re: Butterbur: who has tried this??

I have not tried Butterbur. Has anyone had any relief with this? Thanks.

I tried it with no relief. I got VERY gassy with it. But some people have had great success with it.

Sherri has tried it and seems to be doing really well. Someone else has too, cant remember.
My neuro has recommended me to try it, but have had some stomach issues so waiting for that to settle.
Dr Robbins thinks it is pretty good I think.

Pen

I take 150mg (3x 50mg) of Petadolex a day, which is the purified active ingredient from butterbur. I've been taking it for 5 weeks or so now. I think it's been very successful for me: I've noticed some decrease in the frequency of my migraines, but what is more noticeable is that they don't get nearly as bad when I do get them and they last for significantly shorter amount of time (half a day versus 72 hours).

I say give it a try.

I intend to try it soon as I can, but am a bit dubious about the gastic effects as I have IBS.
Seems to effect a few people, but by no means all. I just dont need any more upset stomachs.

Hi: I've just found one product at a store I shop from. It has 75mg of 15% extract with feverfew extract. Would you let me know if this sounds similar to the one you're taking? (I realize your capsules are 50mg) Also, it is $23.89 for 60 capsules. (Canada) Is that pretty much what you pay. Thanks.

Gigi,

The product I take doesn't have feverfew in it - it's just the Petadolex. It's Weber brand. Here is a link:

http://www.petadolex.com/v2/default.aspx

-Jayme

I have Swansons which is 75mg and Dr Robbins said to me on Twitter was absolutely fine.
Then he said on here, he would make sure, but he never came back.

It is a fraction of the cost of the others and best to check it out yourself I guess.
It is certified free of the bad stuff and is compared to Petadolex.
There are 3 reviews on their page.

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/Search?keyword=butterbur&doSearch=true&ntt=&n=0&ntk=Level1&x=0&y=0

P

Thankyou soooo much for the link! I just ordered 3 bottles. It came to approx. $24.00 US. (about 26.00 or so Canadian I believe) I had to pay extra shipping as I am in Canada. After all of this I got 3 bottles for the price of 1bottle had I ordered it here! Thankyou! You just saved me a lot!

I would suggest looking at Pen's link. You would save a lot of money! Thanks for your information. Gail

I ship in from Swansons to Canada as well...been on it for a while now....def decreased the severity of my migraines.

Well worth a try.

I have zero side effects from it, even if I take it on an empty stomache or with something carbonated.

Thanks for the positive input. My fingers are crossed.

jwar wrote:I take 150mg (3x 50mg) of Petadolex a day, which is the purified active ingredient from butterbur. I've been taking it for 5 weeks or so now. I think it's been very successful for me: I've noticed some decrease in the frequency of my migraines, but what is more noticeable is that they don't get nearly as bad when I do get them and they last for significantly shorter amount of time (half a day versus 72 hours).

I say give it a try.

I take it as well. I also take Migrelief, which is a Feverfew/B2/Magnesium supplement. I have been taking both for about 6 months. I'd say it's definitely reduce the frequency of my migraines, and make most of them easier to treat. I was able to verify this when I had to take a month off the Petadolex at one point during that 6 months because I couldn't afford to get it. I definitely had an increase in migraines that month.

The one thing with these supplements is I think you really have to give them time to work. I think you need to wait a couple of months at least to gauge their effectiveness.

Good news. Any side effects for you?

P

pen wrote:Good news. Any side effects for you?

P

I really haven't noticed a thing from it. I was a little worried when I read posts on here because as with a lot of others on here, my stomach isn't in the best shape from years of meds. It doesn't seem to upset my stomach at all.

One note though, this is mainly just opinion and regurgitating stuff I have read online, but I think if you are going to try it the actual Petadolex brand is the best bet. It being a more refined product could be why I see a lack of side effects or stomach issues.

One note though, this is mainly just opinion and regurgitating stuff I have read online, but I think if you are going to try it the actual Petadolex brand is the best bet. It being a more refined product could be why I see a lack of side effects or stomach issues.

