All you need is Aspirin

Survivor, according to our MAA you are spot on.
Despite the fact that many of us end up with complicated migraines and do need stronger drugs, aspirin can work for some.

The MAA are very reliable and I spoke to them on the phone during an interview for a magazine just before this news was breaking. I was reminded that I can get some relief it early enough, from Anadin Extra (Excedrin).
But the whole migraine needs Triptan.

They are also trying NSAIDs twice a day to try to break the cycle of inflammation in the brain believed to facilitate the night time ones.
It seems to be working for some people. I am about to try it myself as almost all of mine come on in the night.

I know I cant beat a migraine with Aspirin, but could once, and who knows maybe one day I will again.
Look forward to that day.....maybe...

Pen - Aren't NSAIDS suppose to cause rebound if taking daily?

Apparently not Linda. This is a course of about a month and not supposed to be enough to cause rebound.
The idea is that rebound takes a bit longer than that to occur. Anyway given the figures are still coming out at 2%, I think its worth a try. These morning things are ruining my life.

I need to make an appointment with my neuor anyway. I'm going to get his opinion on taking any pain medication on a daily basis. A person I work with was told to take 2 prescription strength IBprofen everyday as a peventative. She went 2 weeks without a migraine and was so excited and then they came back worse.

Pen- read now what Anna's Mom sent on a new topic--just the opposite. No wonder we are confused.

I know Linda. I think the NSAIDs can help, but the difference needs to be only about 1 month of doing this, I think. Which "we are told" is not long enough to get MOH, apart from that the neuro that started this from my line of advice is a really good one and is not exactly hung up on MOH. He says there are many other reason for daily headaches, MOH is just one possible one.

But YES, us poor people with aching heads have to try to make sense of all of this.....

The 2 pills that I didn't consider 'the strong stuff' that helped if I took them at the FIRST signs of any problem were 222's (Aspirin and Codeine, sold over the counter in Canada with no prescription) and Advil. They only helped with a certain type of headache I'd get which started in my neck, and again they had to be taken a precisely the right time.

My stomach is a mess nowadays though and Advil is a big part of the reason why. I took it daily while trying to put off knee surgery so I wouldn't have to take time off work. The amount of Advil I have to take to have any effect on a migraine would cause me major stomach issues. I'd like to be able to take it after things like dental work, because I think it works well for that, but I just can't take it at all anymore or I get major heartburn.

I can still take the 222's for those 'neck headaches' as long as I only take them a couple of times a day, and for no more than one day. They do work fairly well, and work about 60% of the time I would say if taken at the right time. If it gets to a point where I have any nausea, there is no point in even trying them.

But YES, us poor people with aching heads have to try to make sense of all of this.....

Dear Pen,

You know, we have chronic pain, alot of people have chronic pain. Millions of people do. And we get along okay. I see lots of people on this forum managing okay-albeit struggling from time to time. But they get on with their lives.

Making sense of migraine information is what we have to do if we want to be informed about our illness. Take this article about high dose of aspirin working for some people with migraine. It appears that the majority of us know that this would not work for us. Is that really all that difficult to make sense of?

Medication overuse headache (this one seems to upset you alot). If you read an article or read a book it is spelled out. People's experience with it is not so clear cut. You need to determine for yourself, that being the caveat, if you have it or if you are succeptible. Medication holiday is one way to do this.

You have to consider a) the source of the information / article. There is alot of junk out there. That's why I trust books. So I can look at the author, see his/her credentials, and I like being able to go back to the information again and again.

Yes, it is best if we understand migraine disease so that when we go to our providers for care we can advocate for what is best for us. Be that drug treatments, alternative treatments, etc.

There has been concern that the person who put this Aspirin idea out there is not a reliable source.
(It wasnt me BTW, I just posted the link)

So I found this. It isnt by her, but she is mentioned at the end of the document.
It goes back to 2006, so its not news.
It is easy to google her and find her many comments and the books she has written.
She does tend to be most interested in hormonal migraines.

http://www.aspirin-foundation.com/documents/AFNewsBriefs-Aug06Consmrv..pdf

Also found this as the news spread to Canada.

http://www.canadafreepress.com/medical/neurology041501.htm

jselle - My neuro has written books and is highly recommended but he
sure hasn't helped me. Credentials obviously aren't helping too many
people on this forum or we wouldn't be here. I think we have to check
out information from a variety of avenues and do what we want with it.
Nobody has hit the magic answer to migraines yet so until they do, it is
worth taking everything in. It is pretty obvious when someone is a
quack. What books are you reading that are so helpful?