Migraine Headaches Support Group

Migraine is a neurological disease, of which the most common symptom is an intense and disabling episodic headache. Migraine headaches are usually characterized by severe pain on one or both sides of the head and are often accompanied by photophobia (hypersensitivity to light), phonophobia (hypersensitivity to sound) and nausea.

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WashingtonMom 06/03/2017

Hi everyone! I suffer from migraines as well as fibromyalgia. I have tried all the Fibro meds with bad side effects, so I only take Norco for the pain. For my migraines, I started taking Topamax last November (25mg up to 50mg now). I never wanted to be on it, but I was on a chronic migraine last Sept-Nov and was at my wits end. It worked GREAT for a month and then stopped working. I went up to 50mg and it started to work again but once again it has stopped and I have been in a chronic migraine for 2 months. I take Frova almost everyday and I know I am in a rebound headache problem. I do not want to go up to 75 mg because I fear side effects. Right now the only problem I have had is weight loss and some finger tingling. My doctor wanted me to try Botox, but I have talked to people that have had no success with it and to be honest I am very scared to try it. I seem to react to anything new in my body and having pins stuck in my head and neck sounds horrible. I have been looking into IV Therapy and was wondering if anybody has had it with success? I am less scared to have a needle in my arm then in my head, go figure.

YvetteK 07/09/2017

Insurance does pay for botox as long as your fit the requirement of chronic migraine, and have the right type of doctor putting in the paper work for the botox.

@n2braves, I'm glad narcotics work for you, but they don't work for everyone. In fact, people with migraines are more prone to migraines FROM them than are relieved by them. Not everyone. You are in pain management, so that is the last resort for migraine patients who don't improve being seen by a headache specialist. So the last resort would be to give you narcotics.

But rebounds happen MORE than what's talked about, not less. It's not just narcotics and triptans that can give you migraines. OTC pain relieves can also give them to you. That's why painkillers are not dispensed in high quantities from headache specialist like they are at pain management centers. I'm glad they don't happen to you, but they happen to many people, and they can be excruciating. It's very real.

WashingtonMom 07/09/2017

Thank you Cindy for your response. I have decided not to try Botox as I have yet to find anyone with any success from doing it. I had a great month last month when I decided to take my Magnesium in the evening instead of the morning and I started drinking 8 oz. of tart Cherry Juice in the evening. I went over 3 weeks without a tweek of a headache. It was wonderful! But I am getting back to a bad spot again. I have had a really bad past week with nausea and the whole thing. And on top of that my Fibro is at its worse and I am in such pain, especially when I am trying to sleep. I am curious on what medications you have been prescribed from your pain management? I have been on Norco 7.5/325 3 x a day for over 2 years and I would like to meet with them and see if I can change or possibly go up to 4 x a day for the pain during sleep. I feel nervous asking but they are Pain Management and should help me I would think. Do you only take narcotics for Migraines or do you take any Migraine meds?

YvetteK 07/10/2017

WashingingtonMom- have you tried anything natural for your nausea? I know many, many people who swear by ginger. Many people use candied ginger since it's so convenient to carry around.

WashingtonMom 07/10/2017

Once the nausea starts, it is over for me. It would take a trip to the ER to stop it and I never go to the ER because of the cost, so I just suffer the day out knowing it will end by the next day. I have tried Ginger, but it never really worked even when I was pregnant.

YvetteK 07/11/2017

I take thorazine for my nausea, which is amazing, but it can make you pretty loopy. I took that for my nausea when I was undergoing chemo, but it's also great for migraine pain. It's in the same family as compazine, which is also given for nausea, but it's not as strong. That might be worth looking into. I know not many doctors know about that use of thorazine, but it has been a life saver for me with my nausea.

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