they hurt

By khris88 Wednesday, August 13, 2008

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i wake up every morning with a headache which 9/10 turns into a migraine.

i have tried all the triptolenes, fiorcett, depakote (made me gain 12 pounds in 6 weeks), prozac, effexor, midrin, clonopin, attivan, paxil... nothing has worked for me...

Please someone give me some insight. I am 27 and a mommy of a 7 yr old. I hate these headaches. I want to be able to be a mom and not worry that whatever i do is going to cause a migraine to come on. I can't even stretch without my head hurting. I'm almost at the point of giving up. I'm tired of going to the ER because i start throwing up and sometimes black out. I have heard that maxalt can take up to 2 hours to work. i have lived with cluster migraines for almost 9 years. If anyone has found something that works please let me know.

thank you

Comments (30) | Add comment

Nancy Harris Bonk, Health Guide

8/13/08 6:12pm

Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection.com!

Most of the time waking up with a Migraine can be a sign a problem with sleep. Too little sleep, too much sleep, changing sleeping patterns and a poor quality of sleep can trigger Migraines. You may want to keep a steady sleep schedule to see if that helps with your pain.

Transformed Migraine may also be related to sleeping issues. We have a few articles about TM HERE and HERE.

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

khris88

8/14/08 9:02am

I have sleep problems.. i wake up a few times everynight, but since i have started taking 1/2 an ambien at night i seem to actually sleep thru the night. I woke up with my head hurting this morning and took something for it. I am just hoping to be able to work tody without hurting or getting sick. thanks for all your information and i will check out the websites listed.

Nancy Harris Bonk, Health Guide

8/14/08 9:34am

Since you just started taking ambien, it may take a bit of time to even out your sleep. You may try going to sleep at the same time each night and wake up the same time each morning, even on the weekends

Let me know how you make out, ok?

khris88

8/14/08 9:40am

i have been on ambien for about a month.. i am in bed by 10 every night and up at 630. it seems like as soon as i start moving it starts hurting.

khris88

9/15/08 2:51pm

Hi Nancy, I stopped taking the ambiens and I am now taking Lyrica. It was helping at first and now seems as though it isn't.. I have been taking it since 8/25/08. I don't like the doctor I went to, he was very unsincere and didn't listen to anything I said. He basically told me how I felt. So I have an appt with a new neuro 11/25. I hope it will go better.

Teri Robert, Health Guide

8/14/08 10:35am

Did your doctor give you a diagnosis of "cluster Migraines," or is that just a description of some kind? It would be helpful to know your diagnosis.

By triptolenes, do you mean triptans -- Imitrex, Maxalt, etc.?

You said you wake with a headache that turns into a Migraine? You're sure it's not a Migraine that gets worse? Waking with a headache or Migraine is, as Nancy said, quite often a sleep issue. Even if you sleep for eight hours, that doesn't mean it's quality sleep. Also, medications such as Ambien are meant for short-term use only. So, if there is a sleep problem, a more permanent solution wuld help you a great deal.

You mentioned a few preventive medications, but keep in mind that there are over 100 medications that can hel prevent Migraine. So don't get discouraged.

Do you know what your triggers are? Trigger identification and management is vital.

Sorry for all the questions, but I have another one for you. How many days a week are you taking something to relieve your headaches and Migraines, and what are you taking?

It sounds like time to see an actual Migraine specialist. The description of not even being able to stretch without getting a Migraine is not good. Take a look at Migraine and Headache Specialists - What's So Special? and our directory of Patient Recommended Specialists.

