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Migraines - think I'm cured at last

Posted , 9 users are following.

gillian231
gillian231

I've suffered from debilitating migraines for over 30 years from .  Over that time, my GP and I had tried most preventatives such as sanomigran, atenolol, amitryptiline, topiramax, vitamin B8, co-enzyme Q10, acupuncture, chiropracty.  I'd given up on ever being free of them and was just focusing on managing the pain with painkillers and triptans. 50% of my life was spent in pain and they were a blight on my life. Some days all I could do was lie in bed. At the end of last year, I had a whopper that lasted 10 days and I went back to the docs.  The only thing I hadn't tried was propanol.  Well, miraculously, it seems to have done the trick for me.  Within a couple of days of starting on it (40mg twice a day), my migraines had gone and they haven't come back.  It's been a couple of months now that I've been migraine free and it's bliss to wake up every morning and not be in pain.  I have never felt so well. After so many years of suffering, it's better than winning the lottery.

3 likes, 19 replies

19 Replies

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  • Tezes
    Tezes gillian231

    Posted

    Hi

    Fantastic news for you, my story mimicked yours, 

    im 59 now and still getting them, what happened to 'when you've been through the menopause' they stop etc ????

    anyway I started on propranolol for dystonic tremor 80mg slow release, my neuro told me they should help with migraine too.

    well unless I have a lot of tension I don't get headaches anymore but still have migraine once a month on average. My next hope is that when I finish work they may stop ! We live in hope 

    all the best to you though it's lovely to hear some positive stories, long may it last

    xx

  • jolalala
    jolalala gillian231

    Posted

    Thank you for posting, it's always good to have hope.  Do let us know how you get on in future.
  • carolebright
    carolebright gillian231

    Posted

    What a wonderful story - i am so so pleased for you. It is so lovely to read about a success. I too have tried many preventatives, alternative therapies etc . The first preventative i tried was atonolol so i will ask to try propanol. I was going to ask to go the peri menopausal hormone route next but will see what my GP says.

    x

     

    • gillian231
      gillian231 carolebright

      Posted

      The atenolol didn't make much difference for me.  I had discounted propanolol before as I thought that it would be the same as atenolol as they're both beta-blockers.  Apparently, propanol is different in that it crosses the blood-brain barrier whereas atenolol doesn't.  Maybe that's what's made the difference for me.  I'm just over-the-moon with the result.
  • margarita95351
    margarita95351 gillian231

    Posted

    Wow that is great to hear.I do not get them that often....I go months without getting them, and as I said before that, as soon as I see either the blind spots or the zig zagging? I take right away two Anacins, and usually I do not even get the headache. Now there has been times before where I didn't take the Anacins? And I have gotten the worse headache ever, but still it would only last like Untill I do take my Anacins And within one hr, headaches start to ease off. I do suggest that some might try this right away on the onset of the disturbances in our eyes... I am so happy for you Gillian231. Good luck
    • Tezes
      Tezes margarita95351

      Posted

      Hi Ive not heard of you're drug, I take triptans but they are affective for up to 12 hours then the pain returns. I then take another triptan and this can go on for three days = 3-4 triptans in total each migraine episode. I have tried many other drugs but they were all triptans. Can you explain what anacins is ? Many thanks
  • QOTH
    QOTH gillian231

    Posted

    I'm happy for you, gillian231, it must be a great relief after all this time.

    I've also been taking Propranolol (for the last 5 or 6 weeks) and I haven't had a single migraine in that time, although I've also been avoiding my migraine triggers, so didn't know if it was the avoidance or the Propranolol. 

    Propranolol is also used for anxiety, which I have too. 

    I also take 40mg twice a day, but my GP said I can increase the dose to 3x a day if I want.  I think for now I'll stick to twice a day and see how it goes.

    It's nice to hear that it works for someone else.  Makes me think it might be worth easing up on my avoidance of triggers, one of them is doing close up work like embroidery which I used to really enjoy and now don't do it in case of migraine.

    I'm also getting fewer normal headaches.  On the days I didn't have a migraine I'd often get a regular headache instead. 

    Btw, I haven't eaten any wheat for the last 2 weeks and I think that's helped as well.  I had a small bit of dumpling last night and got a headache (not a migraine) about 10 minutes later!

    I hope you continue the great results, gillian231.  I haven't even noticed any side effects, have you?

