That sounds much less like a migraine and much more like something considerably more serious. I strongly recommend that you get yourself to your physician immediately. I’m no physician, but migraines that hit out of nowhere are not normal, or, usually, “just migraines”.

I’ve seen the doctor about them several times, starting with the very first one. As you can imagine, that first time I thought “Oh, no, a brain tumor!”

We’ve done CT scans and MRIs, and in addition to confirming that I do have a brain, we’ve also confirmed nothing’s organically wrong with it.

They’re migraines, but my doctor’s convinced that perhaps I just don’t really pay attention to the warning signs. So now I’m keeping a daily record tracking physical symptoms and changes so we can see if there’s a pattern I’ve failed to notice.

Oh no, hope you’re feeling much better today. I don’t get them very often, but I had two last week, I believe they were both triggered by sinus/allergy related problems. Did the dr. give you any medications to help with these?

I’ve tried Imitrex but it makes me throw up, which doubles the misery. So I’ve pretty much taken a “don’t grin, just bear it” approach.

Have you tried Maxalt? Red uses that one to great effect, although she also can feel them coming, usually.

I haven’t tried that one yet. Any side effects?

Not that she’s reported. The thing she likes about it the most is that it’s not a pill that’s ingested. It’s taken orally, but allowed to dissolve in the mouth under the tongue (and goes directly into the bloodstream from there). It’s really fast for her - when she feels the precursor signals that a migraine is coming, she takes one and the “starter headache” she usually has vanishes within about 20 minutes.

It may have side effects I’m not aware of, I dunno.

Fast, when it comes to migraine relief, is the key word. I’ll have to look up the side effects. As you know after all these years of being a Venomite, if it’s possible to have something go wrong with a medication, that’s exactly what’s going to happen for me.

There’s a Wikipedia page on it, but Merck’s page on it is here. It looks to me like the primary side effects have mostly to do with either the coronary or digestive system, and it doesn’t affect the liver at all. It’s not a medication that’s taken regularly, though - the directions, for Red anyway, are to take no more than 4 times in a month.

I totally understand being leery of new medication. My mom has spent most of my life (since I was about 10) undergoing systematic changes in the cocktail of medications she takes for a variety of health issues. The results of the cycle of Prednizone that one of her doctors put her through was terrifying…you know how steroids in general tend to multiply aggressive reactions? Her reaction was…well, we’ll just say it was an excellent example of an extreme reaction and leave it at that.

Yeah, I can’t do steroids at ALL. Last time I was on one, my face swelled until it looked like a Jack o’ Lantern, and I went temporarily nuts.

I’ll talk with my doctor about that med. I’m still dealing with IBS, although it’s mostly controlled now that I’m eating tons of veggies, but the thought of more GI problems is enough to give me a migraine on its own.

I’ve had migraines since I was 6 years old. For a number of years in my mid-30’s I had 3-4 bad ones a week… lived on Excedrin - which caused rebound headaches.

None of the myriad of meds ever helped with mine - ever. Imitrex also gives me rebound headaches… but I did have the shot once to stop a 4 day headache that didn’t want to let go.

More detail I won’t go into… LOL. But I handle them now with a very strict diet (it’s very easy to stay on it when the alternative is a massive migraine) and mostly Ibuprofen (which works for the minor headaches I get now that I’ve controlled the diet) for worse headaches - you’ll have to email me. *grin*

I think the GI problems associated with it are pretty rare, but as you said, if it’d happen to anybody, it would happen to you!

I too have suffered from migraines pretty much all my life and have them frequently. For several years in my early 30’s I couldn’t recall not having one.

Imitrex does nothing for me either; however, I can highly recommend Zomig and MaxAlt. Those two have worked the best for me, if anything is going to work. I did know someone who’s doctor had her take 2 Tylenol and 3 Ibuprophen with 12oz of regular Coca-Cola when she felt one coming on and this worked very well for her — however, she did not drink caffeine at any other time.

I also can recommend Topomax as a preventative, and if you can get your insurance to cover it (mine no longer will), Botox injections. It takes a few sessions before it really starts working but I found some relief this way.

Good luck.

I started getting migraines in 2001. I missed weeks of work because there were days when all I could do was curl up in a ball in a dark room. Anything I took gave me rebound headaches and my low blood pressure ruled out some other medications.

The first thing that made a HUGE difference was getting off the pill. HUGE difference. That knocked the frequency and severity down significantly.

The next thing was to watch out for food triggers and not eat those things. I also stopped eating most processed foods and I really look out for added artificial ingredients.

But the biggest relief came from eliminating all chemical soaps, cleaners, etc. I use natural soap, shampoo, lotions, cosmetics, dishwasher soap, cleaners, laundry detergent, etc.

Now I normally only get a migraine once a month, the day before my period. Advil usually takes care of it for the most part.

Oh, and I get one any time I smell Windex.

It took me years of listening to my body and discovering what I am sensitive to, but it was so worth it.

I asked her at lunchtime, and she said that the one major side effect she has is fatigue after taking it. She says that part of that, though, is just relief at the pain being gone.

I’m not on that medication and yet I’ve got the post-migraine fatigue in full force today, compounded by a serious allergy attack. About all I’ve got the energy to do is reach for another Kleenex. Ugh.

I basically have some level of migraine just about all of the time. Sometimes they whisper sometimes they annoy and sometimes they knock me off of my feet.

I do take Maxalt and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. When it works it’s fan-f-tastic. It does make me feel very tired and just lousy but better then a migraine. Can’t take it all of the time because it has a rebound effect. Still, worth the try for you,

One going all the time? I’d never sober up, Deborah.

At least half of the time it’s at a low roar. I’ve gotten pretty good at semi-functioning.

I have a couple of other pain conditions and they all seem to be fighting with each other!

I agree, sick and tired of being sick and tired!!!

Just had the last of three surgeries on a fractured shoulder. It’s been an on-going thing for the past year and a half. It’s kept me in a nice long muscle spasm, which is probably why I have the never ending migraine. I’m in physical therapy right now and maybe sometime, somehow, I will be without migraine.

Maxalt works great on mine. Ungodly expensive if you don’t have insurance, though - $25 per pill for a headache medicine is a lot. TGFBCBS.