A cure for Chronic Migraines?

[PeaceMouse]

I have had migraines all my life and they have gotten worse as I get older and more frequent- I have one at least once a week and this week I had three.  They start with tunnel vision and sometimes I get an aura before and sharp pains in the face/eyes/neck/back of the head and I get extremely nauseated- light/sound/movement- all make it worse.  I have tried almost everything possible to deter these headaches, but nothing works (excedrine/ibuprofin/aspirin/apple juice/ginger/ countless other herbal remedies) tried them all but the pills will not stay down- I end up vomiting them up right afterward and then I am violently sick for the next hour or so- and the others just do nothing anymore for the nausea or the pain.  I end up in bed with a pillow over my face trying to sleep it off, but even that dose not help because the migraine will come back even worse when I wake up.

Dose anyone know how to help alleviate the migraines or have any recommendations of what kind of doctor I need to see- a neuro or something else?  Any help in the matter would be greatly appreciated.

[FurballsMom]

Definitely consider the above post.  This lady knows what she is talking about.  I can't tell you how grateful I am that my neurologist told me to research about Tyramine Intolerance.  This is the food sensitivity range she is talking about--mostly anyway.  My vitamin D was severely deficient at one point only a few years ago.  I've worked hard on just keeping it from plummeting again, too.  The thing about Tyramine Intolerance:  It can't be measured.  Only you can figure out that you have this by figuring out that these foods trigger your migraines.  All of these foods affect me, so I know for a fact I have this Tyramine Intolerance.  Also, for your own sanity:  Ignore the doctors who condescend you about various food sensitivities that they can't confirm with their fancy blood tests.  I have come across several in the local ER.  I find it insulting, but I'm not going to listen to them and cause myself to self doubt.  Trust your instincts and trust what your body tells you on this.  Some doctors just need better bedside manners and they need to lose the "Me, Doctor= You, ignorant patient" attitude.  Appreciate their abilities to treat your acute migraines, but steer clear of their attempts to make you self doubt yourself on which foods affect you negatively.  Especially as you are actually trying to stay out of the ER at every turn with these acute episodes to begin with.  Forget their condescending attitude, because these foods are widely recognized to be problem foods for migraine sufferers, and the umbrella term is Tyramine Intolerance.

Definitely become friends with your Chiropractor.  And, as she and I already discussed previously, some of us may have undiagnosed endometriosis.  I never figured out for sure, but it's like pulling teeth with some doctors to do various diagnostics.  I did actually learn from experience, though, that gluten intolerance greatly affects the pain during the cycle, as avoiding gluten did at least greatly reduce the intensity and the duration of the pain.  

As gluten intolerance falls under the bigger umbrella term of Tyramine Intolerance, it makes sense that gluten is likely the enemy to everyone on the migraine forum.  Only not everyone has made that connection as of yet.  Without sufficient education out there for most of us, and because food sensitivities tend to have a delayed reaction time, it can be rather difficult for some people to connect the dots.  For some people it's specifically just the big gluten culprit--our modern day hybrid wheat that is made up of 85% gluten.  This amount is very important to remember, because it's a very high amount of this gluten protein, so it's really no wonder that so many people have problems more specific to this modern hybrid form of wheat.

Another important grain that is non-gluten but is a problem for those with Tyramine Intolerance that you need to know about is corn.  There really isn't anything good about modern corn hybrids anyway, as it really isn't good for anyone.  Which makes it especially bad for us.  Plus, most corn on the market is GMO.  Doesn't really matter if you have found an organic source of corn or not, because corn just isn't good for us.  It's especially bad for people with Tyramine Intolerance.  

The same is true of soy as for corn.  Worse still is that soy that is not fermented in the traditional manner (and I'm not talking about most of your soy sauces, because most of those are NOT fermented traditionally and most actually also have gluten in them), is bad for ALL people.  It's worse for us.  Unfermented soy is full of phytoestrogens, so if you have endometriosis or other hormonal issues, steer clear of this.  Very few people benefit from the phytoestrogens.  As with all things in life, there are rare exceptions to this rule, so unless you truly are one of these exceptions, soy is bad for us anyway.  It's also a known migraine trigger under the umbrella term of Tyramine Intolerance.  So, it is very important to bring this one up.  Contrary to popular belief, soy is NOT health food, and especially not for us.

There are other foods under this umbrella term of Tyramine Intolerance, but I've been long-winded enough for now.

[achilles2]

I am sorry you are in so much pain. Another thing to consider is food allergies. Gluten (wheat, barley, rye) dairy, all artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, cashews, msg, and nitrates/nitrites (processed meats) all cause my migraines. Also my neurologist checked my vitamin B12 and D levels. So that is something you might want to have your neuro check. MY vit D level were so low that I had to be put on prescription Vit D which is 50,000iu/week.

Also my migraines can also be caused by my enodometriosis. If you have pain of any sort with your period this is NOT normal and should look at the possibility of enodometriosis or cysts something else related gynecological. Also my migraines were made 100 times worse when I used birth control.

I hope this helps,

achilles2

PS One big thing I found that helped me was to go find a great chiropractor.

[PeaceMouse]

Thank you both for your input- the problem with meds is they tend to make me even sicker when I take them.  I am allergic to aspirin and some of the like compounds they have for body and head aches, so I am trying to do a regiment without pills- I don't want to risk a reaction.  I am going to go to a Neuro as you suggested though- thank you so much for all your info! : )

[MigraineMeghan]

I use Zomig Nazal spray. It is a simple squirt in the nose instead of a pill so then even if I vomit I keep the meds. I find if I take this right at the onset of symptoms, I don't vomit. It is a prescription so you'll have to talk with your primary care doctor or a neurologist. If you've never been evaluated by a neurologist you probably should be.

[PeaceMouse]

Thank you for the information : )

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? You could benefit from a referral to a neurologist to help with the management of your migraine headaches. Both preventive and abortive prescription medications may help prevent recurrences. Identifying the possible migraine triggers may also help so that you can avoid them in the future. A headache journal or the headache tracker here in the forum may help. Take care and do keep us posted.