Migraines ruining my life

I was struggling a lot at work with a few a week and ended up having a few weeks off sick as wasn’t coping.

Ended up paying to see a neurologist who diagnosed them and prescribed triptans if paracetamol etc didn’t work.

Mine started with menopause, I’d had a cluster 20 years earlier after a miscarriage too.

They seem to be exacerbated by stress, heat , bright lights, busy noisy places and screens.

After having time off and managing stress, exercising daily, lessening screens and eating better I have not had any (touch wood) for a few months now and haven’t needed meds.

Im back at work now and worried they’ll come back, as that environment doesn’t help., and I’ve not had much support on return. I don’t want to undo all hard work.

Mine started out of nowhere earlier this year at age 44 and became chronic within a couple of months. At my worst I was on a continuous cycle of them 2-3 a week lasting 2-3 days, they were horrific and I’ve just retuned to work after 4 months off sick. Amitriptyline has helped reduce them to around one a week now lasting a few hours. Triptans gave me side effects so my go to rescue medication now is anadin extra, prochlorperazine and a bottle of full fat coke! Just waiting for MRI, bloods and a referral to neurology but I’m convinced mine are perimenopause related as I’m getting loads of other symptoms too so I’m hoping to start HRT soon. Really promising to read other responses here about HRT helping. Migraine buddy is a good app to help you track symptoms, triggers etc and helps to see if symptoms are worse at certain times of cycle. Mine definitely were so helped me put this as evidence to GP that they may be hormonal. Oh and migraine caps and white tiger balm are also great too for relief :)

What kind of medication are you using to stop the migraines? One a week with correct treatment could be manageable. Triptans are first line treatment. I personally use Sumatriptan, but a recommend trying a few different triptans to find the one with the best effect and least side effects for you. Beware that some of the triptans come in different doses. A standard does of Sumatriptan is 50 mg, but is has absolutely no effect on me unless I take 100 mg (which is also an approved dose). A neurologist once told me to combine Sumatriptan and Ibuprofen to boost the effect of the Sumatriptan - turned out to be great advice, too.

Having a sports drink (not an energy drink) and some painkillers as soon as I could feel a migraine coming on worked for me. Dr suggested the sports drink rather then just having water.

Get your GP to refer you to a neurologist. There are lots of treatments available. I am evangelical about Botox for migraine treatment. I have 31 injections of Botox every 12 weeks and I’ve gone from 26 migraine days a month to 2 on average

Daith piercing from a proper migraine clinic!

for people who went to national migraine centre, will they prescribe the new one? Antegepant or something? And has anyone tried Botox? I am prepared to do anything! All of it!

It is amazing to see this thread. I am 5 days into the mother of all migraines. Headache ongoing but now also accompanied by painful bone and muscle aches, chills, electric shock sensation, and sensitive skin. Like terrible flu but without the fever. I am in despair - took about 6 suma over the weekend then thought I should stop (they didn. Nothing else is working. I had dental surgery last week and I think that might have been the trigger. Seeing doctor tomorrow and praying they will help!

I take Nortriptyline instead of Amitriptyline. National migraine centre consultant said it was likely to have fewer side effects and make you less drowsy. I took take 30mg which seems to be working.

Mine are caused by sweeteners. Try avoiding them for a while and see if it helps. Another vote also for the National Migraine Centre, they’re brilliant.

Sometimes I know for hours that a migraine is on it's way, sometimes it's a surprise.

By the time you experience a headache, your body has actually been having a migraine for a while - the pro-drome comes before the headache.

Typical features of prodrome are being very restless, needing the loo a lot, not being able to sleep and food cravings. Some of my prodromes are more obvious that others but at some point, maybe around my fifth trip to the loo overnight, or when I am shoving biscuits in my face, the penny will drop that a migraine is imminent.

I wonder how much advanced warning you get and can sense of a migraine that is incoming?

So I thought my migraines and headaches were sinus headaches related. Had multiple antibiotics a year to treat eventually paid to go private for MRi and look up nose. Turns out all fine, it is stress and teeth clenching. Botox in jaw (masater) and mouth guard plus progesterone only pill has solved 98% of them.

