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Motherf***ing migraine headaches!

post #1 of 20
10/13/06 at 6:19am
Thread Starter 
I don't really like using profanity in the thread titles, so let me get this out of the way real quick. I FUCKING HATE MOTHERFUCKING MIGRAINES!
Sorry about that.

Anyways... I'm sure many of you guys(and gals) get them, and was wondering some of the symptoms you've experienced. The majority of people I know get different symptoms than I do. I've also been keeping a bit of a diary of sorts(just some notes and dates) for trying to figure out what brings them on. I guess they're still a mystery for the most part, but for me, it seems to be stress and weather changes(temperature) that seem to be the primary forces behind the "attacks". If I have an extremely stressful day or situation, there's a decent chance good ol' Mr. Migraine will be showing up in a few days. With the weather change thing, it seems more sudden and unpredictable. The weather got a lot cooler here tonight and may have kicked it in. I thought certain foods might be a factor, but they don't seem to be.

For me it starts with a sunspot. Nine times out of ten, when I'm thinking, "oh fuck, it's migraine time", I'm right on the money. The "sunspot" grows, and becomes a new beast. A "hole in my vision" of sorts appears, surrounded by a thin border of glimmering liquidy looking crap. It gets bigger and bigger, sometimes so big that I'm basically blind, then finally, vanishes. Five to ten minutes later, I've got the headache from hell.

Mine are usually more behind my eyes, and last about a day(sometimes longer, but I only feel it if I cough or make sudden head movements). Light sensitivity doesn't seem to be a factor for me, although I know that can bother other people. Neither is sound, I can still blast my radio. It just hurts, no matter what. It doesn't help that they're often accompanied by a strong desire to vomit. I got a lot of these at my last job, and it may have actually lead to me losing the job, as I had to go home "sick" about four or five times because of them. Oh, and vomiting helps for about 5 minutes, then it's back full force, so I stopped even bothering with that.

I don't particularly want to get pills to combat them, because I'm a bit of an anti-pill person(except the occasional valium, yes I'm a hypocrite), but if someone can recommend some good techniques for getting rid of them and/or preventing them, it would be greatly appreciated. Yes yes, I know, the internet is chock full of info on the subject, and yes I've read quite a bit. I was just wondering what symptoms you get, and what advice you guys(and gals!) might have on fighting these fucking things off.

Damn, that was a longer post than expected. Sorry it's not a shit thread.
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post #2 of 20
10/13/06 at 7:33am
For the part, I would count myself in the "anti-pill" crowd, mainly out of fear of developing immunity to medication over simple stuff that I can get over without pills.

But, I gotta tell ya, a migraine like that, as often as you're talking about would send me straight to the doctor.

That's just too serious.
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post #3 of 20
10/13/06 at 8:07am
Try taking Ginko Biloba, not just when you have them, but as a one a day vitamin suppliment. I used to catch 2-3 a month, although mine always centered on the back of my neck/head. Usual Nausua, et al symptoms would occur. A health nut friend of mine recommended taking Ginko Biloba, which alledgedly increases blood flow/oxygen to the brain and improves memory. Can't say my memory improved, but after a month or so, the frequency of headaches dropped. I'm now down to 1 every 1-2 months. You can pick em up in any healthfood/Vitamin (GNC) type store.

They recommend losing Caffeine from your diet as well, but that's just crazy talk.
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post #4 of 20
10/13/06 at 8:09am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by PsYcHwArD101
For the part, I would count myself in the "anti-pill" crowd, mainly out of fear of developing immunity to medication over simple stuff that I can get over without pills.

But, I gotta tell ya, a migraine like that, as often as you're talking about would send me straight to the doctor.

That's just too serious.
I don't have them that often, and sometimes(like a few months ago) it was really minor, only lasted a few hours. I've gone 2 years without having them before, but when I was working at that one job I got them every month or two. I also should mention, the level of "blindness" is usually a good sign of how bad the migraine will be. I'll have a spot that will be tiny, and just get a little headache. I was worried for a while(being a professional hypochondriac and all), but found out that these symptoms are pretty common.
I have a lot of friends who get them though, and have never once had the vision stuff, or have had it, in a totally different way.

