[Avoireeideree]

So, I've been having horrible headaches that last a week (the longest was 12 days) and come every week to every three weeks for over a year. I'm pretty sure they're migraines, since they make me sensitive to light and sound, sometimes give me nausea, and won't respond to anything fully. At this point I'm thinking they may just be intense tension-type headaches, but the effect is still the same: a debilitating, week-long headache. Does this afflict anyone else? What do you use? How do you deal with it? What do you hate most?

The best thing I've ever found is fiorinal with codeine, but the caffeine and acetaminophen in them give me rebound headaches, so now I take vicuprofen (vicoden with ibuprofen instead of tylenol). Doctors - especially in NYC - give me shit for taking narcotics for them, but they last a fucking week; I can't take a week off of from work twice a month, and I couldn't function without them. Weed helps at night and on the weekends, but I could still easily take 30 to 40 pills during one migraine.

I've tried beta blockers (made me tired and stupid), Maxalt (doesn't work), and Treximet (works about half the time, but my insurance i terrible, and I'm not paying $40 a pill for something with a 50% failure rate - plus, triptans gave a friend's mom a brain aneurism because she took too many for too long and it weakened her heart or something). Doctors have wanted me to take Topomax, but I won't because too many people have said it makes them tired and stupid. I asked a neurologist about amitriptyline, and he scoffed and said, "Yeah, we used to use that until we had things that actually worked; take Topomax." I used to be on Midrin, which gave me rebounds but worked very well until it didn't; my doctor said that was normal - that some people can use it successfully for years but others become immune as early as three weeks.

I have instituted a pretty intense anti-migraine diet (basically lots of whole grains, leafy greens, beans, and beets; alcohol, cheese, processed or fried things, and a whole host of fruits and veggies you'd think were healthy - like mangos, avocados, and tomatoes - are off limits, but I do have to cheat sometimes), which has brought the frequency down from having one every week to having one every two to three. Next, I'm planning to try acupuncture and maybe DIY biofeedback. I'd really like to try LSD (I mean, I've done it, just not medicinally), which studies have shown can eliminate migraines in some people for up to six months, but I haven't been able to get my hands on any.


I'm 25, and I feel like a sickly, old person: "Oh, no, I can't eat that lasagna," "No, thank you; I'm not drinking," or "I wish I could hang out, but I have a migraine, so I have to stay home with an ice pack on my head, a bowl in my hand, and a bottle of codeine within arm's reach."

People don't always take migraines seriously, and they don't understand the emotional and physical toll it takes. I'd love to be able to bitch about them and share trade secrets with other sufferers. I know I just posted a ridiculously long ramble, but I don't mean to make this thread about me. I'm sure enough of us get migraines (though I hope I'm wrong, for your sakes) that we could get a good discussion going and maybe even figure out better strategies for dealing. Take it away, next poster.

[Olympicdreams]

I get headaches that last for 3 days, don't think they are migraines but possibly my sinuses. Codeine works for me. Getting headaches totally sucks. *hugs*

Foo
xx

[art_fan_12]

I do get migraines but mine are not nearly as bad as yours. Mine can go away with a couple of Excedrin migraines. It might take a day or two though.

Sorry you are experiencing these so severely. I really hope you find something that helps. I think my sister uses Topomax for hers.

[UriyVlasov]

I do occasionally get migraines as in, severe headache on one side of my head with light sensitivity, nausea and vomiting, but nothing that lasts a week. The duration for me is maybe half a day, not much more. I have no idea how I would begin to deal with ones that lasted a week.

My triggers appear to be sleeping in too long aka the 'Saturday migraine', very strong sunlight in my eyes combined with some other factor I cannot as yet pin down and I suffered my last migraine after getting incredibly stressed out and angry at work one day and basically having a meltdown. The day after I had the worst migarine I'd had in a decade. I've tried to detach from the shit at work since then as I don't want a repeat performance. That one was so obviusly tied to stress I can't ignore it.

