Is there anybody out there who suddenly got better?

I am just wondering if somebody spontaneously got better without any medical intervention. At what stage in your life has it happened? Will it get better after the menopause? Will it get better with old age? How bad can it get if things don't improve? Do we not hear on this forum from old people in their 80s because they are not computer literate, or because they are cured and busy catching up with what they missed in their youth due to migraines?

P.

she still gets them once in a while, but she says it has been less frequent as she has aged. She is 69 now. I have heard that after menopause they decrease.

After forty some years with horrid migraines I can honestly say that now I am 62 I have few severe ones, still get them occasionally but mostly just ordinary headaches. Menopause definitely helped me. My worse migraines were the ones that came a day or two before my periods. Unfortunately though I have other pain I have to deal with

Just noticed you're from London, although I'm now living in Canada, I am a Londoner and still miss it after 36 years of living here.
What part of London are you from? (sorry, just curious!).

Hurrah! In that case I can't wait for the menopause and old age. I will be the bounciest OAP around and will be busy doing all the things I can't do now.

Ruth,
I am not really a born and bred Londoner. I arrived 15 years ago from Austria. I arrived on a whim and did not intend to stay that long, but I am still here and I love it. I live in south west London.

P.

My mom said that her migraines almost cleared up entirely when she was in her late 50's I think. Not sure we could put an exact date on it because they just slowed over time.

On a related note, my dad's migraines have not gotten better and he is older than my mom, so it's not a cure for everyone!

Ruth wrote:After forty some years with horrid migraines I can honestly say that now I am 62 I have few severe ones, still get them occasionally but mostly just ordinary headaches.

Ruth,
Do you think that there is anything specific that you did that helped? Do you feel that you have returned to your pre migraine self, or do you feel different?

I'm 55 and I get 0-2 a month, down from 3 times a week 3 years ago. When the migraines were at their worst, I vowed to do whatever was necessary to get my life back. I changed my diet radically, following a modified ketogenic diet. I stopped supplementary estrogen, on the advice of my psychiatrist and neurologist. Also stopped taking triptans, because they did not work very well anymore. I took topamax for a year. I don't know if any of the above is the reason I have less migraines. I still feel like I get a slight silent migraine, every two weeks or so, no head pain, but I still have some other symptoms, mainly brain fog, but nothing really severe. I can usually fake my way through the day.

In the last few months, I really tested the limits. I moved to the other side of the world, to a high altitude. I live an 9000 feet and go down to 4000 feet to shop, twice a week. The dog got skunked last week and the whole house still reeks, still no migraine. Just did a 12 hour plane trip and no problems so far.

I do feel like I get more depressive episodes, however, but they are not major. I can function with them and currently looking into what I can do about them.

Riverside kid,
Sorry to hear that both your parents have migraines. I have migraines on both sides, also. My dad does not have them, but both of his parents had migraines.

Dont count on it ladies, there are at least 2 of us here turned 60 and nio sign of any improvement.
In my case they have got worse since menopause

Sorry, but it is not a sure thing.

P

lentils wrote:Riverside kid,
Sorry to hear that both your parents have migraines. I have migraines on both sides, also. My dad does not have them, but both of his parents had migraines.

All four of my grandparents had migraines too! (although my dad's mom called the "spells" rather than migraine, but the symptoms were all there, she was just a very proper southern lady, may she rest in peace.)

30 years ago my neurologist told me it was common for a woman to pass the tendency to her daughters, but males rarely 'inherited' the migraine tendency unless both parents got them. (not sure if that still holds true as 'inherited' or not, 30 years is a long time ago.)

A dear friend of mine recently told me she suffered greatly with migraines most of her life until menopause at which time they stopped. After that she really made the most of her time embarking on traveling and a new career. I think she truly appreciated life because of the limitations from migraine she had suffered earlier.

I suspect that this solution only seems to work for women, and even then only for those with a hormonal component to the problem.

(And even though they are rarer in men, they can get migraines even if both parents are not migrainers. My brother has terrible daily migraines, and my Dad has never had a problem, nor in his family. Just on my mom's side.)

