The Migraine Headache Blog from Headache-Adviser.com

Aug 26, Chronic Recurring Headaches

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 21:13:57 -0400

Thank you for this websie. I am a 49 year old, non-smoking female. I have hashimoto's and currently take 75 mg of armor thyroid. No other medications.

Aug 26, Headaches / Dizziness Post Virus

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 21:02:05 -0400

Mary Kay, My name is Andrew, I am a 23 year old Male (6'0 , 150lbs). I have always had migraines, when they are bad maybe 3 times a week. Medication(OTC)

Aug 25, Headaches for 6 weeks

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 07:11:31 -0400

Hi, I have been having headaches daily for the past 6 weeks. It started with a coital headache right at orgasm and then went away. I am a very active

Aug 25, Can Ice Pick Headaches be related to Temporal Lobe Epilepsy?

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 06:38:56 -0400

Im a 31 year old female who was diagnosed with Left Temporal Lobe Epilepsy at the age of 18 Months Old. Ive been on several different seizure medications,

Aug 17, Headache for five days now...

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 06:40:55 -0400

Hi my name is Tamara, i have been having a headache for the past five days now with only a two hour break on the fourth day in. The pain is light to moderate

Jul 29, migraine(nauseoues,tired,numbness of body ibs)

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 17:20:29 -0400

Hi I'm a 30yr old female from South Africa , been suffering wit headache for as long as I can rem ,its an everyday struggle , being constipated n bloated

Jul 29, ongoing migraine for 2 weeks now

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 15:53:42 -0400

Hi my name is Alicia and I an 18 years o. I have had a migraine now for two years. I went to a doctor a few years ago for chronic migraines and she told

Jul 29, new dx complex migraine s/p CVA

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 15:48:47 -0400

i am two years s/p lt occipital lobe CVA. I regained 99% function and now back to work as an ICU RN. I have a hx of 2 weeks headache with lt sided heaviness,

Jul 23, Headache and High Blood Pressure

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 19:02:43 -0400

MY FAMILY MEMBER , FEMALE AGE 60YRS, IN NOV 2010 SHE HAD VIRAL FEVER, NORMAL COLD, BUT SHE WAS BUSY IN HOUSEHOLD WORK, this

Jul 20, daily intermittent short duration head pain

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:39:38 -0400

I am a 52 year old female, non-smoker with history of anxiety, perimenopause, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, seasonal allergies and cervical disc

Jul 19, monthly migraines at age 64

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 22:04:54 -0400

I am a 64 yr. old female who has been suffering monthly migraines( with aura) for 26 yrs now. I had a few when I was a child, then when I got my periods

Jul 8, Familial hemiplegic migraines

Sun, 8 Jul 2012 07:59:43 -0400

I'm 50 years old and for the past 4 years I have suffered with these symptoms and have found through talking with my family that it is a family inherent

Jul 4, Pounding Headache

Wed, 4 Jul 2012 10:05:12 -0400

Hi, In the last week it have suffered 3 monstrous headaches and am seeking some clarification as to what they might be? I am a Male age 49 I have never

Jul 4, Polish patient with headache

Wed, 4 Jul 2012 09:53:19 -0400

Hello from Poland, the reason I wrote to you is my Mom, who is 62 years old. She has suffered headaches since 1998. The headaches were located in fronto-parietal

Jul 4, What type of headache do I have?

Wed, 4 Jul 2012 09:39:15 -0400

I started getting a headache when I was about 10 years old (am about 40 now) At 23 years of age it started being a one sided headache on the right side

Jun 15, Sex, Pregnancy and Migraines

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 07:00:46 -0400

I'm Sarah, 24 years old i was having my migraines since i'm a little kid. It started about when i was 8 years old. it starts like twice a year then gradually

Jun 9, Told to lower my expectations for headaches

Sat, 9 Jun 2012 15:13:00 -0400

I am a 28 year old female experiencing daily headaches for the last 6 weeks with a history of frequent headaches and episodes of chronic daily headaches

Jun 3, Sick and tired of being sick

Sun, 3 Jun 2012 09:14:13 -0400

I have had migraines as long as I can remember, which is almost 20 years now. When I was younger (5-10) I would start the migraine by getting a very upset

May 25, Headaches and eyes hurt

Fri, 25 May 2012 21:23:45 -0400

Hi, I'm a 15 year old girl who for the past week have been having constant headaches, my eyes hurt when i look at bright lights or even at the sky and

May 25, Headache for over 2 weeks !!

