Question: Granddaughter w/9-week Migraine. IV DHE didn't work. Help?
Answer:
Full Question:
My Granddaughter has had a migraine for 9
weeks. She has had an MRI, CAT SCAN and Spinal Tap all being negative. Has spent
2, 3 day sessions in the hospital with IV drip (DHE) medication. The first time
her pain level went from an 8 to a 3 but soon returned to a 7/8 after returning
home, the 2nd session did not help at all. She has been checked for hormone
problems (none) and also received some bio-feedback sessions. At this point my
daughter doesn't know were to turn next. Currently she is investigating diet
solutions. Where should she be going with this? Allan
Answer:
Dear Karen;
If she were my child, we'd be headed to an actual Migraine specialist. You didn't say how old your granddaughter is, but we have recommended specialists for both children and adults, recommended based on positive patient feedback. There's a link below.
DHE isn't the only medication that can be given via IV infusion to stop a Migraine. Perhaps your daughter could talk to your granddaughter's doctor about some others to try. Here's some info about infusion in the clinic setting. If her doctor isn't set up for this, he could arrange it through the hospital.
IV Therapy in the Headache Clinic for Refractory Migraine
Intractable and refractory Migraines need aggressive treatment. With the
exception of headache and Migraine specialists, doctors simply have too many
conditions to treat to be expected to have the expertise to treat such
cases. Dr. John Claude Krusz and his colleagues have been using aggressive
outpatient IV treatment for refractory Migraines in Dr. Krusz's Dallas
clinic.
On the diet issue, an elimination diet where you eliminate all potential trigger foods, then add them back in at a rate of one per week usually works well. You can find a list of potential trigger foods in this book review:
Review: The Headache Prevention Cookbook
Unfortunately, foods are a major headache trigger for many people.
Fortunately, Dr. David Marks has written this book with a superb program for
identifying those triggers and preventing headaches. His wife, Dr. Laura
Marks has developed some wonderful recipes to accompany the program.
Trigger management is an important part of Migraine management. If it's not known what her triggers are, keeping a diary can be extremely helpful:
Keeping
a Headache and Migraine Diary
One of the most helpful tools for you and your doctors is a Headache and
Migraine Diary. It’s useful to track triggers, the effectiveness of meds,
and patterns to your headache pain. There are many ways to do this, but for
the purpose of your doctor reviewing it, printed pages are usually
preferable to a bound journal. We have a diary ready for you to print our
download to use on your computer.
Good luck,
Teri Robert and John Claude Krusz
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Important Note: Material on this page is
for informational purposes only, and should not in any way be construed as
medical advice. Always consult your own physician with questions about your
headaches or Migraines.