In terms of meds, well, I can't keep anything down when I'm in the throes. If I spot one coming on, I take two of the paracetamol and codeine tabletss which we can get over the counter here and try to stay away from bright lights and sometimes they'll avert it. Once I'm in the throes of one I just have to take to a darkened room, lie down and sort of suffer it out. I would probably see a doctor about some serious meds if I had these regularly and they truly disrupted my life but thankfully they're pretty rare as in only a couple of times a year or thereabouts these days, so I haven't.

[NarhozNic]

I get migraines too, but they seem to be linked to my eyes. The pain is behind my eyeballs and forehead and I get them when I'm tired, have sinus congestion, squint too much (from sun or not wearing my glasses), or during a bout of (easily triggered) motion sickness.

Luckily I respond to the caffeine/acetaminophen combination but I worry about the long-term effects of using those drugs - going on 10 years now. Those rare occasions that Excedrin doesn't work I make sure to use a neti pot on my sinuses, do some self-massage on my face and neck and can usually sleep it off.

[G778G9P0]

I used to get migraines regularly, a pair of them twice a year, starting when I was about 12. I was prescribed a medication, cafergot, that was an ergot derivative, just like LSD. I was told to take it right away or it wouldn't work. Sometimes it seemed to work, sometimes not, I now think that it never worked at all, nor have I found any drug that did. Sometimes I would just get the aura, I actually go partially blind. Then I might get The Headache, or I might not. The pain is very severe.

Mysteriously, the migraines cleared up for a while after I moved away from home.

Years later a doctor prescribed a new medication for it and I said fine, but I wanted backup, I wanted morphine. She gave me vicodin instead, and that works very well, I think I lost the sample she gave me before I could try it.

There are definitely triggers, but for me, they are quite specific. There's a certain brand of cheap red wine that does it, and it didn't do it at first. Other brands don't affect me. I used to get migraines a day or two into a vacation, a doc said that it was related to changing stress levels, going from being very stressed getting ready to go, to being very relaxed. Her prescription - stay stressed longer while on vacation.

I had another doc prescribe some medication that gave me migraines about 10 hours after taking the pill, after three days I told him about it. He said there was no connection and to keep taking the drug. I said I was getting another doctor.

I have another friend who gets migraines more like yours, OTIS, and they lay her up for a couple of days. I haven't heard of any recent episodes, I'll ask her about it. Migraines can be pretty awful, keep trying things, I hope you find something that helps.

[Vikonbarius]

I was diagnosed with migraines when I was nine, but I have yet to have a headache that has lasted for more than two days or so, although every so often I will get a sort of "flare-up" where I have headache after headache after headache.

I talked to my doctor about putting me on something again - I was on propranolol as a kid - but now that I'm on fluoxetine he is against giving me anything else.

My headache routine usually consists of as many showers as I can handle plus caffeine and acetaminophen. It doesn't always work, but it will usually help. I don't know why, but getting a nice hot shower almost always makes the pain bearable, at least while I'm in the shower.

[Avoireeideree]

I keep typing responses and forgetting that I've had this window up since yesterday! My other posts were more involved, but this is going to have to be the short version:

Thanks for the support, guys. I've never heard of anyone else whose headaches/migraines last a week, either, which is kind of why I think they might be something other than migraines (but they feel like migraines, so . . . I don't know). I'm going to ask a doctor about and maybe try some of the suggestions you've put forward. Thanks.

Eednic, what does your sister think of Topomax? Doctors have told me it only makes the over-50 set forget words and stuff, but an under-50 gyno I just saw (who told me about a $40 acupuncturist whose appointment schedule would allow me to not take off from work to go, which is one of the reasons I haven't been able to find a good doctor and have to go to a walk in clinic; the other reason involves my insurance being ridiculously shitty) said it made her sluggish, and, as weird as this sounds coming from someone who takes narcotics for hers, I couldn't work or live comfortably with something like that, and I'm really susceptible to those types of side effects (see: beta blockers - my doctor told me they didn't really have any side effects and that they might make me sharper, which was the opposite of how I felt!). I wouldn't even feel comfortable taking a triptan if I felt one coming on and was at work; they make me so woozy, confused, and dizzy. But one of my sister's med school colleagues takes takes Topomax, so it can't make everyone tired and stupid!

