My 20 year old son has had severe headaches for most of his life. Looking back we know now they were migraines. He had a history of seizures, first one was at age 18. He is on twice daily dilantin and also 100mg of Imitrex as needed for his headaches. We are due to go back to his neurologist in December and son wants to ask the Dr about taking a daily drug to prevent his headaches. I hate to think of him taking another drug on a regular basis as he seems to be side-effect prone. He did try Topamax about 4 years ago but had some pretty severe side effects. At that time he was on his ADHD meds but has not taken those since finishing high school. He seems to have headaches almost daily and could easily take a Imitrex almost every day. He does limit himself to 3-4 a week. Nothing over the counter seems to help him. Is there anythings "out-there" that could help son get control of his headaches? Does anyone have any opinions regarding treatment other than medications? I sometime wonder if this is all stress or enviromental related? But he has had headaches his whole life. Thanks for the advice.
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Hi Doggy1!
There are quite a few medications out there for Migraine prevention, some of which are neuronal stabilizing agents (antiseizure medications), such as Topamax. Many of the medications used for seizures are also good Migraine preventives! See this article: Migraine Preventive Medications: Too Many to Give Up!
Migraine is a genetic neurological disease. The first key to disease management is trigger identification and management, which is often accomplished by keeping a Migraine and headache diary. This will be very helpful when dealing with your doctor. You can download a free diary workbook from our article Your Migraine and Headache Diary.
You can also check for food triggers by using the workbook with our article Managing Migraine - Migraine Food Triggers
Seeing as your son is dealing with other issues besides just Migraine, and they are happening so frequently - it would be a good idea to look into a Migraine Specialist. See our list linked below:
Patient Recommended Migraine and Headache Specialists
Migraine and Headache Specialists: What's So Special?
Good Luck!
Eileen Gray
Has he been tested for allergies. My son does better in the bay closer to the ocean, where the wind blows the dust away. :)
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