Tuesday, July 29, 2008 gemma asks

Q: status migraine no relief please help !!!!!!!!!

my husband has just come out of hospital the neurologist told him that he was suffering from status migranious. he was given an injection of magnesium sulfate in hospital which relieved the migraine but after a couple of days it started building up again we went to gp who gave him propanolol , betahistine and paracetamol he has now had a severe migraine for 4 days we rang nhs direct and they told us to take him to a+e or walk in centre. so we took him to walk in centre the doctor basically called us a liar and said there is no such thing as a status migraine and to keep taking the tablets.

my husband is in excrutiating pain he says that it gets really unbearable at about 7 or 8 pm he is not sleeping properly either. he is constantly dizzy

is there anybody who can give us some advice. Does anybody know how long it will take before the medication takes effect.

it doesnt help either when you get doctors calling you a liar even though you have it all in writing from a neurologist.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Answers (7)

Notify me when there are new answers

Teri Robert

7/29/08 6:20pm

Dear gemma,

I'm so sorry your husband is going through this.

Is it possible to talk to the neurologist who gave him the magnesium sulfate? Maybe he could order treatment for your husband through an outpatient department or the emergency department of the hospital.

The propranolol could take a couple of months to kick in and prevent future Migraines. It's not going to help the Migraine your husband has now. Also, he shouldn't take the paracetamol more than two or three days in a week because it can make things worse by causing medication overuse headache, aka rebound. (See Medication Overuse Headache - When the Remedy Backfires for more information on this.)

In case you didn't see it yet, the question you asked a few days ago has been answered in our Ask the Clinician column. Please see Status migraine, dizziness, betahistine?

Good luck to you and your husband,

Teri

Shelley

8/24/08 11:25pm

Dear Gemma

My friend has had a status migraine since July 2, 2008 and it's still going. She has been taken of her old medication. She is taking topamax , tordal and despi.... Topamax has finally kicked in and her mirgraine is down from a 9 to a 6. I know what it feels like when you go to the emergency and they say it's only a headache or they don't believe you and think she is a drug seeker. Best of luck

Shelley

Terrie

9/23/09 6:48pm

I had a status migraine lasting 7 days. I ended up hospitalized and it took 3 days and 2 doses of Dilaudid+Phenergan to stop the cycle.

I hope your husband finds someone who will treat his migraines properly.

Terrie

cayley s

1/ 6/10 9:43pm

gemma i feel for u and especially for your husband. i am suffering from a status migraine as i write this and have had this same one for about 3 weeks. i was given a prescription just yesterday by a new neurologist for flexeril, a muscle relaxer. i have found that flexeril with a dose of some sort of anti inflammatory like aleve helps me at least take the edge off. has your husband tried maxalt? imitrex? any type of triptan? these help migraines a lot. at least for now i recommend giving him a muscle relaxer, and probably a pain killer, i prefer norco. this will help him.

well, im just now realizing that u posted this in july of last year. hope he is better by now! i came across your post while researching status migraines. good luck to u and your husband.

-cayley

Jackie Fin

2/20/10 6:52am

I am sorry to hear that your husband is struggling with status migraines. I hope since your post he has got them under control. I have been suffering from status migraines for 4 years now. The longest span I have had to deal with out pain relief was 90 days and since then on average I have aleast 15-25 days of mirgraine each month. I have two known triggers riding in the back seat of a car and the summer season brings on more headaches for me.

I see a neurologist a the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia. I take a few medications: DHE injections, Zonisamide, Haloperidol, Benztropine and a list of PRNs as well but it has been an on going search for the right medication for years. It is a constant battle to function nornally and I still work only because I have a very understanding place of employment.

I wish you the best.

Susan H

12/ 2/10 8:50am

I've had a status migraine since September 20, 2009. I was given migraine meds, but I found out that you can only take those for a couple days before developing "rebound headaches" (essentially withdrawal).

After seeing a neurologist, I was prescribed a daily dose of Verapamil to keep the headaches in check and Treximet as needed when the migraine symptoms return (once in a week or two). That worked for me....although the headache never REALLY went away completely. Every once in a while I stopped the Verapamil to see if the migraine had ended.

I stopped the Verapamil about 6 weeks ago and have done well until a recent bout of bad weather and low pressure, which triggers my headaches. I've been able to keep those under control with Excedrin Migraine and an occasional Treximet.

tkuhns

9/ 2/11 11:21pm

I also suffer from this. I take topamax and Fioricet everyday as a preventative.

I still have them, but the pain level has went from a 10 to about a 5 or 6.

I occassional need to visit the ER, but am having episodes less.

I noticed my main triggers were stress, caffeine and sugar. Keep a log and you will find yours.