Aa
type of mirgraines and how con you tell
ok so im 21 and ive had cronic daily mirgraines since i was about 16 so for 6 or 7 yeras now and im woundering if i could be having a different kind of mirgraine see ive cut out a lot of thing in my life like food i havent had a hotdog in years (there a fav) i dont do tea thing like that now my doc told me to keep the caffine intake the same so i drink any where from 5 to 8 cokes a day or 2 1/2 2 litters in about a day now i dont stress out i dont work but i did just have a baby boy bout 6 months ago and had them too for the whole 9 months nothing works not even excedrine im on Nadiol for morning and Nortriplyne at night but i also have a break through med its amerge but my doc doesnt wanna change my meds hes said ( from the dat i meet him ) he doesnt wanna put me on anythimg stronger now ive had just about every medaction out there for them nothings work and when i was pregnant i was on tyenol #3 which is tyenol with codine and for other reaasons too but it was the only thing that would work so after i had my son they gave me another 30 pills til i was able to go back to my doc and now i have nothing everything else is like candy for me and when i have a mirgraine iv got numness tingle and my vision goes crazy i cont do sound and now i cont do light im so lost on what to do for them i cont change my doctor cuz of insurance so any help or any kind of cules on whats going on id be so greatfull
thanks for responding to my post ive been on a lot of meds since they first started form ones like tompax to the nadiol and nothing really works but the amerge i dont kno how to talk to my doc about trying new ones espacialy since my docotr knows and has worked with my mother i feel like im 16 again everytime i see him but i cont really change doctor since my insurance wont let me i had to get a referral just to see him so if yall could help me come up with ways to talk to him about trying newer meds or give me ways to get him to say it id apperacte it
It is very hard with chronic migraine, in my experience to treat them. I also have the numbness, tingling, and visual auro, and basic stroke like symptoms. So I feel for you.
I started also in my teens with migraines, had them during pregnancy also. As years go by (which I know because I am old LOL) migraines will change, the type you have anyway can change.
There are so many medications to use, I hope you have a DR or find one that will help to prevent as many as possible. And I hope you find this group a support and help.
Tracy
I started also in my teens with migraines, had them during pregnancy also. As years go by (which I know because I am old LOL) migraines will change, the type you have anyway can change.
There are so many medications to use, I hope you have a DR or find one that will help to prevent as many as possible. And I hope you find this group a support and help.
Tracy
wow, I'm almost 22 and have had a constant migraine for going on 8 years next month. It's hard to never have the pain go away. Everybody's symptoms are different, but I agree with marileew on her suggestions. Triptans are often very effective if taken at the BEGINNING of a migraine. My problem is since I never get below a 6/10, and routinely spike to 8s, I don't know when it's going to go away, and when it's going to get nasty. I'd recommend talking to your doc.
Good luck,
Good luck,
Hi!
Well, it sounds like you have very bad migraines that are very hard to treat. Some people only get migraines once or twice a year. Some people only get migraines once or twice a month. If they are able to find a medication that can help them with the pain, then they have their migraines under control and that is about as much as they can do for their migraines. It is still awful for them when they DO get their migraines (and we can all help them with tips and tricks to lower the severity of an acute attack), but medically, they have been successful in treating their migraines.
But, for some people, like us, we suffer from chronic migraines. That is the main different between your kind of migraine and a regular migraine... is that your migraine is chronic. But, many people here have chronic migraines so we understand!! I have chronic migraines too!! Another thing that is different from a "regular" migraine.... and regular isn't the best word to use, maybe statistically more probable that someone might have that kind of migraine... and our kinds of migraines are statistically less probable that someone would suffer from them... because words like "regular" or "normal" migraine suggest that our migraines are weird, and really they aren't weird, they are still migraines and there is nothing that is that medically weird about them at all. But anyway, the thing that is different is the numbness and tingling. But, again, you will meet a lot of people here who suffer from numbness and tingling during a migraine. During my very severe migraines I suffer from numbness and tingling and paralysis on one side of my face and once on one side of my arm. You will also meet one of our members "rudyhorse" here, who suffers from migraines with stroke-like symptoms as well.
For people who ALWAYS suffer stroke-like symptoms during their migraine, that is called Hemiplegic Migraine. If you suffer one or two of these types of migraines, then some doctors will just call it atypical migraine or sporadic hemiplegic migraine.
The vision symptoms are very normal for migraine. That is called Migraine with Aura.