    • gillian231
      gillian231 QOTH

      Posted

      I have anxiety too, Qoth, panic attacks - very, very much improved as well.  I was like you - headaches everyday and full blown migraines on other days - they'd usually last 4 or 5 days.  I never found all my triggers, but skipping meals would certainly worsen things.  Funnily enough, I like sewing and embroidery too - are we long lost twins?  

      I have no side effects from the dose I'm on now, so I'll stick with it for the time being.  Doc said I could increase it quite a lot if I needed to.  

      Glad you're getting some relief and are finding your triggers.

  • jill41535
    jill41535 gillian231

    Posted

    I was so pleased to read your post.  So there is light at the end of the tunnel - at least for some.  Gives me hope to continue when I'm in pain and life is difficult.  Like you, I have tried many different treatments over the years including alternative type therapies and none have worked for me.  I have suffered from menstrual migraine since the birth of my twins 15 years ago.  Have been through the menopause and the neurologist (who has recently given up on me!) believes that the migraines may cease when the hormones stop fluctuating.  Well we will see.  In the meantime, I will find out if I have tried this drug and if not, I will give it a go! Enjoy your newfound freedom and make the most of every day!!
    • gillian231
      gillian231 jill41535

      Posted

      I totally empathise, Jill.  I had various GPs tell me that opposing things regarding menopause.  My migraines started before I had children, remained through both pregnancies and were especially bad around period times.  I'm probably menopausal now as I'm 50, but I'm not sure as I've taken the Cerazette mini-pill since 42 which stopped my horribly heavy periods entirely. It didn't make my headaches any worse or better.  Keep looking for a cure, Jill, and I hope you find what works for you.  I'm jubilant that I'm feeling so well, but sort of sad that it took over 30 years to find what worked for me; it's a drug that's been around since the early 1960s.
    • jill41535
      jill41535 gillian231

      Posted

      It would be easy to feel sad about all the time that has been wasted due to migraine but I think that you just need to look forward now. After looking through my paperwork, I see that I have tried Propanalol in the past but it didn't work for me as I have low blood pressure and it made me feel really lightheaded.
    • Tezes
      Tezes jill41535

      Posted

      Hi Jill

      i have naturally low blood pressure (90/65), however my neuro put me on propranolol. I asked about my BP but she said it shouldn't lower it further as she put me on 80mgs of slow release a day.

      ive been on it about a year now and she was right my BP hasn't changed, might be worth asking about it again ?

    • jill41535
      jill41535 Tezes

      Posted

      Perhaps I should think about it again, especially as I am running out of other options!
    • gillian231
      gillian231 jill41535

      Posted

      Worth a try.  My only regret is that I spent over 30 years suffering and the medicine that finally sorted me was invented before I was born.  I'd given up looking for a cure and had pretty much accepted that chronic pain would always be with me.  No-one was more suprised than me when propanolol actually worked.  3 months on and I'm still feeling incredibly well.  Strangely, I can tell the migraines are still there under the surface - no bad pain, but I still occasionally get a little tension on one side and the strange empty feeling in my stomach that I always got with the migraines.  
  • QOTH
    QOTH gillian231

    Posted

    Just thought I'd update.  When my 2 months worth of Propranolol ran out I was prescribed a different brand.  I noticed it had a brighter colour than the first batch and looked up the E no. of the colourant and it's banned in some countries (but not here in UK).   I had my first migraine in a little over 2 months on Monday this week.  Can't help wondering if it's this different brand?  Maybe they're cheaper or have an inferior version of the drug or maybe it's that E no.?

    Next time I'm going to ask Doctor for the original brand again.

    Hope the OP is still migraine free! 

    My main trigger is using the PC, so I'd better get off here now....

    • gillian231
      gillian231 QOTH

      Posted

      Since the 1980s in the UK, NHS GPs are only allowed to prescribe generic medications; they cannot prescribe a specific brand.  Before those times, GPs were often rewarded by drug companies for prescribing a particular brand - an increased cost for the taxpayer and no benefit for the patient.   Many manufacturers will make propanolol. The pharmacy will supply whichever brand is available/cheapest as the active ingredients are exactly the same. There are strict rules layed down by the British Pharmacopoeia so it would not have been an inferior version of the drug (I used to work in pharmacy).  If you're certain you need a particular brand due to a reaction from an E number, you'd need a private prescription from your GP and you'd pay the full cost for that brand.  Is this colourant in anything else so that you could test out if it gives you a migraine?
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