Migraines

I am so grateful for your support. Today is day 2 of a bad migraine. I useless. I can’t even get out of bed without support. I went off the Topamax 2 days ago and now this is the fallout from this drug. This has got to be one of the worst days of my life. Vomiting, can’t eat, diarrhea. This drug is awful.
 
I just went out and bought some CBD gummies and I am at work and took one and I don’t care! I think a leave of absence is headed my way. I am going to get recommendations for a nutritionist, a chronic pain clinic and maybe some acupuncture. I have the benefits, I need to use them. I am literally at a crawl.
 
I just went out and bought some CBD gummies and I am at work and took one and I don’t care! I think a leave of absence is headed my way. I am going to get recommendations for a nutritionist, a chronic pain clinic and maybe some acupuncture. I have the benefits, I need to use them. I am literally at a crawl.
Maybe a laugh will help... ??


Edit: I laugh like crazy every time I see this movie, but don't know if I've ever seen it with a buzz. Gummies and Fletch sounds like a PARTY!!!!! too me!
 
I just got in the door about 1/2 hr ago and I took 4 CBD gel caps and now I am able to eat a bit. My first food since Sunday. I ate 1/4 of a sandwich. I don’t want to press my luck. I don’t know why the medical professionals don’t give this drug enough credit. There is still such a taboo against it. I wouldn’t be eating if it were not for the CBD.
 
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Good news. No more new drugs for me. I am on two drugs that I was on previously and haven’t had a serious migraine in two weeks. Had 2 small ones that were simple to manage. I threw my sleeping pills out the window and solely rely on my CBD oil or a 50/50 of THC and CBD to get me to sleep. It works beautifully. If I wake up during the night I simply take a little hit and go right back to sleep.

I told my doctor that I simply refuse to be a Guinea pig anymore. I can’t put my body through this anymore. The parts are starting to get rusty! Lol
 
Does either the CBD or THC give you a buzz? Seriously just curious. My “on purpose” buzz days are 30 some years past. I just see some applications of CBD and/or THC as I get older. Mostly I’m super glad it works for you. Prayers that this is the maintenance, if not the cure for you!
 
Good news. No more new drugs for me. I am on two drugs that I was on previously and haven’t had a serious migraine in two weeks. Had 2 small ones that were simple to manage. I threw my sleeping pills out the window and solely rely on my CBD oil or a 50/50 of THC and CBD to get me to sleep. It works beautifully. If I wake up during the night I simply take a little hit and go right back to sleep.

I told my doctor that I simply refuse to be a Guinea pig anymore. I can’t put my body through this anymore. The parts are starting to get rusty! Lol
Good news about your lack of migraines, long May it continue.

My pops in law is using it (prescribed) to control his high blood pressure.

He’s dropping a lot of his other medications for other issues.
 
I am way late to this thread, but having suffered from very bad headaches (are they migraines? Who knows.... they are bad enough that I have almost gone to the ER several times, and had an MRI of my brain done), for at least 25 years. It has been a journey. Debilitating, can't function, dizzy, bed-ridden, no light, nausea, the whole 9 yards. ALWAYS at least a 7 (on a scale of 10), frequently 8's or 9's. a "10" for me is go to the hospital, I've only had about 5 of those over the 25 years.

They seem to have started out as stress-induced tension headaches, that get severe enough they trigger a migraine. No meds helped: OTC, muscle relaxers, valium (sleeping pill), even opioids did not help (unless I took enough to render myself unconscious, which is of course extremely dangerous so I didn't do that.)

Over the years, they have morphed a bit, there is now neck/back of head involvement, both sides of neck and occipitals. In the past, the only thing I found that worked was SLEEP. If I could get to sleep for several hours, they would go away. I buy XL bags of frozen peas... use one bag as a pillow and the other on my forehead. Take antihistamines to help me get to sleep. Ice to completely numb the nerves, which got rid of the pain enough to allow my muscles to relax and me to fall asleep. That's my theory anyway. That worked pretty well for years. Until it didn't recently.

