Migraine Treatment

Hi - I have had Migraine since the age of 8yrs (I am now 60yrs) It has been the bain of my life and Ihave tried everything on the market including 3 monthly pain killing injections up into the base of my brain. Some things worked for a while but the side effects were awful, especially with anti seizure drugs .Beta Blockers also worked but gave me breathing problems. I have finally found some relief with Gabapentin 300mg x 3 daily and Naratriptan when I actually get a migraine. The biggest help of all has been cutting out all fruit in my diet. This has reduced my migraine from 3 per week to 2 per month. We are always being told to eat 5 portions of fruit/vegetable a day but I believe the citric acid in fruit is the main cause of my migraine, so I now stick just with vegetables. I also try to do a fast 20 min walk everyday as exercise is also helping.I realise that what works for one person may not help someone else but I have at last got some control over my migraine and thought others may like to hear in case it helps them.

Hi. Like you, I have been seening a Neurologist now for about 3 years. I am now 44 but have suffered with migraines since my late teens. I've been on Imigran injections and tabs, Naramig etc. Maxalt Melt used to really work for me but it got to the stage where I was having so many migraines in a month that they no longer worked. I have been taking Pregablin now for over a year starting on a low dose. My Neurosurgeon now prescribes me a daily dose of 150 mg in the evening and then when I get a bad episode which doesn't respond to the Maxalt Melt I take an extra 75 mg for a few days until it lifts. I have absolutely hated taking these meds but I have to say they have helped. I have kept a diary of my migraines which now only seem to be worse around my menstrual cycle whereas before they were all over the place. Try and persevere, I have also found that since taking the Pregablin it seems to kick start the Maxalt Melt to work again! Migraine is so delibitating it wipes days out of your life and the minute you find something that gives relief you feel like you can fly and take on the world again.I hope this helps, keep smiling and try and persevere.

I developed migraines after the age of 50 so my doctor arranged an MRI scan which showed no evidence of anything sinister going on. I was on pregablin for anxiety but I did not notice any effect on the frequency of my migraines. When the migraines became weekly I referred myself to a neurologist who gave me 'Topimirate'. I started on 25 mg daily for a month which then went up to 50 mg and then 75 mg daily. It worked ......but turned me into a zombie. I didn't mind because I was spaced out but my wife said that my cognitive functions were deteriorating quickly. So the consultant reduced it back to 50 mg and then 25 mg. In all I was on the drug for about 6 months. I still do get migraines but their frequency has reduced significantly. The other thing the consultant did was to stop me taking Sumatriptan (imigram) and he put me on Zolmitriptan (2.5 mg) to deal with a migraine if and when I got one. I have found it to be far better than sumatriptan because it is 'cleaner' - if and when I require Zolmitriptan I do not get the 'hangover' effects eg generalised headache/feeling lousy that I got with Sumatriptan.