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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Migraine ladies, some questions
How long have you been suffering from migraines?
Are you currently on any treatment for them?
Do you avoid certain beauty products because they will give you a headache?
Do you have to make lifestyle changes to help manage them?
Have you ever taken Topamax for them? This ones personal, I have just decided to try this after years of suffering and I am scared of the side affects. Please tell me about your experiences with this drug.
Re: Migraine ladies, some questions
How long have you been suffering from migraines? ever since I can remember...I used to miss school in grade school because of them.
Are you currently on any treatment for them? No. I have learned my triggers and have learned what I need to do to stop it from progressing. I'm not always successful with stopping them. I used to take Imitrex, but had a severe allergic reaction to it after having taken it for about 2 yrs, so I just avoid anything but Excedrin Migraine.
Do you avoid certain beauty products because they will give you a headache? Yes. I can't use Philosophy's Hope in a Jar and there are some hair products that I avoid. Most dry shampoos have a smell that trigger my headaches. L'Oreal had a line of Sulphate free hair products a while back that had a smell to them I couldn't tolerate (their anti-frizz serum was the worst). I go for unscented hairspray.
Do you have to make lifestyle changes to help manage them? Yes, I try to avoid red wine. I also cannot walk through the cosmetics/fragrance section of department stores or it's an instant headache. I have to make sure I stay hydrated and don't let myself get too hungry. My ENT doctor told me that my migraines and sinus issues are probably related (when I have sinus issues I usually get a migraine). I make sure to take my allergy meds daily so my sinuses don't bother me. Since I've been on my Mirena IUD they have gotten better. I think the estrogen in BCPs played a part in my migraines too.
ETA: Either getting too hot (think Summer, humidity, hot sun) or walking into a place with the AC cranked (or having the AC in my car blowing on my face) when I'm really warm are triggers.
I have had migraines since 05 when I went on the pill...I've been on multiple types, and now have one that isn't so bad. I do not avoid beauty products, but if it smells too much I won't use it.
I take an execdrin or a prescription if I feel one coming on...that works best.
hated Topamax....it gave me short term memory loss and other weird side effects. I don't take anything for it now...being on seasonale and only having a period 1 every 3 months helps a lot. I also avoid onions and aged cheeses...those do me in
How long have you been suffering from migraines? 12 years
Are you currently on any treatment for them? Maxalt/ Chiropractor
Do you avoid certain beauty products because they will give you a headache? Just perfume. Burberry doesn't give me a headache
Do you have to make lifestyle changes to help manage them? If I let my neck/ shoulder tension get too bad, I'll get a migraine. Sufites, preservatives and food colorings cause migraines and if I have any alcohol within a few days of my cycle starting, I'll get a migraine.
Have you ever taken Topamax for them? This ones personal, I have just decided to try this after years of suffering and I am scared of the side affects. Please tell me about your experiences with this drug.
Ohh, I took Top for about a year. It made me so loopy and forgetful I couldn't function anymore. It worked well to eliminate frequent headaches, but that side affect was pretty brutal. I couldn't hold a conversation without forgetting common words anymore. It took a few months to recover.
This is me too. I said 20 years because I know I was in grade school back then and I know I missed school back then. I don't have allergies, but my sinuses hurt every time I get a migraine. I too avoid department stores because of the perfume counters.
I am super interested in the Minera thing. I've been contemplating one, but BCPs have messed me up so much in the past, that I have been really scared.
I really like my Mirena. I've had it almost 4 yrs and will probably get another one at the 5 yr mark...although, I'm getting to the age where I may be headed into menopause soon. My mom's migraines actually got less frequent when she was done going through menopause. She wouldn't be able to function for about 2 days and couldn't eat without throwing up when she got migraines. Luckily mine are not quite that bad.
I've had migraines for about 10 years, specifically bad ones that required prescription meds for about 3.
I take Verapamil for prevention and I take either motrin w/ caffeine or Imitrex for an actual headache.
I don't avoid beauty products. My triggers are artificial sweeteners, stress, sinus infections, allergies and rainy days.
I try to stay well-hydrated, eat a well-balanced diet that doesn't have a ton of fake or processed stuff in it an manage stress. I also take a daily allergy med.
Topamax, for me, was the worst drug I could have ever taken. I started out with Elavil, which did nothing. The neurologist then switched me to Topamax. I only made it to 50mg (a pretty small dose) and while it stopped the headaches, I was basically not able to function. It happened slowly over the month I took it but I had most of the side-effects: numbness and tingling in my toes and fingers, insomnia, lack of an appetite, lack of motivation, mental fogginess, inability to remember things. My stint ended when I didn't sleep for 27 hours. I weaned off of it and started Verapamil which has worked fairly well with minimal side effects.
How long have you been suffering from migraines? Since I was about 15.
Are you currently on any treatment for them? No. I take Exedrin Migraine when I get one and it really works for me.
Do you avoid certain beauty products because they will give you a headache? Hm, I never noticed any correlation...
