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Beta Blockers for prevention of migraines?

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Beta Blockers for prevention of migraines? Empty Beta Blockers for prevention of migraines?

Post  jennyds33 Sun Mar 07, 2010 3:07 pm

I went to see my Neurologist last week after having a pretty terrible reaction to Triptans (heart palpitations and chest pain). I had also tried Topomax but felt incredibly anxious/moody on it. He put me on beta blockers for the migraines. He also set me up to get an echocardiogram this week. He thinks that I may have mitral valve prolapse, kind of a hole in my heart. That may explain a lot of the migraines, my heart palpitation episodes, occasional chest pain, and my history of panic attacks/anxiety problems.

Just wondering if anyone else has been put on beta blockers and what their experience was. Also if anyone has mitral valve prolapse. I've read that it's mostly harmless if you are diagnosed, just need to take beta blockers.
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Post  mxgo Sun Mar 07, 2010 3:45 pm

I've had it all my life, I am now 72. I guess it was very slight since I was accepted in the USAF at 18 years old. I am on Atenolol (sp?) only half a dose (12.5 mg) because it drives my bpm too low. I have high systolic BP.

My Dad had it and he passed away at 92. He said the only down side was when he was not accepted in the Army for WWII.

My headaches did not start until three years ago. I believe that my headaches are classified as New Daily Persistent Headache, I have a headache all the time, it just varies in intensity.

I had an echocardiogram in January 2009, prior to surgery. The were measuring the injection rate of the heart chambers, it measured above average. The surgery was not heart related.
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Post  pen Sun Mar 07, 2010 4:10 pm

Jenny, re the triptans. Have you just tried one kind? I couldnt get on with Imigran/Imitrex. They gave me 100mgs and they scared the life out of me.....symptoms like yours. I then went on 50mg and the effect was less but I still felt as if I had a dwarf sitting on my chest. However no other Triptans, whether they have proved efficacious or not have given me those scarey effects.
Is it worth trying a different one?

Mitral valve. I know of two people form the same family who had the correction.(Not because of migraine) They did get an improvement in their occasional migraines, but they both had aura. In England I think I am correct in saying they are phasing the PVO out, as it hasnt been considered to be a big help and no evidence of a cause. If I have that wrong I know someone will correct me.

Beta blockers, have had them 3 times. First time tolerated them quite well, but gave up when they didnt help at all.
Second time, had to stop them when in the winter my fingers turned white.
Third time, made my BP drop so sharply had to go straight to dr.
Not tried again,they didnt help anyway.

Good luck.


Last edited by pen on Sun Mar 07, 2010 5:53 pm; edited 1 time in total

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Post  AuntieBubbs Sun Mar 07, 2010 5:36 pm

What triptan was it that caused those symptoms, or was it more than one?

I ask because I had similar symtoms recently when trying Zomig, and I know LoveGia on the board here did as well.
FYI Imigran is a UK brand name, not a US one, so if it doesn't sound familiar, that's why.

I have been able to tolerate Imitrex and Relpax without side effects. No side effects at all with Relpax, and diminished side effects with imitrex. When I first started on it, they were stronger - hot flashes, tightness in my neck, blood rushing to my head, etc. They've gone away with time as I've become used to the med though.

You should talk to LoveGia though, I think she is experiencing something similar now with being tested for the mitral valve thing, but don't quote me on that.

I tried beta blockers about 8 years ago, they didn't do anything for me. Topomax is my poison of choice now, and it works well. I didn't have the mood altering side effects that others describe, though I do have moments of "god, I feel stupid" that I think have been brought on by the meds. A fair trade off, as I feel the topo has been a tremendous help overall. I can function now, when I couldn't before.
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Post  HeelerLady Sun Mar 07, 2010 6:38 pm

I tried atenolol before I started with the neuro (my gp did this) but it did nothing for me. This may be something for me to revisit if other things completely fail me...

