Fellow Migraine Sufferers - Advice Please. My life is feeling pointless

[Horrace]

I've suffered from migraines for the past 6 years. I'm 52, periods almost stopped. No menopausal symptoms really other than memory loss but that could be stress.
The past year I seem to get a migraine every Friday and it lasts 3 days. I can't get out of bed due to the pain.

Over the years I've tried the following:
Amitriptyline
Naratriptan
Sumatriptan
Cyclizine for sickness

I've had and MRI all good.
Currently I take
Topirimate
Zolmitriptan nasal spray
Buccastem for sickness

I work Mon to Fri. Then I end up in bed all wknd. I have no life. I can't plan anything. I can't go out with friends. I need to care for my parents but that's difficult as I'm too sick to leave the house.

I'm sick of going to the GP. I went private, hence the MRI and latest change of meds. But it's getting worse.
Has anyone had any success stories?

knowablemagazine.org/content/article/health-disease/2024/progress-in-scientists-search-for-new-migraine-therapies - this is an excellent article.

Really helpful to know what works and what doesn’t for different people. I have HRT and take a beta blocker and it seems to be helping.

I was similar, tried all the meds, different contraception, preventers, everything

I tried a gum shield from Amazon, really made a difference, got one made by my dentist so I know it won't affect my teeth in the long run

It's genuinely made such a difference, I have gone from near daily migraines to probably 2 or 3 a month. If I forget it or nap in the day I can feel that I have been grinding my teeth and feel the tension

It might be worth giving it a go with a cheap one to see if it helps you at all!

This! I have just posted but a gum shield at night to help jaw tension has massively helped me

So much advice and info to read through. I was working today whilst reading as much as I could. Will spend some time tomorrow going through properly and making notes following some research.

Thanku everyone.

Something else that helped, regarding posture and muscles, there are some youtube videos that were helpful.
This foam roller one in particular helps me so much but it is important to get a SOFT foam roller. They arent cheap but definitely worth it. For me its not a fix but it helps for sure and helps eliminate extra pain from muscles.

I get visual disturbances before a migraine and intense nausea. I'm on Ondansetron for nausea (life changing!!) and was on other meds for the migraines until I discovered putting my feet in hot water whenever I get any headache! It pulls your blood away from your upper extremities and results in almost instantaneous relief. Just amazing

Sorry if someone mentioned this and I've missed it but I know someone who got rid of migraines through eating meat only/no carb diet (keto diet?).
I really hope you find a solution OP

Excellent read, thank you.

Do you get migraines on Fridays even if you haven't been at work all week?

migraines every 2 weeks lasted 3 days. So painful. Gp prescribed Sumatriptan which worked to relieve but didn’t stop them. Saw a neurologist 18 months ago to eliminate any underlying problems. All ok. He prescribed propranolol (beta blocker) and I have had very few migraines since. I would like to taper off the propranolol soon to see if migraines return.

my niece has had a daith piercing in her ear to stop migraines and she swears it had worked.

my niece has had a daith piercing in her ear to stop migraines and she swears it had worked

I also have one and it's done nothing, it's basically acupuncture until it heals. If you're more susceptible to alternative methods it might work for you though I wouldn't hang my hat on it!

I get a lot of migraines. In lockdown I contacted the National Migraine Centre because I’d had enough, due to being peri-menopausal, the migraines ramping up and being told I couldn’t have HRT. They told me I absolutely could have HRT and went through everything I needed to do and what I should cut out.

They recommended a supplement called Dolovent, it’s got magnesium, riboflavin and CoQ10 in. I, also, take a BioKult probiotic for migraines. She told me to take 900mg and 1g of paracetamol dissolved in a glass of full sugar coke at the first sign of a migraine. I find that works quite well, it’s weird because i can’t drink coke at any other time because it brings migraines on.

I already take 200mg of Topiramate daily, and amitriptyline for other pains. I can’t take anything opiate based because they bring on migraines. I take a beta-blocker called Bisoprolol because I have a fast heart rate which, also, helps the migraines.

I have Botox on the NHS. I’ve been having that for over 10yrs but you have to have 15migraines a month. I also pay for acupuncture privately which helps a hell of a lot. I started having it years ago but dropped it off because we moved house, so after a while I really noticed a difference. I go once a month now and while I still get migraines they’re much less painful, less frequent, don’t last as long and I don’t feel so sickly.

I do have a fairly restrictive diet because a lot of things set off my migraines which is a pita.

I have both pierced, still chronic migraine. Made not a jot of difference, but I like piercings so they look good!

I'm off to try the hot water thing. Woke at 3am with a migraine and I haven't been able to sleep since.

just woke up to day 2 of mine. Not sure what to do. So painful. One sided head face and neck. I take beta blockers already and calcium channel blockers for other things. Just really want to understand what triggers these so I can work it out. Get well soon to everyone else suffering.

Have you used the migraine buddy app?

I don’t have them as frequently as you OP, and if I did I’d be feeling just the same as you do. Migraines are awful and so much more than just a headache! I’ve tried so many medications over the years - including Sumatriptan, Narutriptan and Zolmatriptan - but the only one which takes the edge off is Rizatriptan. It dissolves on your tongue and honestly it’s halved the length of my migraines from 12+ to 6 hours. I do still feel rotten with the migraine still - symptoms haven’t changed - but I’ve found that it helps me sleep through it (without medication I can’t sleep no matter how hard I try and so have to experience the whole thing) and lessens the “migraine hangover” afterwards.

Have you done food intolerance tests? I recently did a private one through a pharmacy as I found I was getting more frequent migraines and my eczema was worse - I’m 93% dairy intolerant! Cut it out and while I'm still getting my usual hormonal migraines the ones which were popping up out the blue with no triggers have lessened (I hope - it’s early days!).

Also, sounds obvious but are you finding yourself knackered and run down at the end of the working week on a Friday? I always find my migraines hit evenings and weekend usually - when I’m at my most tired and run down. Fridays are the end of the working week, so if you’re in a particularly stressful job etc it could hit you as come to the end of the week?

Hope you get sorted OP!

I take magnesium and coQ10 which has helped mine immensely. Not as bad as yours but stress/hormone driven I think and I've gone from 2-3 clusters a month to 2 in total in 6 months.

There are some good studies on Q10 and it's cheap with minimal downsides from what I could read. Possibly worth a try whilst you are exploring other options?