Medical treatment for migraine

[NameIsBryceQuinlan]

Over the last two years I've started to developed severe migraines. They are becoming more frequent, weekly now. I'm on day three of a horrendous one and this is the first time I can open my eyes and look at a screen. I've been in agony with my head and vommiting. I take Migraitan (2 in 24 hours) but even this hasn't managed to stop it this time. Plus painkillers but they haven't touched it.

What can the GP / Specialists do? I have health insurance through DH work. They seem to be getting more severe and debilitating. I need to look at options.

Ask to be referred to a neurologist is one of the common things I’d tell you to do. Asking to make sure you don’t have a deviated septum is one of the more wild card things I’d recommend. A lot of people that get sinus infections / headaches / migraines have something wrong with their septum and it can be quite overlooked. I myself didn’t know until I watched an American thing about someone who suffered blinding migraines and saw no relief until someone finally checked to see if she had a septum abnormality and the comments about the segment were inundated with people saying they’d suffered for years before finding out they have the same problem so if all else fails try that route.

I will say it can be incredibly hard and a long road for anything to do with migraines and head issues that can’t visibly be seen. The first time I ever sought help for cluster headaches my doctor pulled out a book bigger than the yellow pages alone.

There's medication you can take daily to prevent them. You can ask your GP for something

My late husband got migraines, and he'd lie down and have a codeine drug cocktail. My daughter gets migraines. They started at about 13 and they are probably hormone related, though can come at any time. The worst she was off school for a month and would be in tears with pain. It took three GP visits and two trips to A& E before anyone prescribed something stronger than ibuprofen. She's tried amitriptyline which didn't help and something else beginning with an S, no joy with that either. She had a head and cervical spine mri privately and she's since had a second nhs one. Nothing helped much and I wonder now if she's just learned to live with a certain level of pain. They are certainly less frequent now (she's 17), but she still has to occasionally go into a dark room and put a cold compress on her head and take ibuprofen. She worries she'll get one during her upcoming A levels. Go to your GP and maybe you will get relief.

I'm a chronic migraine sufferer. Of 15 years.
There's lots of different types of medication that the doctor can prescribe. Have you got a trigger? I mean, it could be anything. From hormones to a certain smell, stress?
They can be really draining to deal with, especially when so constant so I really feel for you.
I hope you start to feel better soon. X

GO prescribed me medication for mine. I take them daily for a set period of time. My migraines predominantly are linked to hormone changes and my period. I have extras in case I get a randomly triggered one. If that happens I just take as needed

Ask to be referred to a neurologist, preferably a headache specialist. I take pregabalin and nortriptyline daily, have a monthly erenumab injection and have 100mg sumatriptan as a rescue med.

Just to add, (not sure if you'd of already tried these things) whilst waiting to be seen and I know this may sound mad to some. But having my hairdryer blow on the coolest setting on my head where ever the main point of pain is, sometimes helps and gives me a bit of a relief. Some say the warmer settings help them but this just adds more to mine and makes me sickness and nausea worse.
Also a cool head pad. I have one where you keep the insert in the fridge (I keep mine in the freezer!) And you wrap like the band around your head with the insert in, almost like a big eye mask as it does sit over your eyes too.
Bag of peas on the back of your neck, with or without feet in a pool/bath of warm water.
X

Thanks everyone I'm reading everything.

I have had chronic back pain for 3 years which I've made huge progress on but I can't see to stop the migraines that come with it.

Triggers are exhaustion and stress but I can't avoid this, I have an autistic son with high care needs. Life is stressful. But I can't keep having two days in bed. I need a long term solution. I'll see what GP says on Wed and I can see a specialist on my insurance if that's needed.

I can't live like this.

You definitely need preventatives if it's becoming more frequent. It took me a lot of different medications before being referred to a neurologist who finally found one that worked. Cutting gluten helped massively too as suggested by an acupuncturist who looked at my blood test results. Acupuncture helped my post migraine symptoms loads but not so much for frequency. My muscles were so strained after each attack but I felt a massive release each session. Costly though.

I had a daith piercing also which might have been coincidental but I saw a definite reduction.

As others have said get a referral to a neurologist. I have epilepsy and migraine, the top two most common neurological conditions.

Topiramate although an A.E.D. is also used off license to treat migraines.

I notice you already have a triptan. I use Maxalt Meltz aka Rizatriptan. They work for me. You may need to try a different medication until you find one that suits.

In the meantime make a migraine diary.

"In the meantime make a migraine diary."

An app called Migraine Buddy is good

Thank you.

I'll see what GP says this week and ask for a referral. I live near a private hospital so I think I will be seen quickly.

With my care responsibilities for my son I can't have these continue. Last two days have been horrendous

Absolutely this. I noted everything down to what time I slept and what I ate. Also what time the attacks happened, what symptoms I had, what I was doing at the time etc. It was handy to show the triggers. I was also really stressed but did find the solution eventually and now I've been migraine free for the last few years.

I take daily beta blockers as a preventer and I've recently changed my triptan drug as a trial to see if it works better. There's a variety of triptans you can try some work better for different people