Recently, not only would the headaches not go away, there were times I would go to bed WITHOUT a headache, and wake up WITH one- a bad one- in the middle of the night. Ice and sleep no longer subdued these, only time did. They are 24-48 hours. I went to a neurologist last week because they say "if you headaches CHANGE, go see a doctor". He is convinced they are cervicogenic (of the neck), referred me to pain mgmt. (I had a brain MRI 3 years ago, it was clean, Neuro said there wouldn't be anything new in 3 years, brain things move very slowly)

Pain mgmt. yesterday: took an x-ray. and it requesting (from my insurance) a cervical MRI. He's looking for arthritis of some kind (I'm only 52, and have had these headaches since I was 25). Mentioned trying occipital nerve blocks in the future, depending on the MRI findings.

The weird thing is, mine are episodic. I'll have 2 weeks with 0 headaches, then I'll have 5-6 bad ones in 2 weeks' time. And they aren't cluster headaches. Every doc I have seen seems to think they are muscle-mediated (tension) or some other structural issue in the neck (like arthritis) than then becomes bad enough to trigger a migraine.

So I've had a great 2 weeks. Then yesterday, I had the telltale neck pain begin. Will it turn into a headache? Waited until bedtime, took the muscle relaxer (Zanaflex, which I had taken before with no effect; maybe this is a larger dose?) the neurologist prescribed ("don't take this unless you are at home- you will need to lay down"), and I can say at least it did seem to keep it from becoming a headache... but here I am, next morning, and the neck pain (it feels like strained neck) is still there. AND I still feel the muscle relaxer.

I'm so exhausted from all of this... 25 years of headaches, 2 years of a shoulder problem, 4 years of issues from a lower back injury, stomach problems as I get older. I said to my bandmates last night as we were complaining about our ills, "getting older sucks." My bass player the "comedian" said "beats the alternative." To which I replied "I'm starting to wonder..."

Good luck to everyone with these debilitating headaches, it's really amazing how much quality of life they rob from us. It's actually a sad situation, after many years of it.

I will +1 a comment made above about relaxation techniques, and going even deeper: changing the way you THINK. Having now studied Taoism, and gotten into QiGong, Tai Chi, meditation, and basically just changing the way my type-A brain REACTS to everything, has helped over the years. I'm not saying emotions are the sole cause or that relaxation techniques/thought change is the sole cure, but it is a worthy arrow to have in your quiver. I would not readily dismiss them.

And I can use my sister as an example, compared to me: we have both had debilitating headaches for decades. The difference?
HER: "there's nothing wrong with my personality or the way I think or perceive or react to things. No. OTHER THINGS (not me) cause my headaches" (food, weather, the list goes on), because for her to ADMIT her thinking might be part of the problem is to blame herself, and she will NOT ALLOW THAT. Which is a shame. She continues to suffer. Our father died of an aneurysm at 73. I hope her fate is not similar. She refuses to get an MRI, because that makes it REAL. She's so intelligent I'm always a little surprised she won't use common sense... but she's a control freak, and therein lies the problem. SHE CAN NOT BE the problem, not even part of it. It is shortsighted.

ME: "ok, so I'm type-A. Maybe I need to re-examine how I think about and handle things. Emotional stress is just as potent as any other type. Maybe I AM part of the problem"... I start looking into that and studying various philosophies and disciplines, and have found improvement from them. Not total relief- because when I have my headaches they are still killers- but I was able to reduce frequency and severity. And bonus: no drugs. Bonus: I'm happier in general, not only because the headaches were improved but because the way I see things now is much more harmonious with life. Before I was always fighting everything, now I am much more "it is what it is".

BUT AGAIN: with me, there is something else going on. The thought-change helped, but I obviously have something else since they've lasted 25 years. So now I'm on the medical part of the journey... neurologist, pain mgmt, going to see a neck/spine specialist in a couple of weeks....

Drugs can be amazing things. They can also be band-aids that cover up symptoms instead of addressing the root cause. Self-examination is crucial in all things, and IMHO especially things where years of medical advice has given little relief. When you've been through all the drugs and they aren't helping... perhaps we need to be looking inside for the answers. At least some of them.
 
