My wife has had a migraine for two months. MRI revealed white splotches that indicate tiny stroke like episodes. Doc gave her some "good" pain meds but she can't take them during the day because they'll put her to sleep.

Any ideas on what she can help relieve the pain legally?

She should consult with a neurologist with specialty in Headache Medicine. It is a sub specialty of Neurology.

I know this is going to sound hokey, but I have had success with massage and acupuncture. Outside of that, a steady diet of Excedrin and coffee. Make sure she is getting plenty of sleep. This time of year, sinus pressure can lead to migraines, so maybe try Allegra or similar. Another thing might be looking at how much salt she takes in and cutting that (I notice that some of my migraines come with very salty meals). Maybe have her keep a diet/sleep diary and see if there are any particular triggers that make it worse. I hope that she heals quickly Zeke. My headaches are sometimes debilitating and are some of the worst pain I have experienced. Best wishes for your Mrs.

Short version: Start a log of sleep, food and environmental items that may trigger migraines. Read up online about types of migraines, treatments, and triggers. Note triptan type prescription drugs such as Maxalt or Imatrex may do nothing, some may help a bit, and others may work perfectly so it's best for some to try several until finding one that works. Lastly, some people are finding a switch to a Ketogenic / LCHF diet greatly decreases the number of migraines a person experiences.

For me, after multiple doctors wildly guessing causes of my migraines and all being pretty much useless, I started keeping log as mentioned above better track down any causes. That seems to help out most people and was somewhat helpful to me in finding contributing factors that make it more likely I'll get a migraine. After several tries, I did find a triptan drug that works well.

The breakthrough came from several visits to a very good chiropractor who took several x-rays of my neck, asked if I'd ever been rear-ended in a vehicle, and then showed me a bone in my lower neck that was a bit out of place and pressing on a nerve that was known to be linked to migraines. My primary doctor examined the x-rays from the chiropractor and agreed completely that the neck injury may be the primary cause of my migraines. He said surgery to fix that wasn't really an option and I should do my best to avoid inflammation and neck strain.

Please have her try a milkshake at the very onset of a migraine. wont work for all but will for many.

When my migraines started the Neurologist started me on imotrex shots and Elavil. I've found that excedrin works the best if taken early. Butalbitol can help sometimes but it's also a Narcotic. Elavil can help prevent some. Sounds like she needs to be looked at by an expert if she has something hinky on X-rays.

I used to get horrible chain migraines in college. One would start, I would take some meds and sleep it off, and within 15 minutes of waking up the next one would start again. It was debilitating as I couldn't see or speak properly in addition to the pain. After a few days of chains I'd go to the emergency room. They would pump me full of Demerol until the pain went away, I'd pass out and sleep for 10 hours. When I woke up I'd be good for a few months.

Eventually I found a neurologist that helped. He prescribed me Maxalt MLT 10 mg. It dissolves under your tongue and gets into your bloodstream 2X faster than normal meds. I always have a pill on hand and take it at the very first visual symptoms. This has helped to control the much less frequent migraines when I get them now. I still feel like crap but I can still mostly function once my eyesight returns, and no more chains. I was on Imitrex before and it never did a thing to touch my migraines.

I also keep a regular workout schedule, avoid caffeine, eat very healthy, and make sure I don't get too low on sleep. I still have too much work stress and will occasionally get the "holiday/weekend migraine." After a couple stressful weeks, when I'm finally on vacation and the stress is removed the migraine comes rushing in. Thankfully with Maxalt and the other lifestyle changes it's just a minor annoyance now. Find a good neurologist, they can really help.

Thanks for your help!

I used both maxalt and imitrex with mixed results through the years. Otherwise the defaults were butalbitol with phenergan for the nausea that always comes with my migraines. After a very mild stroke in 2007, we consulted a neurologist who recommended staying away from the imitrexes and maxalts as they mimic the contraction of blood vessels as would occur in a stroke. So in my case, its beat it to home and take the basic drugs and sleep the migraine off...

I Hate to ask you this, but does your wife smoke? I speak from experience, that is the worst trigger. Imetrex works well by injecton if you catch it early. Also for me, two goody's powders and a cup of strong black coffee worked for me. I feel her pain, I had one 3 days ago at 40,000 ft!

She does not smoke. Thanks though...

Butterbur

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-...edientname=butterbur

quote:

Originally posted by Shotgun Zeke:
My wife has had a migraine for two months. MRI revealed white splotches that indicate tiny stroke like episodes. Doc gave her some "good" pain meds but she can't take them during the day because they'll put her to sleep.

Any ideas on what she can help relieve the pain legally?

No one seems concerned with the abnormal MRI? Her headache might be related to that, and has nothing to do with "migraine".

Consulting with a neurologist is a great idea. You will want one with experience in using botox. You can ask the front desk people in the neurologist's office about this. The FDA has approved injections of botox in the treatment of migraines. The neurologists I have talked with about this treatment have said their patients have had good results.
It may not the treatment plan suggested for your wife but it is good to have that option. If the neurologist doesn't do injections it won't be suggested as an alternative.

I would suggest a sleep study. Read about possible links between sleep disorders and migraines.

She really should find a headache clinic.

Quick question, does she get cold hands?

Headache clinic. What ended up doing well with mine was Alsuma shots and oxygen. They may have to try different things to find what works.

quote:

Originally posted by bcereuss:
I would suggest a sleep study. Read about possible links between sleep disorders and migraines.

^^^ Good Idea^^^^

I have been setting people up on CPAP's for over eighteen years. There have been a hand full with migraines, in which sleep apnea was the cause. Set them up on a machine, and within one month, migraines were gone. The brain is oxygen deprived from sleep apnea!!

The Mrs. suffered from them for years. Several times, she had a coma cocktail at the ER just to knock her out.

She has tried most medicines but acupuncture and homeopathic remedies seem to work best for her.

The MRI findings are concerning and need more investigation for sure. Regarding migraines Triptan medications are a good choice for episodic migraine ( for example a headache once or twice a month) but this is key - hit it hard fast- taking the medication ( the best is the injection) at the first sign do not delay!
If they are more frequent than that a daily medication to prevent them is a more appropriate answer ( keep in mind logging frequency and intensity of headaches is critical to determining effectiveness and dosage adjustment for these mess) the most common and effective being anti seizure medications.