Absolutely beyond frustrated. Don't know that I even have energy to get into all of it now. I don't understand doctors who won't treat patients. I don't understand being made to feel like a drug seeker when I am in so much pain. I don't understand feeling isolated and being told that the way you feel, something you KNOW to be true, is really probably not the way you feel at all and how could you ever know that even after 14 years of migraines, once a month, like clockwork - migraines you have down to a science with triggers avoidance and constant dictation/journaling of every past episode -- how could you know that it's really not just a bad sinus infection and you should probably just take some claritin and it will go away? I would really love to know the honest majority of you that feel relief can only be reached by sleep, which is usually aided by a narcotic? For me, if I can just sleep it off for at least 10 hours I feel 99.9% better. More than inferring that I am some kind of drug addict, it offends me deeply that a doctor would assume I have no idea what I'm talking about when I'm the one experiencing the pain? Let's ask ourselves a more pertinent question -- who in their right freaking mind would MAKE UP a BLINDING, mind altering, all inhibiting pain that is accompanied by regular vomiting and general uncomfortableness so they can come out of the sanctuary of bed to an unfriendly doctor who has even less friendly nurses who all treat you like a junkie, who stab at you with their eyes worse than needles? Who would want to miss out on time with their family, time at their job, time doing ANYTHING other than being curled up in a ball on the floor, praying to God to either take the pain away or just end it altogether? Who would do that, willingly? I am sorry for the rant. I am just beyond.

Has anyone else ever had relief from seeing a chiropractor? I went for him to work on my back and he also worked on my neck. It's been a little over a week and I haven't had a migraine since before I went. This has been the longest I've gone without a migraine for a very long time! I hope this keeps up. I just want to put this out there in case someone hasn't tried it or considered it. :)

Since being out of the hospital and detoxing from all of the drugs things seem to be better. I am trying a gluten free diet, no estrogen , and acupuncture.  Things are a lot better.  Not taking as many drugs.  All of the meds were messing with my brain.  This is the first time in a long time that I can see my eyes are blue.  I do have meds for migraines, but that is it.  Treximet, injections, muscle relaxers. Sleeping pills and narcotics.  I am proud to say that I'm not taking everything.  A treximet seems to work.  Here is to fingers crossed.

Have any of you ever taken Treximet? What were your experiences with it - side effects, how fast it works, etc.

I take Imitrex 100mg because it's pretty much the only thing that has ever worked for me but lately, I'm noticing that it takes a lot longer to work and I sometimes have to take Excedrin a few hours later as a booster to deal with lingering pain.

Went for an acupuncture treatment.  If anything I did sleep well.  Trying hard to stay away from treximet, imitrex, Percocet, and anti nausea meds.  Hopefully this might help.

Looking for any thoughts or ideas to help with migraines.  I see a neurologist, but really do not like the side effects of the pills. Been seeing an doc at UCSF,  before that a pain specialist, chiropractor, accupuncture , pt.  now trying a gluten free diet.  

Thanks,
deb

Thank you everyone for your responses! I just got off the phone with my neurologist who told me to go back to 50mgs of ami and to add gabapentin. I have no idea what gabapentin does as for side effects. It is apparently an anti-seizure med. We are going to try this first and then wean off ami and if that fails then we are going to try topamax. Neuro mentioned using topamax as a last resort because of the side effects. I'm hoping gabapentin will be helpful and not a horrible experience!

Hello everyone! I am here looking for support and some information. I am on my second cycle of amitriptyline and I thought for the most part that I wasn't effected by the side effects until my last increase.

I was on amitriptyline about six years ago for three years with a final dose of 150mg (which I feel is way too high). I ended up coming off of it because I wasn't bothered by migraines as often as I previously had been and because I was unhappy with an almost 50lbs weight gain.

My migraines started coming back about two years ago. I asked my pcp to put me back on ami to see if that might help. I have been taken 50mgs for almost those two years. I went to see a neurologist about two weeks ago to help monitor the migraines and to get an mri to rule out anything major. The neuro gave me a script for imitrex which works amazing and also increased my ami by 10mgs to 60mgs.

I have been taking the 60 mgs for about two weeks. During those two weeks I have felt insatiable- I have gained at least 5lbs. I have had an increase in water intake and no matter how much I drink, it never quenches my thirst. I have been moody, crying more often over the littlest things. Most importantly, I have been waking up with head pain which eventually goes away.

Has anyone had any similar experiences? Dr mentioned possibly trying topamax which I am not too fond of doing. I was thinking of trying to decrease meds and eventually wean off of them and just use imitrex. Also thinking about using massage therapy to see if that will help.

I'm just so sick of taking meds and it worries me that I don't know the long term effects. I'm open for anything that anyone has to offer!

Reassurance, plz...

I was recently upgraded from naratriptan to sumatriptan for migraine relief. I took HALF a pill for the first time just 20-30min ago and have a really heavy sensation in my head and arms. I know side effects for these kinds of pills can be crazy but I wanted to double check that this is normal and will go away.

Help?

Hello Migraine Family,

I have been posting/following this community for several years now and so appreciate the camaraderie and insights shared. With that in mind, I would like to share some news with you and then ask you for a favor.

I work as a librarian at a middle school. This last week, one of my most favorite students (a fellow addicted reader) passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly. He was twelve years old and in the seventh grade. He had been experiencing painful headaches the last several months and was told by doctors that there was not much to be done, except diagnose it as a "migraine" and send him home with pain meds. Last Thursday, my student's headache became so unbearable that he cried out for his father in the middle of the night who rushed to the bedroom only to have his child die in his arms. My student had a brain tumor that was undiagnosed, untreated, and hemorrhaged, causing him to die. 

The news was extremely shocking and the school is still trying to recover from the loss of our friend.

I implore you to seek all the help available to you. I know that for the majority of us this is very unlikely to be the case, and I know that migraines are very subjective and personal to each case. I also know that doctors have a tendency to dismiss "headaches" and assume that everyone has them and we need to deal with it on our own or that we are drug seekers and all around lazy human beings. It frustrates me to no end that this child was not given any kind of CT scan or MRI, when maybe (just maybe) if they had done either they could have seen the tumor as it first developed and remedied the situation.

It breaks my heart that so much suffering can come from this chronic illness and I just pray that each of you have kind and sympathetic doctors willing to do whatever they can in your service.

My last CT scan was over 7 years ago and I set up an appt. next week with my neuro to talk about getting another.

Better safe than sorry.