He cannot use regular migraine meds 'cause they increase his risk of stroke. He needs hypertension meds, and the doctor recommended Benicar. Is it safe?
He suffered a stroke as a kid from his 1st migraine. He can only use antiinflammatories (ususally diclofenac) and nothing preventive for migraine except diet, stress management, etc. Now his company doctor said his blood pressure was too high and had to go on meds. He has always been banned from regular hypertension meds, I guess because they act at a vascular level and can lead to stroke. The doctor prescribed Benicar, saying that it does not act at a vascular level, but rather through the kidneys. Is this true? Is it safe for a person with HM? I don't want him to take it if it will put him at risk of another stroke.
Thank you so much for your help! It is so relieving to know that there are other people around who suffer from this illness and advice and help each other out. It has been really hard on us, and especially on my mom-in-law. We live in Costa Rica, and here there are no Migraine Specialists and not many drug optios for his problem. He can't take the common migraine medications like ergotamine because they put him at risk of stroke, so we have had to do with anti-inflammatories. Fortunately, with time the frequency of his migraines has subsided to maybe once a month. When he was a teen he used to have them three times a week. He has learned to reckognize the auras and take the anti-inflammatory before the migraine gets too bad. He hardly ever has pain with his migraine but he has very strong impairment symptoms (loss of sensitivity in the right side of his body, speech impairment, photosensitivity, dizzy spells and loss of coordination).
Unfortunately, as I said, there are hardly any doctors in this country with such a specialty. We mostly have regular neurologists. His pediatrician was a specialist and saved him when he had his stroke, but now as an adult he has had to face a series of uninformed doctors that will perscribe something without really knowing the consequences. Fortunately his pediatrician informed him well and now he knows to research thoroughly before reaching decisions. He found one only other doctor who knows about his particular brand of migraine, but he is useless in case of an emergency because he does not work with the public health system, and we certainly can't afford surgery in a private clinic (private insurance here sucks... you know, preexisting condition, frequent denial of isurance claims on stupid clerical mistakes, etc.)
Could you tell me a little bit about what preventive meds are used for HM that do not imply a risk of vascular episodes? If there are any options, we would like to discuss them with a physician. I know that the one preventive med he did try that did seem to work in spacing out his episodes eventually caused him insomnia, and the lack of sleep actually sped them up in the end (can't remember the name).
Thank you so much for your help. It is great not having to face this thing all on our lonesome. :)