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

caret icon Back to all discussions

It's 2am & my head is killing me.

Hi there.

It's 2am and I am having the most persistent migraine I've had all month and it's only the 14th. The pain is making it impossible to sleep, get comfortable, my vision keeps teetering on constant to sporadic blurriness. Sounds aren't killing me anymore, which is nice. Considering I had to take off work today just to try and reel this monster under control. Just hearing my dogs bark made my ears & eyes want to bleed.

NSAIDs aren't bullshit. They dull the pain but don't kill it. Excedrin lasts maybe an hour or two before my entire head has a heartbeat and every sound causes utter agony.. again.

I took 100mg Benadryl and 500mg Magnesium. I am praying the Benadryl knocks me out. I'm broke but am seriously considering going to Patient First when they open.

I've been woken up by migraines in the past but they've never stopped me from being able to actually fall asleep. Sounds odd but it's true. I will usually try to smoke some marijuana but my head hurts way too much to even think about moving. Going to try and get comfortable. Thank you for reading this rambling post. I feel a tiny bit better emotionally just getting this shit out.

  1. Absentminded, thinking of you and so sorry you are going through this. I am chronic intractable, so I hear you about the killer attacks that feel like they're never going to end and how hopeless it can seem when you're in the thick of it.

    Have you read any of the articles about MOH, sometimes called rebound headache? I was so moved by your post, struggling to think of a way to help, and I noted you said elsewhere that you said you take benadryl daily. Benadryl is another med that can worsen MOH, just like excedrin and other painkillers. It can actually increase the frequency of migraine attacks, and when you describe "it works for an hour or two and then the headache is back, terrible"... that's what I immediately wonder about... if you could possibly be in that cycle. Painkillers can be nice... but the thing is, they're not actually doing anything to stop the migraine. They're just masking pain. Your best bet is to get to you doctor and come up with a plan for treating migraines both preventatively and acutely.

    You said that the Trokendi had been working as a preventative, but that you didn't have insurance and it was too expensive, which OMG, yes it is. The generic version Topiramate is MUCH cheaper. It isn't extended release, however, if Trokendi was working for you before, and you say your current preventative isn't working at all, I wonder if this would be worth discussing with your doctor?

    This is probably a stupid question, but do you wear earplugs at your job with the dogs? I ask because I used to work in a very loud environment, and it was a MAJOR trigger. Trying to eliminate as many things as possible that were battering at my head all day has not cured me by any means, but has stopped some preventable headaches.

    I'm sorry if I'm suggesting things you've already tried. I just read your posts and wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help.

    1. Hey Gardensat,

      I had absolutely NO idea Benadryl can cause MOH. I thought I was rebounding because of the NSAIDs but holy shit, it makes sense now.

      I take Benadryl because my neurologist said it can break migraines and help with nausea. I was told to load up on it during attacks. Jeez, how embarrassing haha.

      I use ear plugs and sunglasses when it gets too bad at work or home. Also taking 600mg Gabapentin now but debating on trying to get some steroids since they help with my cluster migraines & MOHs.

      Typically I'll use Zanaflex and it's a great daily headache preventative & helps during migraine attacks but I'm outta refills.

      I also had no idea generic Topirimate was more affordable. I was always told it's several hundred dollars even with an rx discount card so I never bothered since I have no insurance..

      So glad to hear from someone that truly gets it. Thank you for the advice, it was incredibly informative and useful!

      1. Glad you have a plan to see your doctor! The guidelines on what can cause MOH seem to change frequently, and currently, they say some drugs are more likely to cause rebound than others (like opiods, then triptans) and those should only be taken sparingly each month. OTC painkillers can be taken a little more, but still only a certain number of times, or they can lead to MOH. From what I have read, acute sinus/allergy meds like sudafed and benadryl can also be a problem when overused. Benadryl makes a great med for breaking up a tough migraine, and it and sudafed work much the same way for me as ibuprofen--they reduce swelling and the migraine starts to feel better. But if they're used daily, you can run into the same problem, according to what I've read.

        And also, one of my doctors points out that everyone has their own threshold for how susceptible they are to rebound. I have this problem, which is one reason my migraines are so intractable and I avoid caffiene like the plague. It's really hard to find meds that work on me and don't just prolong the migraine with rebound. Anyway, I hope this works for you and let us know how you're doing!

        Please read our rules before posting.