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Permalink Reply by SarahLiz on March 31, 2008 at 2:39pm

I think that's a fantastic idea Ellen! Maybe this is the path I'll take on my Ning blog, too. I haven't really decided if I want to add it to my list of things or not but this gets me thinking!

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Permalink Reply by Linz on April 1, 2008 at 2:29am

Some of these I know the answers too and have had to answer them a lot!

How can you tell the difference between migraine, cluster headache, tension headache and sinus headache?

What's happening in my head to cause migraine symptoms?

Triptans work for my migraines. Why won't my doctor let me have them more frequently?

I get nauseous really fast with my migraines. What can I take for them that isn't a pill?

Should I use heat pads or cold packs with migraines?

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Permalink Reply by Wendy Gammon, M.A., M.Ed. on April 4, 2008 at 7:10pm

I watched my brother suffer with rather terrifying migraines when I was growing up. He is five years older than me, so from about the age of five on, I remember observing his migraines that literally blinded him with pain.

Throughout hgh school especially, I can recall him coming home from either music rehearsals or sports events needing to be practically carried from the car and upstairs into his bed, where he would remain with ice packs. He would take some antihistamine-type medication that literally knocked him out for about 12 hours.

The frequency seemed to also increase with time, and by his sophomore year he was getting those warning "lights" and fuzzy peripheral vision signs about twice a week. I was very frightened by these episodes because he usually ended up sobbing with the pain.

My parents took him to several doctors, of course, and nothing seemed to provide relief or cut down the number of migraines. Many causes were offered depending on who the doctor was: High school stress; our father being away on business; new glasses; you name it.

Then, my uncle offered a suggestion. He was then the athletic director at our local high school and had been an athlete himself for many years. As he grew older, as with many former athletes, he suffered from back trouble. He regularly visited our local chiropractor for back adjustments, which seemed to unkink his kinks, as it were.

He offered to take my brother along for an evaluation and some treatment.

Everyone thought it a rather desperate and useless therapy. Also, chiropractors were frequently then (as sometimes now) regarded as performing musculoskeletal quackery by massaging and pummeling you, taking your money and leaving you (thinking) you feel better-- like the way you feel after a day at the spa. Much money spent and did it really make a difference?

The chiropractor stretched, pulled and manipulated my brother head to toe for one good long session.

Almost immediately, the migraines became less frequent. He continued going for weekly visits, then once a month, then once a year. From then on to this day, he may sense a headache coming on about once a year and usually after a stressful period. The headaches never progress to migraine intensity. Now well into middle age, he is well and still sees a chiropractor periodically.

So my question is....can musculoskeletal dysfunction generate migraine headaches, considering the my brother's impressive response to the musculoskeletal therapy provided by chiropractic?

Has anyone else had a similar experience with migraine therapy?

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Permalink Reply by Megan Oltman on April 18, 2008 at 8:08pm

Wendy -

This is an interesting story (I'm very glad your brother saw so much improvement) and an interesting question. I have sometimes had a chiropractic adjustment resolve a migraine. I have sometimes had a migraine get worse after an adjustment. My experience is usually that it makes little difference.

I have had several neck and back injuries and I count on chiropractic care to keep me moving without pain in the neck and back. My chiropractor would have me believe that if I just came to him at first sign of migraine, he would make them all go away, but that has not been my experience. He has showed me which vertebra in my neck goes out of place frequently and says that this one is the cause of migraines. I can feel when that vertebra is out at this point, and I can get days and days of neck pain from it, but whether it leads to a migraine or not is completely unpredictable.

In addition, a stiff neck is one of the recognizable pro-dromal symptoms. But is the neck stiff because something is out of alignment? Will adjusting the neck actually stop the migraine? Again, my experience is, sometimes yes, usually no. It would be very interesting to see if there's any actual research on this point. Ellen, you asked for questions. Did I just make this one even harder?