I also had an echocardiogram at one point and they did find a minor heart defect, but they said it was nothing to be concerned about as a large portion of the population has it and it's not bothering me.
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Post  theresae Mon Mar 08, 2010 5:11 am

hi i have been on propranolol 40mg twice daily for 6 months now and they have helped, i am not migraine free but they have reduced the severity of them, i havent taken a triptan now for the whole time i have been on propanolol, i now take pain relief on prescription from gp, some days i do struggle and have to go to bed instead of taking triptan, today for example i have taken pain relief and anti sickness and have been lying down on bed for 2 hours, migraine at about a level 3 now, the propranolol, has reduced the severity of migraines as i said because b4 propranolol this M would of just keep going until it peeked at a level 8 and i would of taken a triptan asap and waited until it kicks in,

my problenm has always been frequency, i have about 5 days a week with migraine, and i wasnt getting on well taking so many triptans , now i can actually ignore some of the days with low grade head pain and not take anything at all, so for me propranolol has had a positive effective, so far,

weight gain and tiredness has been an issue though
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Post  charmed quark Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:44 am

There seems to be a lot of variability in how people respond. Beta blockers use to be the standard preventative treatment. They were the first drug I was put on. Typically you get a lower dosage than what is used to control blood pressure.

In my case they did little for my migraines and made me miserable - I was cold all the time, tired, and felt like I was in a mental fog.

But other people say they get great results with almost no side effects. Obviously YMMV.

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Post  LG Mon Mar 08, 2010 9:41 am

Hey guys,

A mitral valve prolapse is not a PFO..it's a different heart defect. I think the difference is the mitral valve prolapse is a defect in the flap that connects the upper and bottom chambers of the heart and the PFO is the flap for right and left chambers. I do not know much about the mitral valve prolapse so I'll stay away from that topic and leave it to someone better informed than I am.

I'm going in for a patent foramen ovale check. It's a birth defect that effects about 25% of the population. It is when flap between the two left and right atria never close correctly which can cause migraines and stroke in some occasions. A lot of people with this defect will never have a problem though and most of the time doctors will find the PFO and leave it be if the patient doesn't suffer from TIA, strokes or severe chronic migraines. In fact, most doctors won't even close the PFO if the sufferer has chronic migraines because the studies aren't conclusive, like Pen said. HOWEVER..there are a lot of studies out there, albeit they are small..they are promising. Some doctors are believing that if you close this PFO defect the migraines will decrease or cease all together. I personally would not get the surgery unless it was found that the PFO had something to do with TIA or stroke in my case.

I was asked to take Inderal on top of topamax. I am not going to take it. No way, not yet. I am not ready to combine drugs yet, but this is just my personal situation. I feel that no preventative is going to solve the problem. If you suffer from migraines 5 out of 7 days of the week without them, they will never eliminate your migraines..only decrease the amount and severity of them. I feel topamax is already doing that for me and is doing a great job. I do not want to be a walking pill box or science experiment. I will hold off on Inderal until I feel I need more "preventative" action.

As for the heart racing, palpatations, chest pain triptan effect. YES my goodness that was the scariest drug reaction I've had! I took Zomig and it made my heart rate drop down to 50bpm from my normal 85. My pulse was extremely weak and I was dizzy. My heart was fluttering all over the place inside my chest which actually ached. I will not use that med again simply because it dropped my pulse so low and weak. That is what scared me the most.

I have taken almost every other triptan out there. I have yet to try Amerge, that is next month. They never work for me, but I have only had a bad reaction to two. Sumatriptan gives me a bad reaction every time..abdominal cramps that are horrible. I refuse to take it because it does nothing for the m. and causes more pain. Same with Zomig. I like Relpax and Frova the best. All are different and all are worth trying, but talk to your doctor especially if you are worried about that heart defect. Smile

Best wishes, hope you feel better. Keep us posted if you don't mind!
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Post  jennyds33 Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:16 am

My doctor just put me on Frova, which he said was a milder Triptan. It doesn't seem to have as strong of side effects as the other Triptans (Imitrex, Zomig, something else I can't remember). They work pretty much every time in getting rid of the migraine, but the side effects are a pain.

