Fucking migraines

[VoltaireMittyDream]

Just want a moan, really.

I’ve had migraines every month with my period since I was 43.
Now I’m nearly 50, and it’s all ramped up, and I get a migraine before my period, after my period, and around mid-cycle.

They last about 2-3 days each time. My cycles are anywhere from 21-35 days. So I can never predict quite when one will arrive. I’m on HRT, I take triptans which sometimes help.

I’m fucking exhausted and it’s really impacting my ability to work and manage family / domestic stuff. I’m pissed off with everyone all the time and I can’t maintain a regular exercise routine as I get knocked out of it every week or 10 days or so.

When will it be over?

Sorry OP. They really are the worst and so life changing, a lot of people don’t understand. Mine last 2-4 days as well, it can wipe out nearly a whole week as I’m just exhausted afterwards.

I’ve never really found any pain medication that 100% works for me. Sometimes if I catch it early enough, I’ll take a melatonin and sleep for as long as possible, ideally 12+ hours. But don’t always have the time to do that! A heated eye mask takes the edge off if I can lie still in the dark, but no good during the day/general life.

What does your GP say? Have you considered sumatriptan as an injection?

The postdrome exhaustion is awful! I honestly struggle to lift my limbs.

I’ll ask my GP about sumatriptan injections - I currently take 100mg at the onset and this takes the edge off but I worry it causes rebound headaches and makes the whole ordeal last longer.

I had this exactly but much better now I’m through the menopause. Now I get migraines maybe once every couple of months. Hang in there !

Please listen to the what's up docs headache episode. It's all about perimenopause migraines. Mine are well managed by zolmitriptan and evorel sequi. But there are other solutions for those who are more resistant. A whole nhs service specialising in headaches! How are these things kept hidden? From us? From our GPS too?

Thanks for this! I’ll have a listen! I’m honestly at the point of just asking them to amputate my head. It’s nice to think there might be some hope beyond just waiting it out. And since I’m still getting fairly regular periods I’m concerned this could go on for years yet and completely foul up my career and relationships.

I tell you one thing, though - it’s making me re-evaluate my relationship with my mother. I’d always assumed my shitty teenage attitude was the cause of her migraines when I was growing up, and now I realise I was just one aggravating stimulus among hundreds if not thousands 🤣

Just want to say I feel your pain, OP. My periods are getting slightly shorter heading towards menopause and the migraines are (slightly) less intense. Sometimes I think I’ve got away without one but then it hits me after my period instead of before. Magnesium and drinking shedloads of water sometimes helps a bit. But it’s hard when you have three days each month almost wiped out.

I started getting bad migraines in my late forties (if I couldn’t manage myself out of it, it would turn into an 8-day event)! I’m late fifties now, and they stopped about 3 years ago. It’s tough!

Years ago my wife had dreadful, debilitating headaches and crippling dizziness (crawling up the stairs on all fours, poor woman) with her menopause and she was eventually prescribed HRT dermal patches (are they a thing still?) and it did seem to help but it was a long process I have to say. I'd go back to your GP, see if they can come up with something more effective or refer you to a gynae person. I know we had to strop a lot to get anywhere. As an aside, I must say, of all the doctors she saw, male and female, the most sympathetic was a male neurologist at the Maudsley, a dear, kind man