Family History?

So I started Topamax today, fingers crossed maybe I'll have some relief.

I was wondering, how many people have others in their family that also suffer from migraines? My mom gets frequent migraines, she hasn't lost all funcionality like I have but they are a lot worse than the average person. I am sure you guys have discussed this topic before but I am new and was just wondering, I know migraines can run in families so I wanted to see what the numbers looked like. Thanks!

Hi scarborough,

Wow scarborough. Good luck with the Topamax. Do come and let us know about the side effects. I know I had a lot of them but they have worked wonders for the migraines. Side effects are none or minimal now.

It's an interesting question. My mum suffered from them for years and they stopped when she got through menopause. Hoping mine will do the same, though that's about 10 or so years off yet!

Cheers,
Living

No one in my family has had a migraine.

-Christina

They run in my family big time. Topomac worked very well for me for a while like most medications i have taken. The best side affect is weight loss.(yoo hoo).

Hey gardner,

If I get that side effect from Topamax, I eat so much chocolate that it doesn't get a chance to show...

I think my Grandma had them, she died when I was 11, but my mom said that her's were mostly menustral. currently my sister had them randomly, 1-2 every few months. Two of her kids have them randomly like that too. One is a girl and one a boy. She has 3 children 14, 12, and 8. It is the 12 and 8 yr old that get them. They also all have different fathers, so I figure it is safe to assume it is from her that they get them.

This is an interesting topic. The first several years I had them, nobody else did. My sister started a few years ago, and like I said it is not often and very random. they are pretty bad for her, but she takes excedrin migraine (!?! yuck) and seems to be satisfied with that. Her 12 year old girl takes some sort of tylenol with codene, and Maxalt. She is very small. I don't think she gives her son anything but regular Tylenol. He has some allergy/medical issues that make medications tricky.

My maternal aunt used to get them really badly like I do. She said they got sooo much better after menopause. She only gets them a couple of times a year now. I'm hoping to follow her. My Mom also gets them. She to this day refuses to admit that's what they were because they aren't like mine or my aunts. She just called them sick headaches. She stopped getting them when she was prescribed Inderal for a blood pressure problem. I thought we were the only ones until recently I'm finding out that I have several cousins and nieces who also get them.

My half sister gets migraine too. Our frequencies and severities are different, as well as our treatments. It helps to have a family member who completely understands how I feel.

Hi,

I have a family histry of migraine. My paternal grandmother had horrible "sinus Headaches", but it is clear that they were migraines. My father had them as a teenager. 2 of my cousins have them. No one has them as severely as I do, but there is a clear family history/genetic predisposition in our family.

Pain free days,
sailingm

My father suffered all the time. My mother occasionally. My sisters get hormonal migraines. My maternal Great Grandmother also suffered alot. I also have a cousin who is 18 years old and has just started getting chronic migraine. I suffer Chronic Migraine.

I also have auto-immune passed down on my Mother's side of the family. My Grandmother has Parkinsons & Fibromyalgia. My Mother has MS. One Aunt has hashimotos thyroid. Another Aunt has Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have Fibromyalgia. My sister is undiagnosed, but has recently been suffering numbness on one side of her body.

My grandfather gets them and my mother gets them. My sister had them when she was little. No one has them to the debilitating degree that I do.

I am terrified that I will pass this on to my two daughters. I pray that they don't inherit this.

I have a strong family history; all my brothers (I have no sisters); both parents; all four grandparents; my mom's two sisters get them and her one brother. A few cousins get them too. My maternal grandmother's only sister gets them too. I don't know about great grandparents.

In short, I don't know of a blood relative that does not get them!

My mother used to get them. My brother has suffered from severe and chronic migraines as well as occipital neuralgia for the past 25 years.

I have family history of migraine (maternal) and don't think I have them at this point. I have a different type of headache condition that was mis-diagnosed as migraine for the first few years. I do though get some migraine-like symptoms like the one sided intense pain, nausea, and sensitivity to sound. Also have maternal family history of auto immune and all sorts of illness. Seems like I've got it all too. Good thing is there are more treatment options and advocacy now. Best wishes.

to add to the family history discussion.......dad had them but not nearly as bad as mine. mom never in her life had a headache! oh woe, why i didn't i inherit her side of things?

my maternal grandmother would disappear into her bedroom and the doctor would come (in the olden days, 1940's-50's, when doctors did that sort of thing) and give her a shot. i'm assuming they were migraines, then called "sick headaches". dianne

My mother had migraines but I am the only one of her 3 children that have them. My son had 1 or 2 migraines when he was young but hasn't had any since & he's now 50. I'm hoping it stops with me.