Question: College accommodations for Migraine... use of Vicodin ok?
Answer:
Full Question:
I am a 26-year-old, male graduate student and
usually experience migraine headaches about once every two weeks. I take
preventive medicine, which reduced them from about daily to now once every two
weeks.
My concern is that with the extreme demands of graduate school, I find that when
I experience the migraine, I am out of commission for at least two days. I start
taking the migraine medicine and usually Vicodin ES 7.5/750 if the pain is
extreme (not combining both though), which sometimes it is unbearable. Needless
to say, the migraine headaches affect the quality of my schoolwork,
concentration, etc. I find that my thinking is a little more slowed around these
periods, my concentration just isn't there, etc. My dean recognized the symptoms
and told me I qualified for ADA help and asked me what accommodations I need. We
have accommodations set up for examination time, but my question is what types
of accommodations may be appropriate to ask for during the rest of the semester?
Both of us are unsure.
Second, I've tried about 5 different migraine medicines and tried to stop taking
the Vicodin ES for the extreme pain thinking that maybe the medicine was a
contributing factor, but after stopping the Vicodin ES (7.5/750) for about 4
months, the pain of the migraines during that period was just out of control and
on the Vicodin ES, I am much better able to function. I usually take about 2
Vicodin ES pills total during the week that I experience a migraine which is
about every two to three weeks. My question would be, at this frequency, is it a
problem?
Answer:
Dear Grad Student;
It's great that your dean is being so understanding. Accommodations for examination time are a good start. If any of your professors have attendance requirements, you may find that you need to ask for some consideration there if your Migraines cause you to miss class.
Most doctors would agree that your use of Vicodin isn't excessive or problematic. However, have you tried any of the triptan medications such as Imitrex, Maxalt, Zomig, etc.? They're actually Migraine abortive medications that work in the brain to stop the Migraine attack. They work for approximately 80% of Migraineurs, greatly reducing the amount of time they're out of commission from Migraine attacks. Here's some information on those medications:
Triptans: Overview and Profiles
In 1992, the FDA approved the first of a class of medications that many
Migraineurs call "miracle drugs." That drug was sumatriptan (Imitrex®,
Imigran®), the first triptan. Here are both general information on triptans
and detailed profiles of each.
Also, keep working with your doctor on your preventive regimen. You may be able to reduce the frequency of your Migraines even more.
Good luck,
Teri Robert and John Claude Krusz
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