How bad is your migraine?

First topic message reminder :

How much does it impact on your life.
On another forum it was spoken as 100% housebound.
That is almost my situation. Day after day I sit on this couch.
I cannot go out, and dont feel like seeing people.
Although most cant be bothered with me anymore it seems, I lost a lot of friends due to migraine.

So I am not 100%. I am probably 85%.
I get about for about an hour at a time...locally, maybe once a week.
It had been twice.

How much life have you lost due to migraine?

It would benefit us as patients if the medics managed to concur.
Swanning off to conferences is all very well, but at what cost, and in this day of technology, why must they travel, what is wrong with internet conferences....

If we can all chat on line like this, why not they? What a huge cost saver, and THAT could be spent on funding to provide us with a cure....

Anto I am pretty sure Linda uses a nasal spray, but she can speak for herself.
It works, and is perhaps another instance of how different we all are.
Just like this damn illness....

Yes the nasal spray works at least 95% of the time. Rarely does it not work and that is when I wait too long to take it, and it even works then but takes longer. That is interesting Antonella that it didn't get much use in Italy, because it doesn't here either. The pharmacy pretty much carries it just for me, and I live in a large city. People here prefer triptans even though they don't get as good as results as I do. It is still under the name Migranol with no generic so it may be different from when you tried it years ago. If not, costwise I'm getting ripped off. BUT it works. I can't complain. If my house was burglarized, I would rather they take all my electronics than my Migranol

Something else that is interesting is that neither of my neuros (one retired) would comment on the Migranol, just tried to push the triptans. It was my GP that put me on Migranol without hesitation and the doctor I work with recommeneded it without hesitation. It was like they KNEW that it worked and that my neuros are more into pushing something they were told to push. They don't even comment on it in a negative way. Just don't say anything when I swear by it. I think of the poor souls that are not getting the chance to try it.

Just a thought (and I might be way off on this) but isn't there a chance of Migranol causing birth defects?

I vaguely recall having this discussion with my GP and that was the reason we went with triptans. The neuro never brought it up, but then again he wouldn't prescribe my current triptan either. Love my GP.

Seems so yes Becky. So it says not suitable for pregnant ladies.
But what about us older women......
I can see how your GP would consider that though...

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Just found out its MIGRANAL in the UK, but so hard to find.

My GP is very aware of things like that. I think he wouldn't advise it for women of child-bearing age but there's no reason those that are beyond that couldn't have it. I also think that if my current regiment didn't work, he'd let me give it a go, using extreme caution.

Sounds as if you have a good GP Becky.
I have just been to see a different one with my elder daughter.
Well we went together, we both had appointments.

She was good with my daughter, who has started getting one sided headaches
(how good does that make me feel....)

Easy to talk to and she liked her.
I think we might stick with her, it makes a difference...

I have a wonderful GP - he's very old school. If I were ever to leave or he retires (he's somewhere in his 60's at least) I would miss him.

Glad you may have found one that will work for you. Sorry to hear your daughter may be headed down this road.

Thanks Becky. She has given her some Pizotifen to try at night.
She sint sure if it might be a hormonal screw up.
She went on the Pill for 3 straight months no break to try to help her IBS which appears to be hormonally flared. Needless to say it didnt work and since then she has been all over the place and getting daily headaches.

GP is hoping that when her cycle gets sorted, the headaches will back off.
There's me with no known link and my daughter gets bloody headaches....
Oh my....

It irritates me that women aren't given a choice. Some women of child bearing age can't or down want kids. Why can't they have the option of Migranal? And as some of you mentioned, it certainly should be an option for women past child bearing age.

Fooey

Chris I agree.

Pregnancy doesn't just happen. I managed to avoid it successfully for nearly 40 years.

P.

I was lucky in that way. I wanted kids and had them all by the time I hit 30.
BUT, I didn't have migraines then anyway. I had IBS, and that was a big screw up for us, but I didn't have the drug dilemma....
I sure see you ladies have a very good point...

I hoped, with more women doctors, we might be treated with a bit more intelligence, but seems not....

Very interesting on Cafergot and Migranol. I read up on them and they are both vascular constrictors based on Ergotamine, although slightly different. I have had some luck with Migraten as an abortive in the past which is also a vaso constrictor. This apparently is no longer available in the US, along with Midrin which is similar. See

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If the Frova my doctor has prescribed (but which is still being held up because the insurance company does not want to approve it so the pharmacy won't fill the prescription.) does not work, then I will ask him about Migranol or Cafergot.

I'm not sure if migraten is available elsewhere.

I cannot find Migraten mentioned on any sites here MG.
But someone else may know otherwise.

Here is the info on it. I don't know what it might be called there.

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Okay I have found it, we do have it, but it is not well used because it has a lot of cautions, including kidney problems...no good for me.
It is combined with Paracetamol and Caffeine, but I cant find any particular brand on sale...

Midrid is the closest but it lacks the caffeine.

P

I have an appontment with my GP on Tuesday. I'm asking about all these scarey warnings. Not too worried. I'm sure I would have been warned. All I know is that any side effects have to be better than a migraine.

I bet you would have been warned too linda.
We have a lot of cautions on drugs here.
Lots of them are in use in US.
I dont know if this is a good or bad thing.
We get offered a lot less, but we dont see have any more severe problems then you do. I get very confused with it all.

My problem is always, I get the side effects and still have the migraine. Before I started to use forums, I thought it was just me, but I learned that's not so. Some are luckier than others...

Let us know what you learn please.
P

Hope I'm not joining the conversation too late.

First, how bad are my migraines? I have some degree of head pain all the time, every day. I take some form of medication everyday, starting with my twice-a-day oxycontin. Everyday. As prescribed. From there I need to decide what the pain dictates. Something over-the-counter or one of my two forms of indocin/indomethacin (capsules or suppositories).

The pain can be subtle, nagging, and tiring, or it can be slamming, horrific, and put-me-to-bed. Or it can be all of that in one day. I never know from day to day what it's going to be like.

Next topic: migranal. I have been on this. I am 40. I have had 2 children. The issue of whether or not it was going to interfer with my fertility has never been addressed (although I have had a hysterectomy). I have even used it as a DHE-type multi-dose therapy like they would give at a headache clinic (8-9 doses over a 72-hour period). I am either going to ask to have it prescribed again soon or I am going to try botox next, so I may have migranal at my ready very soon.

I also saw a cardiologist years ago because i was worried about cafergot and he also reassured me.
He told me that if I stay in the "safe" dosage, there are no threatens for my heart. The safe dosage is 3 suppositories/week. I normally use 1/2 suppositories/week. In bad times I can reach 3/week. There are horrible weeks when I reach 5, but they - fortunately - happen very seldom.

Also my GP is fine with cafergot. She's only worried for the rebound effect that it can have when it's taken more than twice a week, but I know how to manage it.