My migraines are changing their periodicity?

Hi guys,

I am new here.
First, excuse my bad English. I was checking recently some info regarding M and ended up here. The forums and info in my language is not very exhaustive so I decided to register here. I like the atmosphere of this forum.

Here is my concern. I´m a man and suffer migraines with aura from the childhood. I can not say how often I had them back then. Maybe twice a month?

They were horrible, the doctor never gave me triptans because he said I was too young. So I had to endure the 4-8 hours of pain, vomiting and whatnot.

Later they disappeared when I was a teenager and then re-appeared when I started the third year in the university.
I was 21 years back then, when they reappeared. I got very scared and went to the same doctor. He gave me finally the proper medication, the Zomig.
next time I had them, I took the Zomig and it worked just fine.

Honestly I didn´t start to write down my history until 2005 and I think I could share this here, maybe someone can recognize this pattern:

25. Dic 2005 (yes, I missed Christmas dinner)
25. May 2007
2. June 2007
6. June 2007
14. March 2009
16. December 2009
23. September 2010
1. May 2011

Eventually I started to have 5 mg of Zolmitriptan instead of 2,5, that worked fine only when I took it as soon as I see the aura.

And now is when the fun starts:
5. October 2012
14. October 2012
15. October 2012 (afternoon)
15. October 2012 (evening)
17. October 2012

These were the last attacks I had this year. Completely out of program, if you ask me.
I am 31 now. I don´t know if something is changed or this is just a bad episode like it was in 2007 (but worse) or I had some rebound because of so much Zomig? (5mg per crisis is maybe too much?).

I have an appointment with the neurologist late in November, but I wanted to check this here with real people with the same problem (most doctors don´t have migraine and don´t know much about it, so it can be frustrating).

I am very scared, I don´t dare leaving home.
I did sport before, being my favorite running long distances in the woods, up and downhills. I was healthier than ever! I started even to develop a 6-pack!

But I am now passive and missing the beautiful Fall, because I don´t know anymore when I am going to have the aura. What if it happens after running 10 Km in the middle of the forest? The way back home can be a hell.

Once the doctor said that I wouldn´t never have an attack when I am driving or doing something, only when I am relaxed at home. But last night I had the aura on the bike. I had to stop, take the zomig and keep biking 10 minutes which were horrible.

Before this, it was somehow controlled. Just every year or so. I knew it and I was happy. But now I feel very insecure.
And I decided not to take any triptans next time, unless it becomes very bad. I believe I had too much Zomig and this could cause the extra crisis (I don´t remember having 5 in a row ever).

That said, I think mine is a minor problem in comparison to many people here who live with this daily.
I read most of the messages here and wasn´t sure if I wanted to publish this. (A migraine a year!). But I´m somehow in the same boat.

Someone can relate my history? The worst thing is the suspense, I don´t know if the next will come in the next minute or in two Winters. It´s horrible!

Thanks for reading this, I needed to write it.

Hi, Gansil. The very first migraine I got was when I was pregnant. It lasted for 2 months straight.
Then I started having them chronicly in my mid thirties on a regular basis. I get auras too but not all the time now.

I don't know why the Dr. thinks that you will only get auras resting at home. I've got them a few times when I was driving. They can happen at anytime. And yeah, the suck the life out of you. Everytime I go on a trip, they are there in full force. I'm getting to the point were trips could be the thing of the past. What's the point of going when you feel miserable and can't enjoy yourself.

Hi Kate,

actually my mom had migraines regularly until I was born (second child and she was at the end of her thirties). It seems that I inherited the migraines since she never had them anymore, she had only recently a couple of quick auras without migraine, no pills. Funny isn´t it?

I believe that the doctor (who was the doctor of the family and knew me very well) said that because I only had weekend migraines and always at home. Then, as I expressed my concern of having them while driving he said that it shouldn´t happen to me since I only have them when I feel "safe" and "comfortable" and driving is kind of a stressful task. Actually it was like that the last 10 years. My migraines used to know when it was a bad moment and only fried my brains on weekends.

For example recently I sat in a stressful meeting with some jerks and the migraine (aura) came only when I crossed the very exit door, heading home.

After some periods in my life when everything was very stressful I always expect a migraine in the next weekend or the weekend after. And I can always relate the migraine to some stressful episode that happened some days or weeks before. Until now it used to be like this.
Another important factor is that I work at home. It can be just coincidence.

Sorry to hear that you get them on vacation too, that sucks for sure

For some people, it is normal for migraines to change in frequency and to get worse. It also is normal for them to have different symptoms from one year to the next. I now get blue and yellow(white?) flashes of light were 4 years ago I never experienced this. I also now get nauseated more often with them too. Were as before, nausea wasn't a big problem.

I agree with the previous posters. Migraines do change and behave differently at different times. For me, they started when I was 14, but I only had them about 3-4 times a month without auras but always vomiting and nausea and I just had to ride it out, no meds would touch them. In my early 20's, I discovered Maxalt and the migraines were largely controlled by frequent use of the drug. In my mid-late 20's, they changed again and started to come more frequently, a couple times a week, and the vomiting and nausea continued and I started to get auras. And, suddenly, Maxalt didn't work anymore. So, I started to look into alternatives and began my long road of different preventatives and different neurologists. Now, in my early 30's my migraines are daily and I cannot work because of them, and I am still trying to find a worthwhile preventative drug and currently use DHE injections, Zomig and various muscle relaxers as abortives--sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.

Michelle

Thanks for the replies!

I think I have to get used to the idea that things can change from now on.
Until now I was having a pretty "normal" life.
At least my migraines always follow the same pattern (aura, pain, nausea-vomiting, sleep), they used to last one day and are usually well treated with Zomig.
Well I hope this doesn´t change.

A friend of mine is starting these days to experience her first auras.

My M have changed with the passing years. I would say its normal on this board. I might look into trying some of the standard preventives.