What totally takes your migraines away?
 

Does anyone here have a medication that totally takes their migraines away?

Imitrex worked for me for a short time. Then my dr. started me on Cymbalta for my migraines. It takes about 50% of the headache away. What I have is a continuous headache, triggered by my reflex sympathetic dystrophy in my face area/ head- that never goes away. The cymbalta has worked the best overall, and I am still on it (30 mg)...

So, what has helped you?

Thanks! :winky:

I had migraines daily while on Cymbalta and I took Imitrex for them. I am now on 750 milligrams of Depakote daily along with the Cymbalta and have about 5 migraines a month which are controlled by 25 mg of Imitrex. For me that's probably about as good as it's going to get without side effects.

Lisa

Headaches
 

Topomax, at only 25 mgs a day. Have you tried that yet?

Excedrin. Sorry, :o it works great for me.

1.5mg pizotifen & 60mg cymbalta daily, a 10mg rizatriptan when needed

I agree wiix....works for me too if I can get it in time....
This may sound silly but I carry a vicks inhailer and a small tube of ben gay with me everywhere I go......If I start to get the headache and its pretty slight i use the vicks......but if it hits hard and I am away from home I put a thin layer of ben gay on my forhead......the sensation sooths my migrane as well as the smell of both with the menthol vapors causeing the blood vessles in the head to open and allows blood to move more swiftly and fully......
Anything to reverse the constricted blood vessles......
then I pop the excedrin....and if need be go to bed........I have not had a really really bad (throw up your socks) kind of migrain in a couple years by sticking to this method.
I do not take any rx....I have MS also and refuse anyother meds then what I "HAVE" to take.....

Try it see if it works for you.......much cheaper and not damaging to your body in anyway.....

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. :rolleyes:

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!:hug:

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

Same here!
 

Same here! BC of glaucoma I have to be careful what I take...and at the onset of a migraine I take Excedrin and rush to a BK for a frozen coke to sip. The combo of caffeine, asprin and cold seems to work. AND add a pack of frozen peas to hold over right eye/jaw. Mine tend to be right sided.

Fortunately getting older ( think 50 and add some :winky: ) has lessened the amount of headaches. In my 40s I seemed to average about 12 a month...many three days at a time. SOooo glad I can relate to them in the past tense.

Gentle ehugs, Carly

Mountain Dew
 

SOmeone told me that if you drink a mountain dew, within twenty minites the migraine will be gone.

I guess it would be work a try!

Hanging head....

I am on big gun stuff it sounds like....

200mg Topamax daily and then when I do get a headache and yes I still get the dang things.....Maxalt

I start with Liquid-Gel Advil (because it does start to work sooner than the regular Advil) and I take Caffergot - a Rx with caffeine in it. 2 at first and then one every 1/2 hour. Thank goodness I don't get them often. *knock on wood

Re:200mg Topamax
 

Oh my god I couldn't even deal with take 50mg twice a day. How to you even move while taking that much?

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?

strange combo....
 

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).

I was sooooooo reluctant to go on a prophylactic, but verapamil, a calcium channel blocker (40 mg at night, every night) did reduce the headaches.

If I still get one, Imitrex works pretty well for 90% of the time. It is a dangerous drug, however, as it can cause heart attack, stroke or even bowel ischemia. These risks are reduced if you take 50 mg instead of 100 mg. So, I'll first do 50 and go up if necc. But the last time I took it I had gut cramping and so I am really trying to avoid it.

Sometimes I will throw in a little sudafed, but I think this is dangerous too.

Other things include Vicks in my nose, peppermint oil near the parts that hurt, taking a hot bath and then lying with my head on a heating pad (caution: fire hazard, though it has never happened to me), taking my phone off the hook, eating whatever it is I crave, and chanting to myself over and over: oh please God make this stop.

I was recently diagnosed with Hashimoto's Encephalopathy, which actually may be the cause of my headaches. It's treated with steroid pulses. When I am between pulses and get a headache now, I'll take just 5 mg of prednisone and it usually does the trick if the other things don't work.

I hope you get relief from your pain. It sounds like we are all different here, so I hope you find what works for you!

hi there
i also get both headaches/migraines. i take Amitriptyline tablets 25x3 so that 75mg these dont all ways work i am getting a lot of headacs at the momet and feeling very tiryed.

i thought of asking my doctors for another med for when i get a migraines. becouse when i get an migraines i been told these nothing laos i can try but i only tryed 2 things anybody got any ideas of what i can take i am from the Uk.

take care
cazzie

probably not the answer you're thinking of, but
 

60mg to 75mg. morphine sulfate orally, ground up into dust and swallowed down with a couple of big gulps of coffee. That's about all that works. Sometimes. Your doctor(s) would most likely not be willing to even consider such a dosage level though, and for good reasons too....

