Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Miss Lemon]

I used to have migraines years ago but I have had two in recent months. Doc recommended getting my eyes tested, which I will do but I could do with some help now. I tried Migralieve last time but it didn't help. I've just got the 'aura' in the last 15 minutes and it's getting worse. I've taken some pink Migralueve but in case it doesn't work, has anyone got any tips for alleviating the bugger?

[CLKD]

Oh how awful 

Lay down in a darkened room
No noise
Sip cooled drinks

There was an article in a Sat. paper about a family who have trailed some kind of 'glasses' with success.

[Nanadotty]

Miss lemon, I'd go back to your doctor, I can't understand why he hasn't offered you a migraine medication. Medication for migraines has come a long way over the last twenty years an treatment isn't just strong pain killers. I take something called zomig and it a god send. It stop the pain in its tracks and allows you to get on with life. It's well known that the menopause can bring migraine back on the same as when you're a teenager and all those hormones are raging. Don't suffer.

[Elizabethrose]

Hi Miss Lemon

I'm really very sorry that you're struggling with migraine, they can be so disabling. I don't know of any over the counter quick fixes I'm afraid, I've been on prescribed meds for years and have tried a great many in the process of trying to manage mine. Read through my early posts to see my migraine history and if there is anything that I can help with please ask.

My daughter had a couple of very bad migraines whilst in her early teens, both hormone driven. Because she hadn't had them before and also because she was so young my Consultant didn't want to prescribe heavy meds. She said at the time that 3 aspirin and a fizzy glucose drink should be the first port of call for an adult, (though her young age disqualified her from Aspirin and it was replaced by Ibuprofen). The fizzy glucose drink allows the meds to be absorbed in the stomach despite the migraine causing stomach stasis.

As far as I'm aware poor eye sight doesn't cause migraine, tension headache maybe, but if you've suffered from migraine in the past it's very likely that it has returned. You would also be aware of the symptoms. What age are you Miss Lemon and at what stage are you in your meno journey? Are you aware of whether the migraines are occurring at certain times in your cycle? Do you keep a record of what is happening? Are you taking any form of HRT or other meds? Sorry for the million questions but I'm trying to get a benchmark from which to offer some advice.

[Miss Lemon]

Thank you Elizabethrose. I'm 48 and have been in peri for the last 6 years. I've been using progesterone cream on and off since then, which has helped loads with the anxiety, mood swings, hot flushes etc, but I've been very lax with it; once I start to feel better, I forget to use it for months at a time.

I don't have regular cycles any more; can be three weeks, can be three months so there's no way I can link it to that.

I started my first HRT patch last month but after a month of use, I felt so bad (anxiety, depression, jitteriness, suicidal feelings) that I stopped last week. I don't think that oestrogen is good for me at the moment. I started taking magnesium and calcium last week for my muscle/joint aches - funnily enough, I've read that magnesium is good for migraines.

I had been working at the computer for about four hours prior to the attack yesterday and did have a stiff neck from that. I just had to go to bed in the end. Still feel fuzzy and 'not right' this morning. How are we supposed to hold down jobs??

I'm just so fed up of this whole roller coaster ride and feeling like a bloody hypochondriac all the time.

Thanks again guys for your responses.

[Mary G]

Miss Lemon, sorry to tag on to this so late but I have only just read your post.  I started having silent migraines (migraine aura without headache) once my oestrogen levels started to drop.  To cut a very long story short, in my case, the migraine aura is caused by a combination of synthetic progesterone (all types and also Utrogestan (bio identical) if used in high doses) AND low oestrogen.  Absolutely nothing else causes my migraines. 

When I had the first attack, I had a Mirena coil which contains synthetic progesterone and that, together with my low oestrogen level, was enough to trigger the silent migraines.  A silent migraine consists of (usually) a blind spot followed by scintillating scotoma which is a horrible shimmering, zig zag pattern that lasts for approximately 25 months before disappearing at the upper, outer sight field but no headache afterwards.  I used to feel spaced out afterwards but the last time it happened I bunged on a huge blob of oestrogen gel and that aborted the attack. 

I was never the least bit sensitive to my own progesterone and although I never liked periods (who does), I never had any problems with them or had any PMS symptoms, this only started when reaching the menopause.  Also, I took synthetic progesterone in the pill years ago and had a Mirena coil for contraception purposes (before my oestrogen levels dropped) and although I didn't feel good on either of these forms of contraception I didn't have one single migraine. 

I sought the advice of migraine expert Professor Anne MacGregor and hormone expert Professor John Studd and it would appear that during the hormone gateway, my own hormones were able to override the synthetic ones hence no migraines but as soon as my oestrogen levels dropped off, the synthetic progesterone hormones became dominant.  Apparently synthetic progesterone can wreak havoc on your brain receptors which is why so many women feel terrible while taking them. 

I now take 2 pumps of Oestrogel everyday, a small bead of testosterone and 7 x 100mg Utrogestan (bio identical progesterone) vaginally every 5 weeks - I cannot take any more than this.  I also take DHEA, magnesium, vitamin B complex and aspirin everyday and so far, so good.  I don't want to say any more than that because I don't want to tempt fate!

The important thing is to find out what causes your migraines, oestrogen or progesterone, synthetic or otherwise.

I hope my experience helps you and others reading it. 

[CLKD]

? months ?

[Elizabethrose]

Well done Mary G, I was going to direct Miss Lemon to you and you beat me to it!