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Thanks. It's been a long road, but I'm getting there. (I just added a BUNCH to my previous post, about what has helped in part over the last several years)
I agree with you about the “band aid” thing. I’m not a fan of pain meds that cause more problems with side effects than the relief they provide. Unfortunately our doctors are all too ready to prescribe them, rather than address the actual problem.
 
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I am way late to this thread, but having suffered from very bad headaches (are they migraines? Who knows.... they are bad enough that I have almost gone to the ER several times, and had an MRI of my brain done), for at least 25 years. It has been a journey. Debilitating, can't function, dizzy, bed-ridden, no light, nausea, the whole 9 yards. ALWAYS at least a 7 (on a scale of 10), frequently 8's or 9's. a "10" for me is go to the hospital, I've only had about 5 of those over the 25 years.

They seem to have started out as stress-induced tension headaches, that get severe enough they trigger a migraine. No meds helped: OTC, muscle relaxers, valium (sleeping pill), even opioids did not help (unless I took enough to render myself unconscious, which is of course extremely dangerous so I didn't do that.)

Over the years, they have morphed a bit, there is now neck/back of head involvement, both sides of neck and occipitals. In the past, the only thing I found that worked was SLEEP. If I could get to sleep for several hours, they would go away. I buy XL bags of frozen peas... use one bag as a pillow and the other on my forehead. Take antihistamines to help me get to sleep. Ice to completely numb the nerves, which got rid of the pain enough to allow my muscles to relax and me to fall asleep. That's my theory anyway. That worked pretty well for years. Until it didn't recently.

Recently, not only would the headaches not go away, there were times I would go to bed WITHOUT a headache, and wake up WITH one- a bad one- in the middle of the night. Ice and sleep no longer subdued these, only time did. They are 24-48 hours. I went to a neurologist last week because they say "if you headaches CHANGE, go see a doctor". He is convinced they are cervicogenic (of the neck), referred me to pain mgmt. (I had a brain MRI 3 years ago, it was clean, Neuro said there wouldn't be anything new in 3 years, brain things move very slowly)

Pain mgmt. yesterday: took an x-ray. and it requesting (from my insurance) a cervical MRI. He's looking for arthritis of some kind (I'm only 52, and have had these headaches since I was 25). Mentioned trying occipital nerve blocks in the future, depending on the MRI findings.

The weird thing is, mine are episodic. I'll have 2 weeks with 0 headaches, then I'll have 5-6 bad ones in 2 weeks' time. And they aren't cluster headaches. Every doc I have seen seems to think they are muscle-mediated (tension) or some other structural issue in the neck (like arthritis) than then becomes bad enough to trigger a migraine.

So I've had a great 2 weeks. Then yesterday, I had the telltale neck pain begin. Will it turn into a headache? Waited until bedtime, took the muscle relaxer (Zanaflex, which I had taken before with no effect; maybe this is a larger dose?) the neurologist prescribed ("don't take this unless you are at home- you will need to lay down"), and I can say at least it did seem to keep it from becoming a headache... but here I am, next morning, and the neck pain (it feels like strained neck) is still there. AND I still feel the muscle relaxer.

I'm so exhausted from all of this... 25 years of headaches, 2 years of a shoulder problem, 4 years of issues from a lower back injury, stomach problems as I get older. I said to my bandmates last night as we were complaining about our ills, "getting older sucks." My bass player the "comedian" said "beats the alternative." To which I replied "I'm starting to wonder..."

Good luck to everyone with these debilitating headaches, it's really amazing how much quality of life they rob from us. It's actually a sad situation, after many years of it.

I will +1 a comment made above about relaxation techniques, and going even deeper: changing the way you THINK. Having now studied Taoism, and gotten into QiGong, Tai Chi, meditation, and basically just changing the way my type-A brain REACTS to everything, has helped over the years. I'm not saying emotions are the sole cause or that relaxation techniques/thought change is the sole cure, but it is a worthy arrow to have in your quiver. I would not readily dismiss them.

