Best place in USA to live for migraine/headache sufferers?

[Aldika1956]

If migraines and headaches are affected by air pressure, humidity, etc., then where would be the ideal place to live for someone who suffers from migraines and headaches, and also allergies?  Any ideas?

[sara12345]

You owe it to yourself to take an extended trip to some place, like Illinois where you were migraine free to test your theory.  Interesting question.  It might be worth moving if that were the case.  Don't know what constraints you have to consider with moving.  If not, did you consider any of my suggestions right above your posting?  (In my case, they know that my severe migraines were caused by a major stroke.)

[Melaniejean]

I am reading this with interest as I have been trying to find an answer for almost life-long migraines. Two of my children, now teenagers, have them. I am sick right now! Mine have always seemed to be mostly weather related which means I fight these daily. Could it be EMF's? Please keep me posted. I have always wondered that, if I should move from southern NJ, my pain would lesten? I lived outside of Chicago,Ill.in Elmhurst for nearly a year with NO migraine. But it may have been hormonal as I was a brand new mother. The day I visited Jersey I hit the floor, literally, with a migraine.

[sara12345]

Oh you are so right about the herbals.  My nephrologist said absolutely no to herbals for that reason.  Then my neurologist pointed me to Petadolex, a butterbur herbal which is made in Germany where they do evaluate all of their herbal medications. So this one does not have toxins.  In fact other butterbur herbals can have impurities in them that can be hazardous.

Do you have any neck or shoulder tightness?  Have you tried nerve block or trigger point injections?

Even if the Botox does give you improvement, you may still need your daily preventative med to help you further.  Keep in mind Namenda too.

Yes, I do know about how severe migraines can be.  When I can't stand the pain and am vomiting, I go to the ER and then get meds by IV that my neurologists hate for me to get because they think it sets me back.   A Butrans patch single handedly stopped me from going to the ER, although I've had some close calls.  If your migraines are so terrible, maybe you could get them, but if you go in specifically asking for a specific pain med, they can think that you are drug seeking.  But tell the doctor that you are thinking about suicide when they get so terrible.  And say that you need more.  Look up Butrans patches on-line.  They give you a very low dose of opiates 24/7, so no rebounds from them.  

Hope that you can get your migraines better.  

[msteechur]

Thanks so much Sara. That is really good to know. I am not sure the dose, but I think it might be on the paperwork I have at home. I will definitely try it one more time, at least.

I have gone through all of the required protocols (beta blockers, neuro pain blockers, calcium blockers, etc.). I'm still on Amitryptiline although I don't think it helps. I'm afraid of going off of it because if it is helping, I can't imagine how much worse it could get.

I have had a few stretches of good days that make me very hopeful. If I were to be very honest I would say that perhaps my good days are better, with some periods of no discerinble headache up to level 3 of 10. But the bad days are not any better. This week I had four good days, with 2 really good days, and three bad days.

I have not tried any herbal supplements. I have a lot of concern about taking herbals because they are not deemed safe or effective by the FDA (doesn't mean that they aren't, but there is a lot of quackery going on out there). I will read up on Petalodex and will ask my neurologist about it. Thanks for your help.

[sara12345]

To msteechur,  The first time I got Botox, it didn't help me either.  Doctors tend to start at lower doses, then increase them.  The second time I got more units and got tremendous relief.  Find out how many units of the Botox you got and let me know. Also repeated doses help.  And occasionally, Botox doesn't work, so I wouldn't give up on it yet.  But it's up to you.

I'm assuming that you have tried at least several daily preventative migraine meds that didn't work.  Those are the people that are most helped with Botox.  I didn't respond to the daily preventatives until I took Petadolex (an herbal one) and off-label Namenda.  You only take 25% to 50% of the dose usually given to Alzheimer's patients, but it did work for my migraines.

[msteechur]

Just wanted to update. I had the Botox treatment about a month ago and have not noticed any improvement. SSDD I guess. Head is the same; weather stabilizes and I'm good with low pain, but when it changes the pain soars.

Beginning to wonder if I am going to live with this forever. That is not a happy thought.

I am an IT teacher (aka Nerd Herder) to students who are interested in a career in IT. In fact, lunch is over and I can hear them coming in so I suppose I should get off the computer.