Migraines

[dfwtexas]

I never had problems with migraines or headaches prior to getting diagnosed with E. Generally, I only would get them either before or after a seizure. But I have had them this week. I think it may be from the extreme Texas heat this week. I am going to see my neuro on Tuesday morning. I haven't had a complex since October 7th and was looking forward to visit where everything was good. Do ya'll take anything for bad headaches? I take so many pills, not looking forward to another...but i just want my head to stop hurting.

 

[Meetz1064]

If I

ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO give in and take a migraine med, it's Imitrex....thought that's not been working lately. There's one that's a step up from it that I had samples of....can't remember the name now. It's Imitrex with naproxen sodium (Aleve) in it.

Other than that, I use a heating pad, Tylenol and coffee. I'm stubborn, though. I take far too many pills already. URG.

 

[RobinN]

I have had a 30+ year history with migraines, though that is in the past. I have used many of the meds on the market, but they tended to lose effectiveness after a time. Or the doctors wanted to try new varieties on me. The last one I used was also Imitrex but when I was having trouble with it seeing me through a 4 day attack, my doctor said the next step would be a daily medication. I realized that I needed to find the reason I was having these headaches monthly.

When I met a specialty doctor he asked me to try magnesium. After a short period of time.... it must have been less than a month, I no longer was experiencing the migraines. I now have been migraine free for over 5 years. The only time I start to feel them coming on again, is when I am lax about taking my supplements.

It truly was a lifesaver, since I was typically in a fetal position for 4 days out of each month. I take 800 mg spread out over the day. My product of choice is Jigsaw Magnesium, since it is sustained release. When I first began with the mineral, I used an ionic variety, which was liquid under my tongue. This goes directly to the cell without it having to be digrested.

Magnesium can be baked into food, since it is a mineral, so there are a variety of ways to get it. There are many threads here at CWE that discuss the options, and I also ran across another site that explains it very well.

http://www.krispin.com/magnes.html

Of course I am not diagnosing you This is only a suggestion, and an easy treatment to try.

 

[PhylisFeinerJohnson]

Research shows that Depacon (Valproate) and Topamax (Topiramate) are effective in treating migraines and epilepsy. And each has FDA approval for treating them together. Depakote (Divalproex Sodium) also works for both, creating a therapeutic “two-fer."

There are also several other antiepileptic drugs that have also been shown to lessen migraine headaches – such as Neurontin (Gabapentin), Keppra ( Levetiracetam) and Zonegran (Zonisamide). However, the dose of AEDs in the treatment of migraines is usually lower than that used for epilepsy.

Drug-to-drug interactions may occur, potentially limiting the effectiveness of prescribed medications. Until further studies are completed, these agents must be used cautiously in people with either seizures, migraines, or both...

Resources:

Steven Karceski, MD, Practical Neurology, March 2007
http://www.columbiaepilepsy.org/docs/patients/March 2007.pdf
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/record/archives/vol20/vol20_iss16/record2016.15.html
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/20011979/Epilepsy-Migraine---More-than-just-a-headache/
http://www.medigraphic.com/pdfs/arcneu/ane-2006/ane064j.pdf
http://www.realage.com/check-your-h.../medical-conditions-associated-with-migraines

 

[Literophile]

I never had problems with migraines or headaches prior to getting diagnosed with E. Generally, I only would get them either before or after a seizure. But I have had them this week. I think it may be from the extreme Texas heat this week. I am going to see my neuro on Tuesday morning. I haven't had a complex since October 7th and was looking forward to visit where everything was good. Do ya'll take anything for bad headaches? I take so many pills, not looking forward to another...but i just want my head to stop hurting.

I SO get it. I was diagnosed with icepick headaches (a migraine variant) after I started having seizures. I'd only rarely had any headaches prior to that. Then I started having migraines. My doctor prescribed Frova. Just recently tried it out (I was unsure of what it might do to me at first since the other two medications--Topomax and Indomethacin--made me VERY ill) but Frova actually worked really well.

 

[Meetz1064]

I must

add that I don't typically use any of the above that often, as I am on magnesium as well.

 

[dfwtexas]

Thanks for the info, ya'll. I got some magnesium, going to take some and lap down for a nap.

 

[ddr1166]

Hi fellow dfw! He's noticed more headaches on days of extreme heat and when the ozone here in the Metroplex is high. Plus since we've had all the rain this spring and lately, the allergies are still around this year (where usually they're gone by hot summer), so in his case it could be sinus headache. He also has splitting headaches after a seizure - We have an appt next Tues, but Pharmacist said Allegra with Extra Strength Tylenol (some batches were recently recalled, generic ok), work fine with Keppra. He's not on any RX for migraines (although I've taken Maxalt after changing from Imitrex - it seems to work much better and quicker for me, but everyone is different). Just some ideas...cheers, D in Dallas

 

[dfwtexas]

I think the heat/ozone days are triggering these..although I am feeling better today. I took the magnesium yesterday, took an afternoon nap and then had a really good night's sleep.
I was blessed with going to see some old friends in the Pacific Northwest for 2 weeks and think I got spoiled with their weather. They were having a heat wave for them...for me, it was like spring in Texas!

