Anyway, as you can see, I could go on and on and I've only scratched the surface about my miseries with migaines. What I wanted to say (finally) is that I believe I've finally found a cure for me. I began having acupuncture about 8 months ago and I've had one migaine since! My acupuncturist also has me taking a B vitamin complex which also contains folic acid and magnesium. I read somewhere that up to 50% of migraine sufferers are magnesium deficient.Anyhow, Maybe someone reading my history might find the same success that I have with acupuncture. Good Luck!
---Janice C. esjvb1@nt.net
I am a 24 year old female. I am extremely lucky in that I do not get regular migraines like a lot of others, as I do know their exact trigger and can avoid engaging in the activity that causes them. However, the activity is any form of sexual arousal, and the length of time that I engage in any form of sexual activity is directly proportional to the degree of severity of the migraine. I have been sexually active on a regular basis for about four years now, and have only recently been told by a number of GP's and a psychiatrist that my disorder is a form of migraine.
To me, it does not seem like a migraine, as I do not get a "headache" as such. It's more a feeling of spaciness, a very tight head, blurry vision, trouble with my speech, a weak, aching body, hot clammy skin and even my eyes look different. Friends who know of my condition know when I have had sex by the way my eyes look!! If it's really bad, I have to spend the day in bed and can feel quite nauseous and dizzy - really faint in the head. Coupled with this I am a chronic back pain sufferer resulting from a fall from a horse more than 3 years ago, which left me with crush fractures in two of my thoracic vertebrae. I thought perhaps this was linked to the migraines, but doctors do not agree.
I have tried inderal, it took the edge of the feeling. But it still can be quite bad. I've recently started to try taking panadeine forte straight after sex, and this is helping but leaves me quite spacy and tired the next day as well. I have suffered from depression earlier this year as a result of work pressures and my inability to handle stress (I am a lawyer), along with trying to cope with my back pain and the added strain on my relationship with my boyfriend of this crazy migraine condition does not help. My psychiatrist has prescribed luvox for me, which is a new anti-depressant. I've been on it for about 6 months now, taking only a quarter of the recommended dosage, and I believe I am completely over my depression. I used to cry at the drop of a hat before that, my boyfriend even nicknamed me "leaky eyes". I now can't recall the last time my eyes leaked! I am definately coping very well with my life at the moment, except for the migraine factor.
I recently had a CAT scan of my brain, which was normal. I went to see a neurologist whom I found most unhelpful and stated to me that I definately do not have migraines. She had no answer for me.
I think perhaps my migraine is caused by tension. I do not feel tense during sex at all, but I do notice that I tense all of the muscles in my body without consciously realising it. The back of my head and upper neck is always sore and tender to touch when I have one of these migraines. This makes me think that they may be caused by muscle tension. Alternatively, perhaps I do not breathe adequately which results in either a lack of or too much oxygen to the brain. Or perhaps there is a hormone or chemical released in my body during arousal which causes the condition.
I have heard of people getting orgasmic migraines, immediately upon or after climax. But mine is not related to that, mine can come on even if I don't climax.
If anyone out there can help me or has a similar condition, please write to me, as no doctors are familiar with my exact condition. I feel like it's all in my head, but know it's definately not. Does anyone have any thoughts on my problem?
I would take four tablets at first sign, then take addistional tablet every 20 min till the migrain is gone. for me this worked except the caffergot kind of made me nauseated pardon for the misspelling. I later went in the Marine Corps and got a migrain in boot camp. and the only medication I had with me was excedrin. I remenbered that caffergot was mostly caffine. and excedrin has caffine in it so I took 4 tablets of excredin at the first sign and one extra every 20 min. and I was on a force march a 10 mile march with full back packs. I thought I was going to die with this condistion coming on. But about 30 min into the hike the migrain started to go away. Now when ever I feel the systems of a migrain coming on I take the large dose of excredrin and take a walk and the migrain attack will only last for about 2 hours at the most and the systems are not to servire. I feel since this is a vascular headache the caffine opens the blood vishels open right away and reduce the srvarity of the headache. Excriden has caffine, asprin, and acedaminiphine in it. My headaches with out this course of action would last at least 2 days and vomiting violantly for 12 hours.
