My Story
Hello!
I've had the odd migraine all my life and regular headaches. In the past two years, my migraine and headache regularity has risen and I have been through the process of trying to find out the cause. I got my eyes tested, brought down my caffeine and alcohol intake, I've made myself a lot more healthy in the process but I couldn't pinpoint a reason. I became a vegetarian and got a new job at around this time, but neither of those changes were that drastic to my previous lifestyle. My stress levels are slightly up at my new job, but not by much more than previously.
Anyway, the migraines continued to get more frequent and I started taking days off work and eventually I felt like I had a constant headache. My doctor prescribed a triptan, they work, but I ve been taking a lot of those and I'm finally at the point where I'm getting medication-induced headaches. So this is where I am now. Thinking that the next step is preventative medication.
I find it really hard work being a migraine sufferer and It's frustrating not knowing the cause. I also can't help that it's because of an underlying issue, but maybe that's wishful thinking, because that may indicate a cure!
Anyway, my other half is very understanding but it effects him too when I have to cancel our plans because of a migraine. My work are getting impatient with the amount of days I have off, but have as of yet not mentioned anything. I do feel very guilty about the amount of time I've had off and worry if it's effecting how I'm seen in work. As you'll all know, migraines are not treated with the seriousness that they deserve by the majority of people.
That's that. I just wanted to share my story because I've not had anyone to speak to about this. Thanks for listening.
Is there any relation to your migraines and your menstrual cycle? My OB and neurologist have me on Depo Provaria (sp?) shots which help some but have not been a total cure for me.
Alice,
It sounds like trying preventative medications is the way to go since your Migraines are so frequent. Here's a link discussing different treatment options other than just triptans:https://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/
It sounds like you've been actively trying to find your triggers but haven't figured it out yet. Have you kept a food diary or a headache diary? The Migraine Meter on our website serves as a great headache diary that you can print out and take to a doctor's appointment that may help to notice some patterns.https://migraine.com/migraine-meter/
Lastly, I want to make sure you're seeing a specialist. A primary care doctor isn't going to be able to give your condition the time and attention you need. A neurologist is the best kind of doctor to help you work through finding the right medication. If you can find a Headache Specialist (a neuro who only treats headache patients) that's who would be best equipped to help you. Here's some info on finding one near you.
https://migraine.com/blog/looking-for-a-migraine-specialist/I hope you get relief soon!
-Katie
With more than 100 preventives available, it can be tough to know where to start. Here's list of the treatments that have the strongest research support: https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-preventives-start/
Kerrie
Remember what works for one doesn't work for someone else. The Depo shot gave me a migraine that I had for 3 months.
