migraines triggered by lack of sleep

[Mel98233]

so my migraines seem to be sometimes triggered by lack of sleep mostly caused by stressed and not being able to put my daily life issues to sleep at night leaving me with little or no sleep at night after 2-3 nights i get a migraine that will not go away. how do i get my dr to listen to me and perscribe something that will knock me out at night so that i have no choice but to sleep. i have been perscribed several sleep agents, but so far nothing really works. i seem to sleep fine once i get my self to shut down. any suggestions as to what to even ask for that will help with sleep

[grandmaajc]

Stress and daily issues are problems for many of us.  Yesterday is gone and tomorrow hasn't arrived yet.  They are both out of reach.  Many things we worry about don't even happen.  Yes, plan for the future and put actions to your plans.  We can't sit and worry. It is non-productive.  Then, concentrate on TODAY.  This is the 'PRESENT' that God gives to each of us.  Hug that family member.  Smile.  Compliment three people daily.  Before you get out of bed in the morning, name ten things for which you are thankful, things like laughter, anything and all things. The Bible says, "Casting all your care upon Him, for he careth for you." 1 Peter 5:7.   God really loves you and knows you better than you know yourself.  Ask Jesus to come into your heart and ask God to change your life.  Mean it with all your heart.  I did this many years ago and an amazing peace came over me.  I saw life with a newness I had never before experienced.  Then, begin reading your Bible. Pray because He hears you.  And ask God to guide you daily.  Others have given you good suggestions, too.  I like Benadryl.   Do you suppose getting up an hour earlier in the morning might help?  Doesn't cost a dime.  All this will be a definite plus in your life. And, it will affect everyone around you, guaranteed.

[jhemnes]

Have you tried like Tylenol pm, Benadryl will knock some people out. Dr's can be so dense it makes me sick that they are in the medical profession and don't have a clue about their patients. I so know how you feel...I have suffered with migraines for years. I'm 47 and dont have them near as often as I used to. It had gone from about 6 a month to2 every 2-3 months. I do have them in  pairs still. If I have one the next day I will have another one. I hope you find some relief. Sticking my head in ice water has helped many times...it constricts the blood vessels.

[marileew]

Changes in sleep pattern can be such a horrible migraine trigger! I'm sorry to hear that your migraines are being triggered like this right now... I hope that you will find something to help you sleep better at night!

I am not a doctor or anything... but... here is what I know anyway...

Sleeping aids are very tricky because they don't always work and some of them can also leave people feeling hung over in the morning. You mention that your doctor has already prescribed you several sleeping agents but none of them have worked, so it sounds like your doctor is trying to listen to your concerns.. but that so far the medications have not been working... and that could just be because they are a class of medications that really doesn't have a high success rate with most people. And now maybe your doctor is out of ideas so it feels like he has stopped listening?

I have personally used Zopiclone in the past and have had mild to moderate success with it. Although it is a commonly prescribed sleep medication so I am sure you have tried it already if you have already been prescribed a few.

Another alternative would be a benzodiazepine medication as opposed to a nonbenzodiazepine sleep aid like zopiclone. Doctors do not often like prescribing benzodiazepine sleep aid medications though because they can be addictive if taken often and will leave you feeling hung-over in the morning if you take enough to make you "pass out". But, if your problem is actually stress and anxiety at night time... not being able to "turn off" the stressful and anxious thoughts at night, then it is possible that a small dose of a benzodiazepine would be useful. Not enough to "knock you out", but just enough to make you relax... enough to be used as what they are often prescribed as, an anti-anxiety medication.

I personally find that benzodiazepines GIVE me a headache, because they leave me feeling hung over and that gives me a headache. But, different medications effect different people differently, so you may not have this side-effect. I would not personally want to use a benzodiazepine as a sleep aid, but it might be a good choice for another person... these things are so personal.

Now, if your doctor is not comfortable prescribing you a benzodiazepine, since they are psychoactive drugs, the type of doctor that may be more appropriate talking to would be a psychiatrist as psychiatrists often prescribe benzodiazepines. A psychiatrist would not have any problem in prescribing a benzodiazepine if the situation warranted such a prescription, and cases of severe anxiety (anxiety which severely interferes with daily functioning) is probably a case that would warrant such a prescription I would imagine. So, this could be a place to turn to if you feel your family doctor is not listening to your concerns about your daily life issues having such a negative impact on your sleep.

Hope that helps a bit. Let me know how it goes. :)