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Migraines and Gabapentin

Posted , 6 users are following.

pieter73
pieter73

My wife has had migraines every day since January 2014. The last 9 months have been very difficult. We have treid many types of medication/treatments.

Currently she is trying Gabapentin (600mg per day).

Does anybody know how long it can take for Gabapentin to have an effect?

Is it possible for Gabapentin to make migraines worse?

 

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • linda55480
    linda55480 pieter73

    Posted

    I've been taking propranolol and it seems to help.  I'm not familiar with the medication your wife is taking.
  • NicolaAnne1994
    NicolaAnne1994 pieter73

    Posted

    I started Gabapentin for my migraines on Saturday and it have me such a bad migraine, sickness the lot BUT I have been fine since! Just let it run it's course! My neurologist said that if it doesn't work then they would just keep upping the dosage! 
  • duvet
    duvet pieter73

    Posted

    I tried Gabapentin and stuck out the horrid side effects for about 6 weeks before chucking them in the bin. I'd failed to ramp up to the efficacious dose but reached the point where I was unfit to drive or work. So even if they had had amy impact on the migraines the side effects were not worth it.

    Lots of meds to try. I'm on Candesartan cos BP spikes are a feature in my migraines.

    Helen

    • linda55480
      linda55480 duvet

      Posted

      I've been taking the proranolol for one week and have lost my appetite, my vision is blurry, I'm having trouble sleeping, and am exhausted! I'm trying to decide if I should continue or stop taking them. My eye doctor gave me a requisition for an MRI. 
  • pieter73
    pieter73

    Posted

    My wife has already not been able to drive a car beacuase of the migraines for almost a year.

    She can't watch TV (too much movement)

    She often wan't walk into public buildings (to sensitive to flickering light)

    ...

    It's all very limiting and therre isn't much that she can do. A walk to a park (with sunglasses even if it rains) feels like a day out for her. Wiht or without medication it doesn't get any better. We tried without any medication for 3 months.

  • StevenRose
    StevenRose pieter73

    Posted

    Hi Pieter,

    Gabapentin is one of a nunber of preventatve medicines for migraines of different types.

    But you need an abortive medicine to deal with the migraine straight away.  I am told and through my own research that sumatriptan epipen injections are the gold standard of abortive medicine for migraines of all types.

    My current preventative medicine is pregabalin 250mg twice a day and verapamil 240mg 3 times a day.

    I can understand and sympathise with you and your wife entirely, I went through weeks and months before they got me the right medicine.

    May I ask if your wife has seen a neurologist yet and had an mri scan?

    Good luck and please update us when you can

    • pieter73
      pieter73 StevenRose

      Posted

      mri scan didn't show anything.

      Also she's using Naproxen. This seems to be the only thing helping slightly.

      In the past she used Imigran (injections) but this has a long after effect.

    • StevenRose
      StevenRose pieter73

      Posted

      yes, the injections do knock you out a little, but did they actually take the pain away?
    • StevenRose
      StevenRose pieter73

      Posted

      You cant use Naproxen long term though as it increases risk of heart attack and stroke.

      As I found, you do have to be persistant with drs as they only care to a point.

      Oxygen therapy is also another treatment to abort migraines and your dr can get regular oxygen delivered if its a benefit to your wife.

  • duvet
    duvet pieter73

    Posted

    Ouch! I can sympathise with your wife and get a better feel for what my husband goes through. Sounds like your wife should be suitable for Botox...

    At their worst I'm bed bound for 10-12 days a month and even breathing hurts.

    Worth trying some alternatives, acupuncture, reflexology, cranial osteopathy can all help break the pain gate.

    I assume you have already ruled out the nasties, but what about hormonal changes. My migraines got a LOT worse as I hit menopause...

    Just keep on nagging at the drs til you find a neurologist that really specialises in headaches, few do! I'm on my third in 10 years but got one finally.  

    Xxx

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