I've been getting migraines for the last 20 years. I'm 48 now. I have been taking Imitrex for the last few years and it works well but currently I'm almost taking 1 pill every day. Is there a long term problem with taking about 20 pills a month?
Mike

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My son who is 15 has been having migraines for almost 3 years now. Most of them he gets while he is asleep at night, can you explain why this might happen? He is taking Frova now has been on other meds. that didn't help.
Thank You,
Karen

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Hi. My 3yr old has been suffering from headaches for the past several weeks. I took her to our pediatrician, and he diagnosed her with migraines. He recommended I give her Tylenol 3x a day, everyday for 1 month, then come back and see how she is doing. I am familiar with rebound headaches from OTC meds, and I am reluctant to do this treatment. What are your thoughts on migraines in children this age? Should I go right to a specialist? Any info would be helpful. Thank you.

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Dear Doctor:
I am on prophylactic meds for migraines, but also take triptans during acute migraine attacks during the menses. Is it just my impression that some of them treat the concomitant nausea/dizziness better than others? So far, Maxalt seems (for me) to work faster, more effectively, and offers better relief from nausea/dizziness than Imitrex, Frova, or Axert. Have clinical trials shown any differences among the triptans in these dimensions? Also, are any of them proven to be better for migraines that one "wakes up with," which for me, are more stubborn to treat? Thank you. Clemmie

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What is orgasmic headache? And what can be taken for it??
 

AND

Dr. Krusz
I have always had periodic migraines, but just recently I have started getting throbbing headaches right before reaching climax during sexual intercourse. They feel like a migraine except only last about 20 minutes. I am 37 years old and in good health, I do not understand this.
John

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     My husband has suffered from migraines for almost 20 years. He has previously been under the care of headache specialists at two major mid-west headache centers. After trying several classes of preventatives, the only medication which was effective for preventing the migraines was Nardil, but he finally had to stop taking it because it only allowed him to sleep 3-4 hrs per night, he could not take anything when he did get an occasional migraine, and because he lived under the constant fear of eating something that might cause a fatal reaction. He had minimal success with the triptans, but I question whether he was ever on a high enough dose. His physician prescribed 50 mg. of Imitrex and chewed him out if he took more (he's 6'3" and 225 pounds). We found that 100 mg. at least took a 10 HA down to a 3 or 4, but it usually returned. Every new triptan that came out, the Dr. let him try the lowest dose available, but he had no effective, lasting relief. He has refused to even try the newer ones (Frova, Axert, Relpax). The only med that even touches the pain is Demerol, which his family physician provides by injection at the office. One of the headache specialists suggested that his headaches were rebound, but after detoxing from the Demerol and going through 6 months of sheer agony, without taking any analgesics, not even an aspirin, he was still having about 2 per week. He stopped seeing the HA specialists when they told him they had nothing else to offer, so he is getting the prescriptions he uses from the family doc. He still presently has about 2 headaches per week. He takes Zofran and Zanaflex by mouth, along with Demerol and Vistaril by injection, for severe HA. He takes Klonopin for sleep and Lexapro for depression. Until recently, he was on a 50mg Fentanyl patch, in hopes of not having to use the Demerol for pain relief. He could use less Demerol, but not stop using it altogether.
     My question has several parts: Would the pain med/opiate substitute Bruprenorphine be worth trying and should he be seeing a pain specialist, since none of the standard preventatives seems to work? Has the MAO-B selegiline been shown to have any preventative effects for HA (since it has a lower risk profile, perhaps not the side-effects of MAO-A's)? Would it be worth trying the newer triptans, even if he's been a "non-responder" to the other triptans? (I have read that some "non-responders" are not actually non-responders, but when given higher doses, get relief.) Any help you can give would be most appreciated, since he has not been able to work a steady job since 1996, and he either needs to get better or go on disability.
Thank you!

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When having a Migraine, does blood pressure go up? Also, is high blood pressure related with Migraines? Thanks.

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I consistently have migraines when I wake up in the morning. I don’t have high blood pressure. The migraine persists all day long. With the migraine, my neck hurts tremendously, on one side only. My neurologist tells me that I am experiencing migraines, but why is the onset most commonly there as soon as I rise in the morning. The pain does not wake me up, I just realize it is there once I do wake up. Why does the migraine make my neck hurt so much?

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Teri,

I wrote to you some time ago, I was on Topamax and the neurologist upped it from 100 to 200 mg plus gave me a new anti depressant to take along with my Celexa and I was having a terrible time with it, felt like I was having brain tremors and the doc said it was not from the meds and then finally stopped everything and told me to go see a shrink that it could not be from the meds. Well I never went anywhere for the past few months, about 3, and I am having headaches for the past three weeks so I finally broke down Wednesday and went to my family doctor. He started me on Topamax again, 100mg. I told him I thought that was too much to start off with and he said it was a low dose. Well I took it and felt like crap. I am just so disgusted. Yesterday I called and told him I want to start out lower so he said to start at 25 mg for two weeks then up it to 50 mg for two weeks. He also gave me 50 mg of Zoloft because he said the serotonin helps with migraines. I feel a little spacey today even on the 25 mg that I took yesterday and I did not take anything yet today. I do not remember feeling this way on Topamax before and I hope after I get used to it I will not feel this way. I am kind of scared to take it now after what happened to me on the 200 mg. I really felt like I was going to die. I could actually feel my brain or something in my head shaking. Is it normal to feel this way starting out on this medicine, I feel like kind of really relaxed, and not too focused? I am also worried about the eye problems. I really can't keep having headaches and taking Maxalt everyday, but is this Topamax safe? As you probably notice, I am kind of afraid of taking drugs, since that last episode. Will I feel normal once my body gets used to Topamax again like before? Thanks for any help. You are so great. Who would I vent to? Who would listen?????? Thank you so much.
Karen

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