Teri

khris88

8/14/08 10:55am

i have tried amitriptolene, nortriptorlene, imitrex (made me very sick)midrin, cafergot, depakote, prozac, fiorcett, and i can't even remember all of them. my doctor told me i have cluster migraines. anytime i do anything strenuous my head will start hurting. i have seen a nuero.. he didn't do much for me. so now i am waiting until the 25th to see another doctor. fluorescent light can be a trigger. i know that fish, pickles, chocolate, coffee etc.. can also but i stay away from them. i have one coming on now and i have nothing to take because i can't get in touch with my doctor.

lktramel

9/15/08 12:27pm

I began having migraines in recent years. Never had them prior to this. I don't often hear of others having them every day like I do. I couldn't live without Maxalt. It is the best! I don't find that it takes 2 hours to work. It works as soon I take it. I take one every night before going to bed because I know that if I don't, I will awaken with a migraine. Sometimes, I have to take one during the day also, but mostly the one at night really helps. I also take Inderal LA every morning, which is a blood pressure drug. There are times that I still get a migraine, but the Maxalt stops it in it tracks.

khris88

9/15/08 12:33pm

thanks for the info about Maxalt. My neuro put me on Lyrica... it helped the first 2 weeks.. but now it seems like a waste of money. I'm glad to see that something helps you. It's nice to know that there is hope. Thanks!! = )

Teri Robert, Health Guide

9/15/08 1:33pm

PLEASE talk to your doctor about your use of Maxalt. Maxalt is NOT a preventive medication and should not be taken daily. It's quite possible that what you wake with if you don't take one is not a Migraine but a medication overuse headache caused by taking Maxalt so frequently. It shouldn't be taken more than two or three days a week.

Teri

khris88

10/ 6/08 9:31am

i don't take maxalt.

rebeccaj

9/27/08 7:59pm

I have personally found that oversleeping (more than 7.5 hours) causes a nasty migraine in the morning. Researching this, it is a proven trigger for some people. It has taken a several months to figure out how many hours I can sleep without a headache.

However, one of the best things that I have found to reduce the pain is "Head On" stick (Migraine one). Although seems like a gimmick, it really does work for me. It reduces the pain dramatically in just a minute or so. Although to much of (several times a day, every day) causes the forehead to peel.

khris88

10/ 2/08 10:01am

i have used the head on stick.. it helps some... i'm at the point now where nothing really works... I had a really bad one about 2 weeks ago and i called the doc that put me on lyrica.. he told me to take a couple tylenol and bare it... i politely told him where he could go and asked if he had ever had a migraine.. his answer was NO>>> so why tell me to take tylenol.. if you have never experienced one yourself.. i don't care how much "schooling" you have.. that was unreal..

rebeccaj

10/ 5/08 2:01pm

I completely agree. Tylenol, isn't going to cut it. I have had migraines for years (since about 3 or 4 years of age). I have tried everything, including blood pressure medication to reduce my already low blood pressure.

Now at 31, I am over it. I need to find a solution. I am visiting the Diamond Headache clinic in Chicago, this month. I am hopeful they will be able to find a solution.

khris88

10/ 6/08 9:28am

i hope everything goes well for you at the Diamond Clinic. have you tried Lyrica? it actually helps a little... I haven't had any really bad ones since that dip told me to take tylenol. There is an infusion called D H E have you had it?

rebeccaj

10/ 6/08 9:17pm

Thanks, me too. I haven't tried Lyricia, although i have so much difficulty getting ones approved by my insurance. I might give it a try. I haven't tried DHE either. What is that one?

thanks.

khris88

10/ 7/08 9:36am

D.H.E. 45 (dihydroergotamine mesylate) Injection, USP D.H.E. 45® (dihydroergotamine mesylate) Injection, USP is indicated for the acute treatment of migraine headaches with or without aura and the acute treatment of cluster headache episodes. Basically what it does is open up all the veins really quick...it worked... it just made me sick at my stomach...for a while.

rebeccaj

10/ 8/08 6:34pm

Intresting. Do you know if it is related to Imotrex?

thanks again.

khris88

10/ 9/08 9:12am

I have no idea. It made me feel almost like Imitrex does.

