migraine prevention

Hi



I was wondering if anyone could tell me if they have had success with a daily medication to prevent or reduce the frequency and severity of migraines. I have tried inderal/propaneral in the past and found it was ineffective.



Merry Christmas



John

Welcome! Sorry you are struggling. I have not personally found any preventative meds helpful, but like many on this board, I am the rare case. This is because those who seek out online groups are the worst off (for example, if your doctor prescribes a med and it works, you are unlikely to seek out a discussion group). The majority of migraine patients will find a med that significantly reduces the frequency and/or severity of their pain. It often takes trial & error though. Inderal is a good first choice.

Is your doctor willing to work with you to try some others? Keep in mind it can take months to thoroughly trial each of these meds. Some can have some icky potential side effects, so read up in advance to be prepared, and take any dose increases slowly. Often any side effects can subside over time. Besides beta blockers, its common to try various anti depressants and anti seizure meds, among others (there is only a handful of meds actually FDA approved for migraine...most are off label).

Some other popular ones are Topamax, Neurontin, and Amitriptyline. If you aren't already, I'd seek out a neuro who specializes in headaches. Often primary care physicians aren't equipped to appropriately treat migraine, and a neuro who doesn't specialize in headaches may not enjoy treating them. Do you have a good treatment for acute attacks? Best wishes.

I have tried numerous preventatives. None of them worked for me and many gave me awful side effects. However everyone is different.

Hi delta1,

I had pretty good success with Topamax however there is a major trade off in side effects, which in the long run is why I am no longer using it. My migraines definitely reduced in frequency and intensity and it enabled me to be relatively productive again.

That said, I had pretty much every side effect you can have, especially while I was initially increasing my dose. I went through periods where I would get crazy tingling in my legs and feet and I had terrible acid, to the point where I was on prescription antacids for a long while. I also had real problems with my memory. I forgot words all the time and I couldn't remember anything, especially people's names and any type of number. This never went away but I was able to learn to cope. The taste of things also changed, specifically pop. That sucked. The ONLY side effect I didn't have was the one that is promoted for Topamax, which is weight loss.

I had to get to 200mg/day to effectively manage the migraines. Because of the severity of the side effects, my dose was increased by only 12.5mg/week (half a pill) so it took a LONG time to get there. I can't imagine what it would have been like to go faster.

Honestly, it's worth a try. Anything that could help is worth it but you should make sure you are fully aware of all the possible side effects when you make the decision. Insist that your doctor tell you everything and do your research.

Good luck! Please let us know how it goes.

Feddy

Hello.

I have had much success with two different beta blockers. Atenolol and Candesartan. Both take a while to build up in your system, so you would not see immediate results. Also, your body can get used to them and stop working. When this happens to me, I switch to a different med for a month or so and then switch back.

I know beta blockers don't work for everyone (find me something that does!) and I know I am one of the "lucky" ones.

I hope you find something that works for you.

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum.
A little bit of history..I've suffered from migraines since the age of 11. Until I was out of high school, I didn't really take anything for them (my mother was not the Doctor visit kind of lady, more the get over it and suffer type) and distinctly remember bargaining with God to either kill me or make it stop. When I did finally get medication when I was grown, while it did help some, it was far from perfect. I've taken every Triptan on the market...cycling through them when the first stopped working. I went to a headache clinic and they had me find all of my food triggers which did help a little, but there didn't always seem to be a trigger..but there was always a headache! Eventually, my life became a cycle of just had a headache, have a headache or just got over a headache. I never, ever felt "good". I've tried beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, Topamax (which had some of the nastiest side effects of all!) all to no avail. I've done reflexology, chiropractic, acupuncture, foot detoxes, massage..you name it..I've probably done it!
This story does have a happy ending though! About 18 months ago, I complained to my chiropractor about chronic shoulder and hand pain (repetitive stress from work) and she had me try a supplement called OPC-3. I had tried it in the past for my headaches, but it didn't seem to help. So, I thought why not..I'll try it again to get her off my back. This time, when I tried it, I actually read the directions and took the right amount (imagine that..reading..who knew!) Within a month, my shoulder that was waking me up in the middle of the night hurting, and my hand that felt broken were much better..and when my period showed up without the normal migraine heralding its arrival, I was shocked! And then I noticed this really strange feeling..I felt GOOD..like really good. I did the sufferers scan of my head and found nothing. No twinges, no lingering soreness, no hint of a headache coming or going.
It's been 18 months and while I will get what I call a "half migraine" occasionally (like every 2 months or so) they are much more manageable. I compare them to tornados now, instead of the hurricanes I used to have. They usually begin, spike and are on the way out in 2-3 hours instead of 2 days like they used to be. And I don't even have a prescription to a migraine medication anymore. I can take a BC and be on my way. This supplement truly changed my life. I know others who had suffered for years and have been helped by it as well. If you'd like more information about it, feel free to contact me and we can discuss further. I can rant all day about it..but I'll stop

i'm sure all the old-timers on this forum will spot a spammer instantly. but just in case, "karmah" above, is pitching a product that has no science nor success with migraines. testimonials don't cut it.

all i've read about this product is that it's very good at separating you from your money. look it up and don't encourage the seller. dianne (having been through all the unscientific crap for 43 years now....)

I'm having a little success with Topamax at 100 mg per day. I'm 3 months in and seeing a reduction in frequency and intensity. I am having some side-effects, but some days are better than others.

Tingling and numbness seems best managed by lots of water, in my experience.

I do have trouble recalling common words...some days are definitely worse than others. "Um, um, um" is now a regular part of my vocabulary.

I stopped drinking soda...it all tastes flat. Therefore, I've lost 20 pounds.

However, this is the first month in 4 months that I haven't been to the emergency room for a massive migraine.

Good luck to you!

I'm on Topamax 200 mg, I have all the side effects and do I miss Coke!!! Topamax has changed the taste of all carbonated drinks!!!! I am not complaining about the weight loss but it does have horrible side effects. You are stuck on stupid with it!

Angela