I am in total agreement with this. I tried a cheaper brand of Butterbur once and it was disgusting. It smelled awful and made me nauseous.

I have researched the Swansons one and run it past quite a few drs and migraine groups.
Whereas I know there are some other less preferred ones out there, the Swansons one has a lot of good feedback, and as one person has said, Petadolex is hugely expensive and there is nothing obviously different.
Dr Robbins did check it out for me months ago and posted on Twitter, he said it looked fine and although he has no experience of using it couldn't see any obvious difference. I only know of a fw people who have used it, but none of them had any side effects.

Pen

I just purchased a cheaper brand. Made by the same makers as Petadolex. (hasn't arrived yet) I'll let you know how it goes. Certainly hope it isn't "disgusting" or makes me nauseous! I'll try the cheaper one first any day! And go from there.

I was glad to see your post. I'm not sure why but the negative feedback on the less expensive brand bothered me. My feelings are that not everyone can afford the expensive one. As much as we would like to. Thanks for your feedback.

pen wrote:I have researched the Swansons one and run it past quite a few drs and migraine groups.
Whereas I know there are some other less preferred ones out there, the Swansons one has a lot of good feedback, and as one person has said, Petadolex is hugely expensive and there is nothing obviously different.
Dr Robbins did check it out for me months ago and posted on Twitter, he said it looked fine and although he has no experience of using it couldn't see any obvious difference. I only know of a fw people who have used it, but none of them had any side effects.

Pen

What I was stating was my opinion from my own research. I am not claiming to be a Dr., just passing on my experience. I have read on other forums besides this one where people had stomach upset with general Butterbur extracts but not with Petadolex. I have a sensitive stomach, so I am not messing around. "Hugely expensive" is all relative too when it comes to treating a debilitating problem. Petadolex costs me about a dollar a day, which I am ok with.

Just one other point, no hostility meant... saying it 'looks fine' isn't saying it's the same as Petadolex. So again, I just don't mess around. It's been working, and I will stick with it.

Gailgigi:

Sorry if my review bothered you, but that was my experience with it. I don't remember what brand I used and I certainly don't think this would apply to every less expensive brand out there.

The smell of the brand I tried was truly truly awful and disgusting. Opening the pill bottle each day and getting a waft of the smell (I can't imagine the butterbur plant in real life smells very good after smelling those pills) was nauseating. So I'm not sure whether I got nauseous just because every time I took the pills I had to smell them coming out of the bottle or because they interacted with my stomach and made me sick.

Despite the smell and nausea I stuck with those pills for a full month, but didn't notice any improvements in my migraines. About 3 weeks into taking Petadolex brand I noticed significant improvement. So if you get improvement with the less expensive brand I say that's awesome! If you don't, I wouldn't completely write off trying butterbur without trying Petadolex brand, too.

I really can't afford the expensive brand either, but the difference it's made in my life makes it worth cutting expenses elsewhere, or hell, even putting it on my credit card and dealing with it later.

I can only say what I have read and heard. I sent the web site to the director of Migraine action here and she said its fine.
To be honest in England they only suggest to make sure it has toxins removed, after that they leave it to you
Petadolex is very much an American favourite, but not over here. They cost £38 for 60. I cant afford that.
BTW there are 3 reviews on the Swansons page if you scroll down, they seem quite happy and I know of some who have bought Swansons because its the same and saves a fortune. Hope that helps put your mind at rest.
Oh and they dont have an awful smell. They dont smell at all. They do claim they are the same stuff on the web site.....are they allowed to lie??

Pen

You mention you can't afford it either. I don't know what you pay. On Swansons Webpage Petadolex (I believe the Weber one but you would have to check) is approx. $28.00. Is this less than what you pay. Hope this helps. G.

Thanks for checking the price for me!

I actually pay $22/bottle + free shipping through Amazon.

I may have misspoke, because I can no longer find Weber & Weber Petadolex at that price on Amazon. However, you can get it for $22/bottle for a 3 pack or $24/bottle for a single bottle here: http://www.betterhealthinternational.com/productDetails.asp?prodID=WEB200&utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=comparsionshopping&CAWELAID=346222994