To wonder how Migraines can be harmless?

Mine is exactly the same as yours, and I also have hardly any now because of the menopause which is great. My migraine usually were the day before my period started.

Yes. I have CFS so amiltriptiline is prescribed for sleep, sumatriptin for migraines but both work for a bad head.

I get you, I get them on and off and they are debilitating and also worse since I had covid. They were horrendous when I had Covid. I feel like a trigger for me is cured meat, like chorizo, which is annoying as I love it but I always seem to get one after I eat it x

You summed up my thoughts!!I have been wondering the same.I have thought maybe I might have a tumour but it is only Migranes.

I do agree it is hormones.I used to suffer from them before my period was due and thought that now I have had hysterectomy,that is the end of it.Alas,no!!I have my ovaries so I am not in the clear.

Exactly the same.

That's a shame, a you can take sumatriptain while breastfeeding. It's the only triptain they will give although you may have to argue with some GP'S for it. The main reason being the larger molecular which makes it poor digest by the stomach also makes it low cross over in breastfeeding as well.

The only time I've used sumatriptain was when breastfeeding DS. It was better then no triptain but certainly the worst one I've used in 26 years.

I didn't know this. Is it a third factor increased risk, like high blood pressure increases your chance of migraine AND stroke?

This is making me reevaluate my choices. I usually take as many pills as I'm allowed and try to plough through until 7pm. But I know that if I just went to bed within 20 minutes of feeling it start I'd fall asleep instantly, and probably for most of the day, I'd avoid the worst symptoms, and I wouldn't need any drugs.

But it would mean chucking all my professional ambitions out the window, and possibly even losing my current job. It's spectacularly frustrating when you actually want to work hard, but you just can't.

@Alltheyearround do you mean amitriptiline? As that is a different drug altogether. Which is normally used as a preventative for migraine.

Yep, I had one really bad one when I had flu and was breast feeding so I could only have paracetamol. I remember mum being on the phone to the 111 person and I was saying I wanted someone to cut my head off! I did come through it, obviously. But at the time the pain fills up every bit of you and its unbearable.

DS wouldn't have any truck with bottles or formula and my breasts not that happy about expressing, hence I didn't have many options!
Ooh the sacrifices we make.

Mine appear if I am stressed, low blood sugar, dehydrated, overtired

They start as a tiny pinprick of flashing light in my peripheral vision which gradually spreads so my whole outlook is a shimmering, zigzagging, flashing vista

If I can lie down in a quiet room they will pass in approx 30 mins with no after effects. If not, the crashing headache will last all day until I sleep it off

The only other time I got pain that bad was after an epidural when I developed a spinal leak. If someone had offered to shoot me, I would have agreed

Mine have ramped up in the last 2 years. I'll be seeing a neurologist soon but not optimistic following everyone's posts. Though I seem to get off lightly compared to all of you, they had to bring it under control quickly because the vomiting was causing me to faint and I cracked my head open.

@HillsNValleys yep all of those on my list. Thunder storms = atmospheric pressure, certainly a trigger in my book.

Like there's a storm brewing inside your head. Two of us at work were sensitive like this.

My migraines have been triggered by different things. Hormones definitely linked (more likely to get them when pre-menstrual), but I’ve identified too much caffeine, red wine, not eating enough, dehydration and even impending thunderstorms as triggers in the past.

I’ve been in the stroke clinic at the local hospital as the GP thought I could be having a stroke. I wasn’t.

ive had migraines almost 9 years, but they have got steadily worse since Covid. I started getting speech issues when having a migraine a couple of years ago. I now have speech issues all the time

Same here. Used to have terrible pain,couldn't walk in a straight line and could see half of everything. If I happened to look at anything with with a light display in this phase before the pain arrived would see the numbers imprinted on my vision .
Had the MRI scan . Was made aware of changes . That was 30 years ago. Nothing else happened . The migraine pain disappeared after menopause but I still get visual disturbances if I eat cheese or chocolate or am very tired.

Interesting. I get no side effects from suma or 50 mg of ami apart from sleepiness but even then I can take one at work and be fine (obviously I am not driving a tractor or anything). I must be built of resistant stuff.

Isn't sumatriptan just 50mg of ami?

I get both - one for sleeping, but use both if I get a bad head.

Ask for a different triptain, sumatriptain has the worst side affects of all of them. Most people don't realise there are like 7 different ones and they come in different forms as well.

Doctors always prescribed sumatriptain first as it's the cheapest one. But is also normally doesn't work as well especially if given in tablet form as sumatriptain was designed for the injection form of the drug and isn't very well absorbed by the stomach when given in tablets.

I know way to much about this stuff.

I used to get them regularly, linked to hormones. I did have less frequent attacks for a couple of years post menopause but they're ramping up again now. Fortunately they only seem to last a couple of days now rather than 4 days like previous ones.

I've been using the migraine buddy app for a while to see if I can find any triggers (other than weather) but I haven't come up with anything definite yet.

The triptans I've tried haven't helped much.

For me it proves its hormonal and its hormones seeking what the body needs

I also get cold, hot, cold, hot and then hot and cold at the same time.

Why does eating or drinking sometimes help? I get urges to eat chocolate, salty things and drink coke. Not v healthy but does sometimes help ward off the bastards.

@MigGril GP also refused mini pill so I suffered for another 3 years before I went to a different GP who said GP1 was talking out of his rear end.

Could have happily dropped something heavy on GP1's toes. But problem sorted ...in the end.

Sumi makes me feel as bad as the migraine. Honestly it is just horrendous. Only benefit is the misery is not as long lasting as the migraine would have been.

I have gone through phases of having migraines since I was a child. Probably only get them every couple of years now (thank GOD), but I have always wondered what the hell they are all about?! I get aura migraines, and quickly go temporarily blind one one eye and sonetimes both. Then a headache lasting a few hours. Then nausea and eventually I vomit and rapidly start to feel better (although wiped out with exhaustion for 24-48 hours afterwards). They’re so weird and scary,

The last migraine I had was terrifying as I was driving on the M1 and started to get the aura in one eye and within minutes in both eyes. I managed to get to a junction and find a place to stop before I lost vision, and then luckily a short nap and something to eat staved it off (sometimes does), but it was extremely bloody hairy for a bit!

Did get nausea and sensitivity to light/noise but only whilst having head pain not before. Strange euphoria after an attack though. Like the world was washed clean. Probably endorphins or something, some relief of not being in sickening pain. I always thought your veins swelled or something (cause of pain), hence more at risk of something weird going on in brain.

Can you tell I'm not a scientist. Someone more scientifically minded may be along soon to explain coherently.

Pretty much don't have them now I am on mini pill. Was hormonal, and sleep/stress/dehydration related. Still have to keep a watch on sleep and drinking through the day. If I miss one its not good.

Mum had, and her dad as well. And my sister. Mum had awful ones.Laid out on the sofa, sick in a bucket ones. Grew out of them after meno.

Sorry, @LostOnTheWayToManderley, but I had to laugh at this "This, then, is where my cats come in and eat me". Yup, I've been there. Had a really bad migrane with aura walking down the stairs, promptly sat down on bottom stairs, had a seizure which left me black and blue all over from all the banging my limbs against things. And literally lay there thinking "I'm going to be found dead here with cats licking me". Luckily one of the cats was very good at looking after me when postictal.