Orutis KT for the "mild" headaches.

For the ones that don't go away easily, caffine, it is proven medical fact that caffine will help. (It dialates the brain's blood vessils, letting the blood flow easier.)

My personal favorite caffine sourses are Dr. Pepper and Mr. Pibb (basically the same thing), Cherry Coke, and Wild Chery Pepsi (not the same at all. )

PS.
To me, Orutis KT seems to have the placebo effect (allmost like the sugar pill) it just has that sweet taste of sugar when you swallow it.

Thanks for all the replies!! I appreciate it!

I have tried every over the counter drug- Excedrin, Tylenol, Motrin, Aleve... I have tried caffeine, and all that does is keep me awake.

I might try the Vick's inhaler... though scents often just make my migraines worse!

I haven't tried Topomax yet. Right now I am on 30 mg of Cymbalta, hoping that my neurologist can raise the dose, and maybe that will help.


I have one long continuous migraine, caused by the RSD in my face/ head. I cannot get it to go completely away. I had it gone, and then it became even worse when weaning off of another med (lyrica). I tried imitrex, and that worked at first, but now it doesn't work for me. I stay in a dark quiet room a lot of the time from these migraines, but am hoping soon that I can escape them altogether.

Nath, I haven't heard of the meds you mentioned, other than the cymbalta. Are they new, and specifically for migraines, or are they used off label?

Thanks for all the help and ideas!

An old med called fiocet is the only one that helped my migraines. The doc was surprised that the newer ones did not help.

Hello,
My doctor put me on Forcet and Treximet for my Migraines. It has worked well for me. I take the Forcet when I feel a Migraine coming on and if I am too late I take the Treximet and it knocks it right out. If your migraine is continuous. You need to boost your immune system, one way to do this is by drinking green tea twice a day. There are other ways to do it too, just Google it. Treximet is much better the Imtrex. Hope this helps.

I'm coming late to this discussion. I read through it all, so all I'll add is what I didn't see and what has worked for me.

Physical Therapy - in particular an exercise called the chin tuck. One type of migraine I get was caused by years of bad posture from sitting in positions to alleviate other neck pain. Doing the seated chin tuck hurt like the devil at first - almost impossible - and actually brought migraines & cervicogenic headaches on at first (to the point that I wanted to chuck it), but after several weeks/months, both kinds of headaches were reduced. Bottom line, some headaches may have some kind of physical misalignment involved.

I still get both kinds pretty regularly. Fortunately my migraines usually respond to Maxalt with coffee or some other potentiator. I've made my share of trips to the ER....

One thing I cannot do with any kind of headache is lie down; I must remain vertical/seated/sleep sitting up or they'll get worse rather than better.

Best wishes to all - IMO headaches are the worst kind of chronic pain because they're where you live (in your head)!

Mt. Dew and two excedrin extra strength works great for my migraines. Had a really bad migraine this past week lasted me almost 7 days with the left side of my face being numb, and loosing parts of my speech. Scared the day lights out of me. So far none of the meds prescribed by my doctors work. Just the Mt. Dew and Excedrin Extra Strength.

Hi,

I'm new to the headache forum but not new to headaches/migraines.

For 30+ years I suffered headaches/migraines and muscle spasms. I spent thousands of dollars on chiropractors, drugs(was addicted to codeine in my late teens for head pain treatment), physiotherapy (some doctors believed it was stress) and one psychiatrist. These were all good people who helped me the only way they knew how to. Some achieved temporary results which were a relief but it meant that I was looking at a lifetime of therapy.

Then, something else happened in my life and I decided to do an elimination diet. I was like a new person, with a new lease on life!!! Grains were my biggest offender. Now, no therapy, no headaches, no muscle spasms, etc.

Most books promote wholegrains, even if they're gluten free. Wholegrains really just don't work well for some people though.

It's been six years for me, and I'll never look back. I'm in better shape over 40 than I was at 30! (And I haven't taken a single pill in all that time. Pretty good for someone who would go through a bottle a month during some phases of my life.)

i take topamax.. but for some reason thats not doin anything
they uped me to two in the morning and two at night.. maybe someone
has an idea of something else i could take?

I've suffered with headaches since early 2000 (well, all my life, but we're talking BIG headaches I'm assuming here).

I have a routine if I can catch a headache comming on, I start a STRONG pot of coffee brewing, and hop in a hot shower for about 15 min. Get out and take two Tylenol Cold and Sinus Rapid Release Gel-Caps with a half cup of Welches Concord Grape Juice, eat a cup of cottage cheese and drink a cup of coffee, then lay down in a dark quiet room for an hour. If I can make it through the whole process, then by the time the hour is up, the headache is totally gone!!!! But let the phone ring, or the kiddos start hollering or something, and there aint nothing to do but lay in the fetal posistion for several hours.

I have yet to find any migrain or pain meds to deal with my headaches. Except for those that just flat knock you into oblivion

I'm a long term migraine sufferer who has put a LOT of time and thought into controlling the problem. It is my belief that for many of us, "control" is the operative word here and not total "cure." It often takes a multi-faceted approach to get good relief. Probably everyone should try an elimination diet at the onset. I think getting a good book on the subject is the first place to look. In addition, seeing a neurologist with a special interest in the topic is the probably the next thing to do. I do know that certain medication and certain medication in conjunction with one another can be helpful. Topamax, although a difficult medication, has a reputation for bringing help to many. The "abortive" type medications can also be wonderful. These are things like Maxalt and Imitrex. Everyone should be very careful to avoid taking meds like Exedrin, especially in excess. Rebound, where a medication or substance causes your headache to come back quicker and/or stronger, is a very real problem. Some vitamins to try and/or ask your Dr. about include: Calcium/Magnesium, B2 (B Vitamins in general) and CoQ10. Migraine suffers should probably either not drink coffee, drink decaf or keep it to a minimum. One option to consider would be to only have a regular cup of coffee when you are trying to get rid of a migraine (or headache). Have your coffee with a medication like Imitrex to provide a little boost...help it to go away quicker. If you are drinking coffee all the time, this will NOT work nearly as well (if at all).