8 years of pain...and I'm only 18 years old..

By admin

2 min read

Let's see, this all started when I was about 10, I think. Somewhere around that age. I was young, and none of my friends had experienced any type of headache or migraines, so I just felt alone. It was the worst pain I had/have ever felt. I was a little girl, and I spent most of my time laying in bed crying and throwing up because my head was hurting so bad. My pediatrician just told me to switch between tylenol and motrin...

I was never put on any sort of prescription drug until I was around 15, maybe 16. My pediatrician put me on propranolol, a betablocker. It didn't help a lot, but it was better than nothing.

FINALLY, my pediatrician referred me to a neurologist (i had been begging my parents to take me for a while, but, none of them have ever experienced the pain of a migraine, and don't realize the severity of it, so they would just put it off). I got I CATscan / x-rays, all that jazz, to make sure I didn't have cancer or a tumor. I didn't. The neurologist put me on toprimate. It had been working okay for a while, now not at all. I have had a migraine almost all summer, and haven't felt like doing anything besides going to work, and sleeping. I never even feel like eating because it just makes me sick when my head is hurting.

All I want is for the pain to STOP. :( If anyone knows of anything I could suggest or ask my neurologist about, pleease let me know. I'm starting college this year, and really wish I could go through it without constantly feeling so bad. I don't know if there's any other medicine they could try me on, but I'm up for anything. Is there any other kind of medicine or treatment? And do migraines last your whole life or eventually go away? Is my brain being damaged by this, do you think? (because whenever I'm having a migraine, it's difficult to think and I don't feel like conversing with people, working, or doing school work, apart from the pain aspect)

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ask for triptan based medications... eletriptan (RELPAX), sumatriptan (IMITREX), and zolmitriptan (ZOMIG). most of them cause light-headedness/dizziness, but some of them can cause full abort in some people. Migraine generally gets less intense with age, and in some folks it goes away completely.
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A round of steroids to break the migraine cycle maybe? I had one for six weeks last year and after a week of methylprednisolone it finally went away. I've been on Cymbalta since, starting with a very low does and going up by 10mg at my discretion. I haven't had a migraine all year. Cymbalta isn't FDA approved for headaches yet, but it's in trials and if your issue is a serotonin imbalance, it would help. Also, perhaps have your cortisol levels checked, since the adrenal glands may play a large part in migraines. One more possibility is your guts...I discovered during my 6 weeks of hell last year that I had ulcers. Look up the "gut brain theory". There are enough theories to keep you busy forever, but if you try everything...something will work. Listen to your body and take your health into your own hands. Be your own advocate. ANd get enough vitamin D!
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I'm 33 and have had migrains since I was in diapers... I inherited from my father 🙁 I have tried them all for migrains once and a while some would work other times they wouldn't. I started a yr ago Maxalt 10 mg it disolves on your tongue.... I feel one coming on and I take it and its so odd all of a sudden it stops! the weird feeling I get before a migrain :0 now I do get the side effects still queezy a headache but nothing close to migrain pain and just tired and blah..... but soooo much better then no meds at all!
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I use eletriptan ( Relpax ) as soon as I feel an onset,, and it works for me,, Imitrex jumps my nervous system like a electric bolt going through my body,, But Relpax works great just have to be home or some where safe,,, Knocks you out for awhile,,,
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Yoga, meditation, breathing techniques... viewing the pain as a message, working w/ the mind. Identify your food triggers, keep a food diary, have a consistent eating/sleeping pattern. Allow yourself time to rest. Use the triptan meds for acute pain. Feverfew, magnesium, etc. are some things you can try on the more "natural" end. Also, go to the disability resource center at your college to speak with a counselor. You can get accommodations for test taking - i.e., private rooms where you can turn down the lights, feel less anxiety if you have a migraine on a test day, stretch if you need to, have a snack, etc. Take care...
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Ask a Cardiologist if you have a hole in your heart. I just recently had mine closed. To soon to tell if it will work or not, but believe me girl I know the pain. I'm 33 and delt with migraines since I was 5.
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You can call me: 0031 (0)70 - 2166568 (after 6pm), I got cured from migraine myself, without any medication. Triptan based medication is no solution.
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Hi Carrie, I'm sorry to read the above sorry. I know how you feel as I went through the exact same thing. I've had migraines most of my life & it runs in the family. I use paramax at the moment, which helps a lot. You also need to be careful of any other unrelated meds - eg contraceptive pill - certain ones makes migraines a whole lot worse. And most importantly is not to let stress get the better of you also. If you are worried about starting college, maybe look about relaxation methods? John's right, they do decrease with age alright and each person is different. Best of luck either way - esp with college 😀
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HUGZ to you. My daughter has been dealing with them for 2+ years. She did great this summer but they came back with High School HW and stress.
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Carrie, look at the site below and draw your own conclusions... <a href='https://www.fightingmigraines.com' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>www.fightingmigraines.com</a>
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go see a migraine specialist. it is usually a neurologist that specializes in migraines.