Do you have to make lifestyle changes to help manage them? Yes, a HUGE one. I stopped taking birth control and now I'm charting to avoid getting pregnant. Although it was difficult at first, it has definitely been the best option for me. I was tracking my migraines and was getting them about 15 days out of the month, the worst ones being the week before my period. Since I've been off the pill (in Oct), I have only had 2 migraines. And haven't gotten knocked up. Yet, lol.
Have you ever taken Topamax for them? WORST DRUG EVER!!!!!! Tingling in hands, fingers, feet. Everything tasted like CRAP. Couldn't focus on anything. Things that normally took me 5 minutes to do, would take me an hour. It was like I was in slow motion. Because I was so weirded out by my fogginess, my mood was horrible. I cried ALL THE TIME. H (he was my bf at the time) was scared I was suicidal. The worst part was when I got lost going home from work b/c I couldn't remember where the hell I was going. Mind you, I lived at the house for 20 years of my life and worked at my job for 3 years and it was only a mile and a half distance. Not to mention, you have to wean yourself off or you'll end up having seizures. DO NOT TAKE IT.
My Blog - Really Renata
How long have you been suffering from migraines? Only a couple of years.
Are you currently on any treatment for them? Just Midrin as needed, nothing maintenance.
Do you avoid certain beauty products because they will give you a headache? Some perfumes trigger migraines for me.
Do you have to make lifestyle changes to help manage them? Not really; I haven't noticed any particular triggers that I can avoid.
Have you ever taken Topamax for them? This ones personal, I have just decided to try this after years of suffering and I am scared of the side affects. Please tell me about your experiences with this drug. Yes, and I hated it. At first it just made me kind of jumpy and skittery. I had no appetite whatsoever. And then after just a couple of days, I started not being able to find words. That "tip-of-the-tongue" feeling was constant and SO frustrating, and it happened regardless of what the word was or how difficult or common it was. I'd forget things like "phone" as easily as I forgot names.
I lost a pretty good amount of weight on Topamax. Not only did it curb my appetite, it made things taste like sand. In particular, soda lost its flavor entirely. Have you ever read the book or seen the movie The Langoliers? Where they eat the food and it's tasteless and horrible? That's what food tastes like on Topamax to me.
After two weeks and ten pounds lost, I called my doctor and she weaned me off of it over the next few days.
I'd rather have migraines from here to eternity and deal with them as they come than take that stuff again.
BUT -- I do have to mention, my migraines don't tend to be severely debilitating. They lay me out for a good few hours, but generally after the pain subsides I'm able to get up and function basically. Some people I know have migraines so terrible that it devastates them for two or three days at a go, even with strong painkillers/triptans/maintenance medications.
I take Midrin right now on an as-needed basis. It's basically a vasculoconstrictor and a mild sedative/muscle relaxant. It takes care of the headache within about four to five hours usually, and the sedative in it helps ease my stomach and stop the panicky I'm-going-to-die feeling.
Updated September 2012.
ETA: I also see chiro, and she's awesome. seriously cut down the frequency of non-migraine headaches too.
How long have you been suffering from migraines? For as long as I can remember..
Are you currently on any treatment for them? Yes I take Topamax 100mg- 2x a day and Imitrex 100mg as needed.
Do you avoid certain beauty products because they will give you a headache? No
Do you have to make lifestyle changes to help manage them? I dont drink any alcohol...
Have you ever taken Topamax for them? This ones personal, I have just decided to try this after years of suffering and I am scared of the side affects. Please tell me about your experiences with this drug. I LOVE Topamax, for me it has been a life changing drug. It has changed the amount of Migraines I get from 2-3 times a week to maybe.... one every 3 months. The side effects I had in the beginning like the food and drinks tasting funny have all subsided. The loss of appetite has unfortunately subsided too, darn it :-)
I am happy to hear one person has had a good experience with Topamax. I am scared to take it, but am at my wit's end. Thanks for your thoughts.
Thank you all for your thoughts. For those of you who specifically said to stay away from Topamax, I have to ask if you think it is worth it to take it if I have tried everything else and get no relief.
I get the debilitating type, lock yourself in a dark room with no sound, I vomit, get cold sweats and shakes. My ears ring, and I am extremely dizzy. I get this type once a month for a day or two. Unfortunately, I do not have the luxury to lock myself away or call in sick because I am a SAHM and I don't have any help during the day. The day after the headache is gone, my body is so sore and brain is foggy, so I consider that another wasted day.
Another time or two a month I will get regular migraines, really bad headaches with loss of appetite, but minus the vomiting.
A single Imitrex does nothing for me, except sometimes take the edge off and turn it into a really bad headache instead of a migraine for a few hours, then the migraine returns. The second dose sometimes helps, but by then it's already been a day. This is at least twice or three times a month. I even give myself the shots if they are bad enough and I freaking hate needles.
Ive tried midrin, and it didn't help. I don't take BCPS and chart to avoid getting pregnant. I avoid all triggers I know off. Topamax really is my last resort.