The not being able to stand sound is also normal for migraine too. That is called being phonophobia during a migraine. Most people suffer from photophobia during a migraine, that means being bothered by light or being very sensitive to light. Some people are very sensitive to smell too during a migraine. The scientific reason for this can be explained because... well, there is a group of cells that is located in the brain stem that controls the flow of sensory information such as light, noise, smell and pain, and during a migraine, this group of cells behaves abnormally during a migraine... which is why our senses go hay-wire and why light is too bright and noise is too loud and smell is icky.
Your vision going crazy is probably an aura. An aura is a normal part of a migraine. The vision part of Aura is almost always something called Scintillating Scotoma... a type of bright light or shiny light in the visual field. But, it can also be other things too, like things being blurry or even loss of vision for some people. Let me know if any of these four pictures are what you see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fortifikation_%28Migr%C3%A4ne%29.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Negatives_Skotom_%28Brandenburger_Tor_Blaue_Stunde%29_1.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Positives_Skotom_%28Brandenburger_Tor_Blaue_Stunde%29_1.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gesichtsfeldausfall_%28Brandenburger_Tor_Blaue_Stunde%29_1.jpg
The visual problems happen because of cortical spreading depression... basically it is part of what is physically happening in your brain during a migraine and it's like a little "brain storm" is what my doctor sort of calls it... and, it's basically just a wave of nerve cell activity in the area of the brain that controls vision. For people who don't experience aura, they think that it happens lower and is called "sub-cortical spreading depression". After the hyper-excitability, the nerves then get tired for a while and are less active. This also effects blood flow a bit too, which is why there is still inflammation involved in migraines, even though the "Vascular theory" was a flawed theory... blood vessels still get inflamed because of how cortical spreading depression effects blood flow. But.. anyway... that's off topic. Basically... when your eye site goes crazy, that is because the neurons in the area of your brain that controls vision are hyper active because you are having a migraine... that is what a migraine is.
As for the medications you are taking... a few of us here are taking the beta blocker nadolol... I am! :) I don't know if it is helping me yet either... :( I never tried Nortriptyline, but I tried an antidepressant called amitriptyline and Nortriptyline is related to amitriptyline in that it is an active metabolite of amitriptyline. Anyway, I didn't find that amitriptyline helped me much...
How does the Naratriptan (Amerge) work for you if you use it RIGHT away? Triptans are usually the best drugs on the market at the moment for migraines, since they are the only acute drugs on the market at the moment that are for migraines. If the amerge isn't working great for you, I would suggest switching to a quickly-absorbed triptan... I will suggest the following:
- Maxalt-MLT 10mg : maxalt orally disintegrating tablets
- Imitrex Tablets 50mg : orally disintegrating tablets (woah that seems like a lot of mgs please check with your doctor about that...)
- Imitrex Injection 6mg
- Imitrex Nasal Spray 20mg
- Zomig-ZMT 5mg: zomig orally disintegrating tablets
- Zomig Nasal Spray 5mg
Now none of these are "STRONGER" pain medications. They aren't pain medications at all. So, your doctor shouldn't have a problem with you trying different triptans. Talk to him about it. I had to try a lot of different triptans before I found one that worked the best for me. Zomig works the best for me. I have a lot of friends that say Maxalt works the best for them. So... ask your doctor about trying different triptans. And make sure they are ALL quick dissolve or nasal sprays!! Otherwise you wait TWO HOURS for the medication to work. If it is a nasal spray it can work in 10 to 15 minutes, if it is a quick dissolve tablet it can work in half an hour! :)
Sorry your migraines are so bad right now... I hope that they get better soon... keep us updated.
Well, it sounds like you have very bad migraines that are very hard to treat. Some people only get migraines once or twice a year. Some people only get migraines once or twice a month. If they are able to find a medication that can help them with the pain, then they have their migraines under control and that is about as much as they can do for their migraines. It is still awful for them when they DO get their migraines (and we can all help them with tips and tricks to lower the severity of an acute attack), but medically, they have been successful in treating their migraines.
But, for some people, like us, we suffer from chronic migraines. That is the main different between your kind of migraine and a regular migraine... is that your migraine is chronic. But, many people here have chronic migraines so we understand!! I have chronic migraines too!! Another thing that is different from a "regular" migraine.... and regular isn't the best word to use, maybe statistically more probable that someone might have that kind of migraine... and our kinds of migraines are statistically less probable that someone would suffer from them... because words like "regular" or "normal" migraine suggest that our migraines are weird, and really they aren't weird, they are still migraines and there is nothing that is that medically weird about them at all. But anyway, the thing that is different is the numbness and tingling. But, again, you will meet a lot of people here who suffer from numbness and tingling during a migraine. During my very severe migraines I suffer from numbness and tingling and paralysis on one side of my face and once on one side of my arm. You will also meet one of our members "rudyhorse" here, who suffers from migraines with stroke-like symptoms as well.