*edit- Thanks Surge. Caffeine isn't a problem with me, since I've mostly cut out soda and nipped my coffee addiction in the bud as well.
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post #5 of 20
10/13/06 at 8:42am
Watch out for Fibro! My Aunt and Grandmother both suffered from migraines, and then were both diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Scary thing is that my wife has been getting migraines for the better part of the last few years.
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post #6 of 20
10/13/06 at 11:26am
I started getting migrains as a teen... they started with vision loss (everything got kind of fuzzy) - this was the worst part of it. The headaches sucked but the loss of vision made me sick. My doc gave me some pills that I would take when the vision loss would start. They apparently helped the blood flow upstairs a bit and all would be well. I haven't had one of those in over 10 years and I'm not addicted to any medication

Just recently (last week) I started getting some strange headaches... nothing like I've experienced before. Out of nowhere, I would get a sharp pain - right side, behind my eye. It would last for a second or less, stop and hit again 30 seconds or so later. It doesn't stop until I go to sleep. This happened for a week straight, every day/night. I finally went to the doc, they gave me a cocktail of some sort and I haven't had the headaches since. They also ordered a CT so I'll be going under the xray at 1PM today. Fun fuN!
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post #7 of 20
10/13/06 at 12:32pm
I've been getting them for about 7 or 8 years. It started right around the time I started law school. So, probably stress induced. I even got one in the middle of the bar exam. I had about an hour left to go in the test when it really hit. I couldn't leave, so I just pushed through it.

With me, it starts the same way as nexus. How blurry my vision gets is usually an indication of how bad it's going to be. They usually last about 3 hours for me, but the last one was around six. Also, I do have a lot of sensitivity to light and sound. When they come, I draw the blinds and hope I can fall asleep before the pain hits. The good thing is that I only get them every six months or so. It makes me nauseous, but it hasn't made me vomit. I haven't done that for 22 years. It might be some kind of record.

I did go to see a doctor about my migraines last year. He gave me a few different samples of pills to try when I feel a migraine coming on. None of them has seemed to make the slightest bit of difference. If anything, my headaches have increased in intensity. I'll have to give the gingko biloba a try.
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post #8 of 20
10/13/06 at 2:02pm
I've never had a migraine so I never knew how awful they were until last year at work I got really dizzy and the lights in the building started hurting my eyes and my head.

My boss drove me to my house (8 miles from work) and on the way I had him pull over as I thought I was going to hurl.

I made it to my house and slept it off for 2 hours.

Went to the doctor the next day and she said it was either a migraine or a sinus headache. I'm assuming it was a sinus headache as my sinuses are screwy.

But if that was a Sinus headache, I NEVER want a migraine.

I don't think I could take it, if I had migraines all the time.
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post #9 of 20
10/13/06 at 2:12pm
Nexus, have someone check your blood sugar levels. If they are high, that can bring on the type of headache that you are describing. My wife went through five months of this before finding out that she is hyper-glycemic. She lowered the amount of carbs in her diet and hasn't experienced a headache since.
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post #10 of 20
10/13/06 at 3:28pm
Can I just put out a request to people to NEVER take anything from a health store within consulting a doctor?

Most of those "supplements" and "natural" medications are completely unregulated, and at best have been proven to do nothing, and at worst have been proven to potentially cause harm. Also, some that appear to have no effects can have horrible effects when combined with other drugs.

Ginkgo biloba is one of these. You know it says it "increases blood flow"? Well, it does that by thinning your blood. If you are doing something else (say, taking aspirin) which already is thinning your blood, you are overdosing.

The point is, though, be careful, do research (and not just "healthy living" websites, but actual medical research), and avoid GNCs and unregulated "supplements."

I'm not saying ginkgo biloba will kill you, but do a little research first. Once my wife gets home... maybe I'll be back to tell you that ginkgo biloba will kill you, she is one with the medical smarts in the family.
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post #11 of 20
10/13/06 at 3:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kungfumonkeyboy
Can I just put out a request to people to NEVER take anything from a health store within consulting a doctor?

Most of those "supplements" and "natural" medications are completely unregulated, and at best have been proven to do nothing, and at worst have been proven to potentially cause harm. Also, some that appear to have no effects can have horrible effects when combined with other drugs.

