Medication and Migraines

[rlwiu]

27 yo male - 2 years s/p Aortic Valve Repair
No symptoms and feel great, but I still have grade 2 murmur.
I am on Toporol XL 50 mg and Altace 10 mg to lower BP and increase ejection fraction.

I have been having migraines once every 2 weeks or so.  I get blurred vision with bright spots, but is decreased with Excedrin.  They happen at different times of the day and is not consistent.  The latest migraine happened yesterday coming 20 minutes after a 2 mile run of medium plus difficulty.  This is the first time I have noticed it after exercising.   Are the headaches caused by my heart, medication, combo, or something else?

My wife and I are also talking about having children and I would also like to know if my medication had any affect on sperm count....and if so, is there any other medicine (Ace inhibitor or Beta Blocker) that does not.

Thank you for the post.

[Cleveland Clinic]

rlwiu,

thanks for the post.

The medications that you mention are not generally associated with migraine headaches.  In fact beta blockers are often used to treat migraine headaches.

I looked at a few references and did not find anything associated with sperm count. A fertility specialist would probably be a better reference if that becomes an issue.

good luck

[dee gee]

As for BP medication and migraines, in MY situation it took six different meds before I went migraine-free.  I got good results with Cozaar after speaking with a pharmacist for his recommendation for migraine patients so I could relay it to my doctor. I lucked out with a very patient doctor,(Cleve Clinic).  I also started to experience blind spots with these headaches which I never had previously.  All of this subsided with Cozaar.  Diovan also worked pretty good but with me it created other side-affects.  My understanding is that many people have problems finding the right one if they are sensitive to drugs.  So --  if at first you don't succeed --   keep on trying.

[uptowngirl]

Their is a beta blocker called inderal which I have used very  sucessfully with migraines AND which controls my palpitations wonderfully ( from moderate MVP). I am not certain if it could be used in your situation, but I like the idea of taking one medicine that covers these two health issues. I encourage you to speak to your doctor about your options.  Toprol XL seemed to increase the intensity of my migraines when I tried it.

As a side note, we were also uncertain about having children with me being on the meds., however, we now have 2 precious healthy children.  I was able to make it through both pregnancies and births taking only atenolol during that time
All the Best to you and your family.