I've not had this problem with methadone ... How long have you been on it? Maybe it will just take some getting used to for some strange reason? I hope so.

Good luck!
xoxo, misa

I can empathize as I also get severe migraines, and not much helps either. Did all the stuff you mentioned and more.

Anyway, was just curious as to how long you've been on the methadone? I'm also on it, and I'm just curious as to how long you've been on it. It took me almost 2 weeks to rid of my migraine when I started methadone. However, after the migraine and the abdominal pain...methadone has been HANDS DOWN the best medication I've ever taken for pain. And I've been on them all, as it sounds you have.

I sure hope you find some relief, as I know how horrible it is to have a 8/9 level migraine. So sorry you're going through this.

The only thing I can suggest is that either it will take time for your body to adjust, or that your body may just not tolerate it. Headache is a common side effect of methadone (ironic, i know), so perhaps it's just your body's way of adjusting. Like you said though, it's difficult to function while having a migraine of that strength day in and day out.

One last thing, methadone can cause a prolonged QT wave. We usually test patients with an EKG before allowing them to start methadone, and also check them at least annually and then as needed depending on symptoms and such. Has that been done?

As a chronic pain sufferer and a migraine sufferer, I hope you find relief, and fast. You'll be in my thoughts. Please let us know what happens.

I've been on Methadone for 2 years, and I've never had any issues with it, so I don't know what to tell you.....

Are you planning on staying on the methadone? HAVE YOU EVER TRIED EXCEDRIN? It is what i use in combination with my other meds. It works for me. Hugs

my sister suffers from thoses headaches. I conveinced her to go to accpunter not rigth spelling , you know where they stick needles all over your body . Its the only thing that worked.
a doctores wife suffered from this he sent her too same place it worked , he said he tried everything he knew nothing worked, but accupunter.hope this helps migth be somthing else going on .
methadone made it where i was waking up every twenty mintues
missed with my head. hugs minnie

how long have you been on the methadone? i had a similar issue, it almost completly took away my fibro pain but aggrivated my migraines for a while, but my vicoden and maxalt eased my migraines (i know you can't take triptains or certain opiods) but after about two weeks on the methadone that hanging headache and agrivating migraines that the methadone caused went away once i got used to the methadone being in my system.

it really sounds like you have tried everything. i wish i had a better suggestion. maybe you need to add a nerve pain med or switch off the methadone to something else extenden relese or subutux???

Thanks for the suggestions. I've been on the methadone for almost 2 months and the headaches are getting worse, not better.

Nurseliberty: Thanks for the reminders on the QT prolongation. I had a EKG before starting on the methadone and one a few weeks later (ultra cautious doctors who don't want to do anything to risk my heart or transplant candidatestanding; I'll be a liver/kidney transplant candidate when my kidney function "drops" low enough to qualify in my own right for the kidney (although now would be good as it would solve basically all the other problems, albeit bring on a host of new ones).

Regiann: Exedrin: My Fioricet has acetaminopen and caffeine (and butalbital, a mild barbituate) but I can't take anything with aspirin (found in many Excedrin products) because it's the original non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. I'm very careful about maintaining a steady caffeine level in my system to avoid the caffeine withdrawal headache.

My other pain meds don't help with the headaches, but since I usually end up with breakthrough pain at the same time (probably because my entire body tenses so much), I do end up taking the oxycodone and an extra acetaminophen (to avoid that oxycodone induced headache) when I have the mega headache, so at least I get some sleep and wake up with less of a headache. Not sure if the oxycodone is helping the headache as well or just the organ pain. I also have to track how much acetaminophen I take during the day to ensure I'm not getting too much (my limit is 2000 mg, preferably less--ARGH!).

To the best of my knowledge, there is no nerve pain involved (well, that obviously can't be true, as my head hurts like hell and pain is transmitted by nerves), but with my seriously decreased kidney funciton, the renal dosing I would need for the medications for nerve pain is so low that those medications would be at a non-therapeutic dose (tried some of them for migraines back when my kidneys were doing better and they were ineffective then at a much higher dose than could be considered now).

Other than the headache, the methadone is fabulous for the organ pain! Since each dose lasts at leats 12 hours (especially with less than 30% kidney function), I'm getting excellent relief on 12.5 mg per day total and my GI tract is in heaven compared to the OxyContin.

Today seems to be a bit better than when I posted; the headache hasn't struck with full force...at least not yet (quick, knock on wood!). I don't know why (wish I did so I could repeat whatever it is that prevents it from striking full force on occasion), but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.

I really do appreciate all the suggestions and support and will look into the acupuncturist as well. A friend of mine has been seeing one on and off for a number of years, so I have a good referral.

Thanks to all and Happy New Year! :)

Headaches are so complex and can have so many different origins. I used to suffer constant headaches, but not migraines. Finally one doctor found that my B12 level was very low and so now I give myself a shot every month and the headaches went away!

If you have to take a proton pump inhibitor for GERD or stomach acid, a side effect is that your body cannot absorb B12 as easily. I did a search on it after I started B12 shots and found this out.

Just another thought....

I wonder if my husbands methadone treatment is causing his chronic daily migraines. He never had a migraine attack till he was 30 and would have one maybe 1 or 2 times a year but 3 years after he started his methadone treatment. They started 1 3 times a week and within 1 year they became a everyday thing. He was unable to work or do anything after 10 to 11am everyday. He finely had to apply for disability which we received 3 years later. No medication works or preventative has ever work or helped in any way. Even tried Botox. It has been over 5 years with him having a migraine everyday. I wish there was some kind of help for him that would work and get him his life back. I would love to have the man I married back. It hurts me to see him like this.

just an FYI but that post is 7 yrs old, I doubt the OP is still around.

missing - many migraine sufferers are triggered by narcotics. That's an issue I have. I have other chronic pain, but I can't take anything other than NSAIDs for it because narcotics will give me some of the worst migraines ever. So if your husband is taking methadone everyday, and narcotics are a trigger for him, it doesn't matter what he tries to take to counter act it, it won't take it away. That migraine is always going to be there.

Headaches are listed as a possible side effect of Methadone, Has he talked to his doctor about the headaches ?

Methadone Side Effects-
https://www.drugs.com/sfx/methadone-side-effects.html