My mother said her migraines went away in her 70s. But she is on a blood pressure medication for high BP that also works for migraines.

I'm in my late 50s and first got migraines in my early 30s. My migraines might be a little better than back in my 30s, but are still pretty bad without meds.

I was told that as I never had a migraine until peri- menopause, they would go when it was over.
Everyone I saw GPs, Neuros, comp. therapists said it was almost certain that once the hormones calmed down, the migraines would go.
I had no other triggers and no family history.....why wouldnt they?

Well either they were all wrong.
Or
The hormones are still raging....

I hung on, put things off, thinking I would go on holiday or whatever when they improved, or better still went away.
BIG MISTAKE
In the 5 years since menopause they have got worse. Much more frequent.
And now, I have no idea when I might have a bit of a gap.

I have said it before, I shall say it again.
DONT wait for hormones to settle.
Yours may, I hope they do, but, don't waste a minute of precious life, just go for it, best you can
In case you are not one of the lucky ones....

I hope you are....

Pen

Definately did not go away. Got so much worse after menopause. Used to be sporadic. Now every day.

I hear you Gail.
I used to think things couldn't get any worse...
And because of what they all told me, would soon be improving.....

Petzi,

I want to go off topic just for a minute. If the photo you're using for an avatar is you, I have to say that you are quite gorgeous! Wow, you look like a movie star or a top model.

Chris

Lentils,

There was nothing I did to make the migraines less frequent, I still put it down to menopause. I feel for those that don't get relief later in life but I have spoken to many former migraine sufferers who have got so much better after menopause, so cling to that hope! I can't say I feel like I did before I started to get them, I am still very sensitive to noise and bright lights etc. and get a bit panicky if I feel a bit of a headache coming on, but most of the time it eases up, although I still take maxalt and pain meds for the fairly bad headaches.

Chris I love you, you made my day. Do you want to be my new bezzy mate?

This is me with war paint on a good day. My husband can confirm that I don't look like this on a daily base when I am mooching around the house in saggy bottomed sweat pants.

Also at 162cm I am way too short to be super-model material. More like a super model for the vertically challenged.

Love

P.

My mother's migraines disappeared after the menopause, but her migraines where exclusively linked to her cycle. I get them randomly, although they get worse before and during my period. It is great to hear that there is at least a glimmer of hope even if there is no guarantee.

I am also kind of annoyed that nobody has come up with a cure so far. Somebody is clearly not doing their job. We are spitting the atom, creating mini black holes and mini big bangs, but can't cure a headache. It is a disgrace!

P.

Ups ... sorry!

Of course we are "splitting" the atom instead of just "spitting" at it ....

P

I think the reason no cure or proper treatment has been found is because it just is not out there enough. It is like the common cold. No one is breaking their back trying to find a cure for it. Migraine is just a headache afterall! Also, when a person has a migraine they are hold up in their room under blankets. No one sees them. We are not on talk shows making the world aware of the suffering that takes place. We are invisible.

hey Riversidekid - i'm going to start calling mine " spells "! I love that - bless your grandma.

Gail,

I agree. Also the pharmaceutical companies don’t really have an incentive to cure us when they can sell triptans to us. If a cure would be found all the revenue from the triptans and other meds would disappear instantaneously.

P.

Count me in also. Mine didn't start until peri-menopause at which time they were only once a month. After menopause they escalated to 2-3 a week. So, that is a myth that they go away at menopause for everyone. Nobody knows enough about migraines to tell you that. My neurologist told me they "may" improve. Heck, I "may" get killed in a car accident on my way home from work also.

estre004 wrote:Count me in also. Mine didn't start until peri-menopause at which time they were only once a month. After menopause they escalated to 2-3 a week. So, that is a myth that they go away at menopause for everyone. Nobody knows enough about migraines to tell you that. My neurologist told me they "may" improve. Heck, I "may" get killed in a car accident on my way home from work also.

Ditto...

P