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Moving from High Altitude - Will it help?

I’ve tried all the drugs, Botox, Injections, Chiropractors, PT, Acupuncture, you’ve heard the story before. I’ve lived at an altitude above 5400 feet for over 25 years. My migraines started at the age of 14 and slowly got worse since living where I live. I’ve asked my doctors and neurologists if moving to low altitude would help and they have no answer, they do not know. I would do it very quickly if I knew it would help. It’s a huge sacrifice, but I would do it. I need a better life.

My current neurologist suggested a lumbar puncture. She said that that would indicate if there were an issue with the altitude. I don’t know if this is conclusive though. My opening pressure was high, not sky high, but definitely higher than what was normal by a bit. I’ve struggled with the thought of moving. My migraines do not abate when I go to low altitude once a year for vacation, but I have several friends who have told me that their friends’ migraines did get better after moving to low altitude. One such friend’s story was that it took 6 weeks before she was better and in 6 months her migraines were gone.

One recent year, when heading home from low altitude, I felt fine one day while driving back home, then my head started screaming out of nowhere at one point. I checked the altitude of the town I was in when this happened, after I returned home, and it was 3300 feet above sea level.

I am unable to do anything. I can’t go out for any type of outing, I can barely shop, cook and do laundry and often can’t do these things. Everything now gets much worse from around the end of September through early June. Things are a little better after this time frame, but not by much.

If you have any thoughts or suggestions or anecdotal evidence, please share.

  1. I lhave lived between 10-700 ft above sea level my entire life and I have horrible migraines.

    1. Have you tried Diamox? It is sometimes given to people with higher CSF pressure readings to lower their pressure.

      I'm 800 feet above sea level, and have chronic migraine.

      1. Very doubtful. I lived at just above sea level for 31 years, and started getting migraines when I was 5 or 6. I now live at over 6000 ft, and nothing has changed regarding my migraines. They do get worse when I go up higher in the mountains, though.

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