And I can use my sister as an example, compared to me: we have both had debilitating headaches for decades. The difference?
HER: "there's nothing wrong with my personality or the way I think or perceive or react to things. No. OTHER THINGS (not me) cause my headaches" (food, weather, the list goes on), because for her to ADMIT her thinking might be part of the problem is to blame herself, and she will NOT ALLOW THAT. Which is a shame. She continues to suffer. Our father died of an aneurysm at 73. I hope her fate is not similar. She refuses to get an MRI, because that makes it REAL. She's so intelligent I'm always a little surprised she won't use common sense... but she's a control freak, and therein lies the problem. SHE CAN NOT BE the problem, not even part of it. It is shortsighted.

ME: "ok, so I'm type-A. Maybe I need to re-examine how I think about and handle things. Emotional stress is just as potent as any other type. Maybe I AM part of the problem"... I start looking into that and studying various philosophies and disciplines, and have found improvement from them. Not total relief- because when I have my headaches they are still killers- but I was able to reduce frequency and severity. And bonus: no drugs. Bonus: I'm happier in general, not only because the headaches were improved but because the way I see things now is much more harmonious with life. Before I was always fighting everything, now I am much more "it is what it is".

BUT AGAIN: with me, there is something else going on. The thought-change helped, but I obviously have something else since they've lasted 25 years. So now I'm on the medical part of the journey... neurologist, pain mgmt, going to see a neck/spine specialist in a couple of weeks....

Drugs can be amazing things. They can also be band-aids that cover up symptoms instead of addressing the root cause. Self-examination is crucial in all things, and IMHO especially things where years of medical advice has given little relief. When you've been through all the drugs and they aren't helping... perhaps we need to be looking inside for the answers. At least some of them.
Late to this thread as well. I'll stay off the bandwagon as best I can, and admit I have not read the entire thread yet. See a headache specialist. Or an orofacial pain specialist. I have a specialty practice where I treat sleep disorders and orofacial pain exclusively. The problem with "regular" medicine" is it is symptom based and not cause based. Much of what I see with headache patients is a multifactorial...posture, muscles, stress/thoughts/internal dialogue, habits, history of trauma, etc. Without addressing all of these things, the symptoms can never go away and are at best difficult to manage. It involves a multidisciplinary approach(many working together) to address all of the factors. I work with sleep specialists, neurologists, physical therapists, orofascial myologists, cardiac and pulmonary specialists, headache centers, therapists, massage therapy, etc.

Find someone who can manage you as a patient along with any other doctors that need to be involved in our treatment.
 
Late to this thread as well. I'll stay off the bandwagon as best I can, and admit I have not read the entire thread yet. See a headache specialist. Or an orofacial pain specialist. I have a specialty practice where I treat sleep disorders and orofacial pain exclusively. The problem with "regular" medicine" is it is symptom based and not cause based. Much of what I see with headache patients is a multifactorial...posture, muscles, stress/thoughts/internal dialogue, habits, history of trauma, etc. Without addressing all of these things, the symptoms can never go away and are at best difficult to manage. It involves a multidisciplinary approach(many working together) to address all of the factors. I work with sleep specialists, neurologists, physical therapists, orofascial myologists, cardiac and pulmonary specialists, headache centers, therapists, massage therapy, etc.

Find someone who can manage you as a patient along with any other doctors that need to be involved in our treatment.
It took me years to find the right doctors. I found the deeper I got into the specialist fold of doctors the more I started to see doctors I didn’t want to deal with. God complex. I need to feel comfortable and trusting. Once I finally got my support team together then it was a trip through pharmacy land. That was a nightmare. I have finally come to terms with what I know my body can and cannot tolerate. Some of the side effects from the drugs are just insufferable.

I am a type A/B. I know when to dial me back which is a blessing. My husband does not. We all have our quirks is just how we deal with them that affects us.

The CBD/THC oil deletes all the clutter in my brain. It turns off all the negative self talk and the crap that goes through one’s head. It puts me in such a happy place that I can just shut my eyes and not worry about anything and get a really wonderful restful sleep. It is superior to anything these drug companies can manufacture. I have had sleep deprivation problems all my life. I have found the holy grail or “my” holy grail to getting some great sleep. More deep REM sleep = less migraines. Sleep is the bodies best friend.
 
