Old Age Migraines or......They Are Back

By brownsnick

1 min read

I can remember having those first migraines in high school. They weren’t too terribly bothersome back then - I guess when we are young we handle pain better or perhaps it is just that I have forgotten. Mom took me to the doctor and he gave me some kind of “pill” that made me very loopy. I didn’t like the feeling at all so I ended up not taking them.

College seemed to increase the length of the migraines. I would call them my marathon headaches. I finally got some strong ibuprofen, professional strength, that would break the cycle. The only blessing back then was that I didn’t get them very frequently, but when I did they “took me out.” You would find me in bed, not out at the bars with the rest of the crowd.

Pregnancy was a killer - my first three months I definitely thought I would overdose on Tylenol. After I finished having my children they seemed to almost disappear.

BUT NOW! Somehow just before I turned 50 they returned with a vengeance. These headaches that I have now - sometimes more than 15 times a month and sometimes lasting a week or more - just take me off my feet.

Not only are they painful, but they interfere with my life. If I travel I get a headache, if I stay up too late to do things that other people do all the time like go out to a party or dinner I get a headache, if I don’t get enough sleep I get a headache, and on and on. I am on preventative meds, I have tried Botox, I have literally tried not eating everything..... No-one can give me any answers and I just live with what I live with.

I just wish there was a solution because I would be first in line :).

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Nancy Harris Bonk Moderator
Hi brownsnick, Thank you for sharing your story with us. I'm sorry to hear you head is bothering you more now than ever. Let me see what information I can give you that may help. Having 15 or more migraine attacks a month is not really living is it? It's considered to be chronic migraine when we have that many. I've been there - it's awful. Dr. Goadsby, a world renowned migraine expert has said that people with migraine disease seem to do better when they lead boring lives, and unfortunately I've found that to be true. What he means by this is migraine patients seem to do better when we keep regular routines. This means getting the same amount of sleep each night, not skipping meals and trying to keep emotional stress at a minimum among others. Believe me, I know this isn't always easy. When you get a moment take a look at this information on chronic migraine, and triggers; <a href='https://migraine.com/living-migraine/9-things-people-with-want' target='_blank'>https://migraine.com/living-migraine/9-things-people-with-want/</a> and <a href='https://migraine.com/migraine-triggers' target='_blank'>https://migraine.com/migraine-triggers/</a>. As far as Botox goes for migraine prevention, it can take up to three rounds for some of us before we see a reduction in our migraine attack frequency and severity. During this treatment we still need to be vigilant about our triggers. Try not to lose hope, there are over 100 medications and supplements available for migraine treatment! Here is more on migraine prevention medications; <a href='https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-preventives-start' target='_blank'>https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-preventives-start/</a>. It may be time to seek help from a doctor who is board certified in headache medicine, which is different than being certified in neurology. Neurologists may be fine doctors but have a hard time being experts in one area because they treat so many other conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's and more. Migraine/headache experts have that extra board certification I mentioned and typically spend most of their time treating migraine/headache patients. Here is information on how these doctors are special and how to find one; <a href='https://migraine.com/blog/how-are-migraine-specialists-different' target='_blank'>http://migraine.com/blog/how-are-migraine-specialists-different/</a> and <a href='https://migraine.com/blog/really-find-headache-specialist' target='_blank'>https://migraine.com/blog/really-find-headache-specialist/</a>. I hope this helps. WIll you let me know? Nancy
jean Member
"No-one can give me any answers and I just live with what I live with." I find that for too many of us this is just the way it is. Many of us either try to go about life as usual and suffer the consequences or stop trying to live life as we used to. Do the things you don't mind suffering for and skip the rest.
Member
I am 73 years old. Last spring and summer we had a lot of rain, and each thunderstorm brought a migraine. I had quit my bioidentical hormones. I started them again and I am having fewer migraines. Some think that fluctuations in hormones can trigger migraines. Those of us who suffered from premenstrual and menstrual migraines know that is true. Find a medical professional (I prefer female nurse practitioners) who prescribes bioidentical hormone creams and give it a try. I use them every day. They say to refrain from using them for a few days per month, but I get migraines on those days. So, to keep my hormone levels even, I use them every day.