Norma H

10/13/08 9:46am

DHE is an infusion - when I had it, it was a new treatment, at least for me, back in 1992 I went to the Tampa Headache Clinic and had prescribed. I had an IV line inserted, along with another line to monitor my heart, and I wore the 'pack' ie, IV unit with the medication 24/7 for 3 months, this allowed me to go to work, I thought it would help me with the pain, but as time went by during this time, I still had episodes of bad migraines while wearing/using the IV Infusion Unit (therapy), I still ended up calling the clinic at least 2- 3 times a week for that 3 month period, crying in pain & agony, so in retrospect, no it did not work for me personally. Why use this treatment if it will not relieve pain? I ended up in the emergency room with doctors orders while on this treatment to get a booster(?) another injection of demerol - with phenegran, so to me it was a waste of money.

Imitrex is not related directly but because it works with the blood vessels it will make you feel weird, something along the line of burning from the inside out, at least that is the feeling I used to get.

But not until years later did I find out from a totally different doctor that is was due to the high blood pressure, this triggered these sensations, and these medications say on the warnings 'DO NOT TAKE IF YOU HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE......" so that has been my experience.

Please see the comment below for some corrections to this one.

Teri Robert, Health Guide

10/13/08 10:13am

Norma,

DHE isn't necessdarily an infusion. An infusion is given over time via IV as you described. DHE can be administed that way, but it can also be injected subcutaneously at home. It is not new. It's been on the market since 1945. It DOES often relive pain because it often totally aborts the Migraine by stopping the Migrainous process in the brain.

DHE is related to Imitrex and other triptans because they bind to serotonin receptors. For that reason, DHE should not be used within 24 hours of any triptan, and no two triptans should be used within 24 hours of each other.

Neither triptans nor DHE should be used in the presence of UNCONTROLLED high blood pressure. Some patients are able to use DHE or triptans if their hypertension is well controlled with medications.

Teri

Norma H

10/13/08 12:26pm

thank you for the correction in my typing, I meant to say 'new for me'...and at the time I did not understand how everything worked properly, as someone else mentioned, some doctors do not necessarily take the time to listen to you. so again thank you it was my error in not indicating 'new for me'

khris88

10/31/08 4:19pm

How did everyting fo at the clinic? I meant to write sooner but I have been sick so has my daughter. I hope they were able to help you. I am still taking the Lyrica. It seems to help. Not quite sure if it gets my vote just yet.

dddanse

10/ 2/08 7:30am

I don't know about Maxalt - it has helped me as has Replax, but I only take them if I feel a Migraine beginning.

I also wake up most mornings with headaches, but have found that not eating after 7:00 helps (so mine might be food related). I also have found having an air cleaner in the bedroom helps some. I keep the bed linens changed frequently and watch that nothing that sets off my allergies is in the bedroom. Hormones and air pressure set my migraines off, as does stress, so I try to play relaxing music in the bedroom and practice Yoga and Tai Chi...deep breathing can control some of my headache pain sometimes.

I wish that I could give you more definitive answers, but the above things have helped me so at least the headaches that I do awaken with rarely last long once up.

HUGS and REIKI

Topaz

10/ 2/08 9:52am

mine too are food related. i can't eat anything with free processed glutamates (msg). i have taken many things to prevent and relieve the migraines. sometimes when i wake up with them, it is because of the pollen reading in the area, or something in the home that i am allergic to. so i have allergic rhinitis as well as migraines. when i get a sinus headache from the allergins, it turns into a migraine quite quickly. nothing worked but Imitrex for quite some time. but after taking it several times a week for about 3 years, the effect wore off. i am now on a strict diet to prevent them. and when i do get them, i have found that Excedrin Migraine really does work. but i was told recently that lithium is also used as a preventative drug, and i was put on it to help depression. check out the site truthinlabeling.com it will give you a list of everything msg can be labeled as. because manufactures don't have to put 'monosodium glutamate' in their ingredient list.

