still don't know what triggered yesterdays event, even going back 2-3 days. Sigh.
Interesting--I hadn't heard of tyramine as a suspect before. Still don't know what triggered yesterdays event, even going back 2-3 days. Sigh.
I'm sorry Orion Girl, they are just no fun. I actually stopped taking midrin about a year or so ago and I have had very few that 800mg of ibuprofin haven't stopped (like you said if it's caught early) the other tips like sitting quietly in the dark sipping caffine but what I think has really helped me is eating and sleeping on as regular a schedule as I can and being really mindful of little blood sugar drops- as soon as I start to get hungry I have a little juice. I had some odd side affects on the precsription stuff. I'm still debating whether I want to go back on it. One thing I'll say for midrin is that it really takes care of the sparklers and floaters. I had sometimes some residual pain, but I could see and function. Changes in barometric pressure though- I haven't found any way of dealing with that.
For me, it's not the pressure shifts so much as the temperature swings. Hot to cold is really hard on me--days when it's 85+ outside, coming into an air conditioned building can bring on a doozy. Last year was bad--it never got really hot outside, but my office was constantly in the low 60's or upper 50's, so even when it 80 outside, there would be a 20 degree difference. I went home more than once shivering and with a migraine.
I misunderstood- I get them when it's about to rain or snow- I don't get them so much with temperature shifts but I do seem to get them a lot when the air is on- which is weird, I've never really thought about that before.
You guys are lucky. I usually get them around 8 times a month. I've tried everything. Ergot, midrin, fiorinol, excedrine,advil, aleve, elavil, imitrix, zomig, frova, demerol, toradol. On the 7th of this month I got a severe migraine that didn't go away until the 23rd. I'm in college and bombed my two first tests. I had no idea that it was affecting me that bad. I was in class, read the chapters, took notes, and thought I understood everything. I got the tests, looked at the questions, and went completely blank. So I made an appointment for the Dr. He started me on Topomax for a preventative. I started taking it on the 15th. You gradually build up the dose. Once I knocked it up to the second step, I woke up with no migraine. So far so good.
Now, I'm trying to pick up the pieces of the mess I made at school. If I can't fix it, I may be finished. Maybe this can help someone else.
Kim
Now, I'm trying to pick up the pieces of the mess I made at school. If I can't fix it, I may be finished. Maybe this can help someone else.
Kim