For people who ALWAYS suffer stroke-like symptoms during their migraine, that is called Hemiplegic Migraine. If you suffer one or two of these types of migraines, then some doctors will just call it atypical migraine or sporadic hemiplegic migraine.
The vision symptoms are very normal for migraine. That is called Migraine with Aura.
The not being able to stand sound is also normal for migraine too. That is called being phonophobia during a migraine. Most people suffer from photophobia during a migraine, that means being bothered by light or being very sensitive to light. Some people are very sensitive to smell too during a migraine. The scientific reason for this can be explained because... well, there is a group of cells that is located in the brain stem that controls the flow of sensory information such as light, noise, smell and pain, and during a migraine, this group of cells behaves abnormally during a migraine... which is why our senses go hay-wire and why light is too bright and noise is too loud and smell is icky.
Your vision going crazy is probably an aura. An aura is a normal part of a migraine. The vision part of Aura is almost always something called Scintillating Scotoma... a type of bright light or shiny light in the visual field. But, it can also be other things too, like things being blurry or even loss of vision for some people. Let me know if any of these four pictures are what you see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fortifikation_%28Migr%C3%A4ne%29.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Negatives_Skotom_%28Brandenburger_Tor_Blaue_Stunde%29_1.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Positives_Skotom_%28Brandenburger_Tor_Blaue_Stunde%29_1.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gesichtsfeldausfall_%28Brandenburger_Tor_Blaue_Stunde%29_1.jpg
The visual problems happen because of cortical spreading depression... basically it is part of what is physically happening in your brain during a migraine and it's like a little "brain storm" is what my doctor sort of calls it... and, it's basically just a wave of nerve cell activity in the area of the brain that controls vision. For people who don't experience aura, they think that it happens lower and is called "sub-cortical spreading depression". After the hyper-excitability, the nerves then get tired for a while and are less active. This also effects blood flow a bit too, which is why there is still inflammation involved in migraines, even though the "Vascular theory" was a flawed theory... blood vessels still get inflamed because of how cortical spreading depression effects blood flow. But.. anyway... that's off topic. Basically... when your eye site goes crazy, that is because the neurons in the area of your brain that controls vision are hyper active because you are having a migraine... that is what a migraine is.
As for the medications you are taking... a few of us here are taking the beta blocker nadolol... I am! :) I don't know if it is helping me yet either... :( I never tried Nortriptyline, but I tried an antidepressant called amitriptyline and Nortriptyline is related to amitriptyline in that it is an active metabolite of amitriptyline. Anyway, I didn't find that amitriptyline helped me much...
How does the Naratriptan (Amerge) work for you if you use it RIGHT away? Triptans are usually the best drugs on the market at the moment for migraines, since they are the only acute drugs on the market at the moment that are for migraines. If the amerge isn't working great for you, I would suggest switching to a quickly-absorbed triptan... I will suggest the following:
- Maxalt-MLT 10mg : maxalt orally disintegrating tablets
- Imitrex Tablets 50mg : orally disintegrating tablets (woah that seems like a lot of mgs please check with your doctor about that...)
- Imitrex Injection 6mg
- Imitrex Nasal Spray 20mg
- Zomig-ZMT 5mg: zomig orally disintegrating tablets
- Zomig Nasal Spray 5mg
Now none of these are "STRONGER" pain medications. They aren't pain medications at all. So, your doctor shouldn't have a problem with you trying different triptans. Talk to him about it. I had to try a lot of different triptans before I found one that worked the best for me. Zomig works the best for me. I have a lot of friends that say Maxalt works the best for them. So... ask your doctor about trying different triptans. And make sure they are ALL quick dissolve or nasal sprays!! Otherwise you wait TWO HOURS for the medication to work. If it is a nasal spray it can work in 10 to 15 minutes, if it is a quick dissolve tablet it can work in half an hour! :)
Sorry your migraines are so bad right now... I hope that they get better soon... keep us updated.
You must join this user group in order to participate in this discussion.
You are reading content posted in the Migraineurs Support Group
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
