nothing can help the migraines...8 years and counting

[CollegeGirlie]

I've had some bizarre attacks, which have been question-marked as benign vertigo syndrome to now Basilar Atery Migraines. The migraines began when I was 14, characterized by extremely incapacitating headaches, exhaustion, and dizziness that would leave me unable to do anything for weeks.
I am now 21 and the migraines added the typical symptoms as the time as gone by- intolerance to light and sound, poounding in head, nausea, motor control issues, difficulty speaking, tunnel vision, olfractory hallucinations, and on and on. They've had me on various meds before the declaration of migraine...propanlol, tension headache meds, sinus headache meds, execedrin, imitrix and verapimil...to no avail. The headache pain I can get rid of now with 2 naproxen. But the extreme dizzines, exhaustion, and movement issues seem to be invincible to all meds. I get migraines monthly, so you can imagine time at work and school is taken away bec. of the condition. Any ideas on what I should do? Any meds that might help??? After 8 years it's getting depressing to find no success.

[MerryCookston]

Hi,

I

[meikman]

I too am like you with my migraines.  They are horrible and it isn't just the pain of the headache it's the vomiting, dizziness, weakness, the confussion, intolerate to light, noise and I swear I smell as if I was a dog when I have one and on and on.  My started when I was about 13-14 and have tried many if not all the "migraine meds" out there.  

Finally, In my mid 20's after giving birth I had slightly elevated bp.  My dr. put me on Lopressor.  Then after just a couple of weeks on this meds a strange but wonderful thing was happening.  I wasn't getting the pain when I got a migraine but was still having the aura in the beginning of one.  Then a short time later I wasn't having them at all.  Years later my dr change my bp meds and took me off the Lopressor and the migraines were back so I request that I be put back on the meds and was.  Now I take Atenonol works just as well as Lopressor.  I only take 50mg a day.  

I would talk to your Dr about it.  I know a lot of people who take a very low dose bp medicine to control migraines and it doesn't effect there bp as they already have normal bp.  

I love this med that the side effects are no migraines.

[Manhattan]

I think the best thing to do is when you have migraines that severely affect the quallity of your life is to seek out a headache specialist. if you go to one of the migraine websites, sometimes they allow you to search for one in your area. for example, near me there is a headache center where they only treat headache patients, do their own research on site and are up to date on all the latest treatments. i don't know what type of medication would help your particular kind of miraine, but i know that topamax works miracles for a lot of people, not all. there may be a particular preventative that is especially good for what you get, but the problem is a regular doctor or neurologist is only going to know so much about headaches because they are treating all kinds of neurological problems. there's no way they could possibly read every thing there is on every neurological disorder. you want someone who knows headaches in and out. good luck to you!