Migraines?

[Billyboyboo]

Ruth,

I had silent migraines, and also migraines, it's like well, this aura that spotty, it's like Crystal explained, days before one or hours. Once I had one that looked like an electric current suspended in the air, but to me these Auras are different than a seizure aura. I have silent migraines too, I see like this illumination with those, hard to explain.

Happy Holidays.

Billy.

[kimberlymeg]

I get bad headaches almost every day. Recently, I've noticed that drinking more water helps. If a headache starts, I grab a water and sit down. Taking a nap in the dark sometimes helps too.

[epileric]

I get bad headaches almost every day. Recently, I've noticed that drinking more water helps. If a headache starts, I grab a water and sit down. Taking a nap in the dark sometimes helps too.

One of my professors told us that the majority of headaches are caused from dehydration.

Quite often though we're so dehydrated that drinking water after the headache starts won't always help.

[flinnigan]

Most Dr's day migraine and Epilepsy are not related but I don't buy it. I think we're so sensitive that of course we suffer from them. I drove my poor dentist crazy thinking it was my teeth only to fine out teethe pain can be a migraine aura. I was surprised to see bananas on your list Robin everything else made sense, I almost think migraine is kind of like a brain cramp and bananas help my charlie horses so why not brains. Its starting to sound like eveything's a trigger for someone.

[Nakamova]

I think current thinking is that migraine and epilepsy are related, perhaps on a spectrum. Both can involve sensitivities to foods/additives, and both can manifest with unusual sensory sensations caused by paroxysmal brain activity. Before I developed epilepsy I had very infrequent migraines, with aura only (a kind of flashing in front of my eye), and no headache. After having tonic-clonics I've never had the auras again -- I think they were a precursor, a sign that my neurons were starting to misbehave. I had other tiny seizure-related stuff -- a twitching arm, tension on one side of my body -- but I ignored them because they were rare and inconsequential, and I haven't experience them again since developing the full-blown t-cs.

A friend of mine who suffered from terrible migraines most of her life took up meditation and became a vegetarian, and her migraines went away.

[Crystal11]

I am doing the best I can to stop drinking caffine and I was successful for about 4 days and then I got a migraine from he** and I had to get more coffee before I had to take Excedrin but it upsets my stomach if I have two. So I took one and it helped but only when I took it as soon as I had an aura. I wait until I feel pain though because sometimes I get just the aura. Its about 15% of people with migraines get auras which I was surprised to find out.
Anyways- how do you guys deal with caffine or trying to stop having it? I think I'm a caffine dependent person LOL..
I was told by my cardiologist, audiologist and neurologist to go easy on the caffine- although I only have one cup of coffee in the morning and sometime one in evening. I don't drink as much coke as before which is good.

Any suggestions on reducing caffine intake?


Take care everyone
Crystal

[Nakamova]

Hi Crystal --

You could try drinking half-and-half (i.e. half caffeinated and half-decaf coffee). And/or maybe switch one of your coffee breaks to tea instead. Tea is easier on the brain because the caffeine in tea enters the body in a more moderate fashion -- sort of like a gentle curve (whereas with coffee it 's like a spike -- a quick high and a quick crash).

[RobinN]

Any suggestions on reducing caffine intake?
Take care everyone
Crystal

smaller cups?

[RobinN]

I think current thinking is that migraine and epilepsy are related, perhaps on a spectrum. Both can involve sensitivities to foods/additives, and both can manifest with unusual sensory sensations caused by paroxysmal brain activity. Before I developed epilepsy I had very infrequent migraines, with aura only (a kind of flashing in front of my eye), and no headache. After having tonic-clonics I've never had the auras again -- I think they were a precursor, a sign that my neurons were starting to misbehave. I had other tiny seizure-related stuff -- a twitching arm, tension on one side of my body -- but I ignored them because they were rare and inconsequential, and I haven't experience them again since developing the full-blown t-cs.

A friend of mine who suffered from terrible migraines most of her life took up meditation and became a vegetarian, and her migraines went away.

I think this is spot on.
Unfortunately something called kindling begins to occur and it takes more to turn back the clock. I do however believe with determination and discipline it can be done for some.

That is my opinion.

[Ruth]

Hi Crystal,

A professional thilnker would confuse me. You said it so I can understand it. My migraine aura would be when my brain feels weird. It does before a migraine.

Epileric, all of the foods you mentioned I cannot have because of my Diabetes. I have noticed that when my Diabetes 2 is under control, so are my seizures. I am sure foods play a part in both my epilepsy and Diabetes. I am seeing what foods I eat before a seizure and which ones do not affect me.

Winter is the best time for my seizures. Although 2 weeks ago I had a real bad seizure. I hit my head on the ground. It felt like my skull had cracked open. It is better now.

[Ruth]

I had pumkin pie for dessert and now I have a migraine. I will eliminate pumpkin pie from my diet.