joy

10/31/08 4:13pm

I have also had great success with Excedrin Migraine. I tend to have a headache every day for a week once a month - either I will wake up with it or it occurs at near bedtime. I believe mine are hormone- related. Since I am in pre-menopause, I also have trouble sleeping. Either I can't go to sleep or I wake up every few hours. For that, I take Tylenol PM. Actually, I take the generic versions of both meds since they're a lot cheaper. I purchase the Target brands. I hope this helps!

cking

11/ 7/08 7:28pm

Dear Kris:

I am just now reading your post. Are you still still having terrible headaches upon waking? I did for several years, and it was horrendous. I have a history of hormonal migraines, but in recent years started having nightly SEVERE headaches that wake me out of sleep, and I cannot lay down (can only hold my head and pace so that it does not explode). It took many months to get a diagnosis, but these particular headaches are very rare and are called Hypnic headaches--probably caused by REM sleep. They are inflammatory headaches like cluster headaches and for some people can be mild or moderate--but for 30% who have them (like me) they are extremely severe.

I had tried about 25 preventatives or combinations of preventatives over the past 8 years, and nothing helped. Finally, knowing what they are, we tried Indocin SR which greatly helps my Hypnic headaches. I am also on Depokote ER to try to prevent the hormonal migraines (does not work as well, but the severity is reduced). My Hypnic headaches did not respond to 2400mg of Motrin daily, but for some reason the IndocinSR (an anti-inflammatory like Motrin) works to prevent them mostly, if taken 2 hours before bedtime. It and lythium are the two treatments of choice. Only about 80 cases are documented in the US, so if you suspect this is what you have, google HYPNIC headache and look for medical articles about it to take to your neurologist.

I hope you are finding some relief from the constant pain. I was at the end of my rope when we finally figured out what they were, and had lost hope. The articles discuss that older people are more prone, but I was in my 40's when mine started, and there are a few patietns in the worlk in their 20s and 30s who were diagnosed with them. About half of patients with Hypnic headaches have a long-term history of severe migraines. I hope this helps.

Take care.

Clemmie

Diane Kubik

11/14/08 5:30pm

I was wondering if anyone with migraines has had an MRI scan. I was diagnoised with

Arnold Chairi Malformation after going to the emergency room, due to a migraine. I

was given a MRI and was diagnoised with this condition. One of the symptoms of

this condition is migraines. If you are curious about ACM, their are numerous sites

on Arnold Chairi Malformation. Just a thought. Hoping everyone with migraines has

a pain free day.

Diane K

Yolanda

11/17/08 10:41pm

I'm currently on maxalt and I'm just trying it to see if it works for me. I just recently told the doctor about my headaches because before I was just dealing with them the best way I knew how. Now I am a mom of a three year old and oh my god is it hard to be a mom when you have pounding headache. I try not to take it out on him but sometimes I feel that I have to avoid him altogether and that really hurts all of us. Maxalt has not worked for me so far. I hope that it works for you. I have a migraine now and I'm having trouble concentrating. Are you married? I don't mean to snoop just wondering how your spouse deals with it. My husband isn't very compassionate toward it. So I just learn how to deal. Take care.

Tana

11/22/08 12:31pm

You have gotten lots of suggestions. I hope you have some relief. I too go through periods of the year when I wake up every morning around 4 am with a migraine. I have tried many preventatives, the latest being Atenolol. Finally my over use of triptans made them useless. My Headache Specialist told me to stop all abortives and put me on a muscle relaxant, Tizanidine. I'm not sure how I got through the last days of headache without anything. I know I didn't care if I lived or died.

The good news is that I was able to get through it and I have been able to live through several migraines without taking much more than Advil or Asprin, along with the Tizanidine. Now the headaches last for hours instead of days and days.

I have also restarted acupuncture. I had success with it years ago and feel that the more proactive you are the better your results.

Keep trying medications and alternative therapies. Something will help as long as you keep trying. Your daughter deserves a happy and healthy Mom.

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