I am way late to this thread, but having suffered from very bad headaches (are they migraines? Who knows.... they are bad enough that I have almost gone to the ER several times, and had an MRI of my brain done), for at least 25 years. It has been a journey. Debilitating, can't function, dizzy, bed-ridden, no light, nausea, the whole 9 yards. ALWAYS at least a 7 (on a scale of 10), frequently 8's or 9's. a "10" for me is go to the hospital, I've only had about 5 of those over the 25 years.

They seem to have started out as stress-induced tension headaches, that get severe enough they trigger a migraine. No meds helped: OTC, muscle relaxers, valium (sleeping pill), even opioids did not help (unless I took enough to render myself unconscious, which is of course extremely dangerous so I didn't do that.)

Over the years, they have morphed a bit, there is now neck/back of head involvement, both sides of neck and occipitals. In the past, the only thing I found that worked was SLEEP. If I could get to sleep for several hours, they would go away. I buy XL bags of frozen peas... use one bag as a pillow and the other on my forehead. Take antihistamines to help me get to sleep. Ice to completely numb the nerves, which got rid of the pain enough to allow my muscles to relax and me to fall asleep. That's my theory anyway. That worked pretty well for years. Until it didn't recently.

Recently, not only would the headaches not go away, there were times I would go to bed WITHOUT a headache, and wake up WITH one- a bad one- in the middle of the night. Ice and sleep no longer subdued these, only time did. They are 24-48 hours. I went to a neurologist last week because they say "if you headaches CHANGE, go see a doctor". He is convinced they are cervicogenic (of the neck), referred me to pain mgmt. (I had a brain MRI 3 years ago, it was clean, Neuro said there wouldn't be anything new in 3 years, brain things move very slowly)

Pain mgmt. yesterday: took an x-ray. and it requesting (from my insurance) a cervical MRI. He's looking for arthritis of some kind (I'm only 52, and have had these headaches since I was 25). Mentioned trying occipital nerve blocks in the future, depending on the MRI findings.

The weird thing is, mine are episodic. I'll have 2 weeks with 0 headaches, then I'll have 5-6 bad ones in 2 weeks' time. And they aren't cluster headaches. Every doc I have seen seems to think they are muscle-mediated (tension) or some other structural issue in the neck (like arthritis) than then becomes bad enough to trigger a migraine.

So I've had a great 2 weeks. Then yesterday, I had the telltale neck pain begin. Will it turn into a headache? Waited until bedtime, took the muscle relaxer (Zanaflex, which I had taken before with no effect; maybe this is a larger dose?) the neurologist prescribed ("don't take this unless you are at home- you will need to lay down"), and I can say at least it did seem to keep it from becoming a headache... but here I am, next morning, and the neck pain (it feels like strained neck) is still there. AND I still feel the muscle relaxer.

I'm so exhausted from all of this... 25 years of headaches, 2 years of a shoulder problem, 4 years of issues from a lower back injury, stomach problems as I get older. I said to my bandmates last night as we were complaining about our ills, "getting older sucks." My bass player the "comedian" said "beats the alternative." To which I replied "I'm starting to wonder..."

Good luck to everyone with these debilitating headaches, it's really amazing how much quality of life they rob from us. It's actually a sad situation, after many years of it.

I will +1 a comment made above about relaxation techniques, and going even deeper: changing the way you THINK. Having now studied Taoism, and gotten into QiGong, Tai Chi, meditation, and basically just changing the way my type-A brain REACTS to everything, has helped over the years. I'm not saying emotions are the sole cause or that relaxation techniques/thought change is the sole cure, but it is a worthy arrow to have in your quiver. I would not readily dismiss them.

