Frova vs. Nothing

Hi all. So for the past couple of years I have taken absolutely nothing for migraines other than an ice pack. If the migraine is up at a 9 or a 10, it's quite unbearable. I am going to hope Frova doesn't have bad side effects and try it next time; in fact I am going to take it as a preventative around my cycle as my doctor suggested. (Anyone have luck with that?)

The thing is, if I take nothing and deal with the pain, I am incapacitated for about 1-2 days, and then the 3rd day is a sick "recovery" day with little pain. I am reading everyone's experiences with different meds and it seems like even with the meds, people are still experiencing pain.

I guess my question is, should I even bother? Will I be able to stay at work and get through my day? Will I be able to drive? Or will I still be too sick/in pain to do anything normal? After not taking meds and knowing I can somehow survive, I have doubts that anything will really make a difference.

So for you, do the meds make you able to go through a normal day, at least?

Doximom-

As far as Triptans go, I've only tried Imitrex and Frova. The Imitrex seems to work a bit faster, but there's more "hangover. ". I LOVE Frova because it lasts longer and with less side effects for me. One word of caution: start by taking on 1/2 of a Frova ( I do that with all meds) because that's all I need usually until the next day! I seem to be more of a drowsy zombie on Imitrex and get very little done. But I'm not that way on Frova! Hope this helps! Once you discover if Triptans work for you, you will wonder why you suffered so long without them. Hope this helps!

I typically need 2 Frova. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

It is certainly worth giving it a try. Perhaps do it on the weekend first time so you can better see how it affects you.

I love Frova and only take Imitrex because the Frova was too expensive.

How often do you get migraines? Record that right now, so you will be able to tell if Frova is giving you rebound headaches. If, after using Frova, you get more migraines in a month then maybe it's best to not take anything like you have been doing.

That said, when I used to take Frova it would take around 2 hours to work. Back when I was eating artificial food colorings, the Frova would merely arrest the pain and I'd be left in that state for the rest of the day, as opposed to the migraine getting worse. Once I stopped the artificial colorings, the Frova would work better and the pain would be 80-100% gone after 2 hours. The only side effect I had was sleepiness.

Actually, there were a couple of times when I would hallucinate smells. I'm not sure if this was the Frova or the migraine, but rarely, food would taste/smell rotten and I would often smell hotdogs or a fruity/toothpaste-like smell when there was none.

And to answer your question, yes the Triptans make me able to stay at work/have a mostly normal day.

Yes Triptans are also really helpful for me. I've only been getting true migraine episodes in the last year or so (although I've had a constant headache for 7 years), but I've quickly learned at what point to take a Triptan, as they do take 90-120 minutes to kick in for me (I get that with all meds).

They help with the sharp pain, nausea, sensitivity to sound, and generally feeling very out of it. I have nearly no side effects. I've only taken Relpax and general Imitrex lately. The Imitrex gives me a sort of tightness in my throat, but is much cheaper, plus I don't get enough Relpax a month. Its $20 for 4 Relpax vs. $5 for 9 sumatriptan for me. I was shocked my insurance lets me get both in one month.

There are so many migraine treatment options there is no reason to suffer. In addition to Triptans, of which there are seven or so, there are other meds that can be used as needed. Also, preventative type meds, to try to reduce the frequency and severity. You won't know if something will work until you try. It would be rare to take a Triptan and end up worse.

The side effect profile is pretty low, but its good to read the literature to be aware of what could happen. I would however take them for the first time at home, in case it ends up being sedating or you wouldn't be able to drive. I do that for any new med though. I still get the migraine hangover effect, although not as bad. Best wishes.

Thank you all so much. You're so helpful -- I am not exactly looking forward to having to take Frova, but I am so curious to see if it helps. Next week is my peak migraine week and I have a lot going on at work, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed here! It would be great if I could get through the week without having to take time off!