Ginkgo biloba is one of these. You know it says it "increases blood flow"? Well, it does that by thinning your blood. If you are doing something else (say, taking aspirin) which already is thinning your blood, you are overdosing.

The point is, though, be careful, do research (and not just "healthy living" websites, but actual medical research), and avoid GNCs and unregulated "supplements."

I'm not saying ginkgo biloba will kill you, but do a little research first. Once my wife gets home... maybe I'll be back to tell you that ginkgo biloba will kill you, she is one with the medical smarts in the family.
There's a lot of unregulation in the health supplements business, but I cleared Ginko through my doctor, and that's in conjunction with an Asprin regimen (gotta love heriditary heart disease). I've been using it for over 4 years, and am to my knowledge, still alive.

It is good advice to run everything by your doctor first, because you may have other health specific issues that affect only you.
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post #12 of 20
10/13/06 at 6:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Death Surge
There's a lot of unregulation in the health supplements business, but I cleared Ginko through my doctor, and that's in conjunction with an Asprin regimen (gotta love heriditary heart disease). I've been using it for over 4 years, and am to my knowledge, still alive.

It is good advice to run everything by your doctor first, because you may have other health specific issues that affect only you.

*edit* ignore this post and see my post below which was made after getting more information.

I'm glad to hear it is helping.

Yeah, I wasn't trying to make you at as a bad guy or something, but I've seen too many people fall prey to the "supplement" field without consulting a doctor and then having even more severe health problems because of a known reaction.

I'm glad to hear you checked things out first, though. I also just wanted to make sure that other people reading the thread do the same, and don't just start taking things on other people's advice alone within thinking about medical ramifications.

My wife and mother-in-law both suffer from migraines, so I know how awful they can be (second-hand at least).
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post #13 of 20
10/13/06 at 6:44pm
My wife just came home...

she said (I'll paraphrase slightly), "OMFG nobody should ever, ever, ever take ginkgo biloba ever ever ever ever!!!!!!!"

Basically, she said, ginkgo does what aspirin already does, but dosage cannot be controlled accurately, and it contains lots of other fun impurities that do you absolutely no good. So, more aspirin should do the same thing, only more safely (if you require a higher dosage of aspirin).

She also pulled up some medical journals (I can cite them later if you want) that talk about the dangers of ginkgo biloba, especially when taken regularly, and especially when taken with aspirin.

Fun outcomes involve eye bleeding. Things like bleeding from the iris into other parts of the eye, and retinal damage due to bleeding.

Also, a common side effect (among other potentially nastier ones) includes headaches. Yay!

I'd maybe consider getting a second opinion from another doctor.
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post #14 of 20
10/13/06 at 7:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christopher Read
Watch out for Fibro! My Aunt and Grandmother both suffered from migraines, and then were both diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Scary thing is that my wife has been getting migraines for the better part of the last few years.
I googled Fibro and luckily I have none of the symptoms(other than the headaches). *knocks on wood*
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Kelly
Nexus, have someone check your blood sugar levels. If they are high, that can bring on the type of headache that you are describing. My wife went through five months of this before finding out that she is hyper-glycemic. She lowered the amount of carbs in her diet and hasn't experienced a headache since.
I'll look into that, thanks Jim.
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post #15 of 20
10/13/06 at 8:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus-6
I don't really like using profanity in the thread titles, so let me get this out of the way real quick. I FUCKING HATE MOTHERFUCKING MIGRAINES!
Sorry about that.

Anyways... I'm sure many of you guys(and gals) get them, and was wondering some of the symptoms you've experienced. The majority of people I know get different symptoms than I do. I've also been keeping a bit of a diary of sorts(just some notes and dates) for trying to figure out what brings them on. I guess they're still a mystery for the most part, but for me, it seems to be stress and weather changes(temperature) that seem to be the primary forces behind the "attacks". If I have an extremely stressful day or situation, there's a decent chance good ol' Mr. Migraine will be showing up in a few days. With the weather change thing, it seems more sudden and unpredictable. The weather got a lot cooler here tonight and may have kicked it in. I thought certain foods might be a factor, but they don't seem to be.