And I can use my sister as an example, compared to me: we have both had debilitating headaches for decades. The difference?
HER: "there's nothing wrong with my personality or the way I think or perceive or react to things. No. OTHER THINGS (not me) cause my headaches" (food, weather, the list goes on), because for her to ADMIT her thinking might be part of the problem is to blame herself, and she will NOT ALLOW THAT. Which is a shame. She continues to suffer. Our father died of an aneurysm at 73. I hope her fate is not similar. She refuses to get an MRI, because that makes it REAL. She's so intelligent I'm always a little surprised she won't use common sense... but she's a control freak, and therein lies the problem. SHE CAN NOT BE the problem, not even part of it. It is shortsighted.

ME: "ok, so I'm type-A. Maybe I need to re-examine how I think about and handle things. Emotional stress is just as potent as any other type. Maybe I AM part of the problem"... I start looking into that and studying various philosophies and disciplines, and have found improvement from them. Not total relief- because when I have my headaches they are still killers- but I was able to reduce frequency and severity. And bonus: no drugs. Bonus: I'm happier in general, not only because the headaches were improved but because the way I see things now is much more harmonious with life. Before I was always fighting everything, now I am much more "it is what it is".

BUT AGAIN: with me, there is something else going on. The thought-change helped, but I obviously have something else since they've lasted 25 years. So now I'm on the medical part of the journey... neurologist, pain mgmt, going to see a neck/spine specialist in a couple of weeks....

Drugs can be amazing things. They can also be band-aids that cover up symptoms instead of addressing the root cause. Self-examination is crucial in all things, and IMHO especially things where years of medical advice has given little relief. When you've been through all the drugs and they aren't helping... perhaps we need to be looking inside for the answers. At least some of them.
Brutal to have lived with such a painful condition for so long! Glad you are starting to find some relief! I agree with you that stress and how we respond to stress (internal dialogue) can play a significant role. I hope you can learn some answers for a better treatment approach!
 
Does either the CBD or THC give you a buzz? Seriously just curious. My “on purpose” buzz days are 30 some years past. I just see some applications of CBD and/or THC as I get older. Mostly I’m super glad it works for you. Prayers that this is the maintenance, if not the cure for you!
THC gives you a buzz.
 
I am way late to this thread, but having suffered from very bad headaches (are they migraines? Who knows.... they are bad enough that I have almost gone to the ER several times, and had an MRI of my brain done), for at least 25 years. It has been a journey. Debilitating, can't function, dizzy, bed-ridden, no light, nausea, the whole 9 yards. ALWAYS at least a 7 (on a scale of 10), frequently 8's or 9's. a "10" for me is go to the hospital, I've only had about 5 of those over the 25 years.

They seem to have started out as stress-induced tension headaches, that get severe enough they trigger a migraine. No meds helped: OTC, muscle relaxers, valium (sleeping pill), even opioids did not help (unless I took enough to render myself unconscious, which is of course extremely dangerous so I didn't do that.)

Over the years, they have morphed a bit, there is now neck/back of head involvement, both sides of neck and occipitals. In the past, the only thing I found that worked was SLEEP. If I could get to sleep for several hours, they would go away. I buy XL bags of frozen peas... use one bag as a pillow and the other on my forehead. Take antihistamines to help me get to sleep. Ice to completely numb the nerves, which got rid of the pain enough to allow my muscles to relax and me to fall asleep. That's my theory anyway. That worked pretty well for years. Until it didn't recently.

Recently, not only would the headaches not go away, there were times I would go to bed WITHOUT a headache, and wake up WITH one- a bad one- in the middle of the night. Ice and sleep no longer subdued these, only time did. They are 24-48 hours. I went to a neurologist last week because they say "if you headaches CHANGE, go see a doctor". He is convinced they are cervicogenic (of the neck), referred me to pain mgmt. (I had a brain MRI 3 years ago, it was clean, Neuro said there wouldn't be anything new in 3 years, brain things move very slowly)

Pain mgmt. yesterday: took an x-ray. and it requesting (from my insurance) a cervical MRI. He's looking for arthritis of some kind (I'm only 52, and have had these headaches since I was 25). Mentioned trying occipital nerve blocks in the future, depending on the MRI findings.

The weird thing is, mine are episodic. I'll have 2 weeks with 0 headaches, then I'll have 5-6 bad ones in 2 weeks' time. And they aren't cluster headaches. Every doc I have seen seems to think they are muscle-mediated (tension) or some other structural issue in the neck (like arthritis) than then becomes bad enough to trigger a migraine.