- Megan

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Permalink Reply by Janet Geddis on April 9, 2008 at 5:03pm

Sounds like an excellent idea to me!

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Permalink Reply by Koryn Dimock on April 14, 2008 at 3:55am

I would love to know what homeopathic treatments to take. I've browsed the section in the stores several times, but I always have trouble decifering what to take. There seems to be so many different things to take in account, from where it hurts, what kind of pain, etc.

Also, I'd love to know, and I don't know if it is possible to find out, when the triptan drugs (or any others used to treat migraines) will be going to generic. I have trouble affording them sometimes, but I get generics for $5 each. What a huge difference it would be for me and Relpax where I pay $30 a pill. sheesh

Thanks so much for doing this research. I really appreciate it.

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Permalink Reply by Janet Geddis on April 14, 2008 at 11:28am

Dear Koryn,

My neurologist (who's pretty prominent) as well as many other acquaintances' doctors recommend a few different vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements for migraine care.

1. Petadolex (a mixture of butterbur, B2, and perhaps one other thing--I forget what) is a daily supplement you take to help diminish the number of attacks and lessen the pain and side effects that accompany the attacks you do have. (http://www.migraineaid.com/) I buy mine through a shop on Amazon because it's cheaper there than anywhere else I've found.

2. Vitamin B2, about 400 mg/day. (This is approx. 23,000 the RDA--but that's the amount they recommend! Gives you wonderful energy.)

3. Magnesium, 500mg/day

Chamomile, mint, and feverfew are also frequently recommended.

As far as the expensive triptans go:

My doctor tells me that Imitrex will be going generic "later this year." Great news! I don't know the specific date. And look here to see if you qualify for prescription assistance programs--even if you have insurance you might be a candidate for one of the many programs offered! https://www.pparx.org/Intro.php

I can't recommend this program enough, and I've only heard back from one company so far! (Waiting for my doctor to sign the forms so I can start getting cheap to FREE meds!)

Take care,a nd good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Emily V on April 21, 2008 at 3:33pm

Ellen, I think a Question of the Week feature would be great for your blog!

Here's a migraine question I've had for a while: Is it worth seeking treatment for migraines that aren't very frequent or severe?

I get bad headaches that I'm pretty sure are migraines (throbbing pain on one side of the head/face, sensitivity to motion and light, and sometimes nausea). However, I'm fortunate in that I only get them occasionally - less than once a month, and lasting a day or two. I can usually still work and carry on with my life while I'm having one, though it's certainly not pleasant.

I've never talked to a doctor about them because they never seemed that serious, and I thought it might be more trouble than it was worth to actually get diagnosed, try different medications, etc. I really don't know much about the nitty-gritty of starting treatment for migraine, so maybe I have the wrong idea about what's actually involved.

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Permalink Reply by Janet Geddis on April 21, 2008 at 5:10pm

I think the general advice is that if they are affecting your life and your ability to live it, you should seek help. There's evidence showing that the more often you have episodes, the more likely you are to have them in the future. Getting acute care (i.e., meds you take right when you feel an attack coming down) is instrumental in preventing the severity of future attacks.

Getting diagnosed shouldn't be much trouble--it sounds to me like you're definitely suffering from Migraine, but I'm no doctor. All the same, don't let a doctor tell you that they're "just headaches" if the side effects you mention do accompany the headache. (This happened to me for years before I got the correct diagnosis.) I doubt it's a good idea to get on preventive medication--but that's my opinion based on lots of reading.

I really recommend finding out if there are medications you're eligible to take when you have an attack. Often doctors have free samples of these--if not, you can do some research to find out which of the drug companies offer their own free trials along with a valid prescription. No harm trying, I wouldn't think!

Take care.

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Permalink Reply by Emily V on April 21, 2008 at 5:42pm

Thanks for the advice, Janet. It would be nice to have something I can take when a headache hits that actually works, so I'll plan to talk to my doctor about this the next time I see her.

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