Menstrual Migraines

[Tribe85]

I suffer from menstrual migraines and have since early 20s. Always comes for 3 days and can be at the beginning, during or towards the end of my period. I manage with triptans. The past 3 months I’ve been having a migraine for a whole week during the period. I wouldn’t want to take triptans for a whole week so I’m just suffering towards the end. I have an appointment booked in with the dr but not for a few week. I wondered if anybody has tried anything that’s worked or have also experienced them getting worse. I’m mid 30s.

I had menstrual migraines each month and these usually lasted 3 days, nothing helped. I finally went to our new GP who said there’s no need to suffer anymore and prescribed triptans and these honestly were a life saver, I mainly only ever needed one, on very few occasions 2. Please give them a try.

This is something I struggled with since a teen and ive found its got a lot better since being on the mini pill and no longer having periods

Take the triptans whenever you need them. I use them for a 2 -3 days a month. I take 50mg sumatriptan and then repeat if needed after 2 hours. Sometimes you get clusters so need to take them more frequently. You might just need a higher dose. I took them for five years at 100mg as the 50mg was not solving it. I am now on a preventative - propranolol daily so only need to take a lower dose of sumatriptan perhaps once or twice a month.

Ask your GP about a preventative. Please don't suffer every month. Like pp, I take propranolol daily and a sumatriptam if I do happen to get a migraine. The propranolol dose had to be increased until I'm at the point of only getting maybe 3 or 4 migraines per year, and mostly through a combination of stress and menstrual symptoms combined.

I suffer with this too. I take Frovatriptan but it doesn’t always work.

I get this exactly as you’ve described. Daily evening primrose oil genuinely helped me avoid this most months. I’ve been having this since a teenager and EPO is the first thing that’s ever helped to prevent.

I have the same experience, I'm now in my 50s. I take a preventative medication to try and reduce frequency. I can usually take one for a few years then need to change as it seems to stop being as effective.

Propranolol has been life changing for me for my menstrual migraines. I was very reluctant to go on them at first but now so relieved I gave them a go.

Thanks for the responses. I’ll definitely ask the dr about propranolol. I think they were recommended by the dr when I was a teenager for migraine but I was young and against being on permanent medication. I’m wiser now and will do anything to stop these, they really are debilitating

I‘ve had them since I was a teen, triptans and ondansetron wafers were fine until I started peri menopause and the frequency increased. I’ve been on propranolol as a preventer for years but have had to try adding in various other meds as the propranolol alone wasn’t enough. Generally something works for a few months then the migraines gradually come back, in recent years I was having headaches most days even if it wasn’t a migraine (plus migraines approx twice a week) but I’m now on Ajovy monthly injections which have been life changing.

So definitely discuss a preventative med, and know that there are plenty to try if one doesn’t work. I did have to try a few GP’s (I’m not in the UK) to get one willing to investigate and try treatments, rather than saying ‘just keep taking panadol and nurofen’ 🤦🏻‍♀️

I’ve been prescribed propranolol today, yay! Those who take it, did you get side effects to begin with? Weighing up waiting until Monday to start so I’m not feeling unwell with the kids about. I’ve read about dizziness etc.