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Phenobarbital use for migraines

I've had migraines since I was a very young child. They started out as stomach aches and severe nausea, with dibilatating car sickness. That lasted until I became a driver myself. I have been on every medicine known to man trying to control my migraines, they got severe as a teen and dibiltating in my twenties. I am now in my forties and I just try to make the best of them because life has to go on. Ecspecially with children, anyway, how does phenobarbitol work to stop the pain of a migraine??? At the moment I am only on Topamax and take tramadol for fibromyagia, so I use that for the migraines as well. Triptains give me sever heart palapitations and cause my stomach and colon to bleed so they are not an option??? Any feedback???
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Avatar universal
If phenobarbital is your only option, go for it.  There are worse things than taking it, e.g. your migraines.

It doesn't sound like you have started the phenobarbital yet.  According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, this med can be habit-forming and can have bad side effects.  "If you take phenobarbital for a long time, it may not control your symptoms as well as it did at the beginning of your treatment."

Have you tried off-label Namenda at 25% of the dose given to the typical patients that it is meant for?  That drug has significantly helped my migraines.  And what about Botox injections?  That does not interact with your body systemically.  Those have helped me tremendously.  If you haven't tried these, I would consider them before taking Phenobarbital, but it's up to your judgment of course.

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Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi there,
Phenobarbital prevents excessive electrical activity in the brain. It is thought to achieve this by affecting certain neurotransmitters in the brain. Phenobarbital increases the activity of GABA and decreases the activity of glutamate in the brain. These actions help stabilize the electrical activity in the brain and keeps the nerve activity GABA in the brain in balance.Topiramate is very useful in migraine. If you are symptom free with it is best to continue it. It is suggested to consult your attending doctor before altering your drug schedule ort any change in dosage. I sincerely hope it helps.
Best luck and regards!
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1 Comments
Some people find topomirate intolerable...
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