Hi Mazza,
I'm really so very sorry you're having such an awful time. I do hope I can help in some way.
I started suffering with pure menstrual migraine at the beginning of peri which became chronic with time. They are a horror to deal with and I fully appreciate your struggle.
One of the biggest difficulties is recognising and understanding what is happening to you and WHY it's happening. I've seen some outstanding consultants across a number of disciplines and tried many many things to try to help or resolve the problems, but the thing recommended by each and every one is to start keeping a detailed daily record of your cycle and your headaches and other symptoms. Patterns very quickly emerge. If the docs can identify relationships between the migraine and other symptoms with your cycle, then it's often a perfect tool with which to find a solution.
Don't waste loads of time on this, a few minutes each day, plotting your periods, any ovulation cramping, cervical mucus, especially the stretchy egg white type mucus which is a sign of high oestrogen levels, migraine, breast tenderness, anxiety etc etc. If you draw out a chart you can tick the columns daily or keep a record on any diary. The gynaes, endos, and neuros all demanded these records from me but aside from that it helped me to recognise what was going on. We feel much more in control if we can understand what is happening to us.
Please have a read through Machair's thread with this link.
https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,31902.0.html It is a conversation between a few ladies all experiencing peri with migraines, period pains, ovulation cramps and many of the other symptoms you are experiencing. (I've just read through your previous posts). We are not all the same but have remarkable similarities and this thread details our journeys over the past year). Please do read it because there seem to be parallels with your experience. If you have any questions, ask on the thread we'd love to have you join us, or here or anywhere else you'd like to. Equally PM me if you'd prefer.
I'm not a medic and therefore can't advise you re what you should take but I can tell you what has been most beneficial to me as far as the migraines are concerned. I've tried so many drugs for the migraines over many years, some with horrific side effects but the only thing that has worked for me is the combination of Frovatriptan, Diclofenac suppositories and no longer available, Motillium suppositories which were anti sickness. At one stage my vomiting was so violent, nothing would stay in my stomach. Taking meds anally allowed the stomach, which is in stasis in migraine, to be avoided. Interestingly the Frovatriptan never upset the stomach.
I tried all of the other triptans in many forms without any success. Frovatriptan seems to be the most successful drug at treating menstrual related migraine because it has a long half life which helps to prevent rebounds that are very common in menstrual migraine. I have never had any side effects with Frovatriptan, I did with some of the others, especially Sumatriptan which I tried in nasal or throat spray (can't remember) tablet form and injection. The injection made my heart race which was really alarming. Frova was brilliant for me. It didn't work every time, sometimes it might just reduce the intensity of the migraine, sometimes would clear it completely and sometimes not work at all. It very much depended on whether the migraine was one of the very sudden ones flying in like a bat out of hell, a slow builder or the most common ones you wake with.
I was told by two of my specialists that morphine derived drugs should be avoided with Migraine as they further irritate the gut that is in stasis. They certainly used to leave my body faster than they entered! The diclofenac taken in suppository form is inconvenient but worked more efficiently that anything else did. That combined with the Frovatriptan was my life saver, and I'm really not exaggerating.
Whilst not officially through, I'd say I am post meno now and after years of daily struggle my migs have very suddenly disappeared. It is miraculous but something that every specialist I ever saw said would happen. It would seem the best way to treat menstrual migraine is to go into a natural menopause and that is what I've been striving for. Incidentally, there is a strong belief amongst migraine specialists that hysterectomy should not be used to treat migraine as if migraine are hormonally driven it could exacerbate the condition. Little research has been done on this but I could probably produce some papers on studies carried out that substantiated this belief. They'll probably be in a very heavy desktop pile!!
Please read Machair's thread and I'm going to post here a couple of migraine threads for you to peruse which may also be helpful. If you can understand what is happening to your body you will be better able to cope with it and find a solution. I can't find a particular thread I was seeking so I'll post this response now and carry on searching for it.
https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,32318.msg514732.html#msg514732https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,33983.0.htmlHRT is not contraindicated with migraine though the reality is that some migraineurs are helped and others find that HRT exacerbates the migraine still further. You can't know unless you try though. The current school of thought re contraceptive pill is that migraineurs with aura can't be prescribed it. My daughter suffers with aura and docs won't even give her the progesterone only pill. She's also seen specialists re this.
I really hope that once you've done some research, kept a diary, that you'll find a solution to it all. Migraine is a terribly misunderstood and isolating condition and a horror to deal with.
I send you love and my very best wishes x