For me it starts with a sunspot. Nine times out of ten, when I'm thinking, "oh fuck, it's migraine time", I'm right on the money. The "sunspot" grows, and becomes a new beast. A "hole in my vision" of sorts appears, surrounded by a thin border of glimmering liquidy looking crap. It gets bigger and bigger, sometimes so big that I'm basically blind, then finally, vanishes. Five to ten minutes later, I've got the headache from hell.

Mine are usually more behind my eyes, and last about a day(sometimes longer, but I only feel it if I cough or make sudden head movements). Light sensitivity doesn't seem to be a factor for me, although I know that can bother other people. Neither is sound, I can still blast my radio. It just hurts, no matter what. It doesn't help that they're often accompanied by a strong desire to vomit. I got a lot of these at my last job, and it may have actually lead to me losing the job, as I had to go home "sick" about four or five times because of them. Oh, and vomiting helps for about 5 minutes, then it's back full force, so I stopped even bothering with that.

I don't particularly want to get pills to combat them, because I'm a bit of an anti-pill person(except the occasional valium, yes I'm a hypocrite), but if someone can recommend some good techniques for getting rid of them and/or preventing them, it would be greatly appreciated. Yes yes, I know, the internet is chock full of info on the subject, and yes I've read quite a bit. I was just wondering what symptoms you get, and what advice you guys(and gals!) might have on fighting these fucking things off.

Damn, that was a longer post than expected. Sorry it's not a shit thread.

I have a friend who gets similar symptons. Her migranes are a side effect of a more serious problem. I would suggest going to a doctor asap.
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post #16 of 20
10/14/06 at 8:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Social
I have a friend who gets similar symptons. Her migranes are a side effect of a more serious problem. I would suggest going to a doctor asap.
What more serious problem, may I ask? I can't really afford a MRI right now.
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post #17 of 20
10/15/06 at 9:52pm
My CT came back clear, apparently. $230 down the tube for peace of mind (har!).
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post #18 of 20
10/15/06 at 10:53pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiskaz
My CT came back clear, apparently. $230 down the tube for peace of mind (har!).
Good to hear.
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post #19 of 20
10/16/06 at 8:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kungfumonkeyboy
My wife just came home...

she said (I'll paraphrase slightly), "OMFG nobody should ever, ever, ever take ginkgo biloba ever ever ever ever!!!!!!!"

Basically, she said, ginkgo does what aspirin already does, but dosage cannot be controlled accurately, and it contains lots of other fun impurities that do you absolutely no good. So, more aspirin should do the same thing, only more safely (if you require a higher dosage of aspirin).

She also pulled up some medical journals (I can cite them later if you want) that talk about the dangers of ginkgo biloba, especially when taken regularly, and especially when taken with aspirin.

Fun outcomes involve eye bleeding. Things like bleeding from the iris into other parts of the eye, and retinal damage due to bleeding.

Also, a common side effect (among other potentially nastier ones) includes headaches. Yay!

I'd maybe consider getting a second opinion from another doctor.
As a counterpoint, here's a recent study on Ginko Biloba and Alzheimers:

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20030901/923.html

Like anything, there's possible side effects, of which I happen to have none. Note that I take basically a low dosage (60mg), and yes, dosage can be regulated based on the manufacturer.

There are risks with anything you take, alternative medicine or not. Ephedra was yanked from the alternative drug market because of causing heart problems, but then so were prescription only VIOXX and Bextra, which were more widely used, and caused a higher risk. I happen to distrust prescription drugs more than natural suppliments, and have a doctor who is friendly to both sides. I like a doctor to tell me to just take 150mg of B-Complex to lower your blood pressure instead of a new Pfizer prescription drug that the sales people are pushing that week.
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post #20 of 20
10/16/06 at 1:53pm
I had to have three Supra Orbital Nerve block operations while in High School to stop my cluster migranes.

It was getting to the point where they thought I was going to rupture something behind my left eye if I didn't have it.

Migraines aren't fun, but I haven't had one since the operation. What's weird is that now, when I feel like I'm going to have a headache...my neck gets a sharp pain in a way that I can't accurately describe. It's weird.
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