 

[Endless]

I had a migraine almost every day of my life for about 10 years. They were debilitating and brain-splitting. Nothing helped them. My life was a wreck.

I've since found out they are postictal - almost always after a seizure. Now that the seizures are under control, the migraines never appear. I've had one in the last month, and it was after a breakthrough seizure.

There are lots of meds that prevent migraines. Here's a link to an article that explains them: http://www.aafp.org/afp/2006/0101/p72.html Click to skip the ad.

 

[dfwtexas]

Besides the pain, I think the migraines have me feeling very anxious. I am really happy that I feel my Keppra is at right level since my last complex was Oct 7th ( I had just a small simple in March,but it was triggered by a light show at church and was short and did not go into a full complex....so I am not counting that one. Lol). But my history has been I can go 4-6 months without a seizure and then get hit with one out of the blue. I have only had migraines in past either right before or right after a seizure. So I do feel on edge worrying is this a sign of one to come? Some times you can feel so good about not having seizures, but then you get mentally frustrated when you realize you just never know.

 

[valeriedl]

I usually always have a horrible migraine after a seizure. My neuro gave me Butal for them but it doesn't seem to do a thing to help. I'll just lay there with an ice pack on my head for hours.

I'm going to a headache clynic in September, that was the soonest they could get me in. I'm not sure what they are going to do but the neuro said that it would help with the migraines. Hopefully it will help.

 

[dfwtexas]

When I went to see my neuro, I told him about the migraines the week before. However on the day I went in, I hadn't had one in a few days and was feeling great.
doc said he was concerned since there is no migraines problems in family and my only migraines have been seizure related. He said he wanted to do MRI and MRA. He knows I have a high deductible and said he would work with me to get the test done. I asked him if we could wait and see if the issue returned and he agreed. He also said the fact that I was turning 50 is a key thing. Apparently when women turn 50 is a common time for other brain issues.
He asked me if I was having fevers with my migraines. Honestly, I never knew you can get fever and hadn't checked, but didn't think I did. I told him that it hurt all over my head and down my neck. Noise and light makes it worse and I was nasauted.
Well, 2 days ago, I had another episode and I did feel warm and had chills. I was running a small fever. It lasted a few hours. Yesterday I had a much worst episode that lasted over 12 hours. I ran 100 temp, which is high for me as my temp runs between 96 and 97. I guess I will be calling doc on Monday...have any of ya'll had these issues or problems?

 

[RobinN]

I just want to make a note:

Magnesium does not work to take a "pill" and lay down. It is a long term therapy. You have to be taking it for quite a while (for me it was a month or two) before seeing results.

I don't know if I ever had fevers with mine, but I certainly had vomiting, and usually felt better when that was over. It only lasted another day after that.

Once I began taking magnesium, I never had the nausea agan.

I had migraines from teenage years until I was 50. Then I began taking magnesium and have not had any four day episodes since. I take the mineral DAILY and try to take about 800 mg.

 

[Crystal11]

My seizures are 45sec to 3min CPs and have had them since I was 6. I was recently diagnosed with migraines with auras on my first neurology visit. I happen to have a migraine that lasted 4 days before that visit and almost went to the ER for help because I was so so sick. I told my neuro about it and nothing was prescribed since I was on AEDs and Propgranolol for a heart condition (which both can help with migraines). So I just didn't think about meds for it since I didn't have them more that once a month. When I went back, I had to let neuro know that I had EMS come since I had a seizure in the morning and migraine in the evening that made me so so sick and I could not help myself at all. Very scary to not be able to help youself at all.
My roommate was on the phone and told them I had a seizure and now having a migraine. I was alert and only in pain- not the seizure since the seizure happened in the morning. So dispatch was telling my roommate how to help me during a GM! I said "Hello! I am right here and I'm not in a seizure!" He kept going on and on- and its probably because of procedure..
Alrighty..weird but okay. I just sat there listening to him and sort of laughing to myself.

SO I went to the ER and got Phenergan which I had a moderate reaction to. It helped but made me VERY strange and I could not drink or swallow and I wasn't able to talk. I was falling alseep hundreds of times and could not even walk on my own or dress myself for bed. I was catatonic which was weird to stay in one position with my arms up over my head and not even feel tired, not even after several hours! Didn't even realise it. Normally your arm would start to hurt after holding it up for a while.
My pupils were tiny tiny and Sis said she could hardly see them.

It makes me upset to think about that night. Sis and roommate video taped it and I only understood what happened after two days.
We erased that video because its so disturbing when its my Sis seeing me that way. It made me sad/upset.
SO- NO more Phenergan. Its on my Medic-Alert file that I'm allergic.

Excedrin makes me sick and probably because I might have an sensitivity to it.
We talked about it and when he realised that they were happening 2-3 a month, we talked about pain managment. He prescribed what the ER gave me for pain: Butalbital/APAP/Caffeine which works real well. I only take it when I know a migraine is happening which is an aura. Its different from a seizure aura which is weird!

Anyway- let neuro know if you are having troubles and nothing is working. If you are worried about meds, ask about alternatives or diet changes and I suggest lowering intake of caffiene.

I hope you are well and find something that might help.
Take care
Crystal