I have taken other medication like imitex injection, Inderal, antihistimine thirapy. The imitrix would get ride of the migrain but sometimes I would get a rebound migrain the next day and my muscles would cramp up real tight. I have talk to other people that get migrains and I met a couple of people taht told me when they stay active the migrain goes away faster and are less server.
I know that sound like it would be imposible to stay active once you get a migrain because it goes against everything you feel. Before this treatment I had to be taken to a hospital about 5 times because I could not even walk because the migrain was so bad. good luck and I hope this can be of some help. I feel for everybody that gets migrains. I to throught of ending life when I would get these headaches. but I found something that worked and I think that everyone that gets migrains and they try my what I do it would help. Right now i take feverfew and a asprin a day. Feverfew is an erb that is foud in eroupe. It has been given double blinded studies and has shown to prevent migrains at a high percent and the aspirn a day is shown to be a preventive medison for migrains and will also reduce your chance of a stroke. Migrain suffers are know to have an increase chance of stroke so the asprin is not a bad Idea and it is cheap andnot much side efficet at that low dose.
I was really glad to find a page that dealt with migranes. My son is a migrane sufferer, he is only 10yrs. old. He has had them since he was 3yrs. old and we have tried several medicines with little relief for him. If we catch them quick enough Motrin 400mg. seems to help pretty fast. But if we don't catch them fast, he vomits and can't take anything, he has to just sleep them off if he does'nt continually get sick every few min. They will last anywhere from 2-7 hrs. We have done the nuerologist thing and they have perscribed him thing like Depacote and Periactine, with little relief. I hate watching my baby hurt so bad, I want to find something he can take if he gets too bad to take the Motrin, even a fantastic preventative would be great. I have gotten to where i don't really believe what the doctors say, so far they have all been wrong in thier diagnosis, even after I explain that my mother, Grandfather suffer from cluster headaches, and my brother suffers from migranes as well. I thank goodness don't get them. If anyone has a suggestion I would love to hear it.
Deperate Mother,
--Renee corbinr@gte.net
Love your web page. I am glade that I am Not alone, I have had migraines for years, it has been so long that I can not even remember when they started. I have tried all the same drugs as most of the letters I have read so far,but the most recent one that my doctor put me on is inderal,it is a blood pressure pill, and it has been working great so far, what I worry about is I have a stomach acid problem and one of the side affects of the indreal is stomach problems I'm afraid that my doctor might have to take me off this medication. and after all these years of searching for the right drug, just to have to stop taking it bummer!
I guess I am lucky, my husband has been pretty good about my headachs,it wasn't easy in the begining, but he has been so good , he is more concerned for me than anything, I think i'll keep him. I wish that those people that have spouses that don't under stand I hope that your loved one that took you for better or worst wakes up before it's to late.
if any one would like to write to me I am at m.mcdonald@snet.net Thanks for listening. Good luck to all!