Again, thanks for the support. I appreciate it a lot, but I really didn't start this thread so everyone could throw me a pity party (not that that's what you're doing). It's just good to be able to talk about it, and I don't like to around my friends because I'm already the sickly person who can't drink or eat cheese, and it's not really very interesting to people who don't share the suffering.

[Drugsonl]

I'm so sorry you all get them that bad for that long. I always thought I got them bad, but now I know I'm relatively lucky.

Most of mine tend to be menstrual related. Various combinations of eating, drinking, hot shower, smoking, tylenol, aleve, and ibuprofen usually help. Sometimes I get one that just won't go away and is helped by not just eating, but constantly eating, even if I'm not hungry. Something about the chewing can help.

I thought my headaches would go away after my wisdom teeth came out, but they're still there, but a LOT better.

[Avoireeideree]

I'm so sorry you all get them that bad for that long. I always thought I got them bad, but now I know I'm relatively lucky.

Eh, nobody who has migraines or recurring headaches is lucky (I mean, to get them; I'm sure there are ways in which we are all lucky)!

Most of mine tend to be menstrual related. Various combinations of eating, drinking, hot shower, smoking, tylenol, aleve, and ibuprofen usually help. Sometimes I get one that just won't go away and is helped by not just eating, but constantly eating, even if I'm not hungry. Something about the chewing can help.

I thought my headaches would go away after my wisdom teeth came out, but they're still there, but a LOT better.
Interesting stuff there. Sometimes I'll think mine are menstrual related, but I can't track my cycle at all, so I have no clue. I'd like to hear more about this wisdom teeth thing. That's new to me, and I don't have mine out (they've just never presented a problem or whatever; I'm 25, so I figured I was one of those lucky people who would never have to have them out).

On another note, someone told me today that her mother had migraines until she found out (and apparently this is common) that she had a small hole in some part of her heart. They endoscopically patched it up or something, and she never got a migraine again. According to my friend, you just need to have an echocardiogram to tell if that's what's causing yours - and sometimes it can be free because they're in clinical trial phase. Granted, I was told this over a picnic in the park, and I'm not a doctor, but it sounds reasonable to me.

[Drugsonl]

Your wisdom teeth are part of your jaw (duh). Well, if they're impacted or bothersome, the pain can radiate up. My whole head would throb when they'd act up. Like if I put anbesol on them, my headache would abate.

I also probably have TMJ, which probably causes a big chunk of the headaches. What happens is taht my jaw is almost always clenched and it radiates through my whole head. I started using a bite guard at night and that helped a lot. The TMJ is probably worsened by me generally being stressed, which also causes headaches. So I would guess those things can feed off each other and build like super-headaches.

Not everyone grows wisdom teeth. They're not bothersome for everyone who does get them. My bottom ones were the ones that were impacted and hurt, but my top ones were messed up too, even though I didn't know until I had x-rays. A trip to the dentist would be a good idea.

[investmentonlinev2006x]

So, I've been having horrible headaches that last a week (the longest was 12 days)

Oh my...

I have the occasional migraine, but nowhere that intense/long. Mine are usually accompanied by nausea, feeling extremely dizzy and low tolerance for lights/sounds. If I take a Maxalt in time, I have a chance of it going away within the hour. If I don't time that right, though, it'll stick all day or evening and I'm best off going to bed.
Stress/tension is one of my triggers, something I learned the past year when there were times that I had them twice a week...

So yeah, Maxalt, cool damp towels on my forehead and sleep. That's my method.

