Say It Isn't So: My Arsenal of Non-Migraine Medications

In the first part of this series, "Say It Isn't So: My Port-a-Cath Helps My Migraine?", I discussed how amazing it is to have things you've been prescribed for one condition work for another. I mentioned how my port and normal saline IV fluids were originally given for dysautonomia symptoms but have been beneficial in gastroparesis and migraine treatment. In this article, I will discuss more medications that help.

Zofran

I have been on Zofran (ondansetron) for many years. I started using the oral form of the popular anti-nausea medication around 2014. I took it three times a day for nausea and/or vomiting due to gastroparesis. My motility specialist at MD Anderson told me to take 8 mg three times a day as needed. I hardly found relief because of malabsorption. In 2017, my new gastroenterologist prescribed the ODT (orally disintegrating tablet). Again, this was not very beneficial to me and caused more nausea. Since I had a port, I was given the IV form of Zofran in 2018. I started seeing a big difference in nausea and vomiting for the first time in a long time.

When someone has migraine attacks, nausea and vomiting can be major symptoms, which is certainly the case for me. I do not like having either of these symptoms, but I suffer from it pretty much daily from gastroparesis or migraine. At least I can get some relief. I still take 8 mg of the IV Zofran three times daily as needed. Using my port and pushing the IV Zofran is much easier and bypasses my horrible GI tract completely so I can get the full benefit. I still may not be completely free of it, but this medicine brings it down from a ten to a tolerable number for me on most days.

Phenergan

Phenergan is a multi-use medicine as well, and I first used the intravenous form, but it did not go as planned. My GI gave me IV Phenergan (promethazine) as a backup for nausea and vomiting due to gastroparesis in 2020. I asked for this in IV form from him as I had received it from the ER before. Well, I developed an allergy to IV Phenergan. My infusion company and I tried it from several manufacturers as some use different additives. Everyone caused the same symptoms.

My neurologist and I discussed my migraines one visit, and he suggested liquid Phenergan. It was a few months after trying IV Phenergan back in 2020. He told me to take 12.5 mg up to three times a day as needed.

I had never heard of Phenergan being used as a treatment for migraine attacks. When he found out my GI had prescribed it at bedtime, he told me some people use it up to three times a day when it is related to treating their migraine nausea in his clinic. I was also told that it is an antihistamine, which can help treat my mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) and allergies by my asthma/immunology doctor! I was very shocked as I truly had never heard that. I have many symptoms from true allergies or things my body considers allergens but are not due to MCAS. I need all the help I can get in keeping those symptoms at bay.

Tizanidine

One last medicine is Zanaflex (tizanidine). This medicine is a muscle relaxer. My pain management doctor prescribed Zanaflex to me after baclofen stopped working in 2017 to treat my spinal pain. Little did I know, my neurologist said this too could help treat the pain of migraine!!! I was amazed. I was instructed to take 4 mg as needed for my back issues. When the neurologist saw my prescription, he said it would be best helpful for migraine pain to take it every day twice a day at least.

I try to tell myself that I know a lot about medication and conditions, but I had never heard of some of these helping with migraine attacks. I am glad that my neurologist knew. I usually bring him ideas about medicine suggestions, but he was on top of it with these. I can say that adding all of these medications has been beneficial in keeping migraine symptoms at a lower level than they were just five years ago. I am very thankful that I have all of these at constant disposal. Having my port truly has been a blessing, so I do not have to take a heap of oral medications. Living with multiple illnesses, including migraine, is part of my life. For information about methods to treat migraine symptoms, check out this article.