Hello everyone. I have had migraines since I was about ten years old. They increased dramatically in number after the birth of my son (he's twenty years old now) and at this point they have just become this horrible, chronic, almost daily headache.
I have tried EVERYTHING. I have been on every prophylactic known to mankind (trying any antidepressant and seizure medication you can think of, plus inderal, botox, acupuncture, etc) and at the moment I'm titrating up on namenda - thought I'd give that a whirl since its one of the few I haven't tried yet. Triptans don't seem to work very well for me, although I use them anyway - the nine per month that my insurance company allows. When I'm in pain, I invariably try the triptans again even though they didn't work the last time, lol
I've had all of the appropriate neuro tests, the MRI's and catscans and EEG's. The lumbar puncture and the bloodwork.
I've had a partial hysterectomy and my grandmother tells me that once my one little remaining ovary goes through menopause and stops producing so much hormone, my headaches will get better (hers got better when she went through menopause). I forgot to mention that my mother and my grandmothers on both sides are migraineurs. Lucky me. The family that shares.
Just recently it has come to my attention that my anticardiolipid antibodies are high (a couple of them). I am hoping that this may be contributing to my headaches because if so, then a simple blood thinner could do a world of good in terms of diminishing my pain. I am taking all of my test results to my doctor tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. I am hopeful about this because this past year I was on blood thinners for a while for a reason unrelated to my anticardiolipid antibodies and I wasn't having as many headaches.
So this is the first time I've been excited by the possibility that there could be some kind of light at the end of the tunnel in a very long time.
Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection.com!
Migraine is a genetic neurologic condition, and there seems to be a strong familial connection in your case. Migraine disease can be managed, sometimes not easily, with the help of the right doctor, information, medication and lifestyle adjustments.
It may feel like you have tried every medication out there for Migraines, but that really isn't possible! There are over 100 medications used to treat Migraine disease, and with the various combinations that can be put together the number goes up dramatically. Continue reading Migraine Preventive Medications - Too Many Options To Give Up! and try not to lose hope.
Trigger identification and management is an important part of any Migraine plan. Keeping a regular sleep schedule is important, as is staying well hydrated. Certain foods may trigger a Migraine attack, as does weather changers for some people. Have you kept a Migraine diary? It is an easy way to see what is and isn't working for your Migraines. You can download our free diary HERE.
As far as anticardiolipid antibodies I've done some reading but not enough totally "get it" and explain anything. Have you done any reading on it? I do know it is an immune system disorder having to do with clotting issues.
Some women do great after menopause far fewer Migraines, others have no change, and then there are some who have more. It really is based on each woman.
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.
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Welcome again,
Nancy BonkMyMigraineConnection.com Expert
Hi Nancy,
Actually, I have tried a HUGE number of prophylactics, trying at least some in every group, and all in some groups or classes of different types of prophylactic meds. I had luck for a short time with inderal and topamax, but the migraines broke through after a while. I've been at this for over twenty years, so its given me and my neurologists kind of a long time to experiment with different medications - I'm just beginning Namenda now, and pairing it with desiprimine and pristiq and topamax to see how that works.
Some women in my family do notice worsening headaches with changes in barometric pressure. Personally, I do not find that I have any food or weather triggers (with the exception of red wine, flashing lights, and bright sunlight). I do have both aura and non-aura headaches. I have flashing prism lights (always from the right) and missing space auras. Sometimes I have aura with no migraine just to change it up a little bit.
It does appear, after my appointment today, that my headaches are at least being exacerbated by the autoimmune disorder antiphospholipid syndrome. It will unfortunately be several weeks more before I can get on a plan to thin my blood, which will hopefully result in fewer headaches and other damage to my body. I have to be pulled off some current medication so that we can retest all of my antibody levels, and then my hematologist and I will need to consult with a neurologist who specializes in this area. I have some damage to my lungs and possibly my adrenals due to the antibodies as well, so we are having to deal with that at the same time.
In the meantime, he has prescribed a small amount of blood thinner, so I am hoping that it will help.