[ggandibazz]

i actually got one last night - i've been getting them for years but this year has been the worst. always got bad headaches as a kid but now its just a whole other level with the diziness, nausea, and visual disturbances

i just switched my pill (went from seasonique to lo estrogen seasonique) 3 months ago and so far they have seemed to reduced somewhat in frequency - definitely hormone related though. i sometimes take zomig for it and it works but i hate to take it cuz it knocks me out. i try to drink coffee as soon as i feel it coming and it can help prevent it or hold it off?

[BostonDoctorTTT]

I get very bad headaches pretty often (usually lots of Tylenol, gatorade and a nap help lessen it, but it often keeps rebounding for a day or two) but I've only ever had one proper migraine. I had an appointment with my doctor anyway and brought up the terrifying event I'd had the night before which, at the time, I thought might even be a stroke as it was so sudden, debilitating and frightening. I now have the utmost sympathy for anyone who experiences migraines on a regular basis, because I never want to have one again after that.

[sadgpokx]

According to my friend, you just need to have an echocardiogram to tell if that's what's causing yours - and sometimes it can be free because they're in clinical trial phase. Granted, I was told this over a picnic in the park, and I'm not a doctor, but it sounds reasonable to me.

It's a bit more than just going to a doctor and getting an echo, you'd need to find a hospital that actually offers the particular clinical trial your friend's mother would have participated in, then you'd need to enroll and complete any and all tests involved in that trial, as well as the follow up. Otherwise, you might have to pay completely out of pocket for the echo, since migraine will not be an approved diagnosis for most insurance companies.
(If you ask your friend the name of the doctor her mother went to, she might be able to refer you to the same research team conducting the trial.)

[MeverikcNils]

I get migraines semiregularly. They typically last 2-3 days, but never even close to 12 days. OP, are you sure they're migraines you're suffering from?

I get very bad headaches pretty often (usually lots of Tylenol, gatorade and a nap help lessen it, but it often keeps rebounding for a day or two) but I've only ever had one proper migraine. I had an appointment with my doctor anyway and brought up the terrifying event I'd had the night before which, at the time, I thought might even be a stroke as it was so sudden, debilitating and frightening. I now have the utmost sympathy for anyone who experiences migraines on a regular basis, because I never want to have one again after that.

Sounds like a thunderclap headache. Definitely cause for an emergency visit to the hospital if you ever have one again.

[Chito]

I only have one or two migraines a year, and holy shit, they are just horrible. Usually over within 12 hours or so, but I'm a puking, fainty mess until they are.

[BostonDoctorTTT]

Heather - that sounds like a possibility, but it didn't say the article what other symptoms come with, and I never had any problems associated with it after it went away. I did experience visual disturbances in the seconds before the headache hit and they continued even after I closed my eyes. I also had weird muscle cramps moving all over my body for about an hour.

Whatever the case, that's a good point - I'll definitely be in the ER if that ever happens again. It was positively terrifying.

[Avoireeideree]

I get migraines semiregularly. They typically last 2-3 days, but never even close to 12 days. OP, are you sure they're migraines you're suffering from?

No, I'm not sure that they're migraines. They're debilitating, make me sensitive to light, and sometimes but don't always give me nausea. They're usually on one side of my head and either closer to the front or closer to the back, but they move around. When I describe them to doctors, most doctors say they sound like migraines, but I have my doubts, especially since I've never heard anyone else say they have migraines (or even headaches) that last a week. Is there some way to know for sure, and what else might they be?

Sounds like a thunderclap headache. Definitely cause for an emergency visit to the hospital if you ever have one again. Jeth, your description evoked a cluster headache to me, but I'd also never heard of a thunderclap headache until Devnull mentioned it.

[BostonDoctorTTT]

Yeah I was navigating through the articles and saw that, but then when it talked about it being a recurring thing I figured that couldn't be it. I've never experienced anything like it before or since (thank goodness).