living with it

By beenthere Monday, November 03, 2008

- A
- A
- A

I have had the headaches since late 1997,and had lots of different test done and alot of different meds. I have around 10 to 14 a month, usually on the right side of my head. The best meds for me is Imitrex but at $225 for 9 pills, is alittle high. I have no insurance at this time. I can tell when it going to be a bad one. And sometimes I just want to sleep. Before I was taking Excredin Migraine about20 to 30 a month for about 1 and 1/2 years not to good on kidneys. So now I have chronic kidney failure stage 3. That are running about 50%.

Thanks for listening.

Ready? Set? Brush Up and Vote!

Comments (15) | Add comment

Nancy Harris Bonk

11/ 3/08 2:52pm

Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection.com!

I'm so sorry to hear about your kidney problems. But if we take certain OTC and/or prescriptions medications more than two to three days a week we run the risk of getting Medication Overuse Headache (MOH) fomerly called rebound. We have more information on this topic in the article: Medication Overuse Headache - When the Remedy Backfires.

If you are getting more than three Migraine attacks a month it is time to talk to your doctor about a Migraine prevention plan. There are over 100 medications that can be used for Migraine prevention, take a look at this article for more information: Migraine Preventive Medications - Too Many Options To Give Up!

Imitrex is a triptan used to abort, not prevent, a Migraine attack. Sometimes it is confusing with all the different medications available to know which type to take and when during a Migraine attack. This article: Preventive, Abortive, and Rescue Medications - What's the Difference? will fill you in.

Thank you for creating a SharePost. SharePosts are a form of blogging, and there are many things you can do with them. You can share an experience, suggest something that's helped you, use SharePosts as a Migraine and headache journal, and many other things.

We also have a discussion forum that you may want to check out. Especially if you have questions or are looking for information, you may find the interaction on the forum to be quite helpful. To get to the forum, just look for the orange box marked "Manage" and click on the Migraine Forums link. Because our forums are maintained by a third party, you'll need to register for the forum. You can use the same information you used to create your community log-in if you like. If you want to go directly to the forum, you can click HERE.

Along with your personal "My Home" page and the discussion forum, you'll find links to a great deal of helpful information and a spot to sign up for our free newsletter on the main page of our site, http://www.MyMigraineConnection.com.

If you have any questions, please feel free to post them to the forum or send me a message through my profile.

Welcome again,

Nancy Bonk
MyMigraineConnection.com Expert

kdnewton

11/ 6/08 10:39am

Dear Beenthere,

I have been there too and know just what it is like to have 10-14 a month, on the right side primarily. I just wanted to let you know you are not alone. I also took way too much ibuprofen in addition to my triptans(have tried them all) and had to stop and just use the Relpax and change my diet, up my activity level and get more rest, reduce caffeine as well. I am using relaxation cd's as well on a daily basis as much as possible to help "calm" myself as much as possible. Most of us aren't usually told to take care of all the parts of us, but this has begun to work for me. If you have not read Teri's book, I can tell you it was a true turning point in my life, because having half your month in migraine, and then the other half in "recovery" is a real disability. You are not alone, take heart. Kd, Austin, TX

beenthere

11/ 7/08 2:31am

KD, thank you for taking the time to reply. I am tired of taken meds for this and that. Some I cannot use because it changes me really bad. My wife was ready to kick me one time because I changed so rapidly. As I told Betsy, I have learned to live with this little bugger. I wished I had known what it would do to my kidneys for taken so much of the meds. I can get Imitrex one at a time if i need one which is only 23.35. That is really good. The VA gave some Zomed something like that but it took forever to work.

Thanks again. Take care and have a great day and SMILE *---*

Been there

betsyb

11/ 6/08 4:06pm

Dear BeenThere,

I've been there too, and I just wanted to say quickly to try to be patient and don't give up! And in the meantime, I urge you to call every pharmacy in your location and check prices. I called around and checked a few months ago where I live, and Costco was the least expensive for Imitrex, local drug stores in between, and WalMart the highest. Prices ranged at that time from around $190 to $240 for 9 100-mg tablets. Every location and store may be different, but $40 goes a long way toward the price of your next refill, so be sure to compare prices.

I wish you all the best in your quest for improvement!

Betsy

beenthere

11/ 7/08 2:25am

Betsy, thank you for your imput. Its to the point now that I just learn to live with it and deal with it as best as I can. Some days are not as bad as some. They have put dye in my brain to see if I had a ansursym back that came back neg. which is good.

