Hormonal Migraines

Have any of you ladies with hormonal migraines gone on birth control? My migraines are generally always hormonal or barometric related. I have told numerous doctors this and eventually ask if maybe going on birth control 24X7 would help.
I havent been on birth control in years. My husband had a vasectomy after our youngest was born so I haven't had a need for it.
My thought in doing this was to keep my hormone level more even and to hopefully eliminate the migraines. I talked to my neurologist about this and he didn't want to put me on birth control due to stroke, heart attack risk etc.
I found this a little odd since millions of women are on birth control.

for any of you ladies in the uk who get menstral migs, the city of london mig clinic are doing research into it at the mo and need volunteers to take part. ive never been put on the pill as blood pressure is too high and it creases the risks of the stroke and heart attack like you were saying, is your bp ususally controlled?? maybe thats why he wont put you on it??!!

I offered to do the trial Dawn, but as usual, need to go to the clinic.....
Always the same, the worst effected dont get counted or treated the same.

pen, dont get down its not that you are the worst affected and arent being counted, its good that thyre doing the trial with menstrating women and it could help you . lets live in hope.

Two years ago, an OBGYN decided that this was the course of action to take. Not only were my migraines not reduced, but two months into it, my period started and wouldn't stop for 35 days, and it was heavy.

In theory it sounds great, but if it worked, we'd all be doing it. It took me another 3 months to get back to normal.

I have been on birth control most of my life and the pill I was on was not new to me, nor was it a harsh one.

This was my experience.

Angela

My blood pressure is normal to low actually. Recently I had a migraine in the evening...........went to bed (no meds) got up to get a drink and ended up passing out in my kitchen. I came to very quickly but not without a nasty cut on my knee. I know it was the migraine in conjunction with my low blood pressure that caused me to pass out. First time that has ever happened but it scared me. I hope it's the last.
I just think it's so odd that Migraines are such a mystery. I mean, I know that they know the cause is the blood vessel thing but I would just think that would be easily controlled.

if you are able to get the mailings from migraine trust in the uk, in their latest magazine they do explain migrianes and altho it used to be thought of as a vascular problem they now know its not and it is all explained in the article. its a long process to find things that do help. lbp would alo be a contraindication for the pill !!

Where is all this stuff from Migraine Trust Dawn...do you have to be a member?
Migraine action put just about everything on the web site, is it not the same...

Hormones.....they started my problems and despite menopause I am worse, much worse.
Yes they gave me the pill.......worst migraine ever.
Then HRT......made me ill and did nothing for the head..

I learned from thyroid dr if you have hormonal migraines your thyroid is likely to be out...even just a little.
AND if you start hormone therapy you need to do it before any sign of menopause...

it might be that you have to be a member to get the mag dont know did you order their latest magazine?

When I got the posters they sent a June magazine.
Are you a member Dawn?

yes i am a memeber.

Im not, just MAA. That must explain it then.

I had a horrible experience with being put on birth control pills for migraine relief. First they put me on the pills without a break but I was having breakthrough bleeding with breakthrough migraines which were intense. Then they decided that since that wasn't working they would put me on for only three months at a time so that my body would have at least a small break. This didn't work either. I would have massive migraines every three months with breakthroughs in between. Before this I had only experienced menstual migrains wih the occasional nonmenstrual migraine here and there. Finally they decided that I should go off the birth controll completely and give my hormones a rest. This triggered a static migraine that lasted almost 40 days. Since then I have experienced almost daily migraines. I was lucky if it was only once a week. They grew in intensity and became debilitating. I don't know what happened, if it was the hormones or if it would have happened anyway, but I have been told by all my physicians that I should not go on hormones ever again. Now I am on Topamax with great results. It doesn't stop the hormonal migraines from coming, but they seem smaller.

Anyway, I have been told two things, it can help some women to go on the birth control pill, and it can make it worse for some women to go on birth conrtol pills. I had already been on the pill, so I don't know if the contiuous pill or swithing of the pill made the difference, but be careful and talk with your doctor.

The pill is contraindicated for those predisposed to stroke. Migraineurs have a higher chance of experiencing stroke. So it doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

When I was on the pill, I remember having the worst migraines during that week on placebo. I am so glad I had my tubes tied. While I'd love not to have the hormonal trigger, it is much less of a trigger than the sudden removal of the pill during that off week.

Before you go on pill read www.migraine-headaches-information.com. Dr. Jones makes a very strong case for birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy which both use artificial hormones actually being the cause of much of the migraine problem in women. Apparently is screws up your bodies natural creation of progesterone. His treatment plan uses natural progesterone. Since I have been on it my migraines have gone from 80% of days with half severe ones to only about 1 per month. It has made a huge difference in my life!

I'm on an oestrogen pill. I find I get a bad migraine in the breaks, but I can control it with Imigran. The rest of the time I'm pretty much alright unless some of my other stressors get in the way.

For some reason going on the pill is considered a stroke risk for migraine sufferers, but only those with aura. I don't get the aura so I was told it was ok.

If your migraines are hormonal the pill may help (or may make it worse).