Newbie...but long-time migrainer :(

Glad to find you all....quick intro. Had my first migraine as a 12 y.o. 7th grader, sitting in science class....looked at the clock and numbers were missing. Looked down at my book and there were spots all over. About 30 minutes later, the spots were gone, and my head hurt as it never had before.

This pattern continued, and after numerous doctor visits, brain scans, brain waves, etc....it was concluded, I had migraines. Shouldn't have come as a surprise, as my dad got "sick" headaches, and so did my g'ma (his mother). The headaches continued, almost daily...and my parents did everything in the world to help me. Took me to a neurologist - who put me on valium, midrin, etc....then allergy testing, also biofeedback, also the chiropractor. We tried natural stuff - brewers yeast, feverfew. My family doc tried inderol, which put me in the hospital.

Anything would give me a headache, so even though I was the fastest runner in gym class, I could never be on the track team. I couldn't be outside playing tennis like everyone else. I would awaken with headaches - you name it.

Fast forward 40 years later...still going through it all, nearly the same way. In Disney World two years ago, I spent the better part of a day sleeping off a migraine in their clinic...sigh.
Well, my family doc put me on topomax. It has helped in the fact I no longer get the auras before the migraine. But, I still get the headaches. Many of them feel like the "sinus" kind of migraine. I have only fioricet to handle the pain. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't

I finally asked if there would be something I could take for the big doozies, when fioricet doesn't do the trick. Doc said nope. That those drugs could cause seizure interactions with the Lexapro I'm on....

sigh.

Her only suggestion was to go on a light dose of blood pressure meds to see if that would help. (ugh). I really don't want to be on that, or be on anything all the time. I just wanted something to knock the socks off the big headaches.

Is there ANYTHING you all use that you recommend that is safe to use with Lexapro???
I'm so tired of dealing with this....right now, I have so much stress in my life with so many other things, I don't need THIS adding to it.

thanks...
blessings...
robin

First of all, do you see a Neurologist? If not my first suggestion would be to do that. A regular Dr is not specialized in Neurology, and in fact if an actual Neurologist, with a sub-specialty in Headache treatment/medicine is available that is a better route. Not only do they know drug interactions, it is their sole job to treat folks with these issues. I encourage you to go this route. I am not sure what would be deemed 'safe' with what you are taking now.

Maybe you should discuss a narcotic pain medication with your DR. I wasn't sure about lexapro, and I looked at it, and I see the indications against Triptans. It might be worth discussing. I took Fioricet in the past and I didn't think it did as well as some of the other pain medications I have used since then.

I didn't mean to be brief in my previous post, but I wanted to check out the Lexapro. A BP medication may be of an advantage. I have taken those in the past, for migraine, and also BP issues. It is often used as a supplement for migraine, even without the BP issues. If you do try this route, keep an eye on how you are reacting to the medication. I was on a BP med and lost a lot of weight, and wasn't aware that I didn't need the medication, until I started getting dizzy and seeing spots, sooo, just be aware of your body's reactions, to any medication really.

When I first had Migraines, My DR was inclined to try the Triptans with me, and I got nowhere. Then He decided it was really out of his realm and I started really working with Neuro's. It might be a case where a General Dr has a set of general medications they are comfortable prescribing and don't venture out of that zone. You might likely find, if you haven't seen a Neuro in a while, that things have changed since you were younger and there are more alternatives available to you. Who knows, maybe even something that can resolve this for you! Good Luck!

steph,
thank you so very much for taking time to post, and then look up lexapro and then reposting. I think you're probably right...I probably *do* need to revisit a neuro. It has been well over 25 years since I've gone the neuro route, and I know a lot has changed. I just got so tired of fighting it all. I was able to be a bit more stable for several years, but as I've gotten older, especially the last sevearal months, the headaches have just increased.

