Need help with med suggestions

By dogmom03

1 min read

Hi. I am having a thyroidectomy in 3 weeks. Due to the chance of bleeding, I have to stop all aspirin and ibuprofen meds. Unfortunately, the only thing that seems to somewhat help me when I get a migraine or intermittent headache is Excedrin, coupled with doses of ibuprofen. I don't have a regular neurologist I can contact, mainly due to the fact I have been to 2-3 of them from The Cleveland Clinic and The Pittsburgh Headache Clinic with no help. My endocrinologist suggested I contact my pcp and see if she could temporarily prescribe something for me to take if I needed it for the 10 days before surgery. I know I will due to the fact it has been years since I have gone that long without a headache (actually, right before I gave birth to my first son and they started). I contacted my pcp and she is willing to. But being that this is not her field of expertise, she is not familiar with a lot of the meds. And I will be honest, I'm not either (just the main triptans). Some of the meds I have tried, with no luck, have been Imitrex, Oxaprozin, Hydrocodone, Relpax and Tramadol.
Does anyone have any suggestions on any meds they have tried that have helped? I am starting to panic cause I only have 10 days to find something to give me relief. If I don't, I might have to reschedule the surgery. It's bad enough to have to deal with migraines. but I won't suffer days with one and have nothing to offer some kind of relief. Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated.

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jennl Member
Hello Dogmom03! Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. We are so sorry you are going through this, and we hope that everything goes well with your surgery. We apologize, but we can’t provide any medical advice on the site per our community rules (<a href='https://migraine.com/about-us/community-rules' target='_blank'>http://migraine.com/about-us/community-rules/</a>), so we always encourage our members to reach out to a healthcare provider with questions like this. We do hope responses from the community in the form of personal experience are helpful, and we also encourage you to continue speaking with your medical professionals. Keeping you in our thoughts. Warmly, Jenn Community Manager, The <a href='https://migraine.com' target='_blank'>Migraine.com</a> Team
Lisa Robin Benson Moderator & Contributor
Dear Dogmom03, I'm sorry to hear you will have to be having surgery. I definitely understand how having migraines will complicate everything else and it can be frustrating. Thanks for telling us a little but about what helps and doesn't help you. Jenn is right we cannot give medical advice here, so I will write a little about my own experience as someone with migraine and also from talking to others with migraine and what helps them. I would suggest starting to explore the idea of non-drug options to provide relief during that 10 day period if needed and you can talk about options with your doctor. 1. Natural, non-med options: Schedule a massage, chiro appointment, etc. Whatever you have found has helped you in the past. You could also think back to the past of times you have head fewer migraines or headaches and see if there are extra precautions you can take for those days such as being vigilant about a regular sleep schedule or avoiding certain triggers. This is likley not going to be perfect but could help cut down on the frequency of attacks. You can arm yourself with things you know help reduce the pain like ice packs, essential oils etc. You could ask your doctor if an herbal or dietary supplement might be worth a try during that period (if it is safe for you to take). Here is a link on dietary supplements: <a href='https://migraine.com/blog/health-food-shopping-beginners' target='_blank'>http://migraine.com/blog/health-food-shopping-beginners/</a> Also, keep in mind that excedrin has caffeine in it too, so a simple cup of coffee may help curb an attack. 2. Medications: If you want to talk to your doctor about medications, I'd check back in your records and maybe ask your doctor about a triptan you haven't tried yet. There are 9 types and different ways of administering them such as pill or injection and some work better for some people than others. For example, for me the imitrex injection works better than the pill. For one of my migraineur friends, imitrex does nothing but relpax really helps her. Here is a link on info for triptans: <a href='https://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/triptans' target='_blank'>http://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/triptans/</a> Also, if you've tried all the triptans, have you tried the full dose? I do better with 100mg imitrex than 50mg. Please assess the safety of these medications for you with your doctor, but this is what I would look at to start. You could ask your doctor about narcotic (opiod) medications as well, but they come with risks such as addiction or medication overuse headache, should only be used short-term, and are usually not used for migraine because they are only moderately effective. However, for a very short term period, it may be worth asking. Here is a link with more info: <a href='https://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/narcotics-analgesics' target='_blank'>http://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/narcotics-analgesics/</a> 3. If all else fails, consider going to the ER. Many people in the migraine community do not have good luck with the ER, but some do and it is always an option if nothing is helping and you need some sort of relief. Here is a link on visiting the ER: <a href='https://migraine.com/getting-help/migraine-and-emergency-room' target='_blank'>http://migraine.com/getting-help/migraine-and-emergency-room/</a> I hope this is enough to get you started thinking on some possible options, and please reach out with any questions. Best of luck to you and your surgery. Be well, Lisa
ariesbrandy Member
I have had migraines for many years but they got worse last year and I just came off a 3 month leave of absence from work. I spent 5 nights in the hospital and one of the prescriptions they added to me is a muscle relaxed, tizanidine(Zanaflex). There are many days I don't even need a pain pill anymore, just the muscle relaxer. sounds weird but i wish someone had prescribed it years ago. I don't know what type of meds you'll be on from surgery so that may not be an option either...just throwing it out there
1. ariesbrandy Member
 as a side note I know the muscle relaxer can be combined with other drugs. I take DHE for rough migraines along with my tizanidine.