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14 days with no sign of breaking...

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Post  susan99 Mon 20 Oct 2014, 9:12 pm

First topic message reminder :

hi guys, i haven't been on the board in quite a long time. don't know if anyone will remember me lol. but i made some big changes and moved, and decided to go back to grad school. have the chronic daily head pain/transformed migraine stuff. but i've been in a horrible cycle going on 14 days today, this full on migraine keeps coming back. i went to the ER last week cause i couldn't take it anymore, but no real relief yet. prior to that i had a couple of migraines two weeks before that had knocked me out for a while too. sooo packing this last bout on if quite exhausting.

unfortunately, this kicked up a week before midterms set in, i had to delay 2 (they only gave me a week to make them up), and i'm not doing well because my brain hurts aghhh. i had a test today and i'm praying it went ok. i guess i should have delayed this one too, however, i was starting to feel better last friday and thought it would be best to just slug onward. i've had 24/7 head pain going on 15-17 yrs now, but man i'm not being able to power through it. and you know, they charge you to reschedule an exam? even with a note from the ER. when did this happen? my goodness.

so basically have a midterm every day for the next three days. i know we need to be our own advocates, but it's so hard when you're hurting, as i know you all know already. sigh Sad Sad i think i bit off a bit more than i could chew without allowing for leeway with the headaches, this timing didn't leave my any cushion. but i left my job to go to school full time the first year, so really was trying to get as much under my belt as possible.

susan

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Post  milo Mon 15 Dec 2014, 9:51 am

Congrats on surviving the semester!!!!!

I has a lot of success with the ergots. Triptans rarely work for me and make me feel so sick.
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Post  Sara79 Mon 15 Dec 2014, 7:11 pm

I have had and used both, I found that for me, they were each very effective against different 'types' of migraines.  Cafergot (old med, cheap- caffeine and ergot)-for me it really worked on the college finals week migraines while I was a student.  The muscle tension caused me to position myself badly and led to tension headaches that triggered a migraine.  Other than not taking at bedtime (I'm caffeine sensitive), it worked with little/no major side effects for me.  


As a note, ergot is BAD if you're attempting to conceive, it has been used as an herbal abortifactant for many many years, and if you don't miscarry, your baby might have birth defects.  DHE is a newer ergot med, it doesn't have the caffeine, and it tends to be either a magic bullet or does nothing, from what I've read from many many migraineurs.  I myself have never taken DHE.


Triptans-luckily they work for me, with varying success.  Maxalt has become my go to...it's generic now (in the US), and it does best for my migraine with aura, especially if they are not menstrual migraines.  Immitrex pills/nasal spray do nothing, but the injections can help (personally I prefer the epi-pen style with a needle-the needle-less delivery system hurt more, bruised worse, and if you flinch you will waste the medicine spraying it across your skin rather than pushing it subcutaneous).  


I've tried samples of Zomig nasal spray, it was a hail Mary, since my doc said it's generally reacted to similarly as you react to imitrex.  It worked as well as the immitrex nasal spray, but it was worth trying the free sample dose to me.


Frova seems to be the med of choice as preventative/treatment for menstrual migraines among neuros near me.  It takes longer to kick in (about 2-3 hours compared to 30 mins on the maxalt), but its half life is 26 hours, much longer than any other triptan (half life-amount of time it takes your liver and kidneys to remove 1/2 of the absorbed medication from your bloodstream).  This is why they like it for menstrual migraines, it stays with you longer, so will help as a preventative much longer than the other triptans.  I know so many of us would know what half life is, but just in case somebody didn't I figured I'd just define it.  

For women with a regular cycle, who regularly get menstrual migraines, many neuros will have them take a frova BEFORE they begin the phase of their cycle that triggers migraines for them.  They are lucky, since my cycle is extremely irregular, even with medical intervention, so I have to play catch up after I've began a menstrual migraine and defined it as a menstrual migraine.  For the men, I won't go into any further detail, that's already more than you probably wanted to hear.

Obviously, everybody's own reaction to medication differs...I just don't mind sharing what I've learned on my path, if it will help somebody else.  Feel free to post or PM me questions if anybody on here wants any other details.  To me, one of the amazing things about everybody here is our willingness to share our experiences and our caring for one another.


Last edited by Sara79 on Mon 15 Dec 2014, 7:12 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : put in more paragraph breaks)

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Post  Cluelesskitty Tue 16 Dec 2014, 5:22 pm

You are so knowledgeable Sara!
Thank you for sharing what you know with us. That is tons of valuable info,
and how excellently explained. Thanks very much!

Risa
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Post  Sara79 Tue 16 Dec 2014, 6:32 pm

Cluelesskitty wrote:You are so knowledgeable Sara!
Thank you for sharing what you know with us. That is tons of valuable info,
and how excellently explained. Thanks very much!

Risa

Embarassed You flatter me! Since I work in health care, I've got a bit more knowledge of the jargon that's used in medicine, and being bilingual in English/Medical as you all know can make a world of differences. I'm also the person who actually reads all the papers that come inside the box/bottle of pills, simply because if I'm going to take them, I'm going to know what to expect. I did that and used WebMD tons even before getting the medical schooling.

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Post  Cluelesskitty Wed 17 Dec 2014, 6:40 pm

I read  the leaflets, too, but most of it what  I understand is "blah blah Maxalt  blah blah blah Frova blah blah menstruation blah blah blah" lololol
pat your self on the back, kiddo 'cuz you do deserve it Smile

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Post  Sara79 Thu 18 Dec 2014, 1:22 am

Cluelesskitty wrote:I read  the leaflets, too, but most of it what  I understand is "blah blah Maxalt  blah blah blah Frova blah blah menstruation blah blah blah" lololol
pat your self on the back, kiddo 'cuz you do deserve it Smile

Risa

Thank you! As I said, if you need the 'blah blah' translated, just ask...I'm more than willing, so long as I've got access to the med insert, and webmd almost always has that info.

Personally, I find it hilarious to look for the chart with the med vs placebo data...some of the meds I've used professionally are as effective as a placebo (albuterol, unless you actually have asthma). When they ran studies on it with pts who have respiratory issues, but don't have asthma, it's as effective as nothing (example conditions-some COPD and congestive heart failure-both make it harder to breath, but albuterol isn't able to fix what's wrong).

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Post  Cluelesskitty Thu 18 Dec 2014, 3:12 pm

Thanks very much Sara, I'll keep that in mind.
As for the placebo and so forth, for a change I do understand what you mean.
I agree, if you have a condition that has nothing to do with the medication on trial you might as well keep poppin'  tic-tacks, lol.
or m&m's, at least they are pretty to look at  Laughing
(personally, my fave are Reese's Pieces, yummmm! although I rarely have these for obvious reason)

The way the human mind goes wayward sometimes, eh? lololol

Risa
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