Last week, the whole front of my face was just throbbing. In all honesty, I do believe some of this is stress related. In the past 18 months, I was diagnosed with breast cancer (after three surgeries, the final one being a bilateral mastectomy, I am fine -praise God!), my mom (who is a widow) had back surgery, developed MRSA and nearly died, my job was eliminated and I was moved from middle school to elementary school (I teach music part-time), my oldest son went away to college for the first time, then a year later decided to be "stupid" and cut off all contact with us and purposely flunk out by not turning in assignments or taking finals (he was a National Merit Finalist and Valedictorian), I turned my ankle at an amusement park and finally (after two months of walking around on it, having been to the doctor 2x, having xrays, and then an MRI) found out it was fractured in three places and ended up in a cast for a month, only to do PT afterward and have it get worse and the next MRI showed torn ligaments and i was put in another cast for another month, and when I got out of that cast, the pain was even worse, and after more PT, I was put in another cast....and it's only been within the past month I've actually stopped limping. Oh, and I had to have a hysterectomy in the midst of all this, too....and now, my school system's budget (like everyone else's) is depleted and the proposal is to eliminate all elementary music, art and PE teachers...which means ME
And we will have two kids in college this fall.....



Anyway, sorry for all the details....ha! But there's been just a *tad* bit of stress in my life...
so, I'm *sure* stress has something to do with the extra headaches....
but I have to find something to get rid of them...and nothing is working.
Not fioricet, not ibuprofen, not excedrin, not caffeine. I even got desperate and tried my leftover percocet.
I've tried hot compresses, ice...you name it.

But I'm not depressed....truly, I"m not. God is good, and He is faithful...and He is sustaining me and carrying me and my family through this.

Anyway, I think you're right about finding a headache specialist in my area....surely Louisville (Kentucky), which is just across the river from us is big enough to have someone....I'm just SO tired of going to doctors right now...but I'm even more tired of the headaches.

blessings...robin

Robin, so sorry to hear your story. Yes you have had quite a lot of stress to deal with. And I am sure the headaches are not helping.

Another thing to look into is the hormone angle. You have recently had a hysterectomy. I started taking bio-identical progesterone which made a huge difference for me. I went from 80% headache days down to about 2-3 per month. Look for a GYN or bio identical hormone specialist in your area. Also the below site is a good read on the role of progesterone in relieving headaches in women. But stay away from hormone replacement therapy which uses hormones that are not bio identical. You probably also cannot have estrogen, depending on the type of cancer you had.

http://www.migraine-headaches-information.com/

Oh Goodness, you do have a lot going on! First, Congrats on beating cancer! My Mother is a two-time breast cancer survivor herself, and it is a lot to deal with! You have been through a lot in the past 2 years. Stress is a great cause of migraines, and can certainly bring them on and/or make them worse. I, and everyone else on this forum, can completely understand being tired, of being in pain. It can be very overwhelming. What makes it all worse, for you, is having all of that going on and having to deal with the migraine too. I am sure it makes you feel like you are sinkng in the mud.

Just think though of all that you have been through recently. I am sure it seems like hell, but you have made it! You have faced cancer, you can face these migraines. I think that when we are overwhelmed, we often see the picture as a whole. It never looks good, and sometimes attempting to deal with one issue seems impossible. Lets try to take the whole picture and break it into a puzzle and work one piece at a time.

Louisville, (which by the way I was at FT Knox in early March visiting my sister!!!) should have some specialists. I am thinking that a few people on this forum have actually posted about that area before. I, personally, don't know any, but I am sure youcan get a reccommendation. Sometimes just making that appointment can ease your mind a bit. Please keep us posted, and try, I know it is hard, to relax a little. Maybe just a hot bath in the evening, but try to clear your mind of you daily stress and breathe a little. Find a few minutes for something you enjoy, and concentrate on just that and nothing else! Good Luck, and again keep us posted!

Oh. My. Goodness.

Just reading about your stress is enough to kick off a migraine for me! WOAH GIRL! I think you guys have covered it all but I just wanted to say you're pretty amazing for still being alive and kicking after all of what you've been through AS WELL AS migraine. I think any one of those personal health issues plus migraine would have been enough to knock me off my perch!

Congrats on beating cancer. My mum beat breast cancer too and it's wonderful to hear that you did too. With all the physical trauma you've been through I'm astonished that you're actually able to work! Basically, you are an amazing woman. In terms of seeing a neuro instead of a GP, I agree that seems the next step to take. I'm also interested in what you called 'sinus type' migraine because I'm not sure what you mean by that. Is that because the pain is over the eye area? Or like you said your whole face is throbbing like happens with sinus? I haven't heard that term before is all.