Fri, 25 May 2012 21:04:16 -0400

I am a 32 year old male and for over the past two weeks I have been getting throbbing pains in the left back part of my head which the pain runs to the

May 21, Mom Concerned About Seizures

Mon, 21 May 2012 20:13:55 -0400

My son has been complaining about a headache and then his eye starts to hurt,then he feels like vomiting. So i took him to his doctor and they referred

May 2, Migraines and Renal Failure

Wed, 2 May 2012 18:25:27 -0400

I would like to post a case study today. Dr. Mechtler and I saw a new patient, a 79 year old female with a past history of migraine. Her migraines disappeared after menopause, which happens 70% of the time. On March 4, 2012, she was diagnosed with renal failure secondary to chronic hypertension. She also had parathyroid disorder requiring surgery, and high cholesterol. She had dialysis on 3/4 and within a few hours afterward, began to suffer a migraine. She recognized that it was similar to her previous migraines as she had a visual aura of "blue spots" for 15 minutes, then the migraine started. The headache had a pain level of 8/10 to a full 10/10 with nausea. She was disabled for a full day and in bed. Unfortunately, she required dialysis 3 times a week, for 4 hours each time. Every single time she had a severe migraine afterwards, starting anywhere from a few hours to 12 hours later. Her primary care ordered a CT of the brain which was normal. He then gave her Imitrex (sumatriptan) but because of her age, only gave her 25mg which is the pediatric dose. She needed two doses to have any effect and then was maxed out for 24 hours. She had a cardiovascular work up within the last year and it was normal. So why did this MD give her a pediatric dose? Simple..most doctors, for some unknown reason, are terrified of triptans. They seem to think they will cause heart attacks. All I can tell you is that Dr. Mechtler and I have prescribed them for over 10 years, a couple of thousand prescriptions per month and NOT ONE cardiovascular incident. Dr. Mechtler immediately raised her dose to 100mg of Imitrex. She has migraine triggered by the changes in osmololity during dialysis which unfortunately will not change. Hopefully the higher dose will work faster and better for her.

Mary Kay Betz MS RPA-C

Feb 25, Tension headaches???

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 08:36:55 -0500

I am 17 years old and ive had what I think is tension headaches since about 14-15 years old. The headaches are right in my forehead, almost feeling like

Feb 22, Daily Headaches related to Fasting

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:14:53 -0500

Hi.. I have a terrible headache upon awakening every morning. After I eat breakfast, the headache doesn't go away; it intensifies. I have seen an endocrinologist

Feb 15, Headache with other disturbing symptoms

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:57:21 -0500

It started Feb 4th...mild headache that by the morning of Feb 5th was pounding. It is on the Right side top area of the head. It was associated with

Feb 10, Could Sinus Migraines?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:28:51 -0500

I am a 47yr old female that had sinus surgery 7 yrs ago on my sphenoid, and turbates. I have never experienced migraines until after my surgery. I have

Feb 3, Chronic Migraine or Chronic Tension Type Headache?

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 04:52:16 -0500

Hello, I wrote you earlier: migraine medications and how long for meds to work?. I am still not sure what type of headache I have. It's constant, ~4-5

Jan 22, Sinus Headache Symptoms?

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:54:28 -0500

I've been having an issue with a nagging headache around me left eye, forehead area, and jaw bone. What initially felt like a sinus issue then felt like

Jan 22, Severe Head and Neck Pain

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 08:23:00 -0500

Age: 50 Female; Never smoked Symptoms: 1. pain in neck & trap muscles burning-diagnosed as arthritis/bone spurs but not severe enough to need surgery;constant

Jan 9, NuPathe Resubmitting to FDA for Zelrix

Mon, 9 Jan 2012 11:10:23 -0500

The makers of the transdermal patch Zelrix have resubmitted their application to the FDA. Zelrix is transdermal sumatriptan, the same medication in oral Imitrex and in subcutaneous injectable Sumavel Dose Pro. NuPathe had their application reviewed last year and the FDA had concerned about manufacturing and some other issues. The company met with the FDA and are now planning to target 2012 for a possible launch. Zelnix will be unique as it will be the only transdermal triptan and could offer a distinct advantage to those with severe nausea and vomiting with their migraines. This patch works via iontophoresis. This means a small electrical current thru ions is set up on the skin, transferring the medication across the patch membrane into the skin. This would also be an advantage if you happen to have a needle phobia and cannot tolerate Imitrex injectable. Like an injectable it will bypass the GI system. However, historically, transdermal systems do not have as fast of an onset as injectable. But it might be faster than oral, so look for it to be somewhere in between. Remember..there are always new migraine headache treatments on the horizon. Visit the rest of the site to find a headache specialist near you.