Thanks again and have a great day and SMILE *---*

Beenthere

betsyb

11/ 7/08 5:37pm

I'm so glad that your test for an aneurysm was negative! Well, after close to 40 years of migraine attacks, I know what you mean about living with it the best you can and how you have good days and bad. But whatever you do, be patient and keep working with your doctor to find the best ways to manage your attacks. The good news is that there is more and more research and there will be more and better ways of treating migraine in the future. Hopefully it won't be too long before the best solutions can be found for each one of us. It can be so frustrating and discouraging at times going through the process of trying to find your best treatment! But there is so much more available for migraineurs now than there was prior to 20 years ago or so.

I sure wish you the best,

Betsy

beenthere

11/ 8/08 9:12am

Betsy, I never had headaches like this before Dec 1997. Its like they just showed up and decided not to leave. some guests. The Dr. tired all kinds of meds and some just did not work. Then the one Dr. said that they can help about 85% of the people but I fell into the 15% they can not. I stayed off caffine for two years, the Dr. said that wasn't it, love my soda pop. I eat fairly well or good. Well any how thank you so much for your input. Its nice to know that some one else knows what is like. Have a great day and SMILE *___*

Jessie

Calli6

11/11/08 11:14am

Hi, I was just reading your post and saw you loved your soda. I used to be a cola lover, drank it constantly. I became allergic to the caramel coloring so went to 7up etc. I finally found I had become allergic to corn, corn syrup is in the sodas. You might try not having any sodas until it all gets out of your system and see if it makes a difference. My doctor had drank lots of colas too and became allergic to the caramel coloring, that's how he knew I was. Not happy about it but drink ice tea now. If I would drink a soda now I would get a full blown migraine.

beenthere

11/13/08 1:23am

Hi, yes love that soda pop. I have tried to stay clear of certain foods but still can not seem to find out whats the tigger. I have had a bad headache since the 10th and this is the 12. It just plain sucks. A lot of overthe counter does not work. You could be right on the corn stuff and I will give it a try won't hurt. Thank you for your input and have agreat day and SMILE*___*

Jessie

Calli6

11/13/08 2:09am

One other thing- you could be allergic to soy and they are putting it in everything. I've had a lot more trouble since then. Read your labels. Do you use steak sauce, soy sauce- they have caramel coloring + soy --just as an example. That alone will give me a 2 day migraine since it has to get out of my system. Anyway, just thought I'd throw that out there.....

beenthere

11/15/08 10:40am

Calli6, thank you for the info, I do not use much of anything. I eat eggs, toast, pizza, fish sandwich, ceral with no sugar cherro's, frosted mini wheats. Drink milk and gaderaide, spelling is off.water. I have quit soda pop for right now. I do keep a log of when I get the headaches. So how has your headaches been? My wife keeps pretty tabs on what we eat and we share when we go out. Well got to go take care and SMILE *___*

Jessie

Calli6

1/ 1/09 10:48am

It's great your wife keeps tabs on what you eat, I sometimes forget. Have you seen any difference in not drinking sodas?

beenthere

1/ 1/09 12:33pm

Hi Cali, Happy New Year and what a year its been.I have not noticed a big change. Dec had 11 headaches not bad used only 4 alieve but they really take forever to work. Sometimes I drink soda pop to get rid of the headaches. It works sometimes but not all the time.How have you been? Well, life is good no matter what with friends like you. Have a great day and SMILE *___*

Jessie

Sydders

12/12/08 2:03am

Hi There, I really feel for your head pain. I do. And it scares the bejesus out of me that 20-30 excedrin per month can cause kidney issues, because I pop them like candy a lot times. *Note to self - cut that OUT! Ten to fourteen days is literally half of your life spent with a migraine. And that is much too long. I have a few different ideas for you, perhaps you could see if one will work for you. 1) Call this program about prescription assistance. If it doesn't work, email back and I will look for something else: https://www.pparx.org/Intro.php 2) I don't know which all meds you've tried prophylactically in order to see if there are any "good" ones that you may have missed. Perhaps you can post the highlights of the meds you've tried here. If worse comes to worse, call a local pain clinic. They usually get you in for about $80 with no insurance, and you get prescriptions they give you in the generic format. Good luck!

Calli6

1/ 1/09 10:53am

Hi Sydders, Thanks for the information of the PPARX site I will check that out. I no longer have insurance and need to take Relpax (which is the only thing that works) and of course that is about $220 for 9 pills.

living with it

Ask a Question