Migraine sufferers who take long term medication tell me your experiences

[AtheneNoctua]

I have sworn by my triptans for quite a few years now. I like Naramig (naratriptan), but I just seem to be taking more and more of it. My GP has suggested beta blockers in the past. But since sine I have fairly low blood pressure (although it has increased over the years but still well in the normal range) I'm not so keen on beta blockers. I know they make you cold, and I am already always cold so that certainly doesn't appeal to me. Also, I like to run and am afraid that a beata blocker might restrict the blood flow and cause me to pass out.

Anyway, if anyone out there has had long term success with preventative drug treatment for frwuent migraines, I really appreciate you sharing your experience...

Thanks!

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My dd2 takes Pitozifen for her migraines in a small dose - it obviously works as I took her off them for a few weeks to see if it could have been puberty sparking them off and she had 2 bad ones in the space of 3 days, poor lamb so we went back to get some more.

She now tends to get small headaches which don't develop into the 'going green, passing out or being sick ones'.............

How old is she?

She's nearly 12 but started her periods in December which I thought could have been related....was wrong, clearly!

Is it Pitozifen or Pizotifen?

be careful what medication you take for migraine if you are on the pill.
my sister had a stroke at 25 due to the combination pill and her medication for her migraines.

Oh, yes, I'm aware of the increased risk of storke for migraine sufferes and the pill. In fact, I'm often shocked at how many GPs are not up this. But thanks for the warning!

stroke not storke. (The storke comes to people who are not on the pill )

My Dp gets regular migraines and takes "Imigran" to sort them.She was also prescribed beta blockers but they seemed to have no effect whatsoever.

My Mum,a very long term Migraine sufferer,in the end found that taking a Nurofen every night before bed really helped.She used to get about 3 or 4 a week and this was cut down to only one every two weeks or so as a result.

Pizotifen (sorry - had to check!)

Imigran is sumatriptan. And while this works, it is not preventative. Naratriptan is similar to sumatriptan but is milder and last longer and has fewer side effect.

Anyway, thank you, but I'm trying to work out non-triptan options.

Pizotifen is interesting. I have not heard that one before. Can you buy it without a prescription?

No - prescription only as far as I know.

It says the side effects include increased appetite and weight gain (which I gather is a result of increased appetite). Have you noticed this in your DD?

Do you know if you can take a triptan with pizotifen?

Well it's difficult to say with children, especially my dd as she is at the age where she grows out then up! She's a healthy weight, not over or under and is just losing her puppy fat now anyway, as her sister did at the same age (not on tablets).

To be honest, even if it did have that effect it wouldn't have altered my decision to let her have them as her migraines had become increasingly debilitating and were affecting her quality of life.

I would give it a go and monitor my weight carefully.

Haven't a clue about triptan I'm afraid as I've never had pain relief for her.

Triptans are not pain relief, but they act to constrict the blood vessel and they treasured by many migrainee suffers. It just that I am getting migraines quite often and eating them like candy, I think that it's maybe too much of a good thing. I think but I'm not sure that they don't like to prescribe them to children. But, you might want to look into them when your DD is older.

I can't find anything that says you can't take pizotifen and a triptan together. So, I think I may head off to the GP and ask for pizotifen and then still use triptans, but hopefully not so much so often.

Thanks so much for the time you have spent on this thread. I really appreciate it.

Athene Noctua, I was talking to my GP about migraines today, funnily enough, and she said something about taking soluble aspirin in combination with something else. Will wrack brain to remember.

In the meantime, there is good stuff on the London Migraine Clinic website, if you haven't seen it already.

You see - I told you I was clueless

No problem - I hope you get some respite from them - I had never experienced them before dd started with them and they are foul. I can tell she's getting one before she can as her eyes go a different shade and her skin goes a greenish tinge.

She had one 2 weeks ago while off the tablets that meant she nearly passed out on the toilet - I felt so guilty for taking her off them

Here is a bit on naratriptan. It says it is not recommended for the under 18s. That may be just because there is no data and not because they know it is bad for them.

DH has migraines and has tried various things. At the moment he is taking an anti-depressant (could well have been mentioned already - will check which one it is).

He also is taking soluble paracetamol as a preventative measure - I am not sure how he can manage to take it but he does find it helps.

He also has imigran for when things are really bad, but fingers crossed has been a bit better recently.

Oh, and yes, interested in the aspirin remedy as well... Thanks, porpoise.

Ok, it's soluble asprin and domperidone.

She also mentioned something about taking nurofen plus every night.

Sorry, should have been listening more carefully!

Have looked and DH takes amitiptyline (he takes this every night so I presume in some preventative way).

As he has asthma, he can't take ibroprofen, and I think it is the same for aspirin, so he takes his "head-water" as DS puts it .