I hope you find something relatively harmless that works for you.........

I take Topamax...I also take some really heavy pain medication if I have severe attacks.
The Topamax works really well, I take about 100 to 200 mg daily until they go away. I then taper off the Topamax and only take them every other day or three days a week. It works and my PCP is ok with this...you have to taper off and then when you start back work up.

I started at 100mg daily and that is what I normally take. I've had them since high school, and when they get really bad I take Meprogan Forte,or Fiorinal 3. Hope you find something that works...when my start, I can have them daily for months.

I am a long time migraine sufferer. I have been on every treatment there is. I tried the elimination diet and found out what triggers them and avoid those foods completely. But, I still got migraines.

I've been on numerous drugs that eventually don't work anymore.

I've been through biofeedback. I've been to chiropractors, naturpathic docs, you name it, I've done it.

Finally, Topamax. I am on 400 mg a day - 200 in the morning and 200 at night. It has been the ONLY thing that has ever worked in the 30 years of my history of migraines. I've been taking Topamax since 2002 and have only had 1 migraine since starting on this drug and that was when I thought I knew more than my doc and tried to lower the dose! Ha ha ha!

There is a book that maybe you should all read. It's called Heal Your Headache by David Buchholz. Very good reading.

I was given Frova for my migraines, works great for me. Hope this helps. Marilyn

weird cures
 

I suffered from migraine from the time I was 9. I would say they probably ruined most of my childhood. Mine were mostly hormonal. When I started menopause they stopped but now I get clusters:mad: Anyway, what I found relieved mine ( "Figured this out late in the game :rolleyes:) was this.. don't laugh okay...
First I would lay in a dark very cold room and bite on ice cubes or popsicles until I would get the chills... the kind of chills that run up the back of your head. I would get these chills at least 5 times and dang... it was gone. It may not work for those that chewing on ice doesn't irk but I can't stand watching anybody let alone do it myself.

Another thing I did was hair pulling. I would have my husband gather up my hair like he was going to put it in a pony tail and pull pretty hard. He would have to do it for about a half an hour but that worked 9 out 10 times. Some people can't stand to have their head touched but if you catch it in time it works wonderfully.

Now I need to conjure up some weird cures for the clusters.:)

Headaches
 

Imitrex 100mgs.

Yup.

It's called one shot of demerol and one shot of phenergan/torridol!!! To be administered in a clinical setting, only if you have someone else to drive you home!

O.K., that was really written "tongue-in-cheek", but until I started on Topamax, it was the only way I could handle my migraines.

The rescue medications (Immitrex, Maxalt, Axert, etc.) stopped working within about 2-3 months of using them, and when my migraines start, they ususally come almost daily for upwards of 20 days...until I have a round of steriods.

I started taking Topamax, (50mg morning and night) and it has made a significant impact on the migraines, although they haven't completely disappeared. Since I've been on the daily dose of Topamax, I've only had to go to the urgent once before giving in and taking a round of solumedrol.

This is a significant improvement for me.

Iv'e had migraines all my life...I used to take Robaxisol a muscle relaxant.I now take Soma, I also have TOS/RSD. A darvocet or two when it's bad.

The two things I take daily are Cal/Mg supplements and an ace inhibitor Altace (for high BP but it has helped decrease the number of headaches)

Foods, anything with Taurine..chocolate,certain nuts, red wine, I avoid and I'm now thinking about a Gluten free trial to see if it makes a difference.:)

Topomax 200 mgs daily, vicodin when they first start...after that the ER. I have headaches everyday which will trigger a migraine. The most recent one was Wed, New Year's Eve...I finally just lay down and took pain meds.

I've not found anything that stops them completely or from happening.

i take 2 ms contins---or used to-----i think 1 ground up may be a little much and quick drug to hit the system..but you are correct the pain should be gone----

i take fioricette----when that does not work i take it with 1 of my oxy's----that does not work i take the fioricette with a motrin 800----if that don't work---i know i got one that is either going to last for days--or i go to the ER---

Topamax 300 mg's daily and then when I get a break through migraine I take Midrin and Soma together to try and stop it in its tracks (pretty much just puts me to sleep until it passes).
The topamax is the only thing that has helped me in the last few years of constant headaches (and I'm talking daily headaches for 6 months at a time).

Migraine
 

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)!