Migraine help please!

[medoitmama]

DH gets migrains regularly. At the moment it's about once a week. They're debilitating and he often has to spend days in bed with them. He has one at the moment and I'm getting really fed up with it! I know he hates getting them and feels bad about not being able to help out with the DCs etc.

He has been suffering with them for about 4 years with varying frequency. He was suffering from a severe depression for about 18 months following a berievement up until about 6 months back. He was on a high dose of anti depressents which we thought may have been triggering the migrains. He came off them a month back but still getting migrains.

He is supposed to take Sumatriptine at the onset of migrain, but the seem to do nothing for him. The doctor has said thaqt Beta Blockers would be the only option left. He's not sure as they can lessen circulation to hands and feet which is a worry because he works with his hands and uses machinery which means he is already suseptable to white finger.

Can anything else be done?

I think sometimes antiemetics such as metoclopramide can help ( I only know this as I was speaking to a doctor at work the other day, am not a doctor myself). They certainly helped the woman in question in combination with analgesia.

I have taken beta blockers for migraine with no side effects. Also metacLopramide which does help with any sickness. I have also had Botox which worked a treat!
Which painkillers does he take?
Am not sure but even if DH has stopped taking antidepressants a month ago they could still be in his system.
Has he tried to keep a food/drink/mood diary to identify any triggers.
One of those heated wheat bags is also helpful.
Good luck!

I have taken Beta blockers with amazing affect, it has really truly changed my life.

I used to have migraines very regularly it affected my work and home life.

But now I dont have very many at all :D

Tell him to give it a go, there are lots of different ones so he may need to keep trying but its so worth it xx

Good luck

Oh and very important is not missing meals, keeping bedtime and waking time similar.
And as soon as you get the first hint of a symptom take the medicine and a drink of coke and ready salted crisps.

Could he get a higher dose of sumatryptan?
I'm only on the 50s but I know they go higher?

Also agree with kenDodd- if I get the symptoms starting, the very best things are maga sweet foods or mega salty. The times marmite has saved me from a day off work! I always carry those glucose sweets around as well.

Thanks for all the great advice! Think he might try Beta blockers for 6 months or so just until he sorts himself out a bit. He's a bit of an insomniac which I'm sure can't help and we're having financial difficulties too (not much work around) so he's pretty stressed. Neither of us like the idea of being on drugs for years, but he definately can't go on like this!

Love the sweet/ salty food advice. Feels like it's something I can do for him too rather then just abandoning him whilst he lies there feeling rubbish like I usually do! He's been suffering all day today so I've just taken him a bag of crisps and a pack of biscuits! Hopefully he'll feel better tomorrow.

The beta blockers will probably help him to sleep and relax.
Before I had DD and had to get up early, I used to frequently get a migraine on a Saturday. The GP said it was down to sleeping too long!
Hope things improve, it can really get you down.

i have suffered from migraines for years and what truly helps is regular exercise, stretching type is best.

avoiding too much meat especially pork - its the nitrates i think.

plenty of water

Shit, had pork roast today! Need to start cutting down on meat anyway, too expensive! I'll MN a few veggie meals.

Kendoddsdadsdog, when my DH was working loads, (before his business went under), he used to get migrains most weekends, but very rarely in the week. Too much sleep could explain it then!

I've been using betablockers for 2 months now, and haven't had one single migraine. I'm on a very low dose, and have had no side effects at all. They have totally and utterly changed my life!!

I take 20mg per day, which is the normal dose for a child

Good Luck. I know how debilitating they can be.

go to the library and see if they have any books on migraines. read and try things. yes weekend migraines are very common, you mut stick to your routine 7 days a week.

worth trying a different triptan and other drugs and seeing someone who specialises in migraines if they are as bad as you say.

I think the advice already posted above has been really great. :)

I've been suffering from migrains for as long as I can remember actually.. I always new I got a migraine straight after eating chocolate, but never put two and two together that it was the dairy causing the migraine not the coco.

I've been on varies medication for my migraines to no avail. I now lead a Dairy/Wheat/Gluten free diet with very little pork at all. The wheat gluten and pork is related to another health condition though.

I'd STRONGLY recommened keeping a food diary for a month. After that length of time you can really start to see if there is any patterns. When I was consulting with my GP about all this he said cheese, coffee, citric fruits, and red wine can also be really strong trigures.

For me I avoid dairy and have very little problem.

Regards

If the Beta blockers don't help (they didn't for me) there are plenty of other treatments available - but your local GP probably wont prescribe them.

If he doesn't improve on the BB get a referral to a neurologist who now have a lot more treatments in their possession than ever before. I suffer with chronic hemiplegic migraine and have been so well since being prescribed Topimirate...it's not for everyone but just goes to show what else can work.

BTW My neurologist agrees with the routine hypothesis so he recommends going to bed and waking up at the same time even on the weekend and it works for me.

Best of luck!