Case Histories - June #8

Fight the good fight :) I first posted on this journal and I was so downhearted my migraines were controlling my life and it was a effort to drag myself through each and every waking minute. I am rejoicing and I really hope this lasts (knock on wood) I have been on Depakote 2x daily for about a month now and I have only had a couple of episodes,easily abated with imitrex pill form. I know what works for one doesn't always work for another but I do know that I have not felt this good since Dec. 96' and I am not sedated I have lots of energy, and I have had no more siezures either. I am going to be discharged from the Air Force soon and am looking forward to the possibilities of a job and actually being able to function again. Thank the powers that be for letting me be free for a little while. I feel like I have been given a new lease on life and I hope it lasts. yes Depakote has drawbacks but I will do anything to be free of these migraines. To all keep trying keep on fighting don't give up there is hope even in the smallest things. Marie
marie toth <srcemojje@webtv.net>
md USA - Thu Jun 11 14:50:15 1998

I am a 30 year old female. I have been suffering from migraines for about 5 years now. I can remember having headaches when I was in high school and college but nothing like I have had for the last five years. My family doctor treated me for the first several years with Inderol which seemed to work fairly well. Then I became pregnant with my first child and had to go off the Inderol. While I was pregnant I used Vicoden for pain and had one shot of nubain for a bad migraine, but was fairly migraine free for the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. After my son was born (he's now 21 months) I started having problems again and my doctor referred me to a neurologist who put me on Calan (didn't work). He referred me to one of his partners who specializes in headaches (she is a 50 minute drive from my house). She tried me on Calan, Baclofen for chronic daily headaches, Verapamil, Depakote (made me so sick I actually went to by OB for a pregnancy test-negative) and finally Sansert. Sansert was the wonder drug, no headaches at all. But alas, you can only take it for 6 months and then you have to go off for a month before you can go back on. Well, when I went back on after surviving the month from hell, it made me sick as a dog. I had nausea, dizziness, etc. I actually had to stay home from work for 2 weeks until it got out of my system. Now I have tried Paxil (seratonin uptake) which has not worked. I am currently not on a preventative. I am taking Vicoden, Midrin, Zomig, and Amerge for headaches, but am not doing very well at all.I am supposed to start Verapamil again next week, but am not hopeful. Amerge helps more than Zomig, but doesn't relieve all the pain. Vidoden and Midrin help, not completely, but leave me like too much of a zombie to care for my son. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm at my wit's end. Luckily I have an under- standing boss, but I can't take much more of this being away from my son. Please help!!!
Becky Griggs <rhgrig@facstaff.wm.edu>
Newport News, VA USA - Thu Jun 11 13:12:36 1998

I have had migraines for 4 years, and have tried many of the remedies written about here. What I see is that every doctor/neuro had their own favorite treatment and drug, and they all disagree on the best course of action to take. The first neuro I had put me on Inderal & Elavil, with Vicodin tabs for monsters. Then when they got more frequent, a Mayo neuro added Depakote and Prozac, and got rid of Inderal. Then my family doc put me back on Inderal because I felt better on it, got rid of Prozac and added Stadol for pain prn. The most recent neuro I saw said absolutely NO depakote, higher dose Inderal, lower dose Elavil, 10mg Prozac, and DayPro for pain. He said I was having rebound HAs from both Stadol & nsaids like Ibuprofen. Well....DayPro IS an nsaid...so whats that about? He also wants me to try Zomig tablets although Imatrix just made things worse by adding anxiety attacks to the pain. I'm sort of hesitant since Zomig is in the same family of meds. What to do when none of the docs agree? If I know what works best, why do they have to force a different treatment on you? Crazy.
Candy <N/A>
USA - Thu Jun 11 10:43:42 1998

After reading some of the best info ever on cluster headaches, there are a few pain treatments left out. The most effective pain relief I have ever taken is fiorinal or hydrocodone. Don't accept generics. Not as good. Tablets work fastest. Take and then quickly get your O2. I am a chronic sufferer now for about 5 yrs, but have had clusters for 20 yrs. I will never get used to the pain. Luckily, I have a great neurologist, Dr. Rose in Florida. Very compassionate. I take lithium, calan, and depakote. Ergots have never worked for me so it doesn't leave me much choice. When things get real bad, take the time for yourself and sleep whenever you can. I have noticed that this helps break a cycle. I am sick of everything being blamed on smoking. I quit for 9 yrs due to this information and other reasons, and my headaches didn't lessen at all. There is a correlation all right; when you are as sick as we have all been your only concern is getting any little bit of pleasure out of life we can. God knows that there isn't much else to do. We just want relief!!!!!!I would love the opportunity to take part in some study for treatments, provided they don't abandon me in pain. Just curious, but what is the suicide rate among sufferers? I'll bet it's high. Ank god help people who have no prescription plan for all the drugs used on us.
Sharon Ahearn <sahearn@spacey.net>
USA - Thu Jun 11 5:30:12 1998

I must correct a mistake I made about the meds I am on. I am not on zoloft the med is ZOMIG. I will welcome all comments about the med and any suggustions. I am tired of either being in pain or "drug out" in a daze, or plain ole "resting" (trying to sleep off the migraine). Yesterday I took my first dose of the ZOMIG (2.5 MG) and I feel like I took a box of some kind of sleeping pills. Today I had a hard time getting up with my 9 month old son. SOMEBODY PLEASE FIND A CURE FOR THIS DISEASE. It's not only unfair to us that suffer from it but it must be worse on our kids that have to deal with it. We are either trying to fight off the attack before it comes, deal with it, or trying to sleep it off. Thank God for my wonderful husband. If it wasn't for him I feel at times social services would take my kids from me. Don't you feel like shit when you have to tell your kids to leave you alone that you have a really bad headache. They might be old enough to understand a headache (even a really bad one), but a migraine when the aura effects are bad enough that your scared to walk out of the house let alone drive. Sometimes its just there, waiting for the wrong time to really kick in. Unfortunately what works for some does not work for all. Does anyone know about being hospitalilized for a few days for regulated doses of DHE (the script name is migrinal)? Good luck all Chrissi
Chrissi <Well2build@aol.com>
near Pittsburgh, PA USA - Thu Jun 11 4:36:35 1998

I am a 47 yr old female and at this point in my life was expecting my migraines to lessen in severity (this is what I had been told) The opposite seems to be true in my case. About a year ago I started hormone replacement therapy and I feel that the HRT is the cause of my frequent headaches. Prior to last year I had always experienced migraines druing my period. Now as I continue the HRT they are much more frequent. Any ideas on this?
J. <Janipete@aol.com>
Memphis, tn USA - Thu Jun 11 0:18:19 1998