Tell us about your symptoms and treatment experience. Take our survey here.

Dear Diary:

After having a very good and restful (or so I thought) night’s sleep, I suddenly open my eyes and…crap!...there it is again, that relentless pounding in my head. Not another migraine attack! I look at the clock – 6:30 am, and my mind tries to focus beyond the pain and struggle with calculating the numbers: let’s see, 90 minutes before I have to be at my job, 2 hours before the migraine meds may kick in, or 1 hour if I’m lucky. Then oh wait, do I even have 1 pill left? (insert panic here). Maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago I filled my prescription, $120 for 6 pills. It’s been a bad month. Plan B: Have I maxed out my Visa yet? I can take 2 Advil and drive to Shoppers Drug Mart – they open at 8am. I’ll be late for work.…again. Damn. Can’t call in sick, I save that option for the really bad days. I’m lucky to be on salary, so still get paid if I’m sick. But then I feel guilty. When I was younger I was paid hourly, so didn't want to call in sick, because I wouldn't get paid – then there was no way to afford the meds. A vicious cycle. Even now, it’s tough. I think about what I could do if I didn't spend half my paycheck on my prescriptions. Clothes, shoes, manicures and facials, gifts for the grandkids. Sometimes I actually think I’m lucky because I’m healthy otherwise. I’m 55, and this has been my life for 40 years.

By providing your email address, you are agreeing to our privacy policy.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Migraine.com team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

Join the conversation

Please read our rules before commenting.

Community Poll

Have you taken our In America Survey yet?