Mental Health and Migraine
Hi All,
Don’t really know why I am writing this besides having a little moment of feeling sorry for myself.
Does anyone else feel migraines have really impacted on their mental health?
Most of migraines follow with a few hours of crying 😂
I started getting migraines when I was about 12, they where intense, with sickness and extreme pain, for about 8 hours or until I slept, and then a few days of hangover would follow. Although intense, they would only occur every 6 months or so, but I was always TERRIFIED of getting another.
When I was 17, one random week I began to get migraines daily. After about 2 weeks of it I was put on preventative medication and have been on meds ever since. I’ll always remember how down I was at the end of that period, I’m not a crier but burst out crying in the doctors.
Meds for me have always worked for a certain amount of time, and then stopped. Mostly they’d work for a few months, although some worked for longer (propranolol and Candesartan) although no matter what, the migraines always creep back and the daily fear of an attack never really goes away.
I do almost everything possible to reduce my chances. I feel like I’ve read every piece of information out there. Typically most of the food I love are possible triggers but Ive cut them all out, I never have caffeine, I take all the supplements (magnesium, vitamin b, co enzyme), I don’t eat chocolate, I don’t have sweeteners, I drink WAY too much water daily, I keep my sleeping pattern, I make sure I eat every few hours, and STILL get migraines.
I know I am lucky, as a lot of my migraines seem to be aura WITHOUT headache as I’ve got older, but they are very debilitating and scary and still knocks me out for the day.
I’m 28, and I feel very lonely in regards to my migraines.
I know a few people who get occasional migraines (including my dad and sister), but none who have to go to lengths I go to or seem to suffer as badly. I have a job where I work closely with people, and I am always worried of getting a migraine during appointments - I do often feel it makes me a less valuable member of the team. I also worry about things like having children, how could I look after a child if I can’t see or speak and feel numb and confused for 2 hours? Or what if I get a migraine on my wedding day?
I’ve tried to predict or spot out certain pro dome symptoms, but if I do get them, they must never be the same. If anything, researching prodome systems has just made me more anxious, as if I have a little bit of a stiff neck, or craving a certain food, or even in an usually good mood, I begin to worry it’s the start of a migraine. This ruins a lot of days which could be ‘good’, and is completely pointless, because even if I did spot a prodome, there’s nothing I could do anyway.
When I was younger I’d often come away from the doctors after a medication dose increase or change and feel positive, like this COULD be the end. But now, I pretty much feel hopeless, and out of control of my migraines. I hate the way you can do EXACTLY the same thing one day, and be fine, but the next you wind up with a migraine.
Just writing this has made me feel slightly better, I don’t often get chance to talk about my symptoms and mental health to people who understand, but wanted anyone in a similar situation to me to know you aren’t alone.
Thank-you 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing with the community, AMroxy. I hear what a difficult journey you've had with migraine. It is so frustrating to do everything you can to manage your triggers, work with treatment plans, and still not find lasting relief. I hear the uncertainty and anxiety you feel about your future in work, relationships, and potentially becoming a parent someday and how migraine impacts each of those things. You are not alone feeling overwhelmed and sad as you consider your life with migraine. I thought you might be interested in perusing some of the resources we have dedicated to migriane and mental health: https://migraine.com/?s=mental+health Know we are always here to listen when you need support. Wishing you a gentle afternoon. ~Allyson (Migraine.com team)
I struggle with depression with my migraine too. I also have really bad anxiety that seems to be much worse right before and attack.
I ran across this article. It was actually a survey and these are the results. It's really interesting. I had no idea that depression and anxiety were so tied to migraine.
https://www.axonoptics.com/migraine-and-mental-health-what-you-need-to-know/The real kicker is all the depression meds I've tried seem to trigger my migraine.
One of the worst things is that I can't really plan anything. A year ago I went to a ladies conference in another town. I had been planning and looking forward to it. I was so excited.
I got to the hotel, went to bed ready to get up in the morning and get started with the conference. I had a full schedule and was so looking forward to it.
I woke up to get ready the next morning and I could barely lift my head off of the pillow. My stomach was lurching and there was no way I was going to be able to get up. I took some meds, called down to have the front desk send me up a soda and I crawled back into bed.
Lost half a day and missed so much of the conference. It really was a downer.
That in itself made me depressed.
I hate migraine.
I feel so isolated. I can't really plan anything because I might have a migraine. I spend a lot of time at home with the blinds drawn.
People have mostly just forgotten me, but I do have my husband and he is great.
This article talks about migraine isolation which I didn't even know was a thing. It has some good tips for reaching out and being more social without, well, being social. It might help you.
https://www.axonoptics.com/living-with-migraine/I hear you loud and clear! I have two children under 5 and i always have the worry when i look after them on my own. The migraines have affected my relationship with them and to be honest its really hard for me. My wife has been so incredibly strong and understanding but i cant help but wonder the long time effects. I don't try to let it get to me and i find that putting in the effort in the when i am ok helps but i do (as we all do) live in fear. Like you i take all the vitamins and tried the diets and its very hit or miss. Talking and reading on the forum has helped as its nice to know I'm not alone and the advice has been great. Keep reading and exploring and i hope you find something that works for you. We’re all in it together!