So I've had a great 2 weeks. Then yesterday, I had the telltale neck pain begin. Will it turn into a headache? Waited until bedtime, took the muscle relaxer (Zanaflex, which I had taken before with no effect; maybe this is a larger dose?) the neurologist prescribed ("don't take this unless you are at home- you will need to lay down"), and I can say at least it did seem to keep it from becoming a headache... but here I am, next morning, and the neck pain (it feels like strained neck) is still there. AND I still feel the muscle relaxer.

I'm so exhausted from all of this... 25 years of headaches, 2 years of a shoulder problem, 4 years of issues from a lower back injury, stomach problems as I get older. I said to my bandmates last night as we were complaining about our ills, "getting older sucks." My bass player the "comedian" said "beats the alternative." To which I replied "I'm starting to wonder..."

Good luck to everyone with these debilitating headaches, it's really amazing how much quality of life they rob from us. It's actually a sad situation, after many years of it.

I will +1 a comment made above about relaxation techniques, and going even deeper: changing the way you THINK. Having now studied Taoism, and gotten into QiGong, Tai Chi, meditation, and basically just changing the way my type-A brain REACTS to everything, has helped over the years. I'm not saying emotions are the sole cause or that relaxation techniques/thought change is the sole cure, but it is a worthy arrow to have in your quiver. I would not readily dismiss them.

And I can use my sister as an example, compared to me: we have both had debilitating headaches for decades. The difference?
HER: "there's nothing wrong with my personality or the way I think or perceive or react to things. No. OTHER THINGS (not me) cause my headaches" (food, weather, the list goes on), because for her to ADMIT her thinking might be part of the problem is to blame herself, and she will NOT ALLOW THAT. Which is a shame. She continues to suffer. Our father died of an aneurysm at 73. I hope her fate is not similar. She refuses to get an MRI, because that makes it REAL. She's so intelligent I'm always a little surprised she won't use common sense... but she's a control freak, and therein lies the problem. SHE CAN NOT BE the problem, not even part of it. It is shortsighted.

ME: "ok, so I'm type-A. Maybe I need to re-examine how I think about and handle things. Emotional stress is just as potent as any other type. Maybe I AM part of the problem"... I start looking into that and studying various philosophies and disciplines, and have found improvement from them. Not total relief- because when I have my headaches they are still killers- but I was able to reduce frequency and severity. And bonus: no drugs. Bonus: I'm happier in general, not only because the headaches were improved but because the way I see things now is much more harmonious with life. Before I was always fighting everything, now I am much more "it is what it is".

BUT AGAIN: with me, there is something else going on. The thought-change helped, but I obviously have something else since they've lasted 25 years. So now I'm on the medical part of the journey... neurologist, pain mgmt, going to see a neck/spine specialist in a couple of weeks....

Drugs can be amazing things. They can also be band-aids that cover up symptoms instead of addressing the root cause. Self-examination is crucial in all things, and IMHO especially things where years of medical advice has given little relief. When you've been through all the drugs and they aren't helping... perhaps we need to be looking inside for the answers. At least some of them.
Headaches like that simply sound impossible to manage. I feel badly you're going through this, as I do for Lola.
 
I have been in a migraine state for 3 days. Yesterday was so nightmarish. I was screaming in pain it was that bad. I should of gone to the hospital but I tried to fight it. To top all off my stomach has started causing me great pain again. I can’t eat because it comes right back up. I have been just staying in bed and been having sips of ginger ale. I was even paranoid to try eating some dry crackers. I lived in the bathroom yesterday. This is not the way life should be. I am struggling just to survive. Then add work into the mix and my husbands foot surgery. The struggle is getting ridiculously tough. My migraine meds are amazing and work most of the time but this time I am getting one right after the other. When the meds wear off I get another attack. I can honestly say I really hate my life atm. I am out of my medication. I have 10 more days before I can get a new script. I am allowed 12 Maxalts a month. It’s time to rethink things. I can’t live like this anymore.
 
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