My name is Tiffany, and I am 16 years old. On September 16, 1996 while I was at work, I fell down. They thought at the time that I had just slipped, but I had no memory of what had happened prior to the accident or directly after it. I only remembered getting off the floor, going home, and going directly to bed. I woke up the next morning with a headache and headed on to school. That morning I was standing in the courtyard, and I began to get incredibly dizzy. Little dots began to cloud my vision until the began to spread until it was completely black. I got very hot, and my mouth watered; everyone sounded very far away, and the next thing I know I was on the ground. This wasn't just the first of my fainting spells, though as they continued, I began to recognize them. Since September 15th I have suffered from a vicious headache (as I write this it is now November 10th). It first started at the back of my head and at my temples, and eventually has spread to my forehead, and even my eyes can hurt when it is the worse. Since I was 16 and an usually healthy child, this alarmed my parents and they sent me to a doctor, who had no idea what was wrong. All he knew that was when I stood up, my blood pressure dropped really low, and it caused the dizziness and blackouts. He prescribed me Flourinef and sent me home. About a week later I was lying in bed, and my heart began to beat really fast; I thought it was going to come out of my chest. I got out of bed to tell my parents and almost passed out because of the dizziness. The doctor then put me in the hospital the next day. They ran several tests such as CT scan, EEG, EKG, ECHO cardiogram (for my heart) and several others, but they all came back okay. The doctors were stumped, and they sent me home with more medicine--Midrin and a beta blocker. Both seemed to help somewhat, and I was at least able to function. During this whole time I was worn out to the point where going to school was a chore; walking from class to class was a workout. Because of the constant headache, they were having trouble determining what was wrong. The doctor here couldn't do anything for me, and he sent me to a neurologist in Tulsa.
All it took for this doctor was to have a conversation with me. She sat down and talked to me about what had happened and I told her exactly what happened in the past two months, beginning with the accident at work. She decided that I had what is called Basilar Artery Migraines. (There is an excellent website about Basilar Artery Migraines--http://www.e-z.net/~karyn/bam/bam.html) These headaches begin at the base of the skull, then spread to the temples and forehead. It constricts the basilar artery in the back of the head, cutting off bloodflow to the brain and to the heart (which was the cause of my chest pains. I would have these in school so bad that my arms would go tingly, then all of the sudden numb for several hours at a time) and causing the dizziness. I also had severe nausea as well, though I never vomited (just felt like I was about to).
As of today, I still suffer from my headaches, though not as bad. My doctor put me on a muscle relaxer for the muscles in my temples (my mother calls it a "soma") and dramamin (I don't know if that is spelled correctly) to help me sleep and to get rid of the dizziness. They say that if things go okay, I will outgrow these. But I have to cut out working during school and any other stressful activities. I have to get regular amounts of sleep, and I can't skip any meals. A treatment that I do when I start to feel the headache come on is turn off all the lights in my bedroom. I cover my window so no light peeks in, then lay down in my bed and put a pillow under my head and my knees. Then I get a heating pad, turn it on medium, and place it over my forehead and temples. If it gets really bad, I take a hot HOT HOT towel, place it on my forehead and temples then place the heating pad over it (you won't eletrocute yourself!!)
Sorry this is so long. If you need to cut anything out, please do. I just don't want someone having to suffer like I did! The doctors were confused. They had me diagnosed with all kinds of things like hypoglycemia. I just want to help!!
Sincerely,
---Tiffany Walcutt walcutt@ok.azalea.net
She is 31 years old and has been suffering from migraine's for ten years.
The doctors have told her that there is nothing that they can do for her, besides self medicating. She self injects with moriphine and demoral, on a regular basis.
She is the mother of 4 children ranging from ages 3 to 10.
This summer has been the worst for her. Suffering from migrains on a daily basis, with no more than 2 day's peace. She not only suffers from the migrains but she also suffers from seizures, sometimes as many as 8 a day and lasting sometimes longer than 45 minuites.
She is at the point now that she is waiting for her life to end (I fear). Her husband is a great man and is a tremendious help. Unfortunatly he has come to accept that this is how it will be.
I on the other hand am not happy with what her doctors have said, I have vowed to help her to the end. Unfortunatly I don't know how to help.
I hate to see such a wonderful person like her to wither away, in darkness. It is not right for such a young family to suffer such anguish. The children watch their mother have seizures, come home from school to find her on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. She is constantly covered with bruises from falling, and I fear that one day the fall will be fatal.
Please help me to help her. I do not know how much longer we will be blessed with her.
My e-mail address is andysamshe@aol.com
Thank you,
Sheilaugh Samplonius