Mary Kay Betz MS RPA-C UPDATE: I received a communication today (1/10/12) from NuPathe and apparently I made an error in the above post. NuPathe has not yet submitted to the FDA, but is planning to do so in the first half of 2012. I am sure all the migraineurs as hoping that this new product will be available soon!

Jan 8, Feverfew Migraine

Sun, 8 Jan 2012 08:01:16 -0500

There is a capsule which contain B2, magnesium and feverfew all in one capsule. Do you know the name of it? I take 200 mg of b2, 125 mg of feverfew and

Dec 31, Understanding Migraine

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:26:25 -0500

Understanding migraine can be difficult for people who have never had a migraine headache. Learn how to explain your migraines to family, friends and co-workers.

Dec 20, Chiropractor Headache

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:37:03 -0500

Hi there, I am 38 years old and am female. I went to a chiropractor 3.5 yrs. ago who was not experienced, of course I did not know this at the time.

Dec 17, The Migraine Personality

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 11:35:52 -0500

Is there such a thing as a migraine personality? The migraine personality was described as a Type A personality but this may not be true.

Dec 15, Migraine Food Triggers

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:27:36 -0500

What are the migraine food triggers? Learn how to avoid headaches with simple diet changes. Are there foods that can prevent your headaches?

Dec 13, Migraine and CoenzymeQ

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:03:50 -0500

Migraine and coenzymeQ are related in several new studies. Coenzyme Q may abort migraine attacks and reduce frequency of migraine headache.

Dec 9, Use of Opioids Skyrockets in U.S

Fri, 9 Dec 2011 12:38:12 -0500

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the US recently released a statment regarding the use of opioid medications. Apparently prescribing has skyrockted here in the US in 2010 to the point where each and everyone of us could be medicated 24/7 for a month! While some of this is justified, many times it is not. One area where opioids are inappropriate is in a clear cut case of migraine where there are no contra-indications such as cardiovascular disease. Too many times, providers reach for one of these pain killers, sometimes to appease patient demands, when there are much better treatments available. Now here's the bad part. Recent studies examining the use of opioids in the headache population have shown that after chronic use, the nervous system starts to re-modulate. Receptors in the brain start changing and not only is there less benefit, but perception of pain itself starts to ramp up! This is what we have long suspected, but could not prove until recently. Use of these drugs increases the frequency AND intensity of your headaches. If you suspect that this is happening to you, discuss with your doctor and ask for a referral to a headache specialist. Mary K. Betz MS RPA-C

Nov 23, Holiday Headache

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:25:11 -0500

Anticipating a holiday headache? Read tips on how to avoid the headaches during the holiday stress.

Nov 17, Pain Back of the Head

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:16:00 -0500

Pain back of the head may be a form of occipital neuralgia.

Nov 7, Cevicogenic headache

Mon, 7 Nov 2011 10:56:11 -0500

I am a 65 year old female who has had head pain for at least 5 years. I cannot call it a headache because it is ranges from a very severe acute pain only

Oct 31, my 3year old worry some headache

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:04:51 -0400

My son is 3 years old had three different episodes of headache lasting for about a second he cries when headache starts and stop crying when it stops he

Oct 31, Migraines and the Menstrual Cycle

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:55:19 -0400

Hello, I am a 21 year old female and have been experiencing increasing occasions of migraines since about the age of 17. First they were every once in

Oct 24, Pressure in head

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:43:25 -0400

Main symptoms: pressure in head, mostly around temple area and in the back. When I lay down, pressure seems to be in the temple area and around my forehead/

Oct 24, How long for preventive meds to work?

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:42:45 -0400

Hello, Firstly, it's a great site! Lot of useful information. I suffer from CDH (probably CTTH is subtype, because they evolved from episodic headaches,

Oct 22, Coital Headache

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 09:27:58 -0400

I experienced a sudden, severe, throbbing headache...right side of head shortly after beginning sex with my wife...this was about a month and a half ago.

Oct 15, 4 to 5 headaches a week

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 20:11:24 -0400

Is there anything I can do for my frequent headaches? How do I know if they are migraines? They started about 6 months ago and are right above my eyes.

Oct 15, 18 years of migraine headaches

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 15:56:31 -0400

If I could have a dollar for all I and my medical insurance have paid to hospitals, doctors, exams, labs., etc., in trying to find cause and cure for

Oct 15, Sinus Infection

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 15:30:12 -0400

My girlfriend has been nauseous and has had a headache for 2 weeks now. We went to the doctor because we don't have insurance for her we have to pay out

Oct 15, Can I Take Topamax While Pregnant?

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 15:24:33 -0400

I recently stopped taking my topamax. I was taking 200 mg. daily and gradually decreased by 50 mg. each week until I stopped completely. I did this because