You're going to be overwhelmed with loads of good advice on here.
However migraines, their causes , the wayvthey present themselves (aura or no aura etc)and what works for some people really varies which is tricky when you're just trying to get out of the misery that is migraine.
At first dispersible aspirin in full fat coke worked for me. Then it didn't. Neurologist told me that it should work within 15 minutes of taking it otherwise best to find an alternative.
What I'd suggest being that yours are so frequent (I was having this amount sometimes for 2 days at a time and then a 3rd day feeling exhausted) is that you see your GP. NICE guidelines say you need to be prescribed 3 types of medication that haven't been successful before a referral will be made to a neurologist. This happened to me as I had either no relief or side effects. Now on a combo of prevention and relief medication and the migraines have significantly reduced.
I would also write a diary inc food, weather conditions, sleep pattern etc to see if you can find any connection. A friend of mine knows citrus fruit will cause a migraine, another is chocolate and cheese(but is ok if not eaten within a certain time of eachother)

Sometimes people have 2 triggers and are ok as long as both are not there. Mine tends to be lack of sleep plus stress but its taken me a while to realise this. Also constipation and migraine plus IBS is apparently common according to the neurologist I saw. He said that most people who have IBS have migraines and vice versa.
I really hope you can get some help. It's so miserable. No wonder it's listed high on the most debilitating conditions. It's really a matter of help with medication via your GP and trying to work out your triggers if you can which isn't the easiest.

I started having migraines 2-3 times a month, then had the mirena removed (only had it for 6 months but didn't make the connection, I had it removed for other reasons) and haven't had a migraine since.

Also a sufferer , magnesium capsules and dissolvable paracetamol helps with mine

I’ve gone from one every few days to once a year. You really have to keep going to the GP until you find something that works. It won’t be the same for everyone.

Don't worry too much, I took 6 in 2 days! 😂Why did the GP tell me no more than 2 every 2 hours and send me off with 6 if that is a month's supply! I bet the neurologists hate GPs for that!

Isn't Migraleve paracetamol and codeine?

I've found that by taking supplements (B2, B12, CoQ10, magnesium) and amitriptyline, plus avoiding triggers, that my migraines have reduced hugely. If I get one now, a double dose of ibuprofen will usually head it off and there's rarely a need for my prescription rizatriptan.

Go back to your GP and ask for some help, you shouldn't be suffering like this. Hopefully they will refer you to neurology, although the wait is likely to be long, unless you go privately.

The forehead cooling stick also helps.

You can also get sumatriptan OTC with a special scheme - I got a card at the chemist for it. But like PPs says don't take too many. I think someone here has said not more than 6 a month. I'm on 4 already 😭

Can you tell me more about this? I've been taking it and couldn't pin the GP down on how often was too often. Think I'd had 6 or 7 in about two and a half months.

Mine vary - sometimes gone the first time. Sometimes they come back the next day. Largely depending on my ability to manage stress.

I take sumatriptan x 1, naproxen x 1 and 2 paracetamol at the first sign, then a second sumatripan an hour later if its still there.

I have a Neurology appointment for end of December. GP wasn't keen to change anything until I'd seen them.

Amitriptyline for me, found 30 mg was the right dose for me to be functional (higher dose zonked me out) but minimise the migraines and sumatriptan for when they do come. I find the nasal sprays better than the tablets. Tablets work as long as you take them before the migraine properly hits but it gives me a feeling of disassociation. Very unpleasant.

Sorry @somethingnewandexciting my typical migraine used to be 3 days, so 2 a week meant deciding which day you were going to write off and stay in bed.

You have given a classic histiry of overuse headache there unfirtunately with the headache pinging back, you taking more meds... I found it intellectually interesting when I could observe my own body doing it, although honestly I'd be happier just not to have migraines.

Back to GP for a preventer or a review of your existing preventer.

For anyone else peri out there I also had worse migraines with peri and HRT helped a lot. Similalry if you have them with your period, do you really need to have periods if not TTC? Mini-pill was great - no migraine, no period pain, a truly vicious combination.

OMG 2 a WEEK? I had the whole pack of 6 in a week as it had been 5 days constant migraine pain with me in a dark room feeling sick and dizzy when I tried to stand. Couldn't think properly and it made me super grumpy. When Dr prescribed taking 2 whenever the symptoms started I began immediately as I was crying in pain having to go in to see the doc and wait at the pharmacy as it was! I was crying taking them in my car worried I was going to crash with the pain so the risk of them making me sleepy was worth it (sounds dramatic now I type it!). I took them every 2 hours of day time from thereon in because every time I stopped everything came back fast and it's what the Dr had advised. He never said not to use them all or to come back if it went on more than a further 2 days. I've not had one for around week since but felt some minor signs today so bought another pack...glad I haven't needed one yet and saw this though!

I'm waiting until 1st Oct to start HRT so I really hope I don't get more. I can't do anything much with one and can completely see loosing a job from migraines. Hideous and something I never really took seriously until I had one.

I don't know how old you are but mine started in perimenopause and stopped as soon as I started HRT.