For a few years now, I have been suffering from severe migraines. I have been to the regular family doctor, and also to a neurologist. First, they thought I had a brain anurism, but descovered that there is just what they call a "knuckle" in one of my central blood vessels in my brain. Ive been on a few medications to try to prevent the migraines, but nothing seemed to work. I used to take Excedrine: Migraine, but much to my suprise, the neurologist informed me that taking Excedrine Migraine habitually can actually induce migraines. He said that it's a great medication for the ocassional random-triggered migraine, but DO NOT take it often. Once it starts inducing migraines, stop taking it completely. Now I take Immatrex, which seems to work, but only if you take it IMMEDIATELY at the first sign of a migraine. For me, I start seeing bright spots or blurrs in my vision. Then, I begin to feel very nauseated. After that, my head starts pounding so badly that I can stand any light or minor noise or it makes me go crazy. I have to lay in a dark room. Eventually, I end up vommiting, and then usually the symptoms all go away. After that, I am just fatigued and have a regular headache for most of the day. It usually wears me out, so my whole day is shot. I've descovered that birth control pills can be a big trigger for migraines, especially if you take two at the same time [if you happen to miss one...]. Also, foods with MSG [monosodium glucamate] trigger migraines for me. Common junk foods, like Doritos, contain MSG and always make me sick, which can lead to a migraine for me. So be careful what you eat, ladies! And watch what medications you take. Id recommend that if migraines are a recurring problem, check out the side affects for all medications you commonly take, and start doing research on the foods you eat on a regular basis. Good luck!
:)
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Hadn't realized that info about Excedrin either. Can you share with us what a 'knuckle' is? Is that similar to a clot?
You may also want to take a look at some of the content that EmpowHer.com has featured on migraines such as
https://www.empowher.com/conditions/expert/headache/watch-this%3A-headac...
https://www.empowher.com/conditions/expert/migraine/watch-this%3A-dr.-be...
May 12, 2008 - 8:50pmThis Comment
Wow, I never heard that Excedrine could induce migraines; thanks for sharing that bit of info.
I used to suffer migraines when I was younger; but never knew what triggered them, as there was never a pattern. I do have reactions to MSG, though. Like you, quiet and darkness helps ease the pain.
Over the years, though, and I don't know why, I've not had as many "attacks" as I used to. Perhaps my elevated activity level might have something to do with it, or having eliminated refined foods and cut a lot of fat from my diet.
Good points!
May 12, 2008 - 8:22pmThis Comment