You know, my doctor didn't mention a PFO directly to me, but when I look at the referral to the cardiologist, he's circled "mitral valve prolapse" but wrote in "PFO?" next to it. I suppose their going to look for either. I'll know the results next week hopefully. I'll look up PFO in the meantime.

He's got me on proprenolol for the meantime. I think this may be going down the route of weight gain. I sure hope not.

I've never had aura with my migraines, but I do get a migraine about every day now. The pain just gets more severe the longer the migraine's been. I was under the impression that they would get better as I age since they did with my sister, but they've gotten worse. I've had my first 4 day migraines in the past 6 months. Before they had never been longer than 3 days.
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Post  msmolly Mon Mar 08, 2010 12:26 pm

Hi Jenny,

I tried Inderal for prevention, I believe 40 MG per day, but my legs got so weak I could hardly climb the stairs. So, not a good choice for me. Best of luck .....
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Post  WitsEnd Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:05 pm

Hi,

For me, beta blockers have been the best preventative. I tried Inderal and I didn't like. I just didn't feel like me. Hard to explain...

I have been on and off Atenolol for years and it has been a life saver. I've tried different doses, 25mg doesn't do anything for me, 50mg works. And it works well. From time to time I have to take a break from it as I become tolerant of it, but after a few weeks break (usually switching over to Pizotifen or Amitriptyline (sp?) which leave me zombie like) I pick them up again and get another few months out of them. They don't leave me migraine free, but they reduce frequency and severity.

I have about 2 weeks of altenolol left and I don't think they are going to give me any more because my blood pressure is too low and I'm suffering dizzy spells. After so many years on them now, I can't understand why it's all going wrong now Sad

I really hope you get some success from them. Please keep us posted.
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Post  estre004 Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:10 pm

I've been prescribed Verapamil. Doesn't do a thing.

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Post  glan Tue Jul 31, 2012 12:13 pm

Sounds odd to me because my migraine issue had actually been caused by over a year of beta blocker treatment. Since that treatment I lost my hyperactivity -ish attitude but gained migraine problems.

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Post  Seaine Tue Jul 31, 2012 3:22 pm

The only triptan reaction like that I had when I tried the Imitrex shot. I couldn't get up for maybe a half hour I just felt weak and dizzy. My arms, legs, and throat were very painful. I had pain in my throat for about a week afterwards. Now I am on Frova which has very few side effects, sleepiness, rarely pain in my arms and legs, and rarely hallucinating smells (hotdogs, fruity smell, gasoline, or rotten food smell).

I tried Propranolol 20mg twice a day and it did reduce my migraines from 4 per week to 2-3. After a month the doctor had me increase to 40mg twice a day but the frequency of my migraines went right back up to 4 per week. I waited a month and called him, he said to go back down to 20mg twice a day. No idea why the lower dose helped me but the higher dose did not. The effects seemed to wear off after a year and now I stopped taking it while getting 4-5 migraines per week since it obviously is not helping.

As for side effects, the biggest one was COLD. I was so cold all the time. It had to be at least 80F outside before I was comfortable. Inside my house I always had to wear sweatshirts and couldn't bear to have the AC on especially down at 67-70. I experienced one episode of Raynaud's during a very cold winter a few months before starting Propranolol and as you can imagine the beta blocker made it 10x worse. It could be 60F outside and if it was raining and my hands got wet, my fingers turned white and I couldn't use them until I had warmed up. My resting blood pressure was about 90/60. It also made me more sleepy, but if I took it right before bed I would wake up a lot in the night.


Last edited by Seaine on Tue Jul 31, 2012 4:56 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Post  Brenda Tue Jul 31, 2012 4:44 pm

I've been on Propranolol (Inderal) off and on for probably 15-20 years. Sometimes it seems to lose it's effectiveness for awhile, so I try something else for a year or so, then come back to it. It helps me somewhat. When I first start taking it, I feel kind of tired and groggy until my body gets used to it. I am not sure if it's causing my memory problems to worsen or if that's just part of the migraine disease.
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Post  marco1968 Sat Sep 08, 2012 12:24 am

Just a comment about beta blockers and people with any sign of bradycardia (slow heart rate). Don't! My resting heart rate is below 60 when seated and can drop into low 50s or high 40s when lying down. I took propanolol at a lowish dose. I felt a bit funny while walking around town and took my heart rate (while standing and after walking) -> 32! I think that this is well into the danger zone.

