Case Histories - February 1998 (9/18)

I can feel a whopper coming on. I hate the warnings, but am glad I get them. Is that strange. I hate them because the anticipation of the pain is terrible, but at least I have a chance to get ahead of it. I just wish that I could rely on the medication to get through it. All too often it doesn't help and I know that most likely I will have to retreat to bed with ice packs and pray that one of my children don't need anything. At least it is 8pm, and I have finished most of my responsibilities. I have to go now because it won't be long.

---Angi <fred@staug.com>
St. Augustine, FL USA -

Boy I can't believe all these stories. I am a migraine sufferer too. I have had bad headaches ever since childhood and two years ago had my first complicated migraine. I was 8 months pregnant at the time. I had the aura, lost vision,numbness, the whole nine yards. The midwife prescribed Midrin, and had me go to a neurologist. They then wanted an MRI done, but no one would do it until I had the baby. I gave birth and every one expected the headaches to go away. Unfotunatly they got worse. I have since suffered endlessly. I feel like I am a prisoner of my own making. I don't go anywhere alone anymore. I have three good friends that call on an hourly basis to make sure I am o.k. I even feel like I didn't bond properly with my baby because I was afraid to hold her. I'm always medicated, by any number of meds. the doctor deems I need to take, or by the meds that counter act the meds. I have a pharmacy, not a medicine cabnet. I haven't been on any injectables yet, but from what I see here, they are on the horizen. I don't know if I could do that. I have only been to the ER once, because I fear that they will think I am a junky. The time I went they seemed really nice, and just gave me a shot. It put me to sleep, but didn't get rid of the headache. I woke the next morning, and started the whole process over. I have been on vasiodialators and vasioconstrictors.(sp?) I have been on Verapamil, Depacote, Imitrex, Tylinol 3 and related med, Butalbitol, Midrin, Elivil,and many more that I can't even remember. Then there are meds to help nausia, and ones to help sensitivity to light and sound. I am tired of all the pills. I am tired of all the doctors. I am tired of being tired. My marriage can't take much more of this. Help!!!

---Angi Davis <fred@staug.com>
St.Augustine, Fl USA -

I had my first migraine at 22 and didnt know what had just hit me. Im 24 now and I have one about once a week. A doctor prescribed Fiorinal and that really seems to help, but im so scared that I could become dependent upon these pills and i dont want that, so alot of times, when i have a migraine, i just fight it so i wont have to toxify my body. I get mine when I am sleeping, it is the weirdest thing. The pain wakes me out of my sleep and then lasts two days. I want to get a CTScan but I use a military hospital and they will fight with you about getting one of those. I really feel like something is wrong. A woman I know started having headaches one day and died of a brain tumor, I dont want that to be me.

---Wendy Spradlin <wsprad@hotmail.com>
ky USA -

I've had migraines now for about 9 and 1/2 years(right after the birth of my first child). I've been on just about every preventative medicine under the sun. Just the last few I've been on are Depekote, Sansert, Lopressor, and Inderol.The last year for me has been horrible. I have been having 2-3 severe headaches a week. Currently I am taking 1mg of Clonazepam each night before bed, and 20mg of Cyproheptadine. Then at the onset of a migraine, I take D.H.E. injections. If that doesn't work, then I take 1 to 2 sprays of Stadol nasel spray...and if that fails I take 100mg Demerol and 50mg Visterol injections. I end up having to have three to four of the Demerol/Visterol injections a month. My neurologist has now given me a prescription for the Demerol/Visterol so that I carry it with me at all times. I've used to take the Imetrex injections, but after a while it seemed to not work anymore. So then I tried the pill form, no luck. Next I tried the Imitrex Nasel Spray, which worked maybe 30% of the time. I've only been on the new daily meds for about a month now. The headaches seem to be maybe a little better(more like 2 times a week). But the Clonazepam makes me so tired. It only takes me about a half hour to fall asleep after I take it and I am still drowsey in the morning. I'm also worried about the possiblility of becoming addicted to the Stadol, since I have to take it so often. I've been on the Stadol for years and also worry about the long term effects of it. I miss about one day a month of work due to the migraines. Luckily I was able to get on the Family Leave so that I am protected and don't have to worry about losing my job. I'm beginning to feel there is no hope that the headaches will ever go away or at least be less frequent. I feel like I am missing out on so much due to the migrianes(like playing with my children and spending time with my husband). It's gotten to the point where my oldest asks me everyday,"Do you have a migraine today?" I feel like I am robbing them of a mother. I have determined some of my triggers, chocolate, Chinese food, caffine, alcohol, and too much or too little sleep. I've have cut out all of the food triggers,especially the chocolate-that's a guaranteed headache. When I get the headaches I am very sensitive to light and sound and get very nauseated. If anyone has any suggestions or has tried any of the meds I am on now, please email me.Thanks!Garnet

---Garnet <dglkcannon@aol.com>
Davenport, IA USA -

My 16 yr. old son has always had a few migraines a year but has previously been able to sleep them off after a couple of aspirin. 6 months ago he began having daily migraines. He's had CT SCAN, MRI, allergy testing, lab work, chiropractic, applied kinesiology and tried a list of meds. longer than my arm. We have yet to find a successful combination of meds for prevention or rescue. Zomig and Midrin work sometimes, but the headaches do not stay gone for more than 6 hours at best, and that occurs only about once a week. He's currently taking Inderal and Effexor. We've eliminated allergens, restricted his diet, tracked weather, physical and psychological conditions, all without identifying any consistent triggers. He's missed LOTS of school and LOTS of activities with his friends. I can't remember the last time he drove the car! It occurred to me that perhaps there may be a link between MIGRAINES and SLEEP DISORDERS. (He was on an apnea monitor as an infant.) Does anyone know of any research or contact person that might be able to give us some information on this?

---Carol <Anderson3@digitalis.net>
Kearney, NE USA -

I am only 16 years old, I just started having migraines really bad last year. I still havn't been able to figure out whats causing them. I watch what I eat to see if it's a certian kind of food thats giving me migraines. I can never tell when I'm going to have one because most of the time, they hit without any warning, and when they hit, they hit bad. Sometimes they are so bad that I am in bed for weeks at a time, because the only thing that will make them go away is sleep. My doctor has put me on almost every medication there is for migraines. Right now I am on Imatrex, and I have found it to be somewhat helpful but I does not take the headeach away.

---Jai Mccray <JAICC44@aol.com>
DET, MI USA -

Can't remember the user name configuration, code word and pasword I used to arrange my free trial. Can't make your "lost password" section work, either. Can you send me that information?

---Thomas F. Sandusky <oriolesnut@msn.com>
Somerdale, NJ USA -