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I have been looking into something called Migraine Defense for my daughter, she is almost 15 and has been experiencing what I believe to be menstral migraines for about 1 1/2 years now. It is a natural herbal treatment to stop the hormone trigger of migraine. Has anyone had any experience with this product?
Her migraines last 3-5 days. We have tried birth control pills; magnesium, B2, CoQ10; Butterbur; elimination of allergy foods; chiropractic; massage therapy; reflexology. We have been seeing a pediatrician who tried the birth control and imitrex (makes her stomach hurt to bad to take it). We saw a neurologist who said he didn't think it was migraines as a headache didn't always occur and she had a hyper sleep component as one of her symptoms. He thought it was a sleep issue and sent her for a sleep study. Then did an MRI and EEG. All normal. The Naturopath tried natural treatments, see above, as well as phyto estrogen to try to balance out hormones. A nasty drink that she couldn't stomach. She missed 40-50 days of school last year (8th grade). This year she is in high school and can't miss more than 12 days. I'm losing hope!! Any suggestions out there?
Shirley,
Hello and welcome!
My best advice to you is to take your daughter to a Migraine and headache specialist. At 15, she does NOT need to see a pediatric Migraine specialist. Take a look at Migraine and Headache Sepcialists - What's So Special? and our listing of Patient Recommended Specialists. A good specialist will be willing to work with you on complementary therapies such as supplements.
Any supplemental or "natural" product should be discussed with your daughter's doctor in advance of trying it. Please remember that the ingredients in these products -- minerals, herbs, etc. -- were our very first drugs. They act as drugs in our bodies and should be approached with the same precautions as prescription medications.
Don't lose hope, Shirley. Get her to a good specialist.
Welcome again,
Teri
Thank you Teri. I have a call in to the Dr at Swedish, in Seattle Washington, that is recommended on your site. I am waiting and praying to here back from her.
My daughers migraines(?) started in '06. They lasted 3-5 days, put her right in bed, and were always just before, during or after her menstral cycle. The first time she had one I though it was a bad virus.
In March and April of '07 they started getting more frequent.
We saw a neurologist in the spring and summer and because her symptoms were not always accompanied by a headache he said she couldn't have migraine and suspected a sleep disorder because of the excesive somnolence that her migraine started with. He sent her for a sleep study that was normal. Then an MRI and an EEG. Both normal.
His answer was a precription that would "wake" her up. He never addressed her headaches. His assistant said we didn't need a follow up appointment.
My daugher has pretty much had had a constant headache, that she says is a 3-4, since May. It escalates to a 6 with vomiting and debilitating nausea (+ other symptoms) during her menstraul cycle.
It appears she had a virus sometime in the spring, pre May, possibly mono, that escalated everything. She was also diagnosed with Sick Erthyroid Syndrome. Whatever she had made her so sick it made her thyroid sick.
We are working with a Naturopath to try to calm her hormones down so she can hopefully control that trigger.
Other than a GP and her pediatrician suggesting migraines we really don't have a difinitive diagnosis. That is what I need so I can advocate for her with the high school.
I am positive she has migraine, I have migraine, my sisters had migraine, my mom had migraine, and I have read everything I can and she fits the symptoms of menstral and basilar migraine.
I am pretty shocked to find that there is so little understanding of migraine among the doctors I've had my daughter to. No one even bothered to learn more about it to try to help her.
Her pediatrician did suggest I take her to a second neurologis, she wasn't very impressed with the one we went to. But now the pediatrician is on maternity leave and I have to start over with a new doctor as well as find a headache specialist.
I just found this site and am so glad I did. I haven't had a lot of support. Thank you so much for being there.
Shirley
If you find an answer please let me know. My story is almost identical to your daughters in terms of hormone related migraines and the many things tried by doctors.
After checking sinus, allergies, teeth, depression, estorgen/birth control pills, massage, psycho-therapy, and more than a dozen drugs, I am at my witts end. While my headaches were somewhat under control over 10 of those years, the last three have been horrible. Coincidentally, I'm just entering menopause. Which my current Doctore feels is causing the severa headaches now.
I worked with a headache specialist/center in Philadelphia for over 15 years with absolutely no help other than to continue to treat me for rebound headaches and pump me with every possible medication that actual made me feel as miserable as a headache.
I too am now trying homeopathic treatments to balance hormone levels. I was interested to hear about the sick thyroid syndrome, since the person I'm working with feels that my thyroid, and several other hormones are out of wack and have been since I began menstruating.
I have been through the mill with our traditional medicines and cannot believe that so many of us still suffer from hormone related headaches with no relief.
I will try to post any progress I make on the homeopathic side.
This site at least makes me feel like I'm sane.
divinga
I haven't found anything for sure yet. I have switched neurologists because the one that put her on elavil wouldn't listen to me when I told her it was dissrupting her sleep. She kept worrying about a mood disorder disrupting her sleep. It turns out that elavil is not good long term because it can disrupt stage 3 & 4 sleep. My daughters off the elavil and is sleeping now. Not at normal times but at least she is now sleeping.
Every vasoconstrictor we have tried for migraine intervention makes her worse. So right now thier is nothing she can take when she gets a migraine.
I am trying something a little new, although a naturopath had talked about maybe trying something similar. She is taking her essential oils (3,6,9), Iodine, magnesium, vitamin D and a bio-identical progesterone. After 2 months it should start helping. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Shirley,
How is your daughter doing now? Have you had any luck with the various new therapies you've been trying?
I ask because I also use many of the things you mention: Migraine Defense, bio-identical progesterone, magnesium, Omega-3's, Vitamin D, and have been experiencing significant improvement in my migriane frequency and severity as a result.
Please give an update on your daughter's situation if you can. I so hope she is doing better!