[Crystal11]

I have been working on reducing what I have each day. I have been having more of it one the days when I most tired. If I don't have any at all, then I am real tired if I'm not out and about traveling downtown or where ever.
I blame the meds on being tired- before taking them, I was not ever tired enough to stay home or take a nap in the middle of the day. I'm 26, I should be okay for the whole day. So to fight off naps and sleepiness, I drink coffee or have a coke. Coffee definitly has more caffine in it but less sugar than coke.. Anyways

My neurologist told me no naps because my sleeping schedule would be out of wack- and it could make my seizures more frequent as well. Probably due to not going to sleep early enough or not staying on a consistant schedule.


Take care everyone
Crystal

[Ruth]

My meds tire me out too. Plus, I also have Diabets 2.

I have coffee some days, but caffeine is a trigger for a seizure. Cola's are tool.

[Jessdenn82]

I completely agree about not adding more meds than you need to control thing and if you can do it by modifying your diet or activities that is wonderful but not all people can do this I have had migraines since I was approx. 7 yrs old they did all kids of testing on me as a child, EEG, brain scans ETC, and couldn’t' find anything I also found as a child if I was able to go to sleep when I woke up they would be gone however that is not the case now I see specks I call them falling from the sky and get dizzy at first I was like wow is your mind playing tricks on you but I notice that the longer the migraine lasts the more I get these specks and things go fuzzy this headache I have now has been going on for approx like 6 days now I am not allowed to take Tylenol, Motrin etc cause of other health issues and I have headaches pre and post t/c or absence seizure so it truly sucks and when you go to the ER all they want to do is dope you up which most people don't know but narcotics actually make true migraines worse they get rid of the immediate headache however they come back stronger and worse than ever sometimes we give our patients in the ER compazine ya I know what you’re thinking that is for nausea but true migraines it actually works for and can be given on an as needed basis works best if given IV and most of all it lets you get sleep which is so important as I can't sleep through mine the things you take for granted

[RobinN]

I am not allowed to take Tylenol, Motrin etc cause of other health issues

May I ask what the other health issues are?

[Jessdenn82]

my liver enzymes get elevated just from taking a small amount of tylenol on a limited basis so dr. won't even let me take it occ. now which sucks cause almost everything has tylenol, motrin, etc in it somewhere even cough and cold meds and was taking ultram but due to it lowering the seizure threshold can't take that now either and even a new med for migranes came out it has imetrix and alieve in it so thats out too

[Nakamova]

Have you tried taking a magnesium supplement? It might help your migraines. Robin has more info on that, it's helped her I believe.

[Crystal11]

I might go ahead and look at the prices on the magnesisum. When I was on Imuran for auto-immune disease in my ear- they had my on liquid potasium and magnisium and a lot of others- so I need to find out how much it cost thats a good brand too.
I used to take Spirulina and Chlorella which are superfoods that are dried and powders and pressed into small pills- i used to take about 20 a day- which is the standard dose. Some people take it for cancer and other more serious illness.
I went to our local vitamine place and asked for calcium plus vitamin D and it was well over $100. I could not believe that.
Anyways- thanks for the suggestions, I'm going to look into it.

[Ruth]

I know I am not taking the right thing for my pain right now. It is more than migraines. I feel like i need to talk about it.

2 weeks ago, I had a nocturnal seizure and fell off of my bed right on my head. Once in a while I take codeine for my severe back pain. My head felt like I had cracked my skull. For a few days I used the codeine, for my head. I do not use it very often. I do not get to see my neurologist until Friday. My doctors were gone for the holidays.

I do not recommened codeine for migraines or any other pain. I have magnesium and potassium at home as supplements. You can get a lot of potassium in bananas.

[tam bam]

I have migraines too with my epilepsy. I too think that the migraines are a symptom of my epilepsy. My neurologist is not sure of this and it has him puzzled but it does have him thinking on this question. Hopefully when I see an epileptolgist soon he/she will figure that out for sure. I was reading that with frontal lobe epilepsy that this is quite normal though (my neurologist said that is where my seizures are coming from on EEG).

The Epilepsy Foundation sent me some reading material and I just read the other night that migraines and FLE go together and I was like OMG! I am sure once I see an epileptogist he/she will confirm this.

I take Topamax and Lyrica it works pretty well for the migraines just not for the epilepsy. Every now and again I get a dull break through migraine but it is not that bad. I use to take Excederine for mine when I didn't have a doctor and yes it will mess with your stomach because of the aspirin in it but it didn't help with my migraines at all. I use to take Maxalt. It helped some for a while and then it quit working for some reason and then that is when I was switched to Topamax. Topamax so far has been the best thing for it for me. Once I get off of it. I am in pain.

Oh yeah, I have also tried a few antidepressants (SSRI's) before I was diagnosed with E. for my migraines and they worked okay but not as well as the Topamax.

Take care and I hope your doctor can get you on something soon that is a little safer than excederine.

tam bam