Miss Lemon, I would definitely suggest that if the migraines become a regular occurrence then don't ignore them or try to put up with them as there are meds that could help you. They may be related to your hormones or the HRT this is very common in peri. Mary can't tolerate synthetic progesterone, she's recognised that as her trigger. Keep a diary of symptoms and migraine flares and you will probably see a pattern quite quickly.

My migraines started in peri and became chronic over the years. I've had a very long peri! I too saw Prof Anne MacGregor and Nick Panay and HRT was tried to manage the migs. Unfortunately for me I reacted very badly to every combination of HRT tried and ended up with about 3 days migraine free each month. Impossible to live with, so I can't go that route now. However, we are all different.

I can't suggest you take any particular meds but let me tell you what I take. As soon as the headache starts, after prodrome and aura, I take a Frovatriptan and insert a Voltarol suppository. Frovatriptan is the best treatment for hormonally driven migraine as they are more likely to rebound and it has a long half life. The Voltarol (Diclofenac) suppository allows me to avoid the stomach which goes into stasis and won't allow absorption of the drug. Obviously it's not always convenient to use a suppository, and Voltarol now comes in a gastro friendly tablet. These don't work as well for me but needs must!

Even if the migraines only come infrequently, have some meds at the ready: the earlier you take them the better they work. I have been told by a number of specialists that my migraine will probably ease once my hormones plateau, so hopefully in the next couple of years. They are already much less violent and a little less frequent, so I"m already seeing the benefit of being late stage peri.

I do wish you well, they are such a drain!

[Mary G]

Elizabethrose, did Professor MacGregor ever discuss vitamin B12 deficiency?  It is very common in peri menopause and lack of it can be a contributory factor - mine was on the low side and I must have supplements to make sure it never falls below a certain level.  I was told it is also important to have good levels of magnesium and chances are, when I was younger, my B12 and magnesium levels were higher and this could explain why I didn't get migraines while taking the pill/when I first had a Mirena coil.  The fact I never felt good on either form of contraception would indicate that something was lurking there and just got worse as I got older. 

Sorry, one more question, you have obviously tried virtually everything but did you ever try using Oestrogel alone just before your period was due?  This method is commonly used by migraine specialists. 

[Elizabethrose]

Hi Mary

Thank you for your suggestions. Everything was checked and all was ok. My goodness over the years everything was tried, they really were very thorough. My diet is good and I eat lots of chicken, shellfish, oily fish and eggs which are good sources of Vit B12. I'm now taking a bone and joint supplement that includes magnesium and D3 amongst other vits and minerals. I'd be pretty surprised if I was deficient in anything.

I had to keep really detailed notes for years to try to accurately pinpoint reactions. It was absolutely agreed that it was pure menstrual migraine caused by the chaos of peri cycles. Interestingly I am managing to get longer and longer migraine free periods of time now, I was lucky to get two days on the trot! Years ago Anne said that it would get a whole lot worse before it got better, boy was she right!

My own cycles were too powerful and couldn't be suppressed by HRT, aside from the horrible side effects so 2 periods per month, (great stuff!). When I'm finally through meno and when the oestrogen has plateaued, if I need to I may look at HRT again. I never tried Oestrogel alone only as a combination with Crinone, my reactions were very violent. To be honest I think I'd fight shy unless absolutely necessary.

The fact that Anne and Peter Goadsby were convinced that the migs would improve if I entered a natural meno has kept me sane. My great big shining light at the end of a very long tunnel!! Boy what us women have to go through.

[Mary G]

Thanks for your detailed reply Elizabethrose, you really have tried everything!

I don't know this for sure but I am prepared to guess that Professor Studd would have suggested a full hysterectomy (including ovaries) to rid you of all your hormones and then just pump in oestrogen and testosterone that you need.  He often suggests radical hysterectomy for women with severe hormonal related disorders like PMS and chronic hormonal migraines.  In effect, it shortcuts the peri menopause phase meaning you reach hormonal plateau much sooner. 

Like you, I eat a good, varied diet but in my situation, I cannot rely on getting enough vitamin B12 and magnesium every single day and allowing my levels to drop below a certain threshhold.  Fortunately, the supplements are working well and my blood levels are now where they should be.

I forgot to mention that Professor MacGregor suggested I up my daily dose of aspirin to 300mg just before and just after my Utrogestan (progesterone) phase of HRT.  I hesitate once again to say so far so good!  She really knows her stuff.  Apparently quite a few of her patients take aspirin everyday. 

[Elizabethrose]

She is an absolute delight and I have to say one of the most reassuring doctors I've met. She just gets it!

I am SURE Prof Studd would have said that, all the endocrinologists ultimately do. That was suggested by the neurologist I saw; the endocrinologists said chemical hysterectomy with gonadotropin analog with add back oestrogen and then all being well oophorectomy and hysterectomy; the migraine specialist Peter Goadsby advocates that there is no place for hysterectomy in the treatment for migraine unless for a gynae disease and Anne MacGregor agreed with him. I did masses of research on this too using links from medic pals. Very few studies have been done treating pure menstrual migraine with hysterectomy and the results were appallingly bad. Some women ended up hospitalised because the migraine became constant and couldn't be reversed. Can you imagine!

However, it seems that these pure menstrual migraines benefit from going through a natural menopause. Mine has been a heck of a time coming BUT things do appear to be improving. I still get my bad phases, i.e. I had a major oestrogen surge on 6th June which is still happening and spent the first week in almost constant migraine. It's been 182 days since my last period and I really feel as if I'm getting somewhere now.

You're right to stick with anything that works for you, as the expression goes....if it ain't broken don't try and fix it!

I wish you continued migraine free years!