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Post  Wendy Sat Sep 08, 2012 9:41 am

I was on Propropopopooploppypanol for about 5 months and it reduced my migraines from an average of about 8-9 per month to about 7-8 per month. The change wasn't enough for me to continue, given that I gained about 5kg and was out of breath all the time (despite being rather fit before going on the drugs). Worst of all with the weight gain, I was prepared for it and really cut down down on calories, but somehow still gained weight. Like others have said, I was so cold! I took a hot water bottle to bed with me every night and had extra layers on my side of the bed and was still cold for an hour or so every night before the warmth from my partner and the hot water bottle warmed up the bed enough for me to feel warm. Also, lots of light pins and needles in my arms and legs EVERY night and during the day, and lots of dizziness.

I tried to give blood but was rejected because my blood pressure was too low.

There is good news, however. I was migraine-free for 5 weeks as soon as I stopped the drugs! Eventually, my blood pressure returned to normal and the migraines came back to their usual level each month.

The weight came off a little after about 3 months, and I can eat normally again now without putting on weight which is a relif.

Would I go on them again to repeat that 5-week migrain-free heaven? I don't know. Probably not, but I'm glad I tried.
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Post  WitsEnd Sat Sep 08, 2012 10:10 am

As we all know, different meds have different effects on different people.

Despite already having low blood pressure and being underweight, I've been fine with beta blockers. I've been on them for years and they've been a life saver for me.

People should not be put off trying something because other people have had a bad experience.

If a doctor thinks something is worth a shot and there are no obvious risks, why not give it a go? It might be the key to getting your life back. As beta blockers are for me.
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Post  Wendy Sat Sep 08, 2012 10:52 am

No, obviously people shouldn't be put off by other people's bad experiences, but Jenny's post did specifically ask for people's experiences on the drug. I sought exactly the same information before I went on the drugs. The info didn't stop me going on them, but it prepared me for what might happen.
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Post  WitsEnd Sat Sep 08, 2012 11:27 am

If my post came across like I was having a dig at you, I apologise, it was not intended Smile

Btw, did you notice that Jenny's post is over 2 years old? lol!
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Post  Wendy Sat Sep 08, 2012 12:47 pm

Oh bugger! monkey I probably read this exact post when I was looking into it for myself late last year!

No offense taken of course. flower
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Post  marco1968 Sat Sep 08, 2012 6:04 pm

I apologise as well. I didn't mean to scare people. Its just that I noticed that this thread had been awoken more recently. I had been thinking about my heart a lot since my run in with nortriptyline (105 bpm) and my previous encounter with propanolol (32 bpm). When I saw the mention of "experiences with beta blockers" I thought I would mention it.

My experience was that I rushed into the doctor's office and sat down. He took my pulse as being in the mid 60s (because of the exertion previously). He didn't realise that I am slightly bradycardic. Therefore he wasn't too concerned about prescribing beta blockers. How common is such a scenario? Very uncommon. But if there is someone else out there who is the same as me, I would like them to know that there can be problems and to keep an eye on the old ticker. That was my only intention, to repeat my story in the hope that it would help the poor old bradycardics, rather than to scare people with normal heart rates from using what could be a useful med.

Note that I was only on propanolololol for a couple of weeks. I was having constant migrainous symptoms at the time, and noticed no change. So my net impression was pretty negative. As other people have said though, it can be very beneficial.
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Post  Migrainegirl Sun Sep 09, 2012 11:21 pm

I was on Nadolol, another beta blocker, for about 3-4 months. At first it seemed to help, but then pretty much back to normal after the first month or so. The downside was I was terribly fatigued. I would sleep 10 hours and then still need a 3 hour nap! I finally discovered this could be a side effect of beta blockers. After I quit, the excessive sleepiness wore off. Oh well, good try
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