Migraine, day 5

[unixronin]

Very short update because I can't stand to be in front of a CRT for more than a few minutes.  Five days in now, and I still can't tolerate bright light.  I'm OK as long as I stay in a dark or dimly lit room.  As soon as I come back into normal illumination, the clock starts ticking, and I have at most about a half hour before I have to retreat to the dark again.  My doctor has me on Demerol and Vistaril; I'm not convinced it's noticeably helping.  It certainly doesn't stop the skullsplitting headaches.  The good news is at least I'm no longer nauseous, but that's small consolation when I basically can't DO anything.

Comments

[jmkelly.livejournal.com]

Demerol and Vistaril for a migraine? He's the doctor, not me, but I would try one of those serotonin receptor agonists like Maxalt. Migraines are not like the usual pain stuff; analgesics may help with the splitting-headache part, but not with the wacked-out brain chemistry that's causing the photophobia, nausea, malaise, etc.

I think maybe you should try calling the doctor (till he gets a headache too!). If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't want a patient suffering for days because I prescribed what turned out to be the wrong thing.

[cymrullewes.livejournal.com]

Right now it is just headachy pain and photophobia (it isn't that he wants to avoid light it's that light causes pain.)

Is there anything you know of over the counter or in a food he could take til we can get ahold of the doctor?

The prescritptions seemed in line. The pharmacist thought it was a normal script for a migraine sufferer.

[jmkelly.livejournal.com]

The only thing I could suggest is caffeine. I speak only from experience as an occasional (thank God!) migraine sufferer, but at least once I've fended off a migraine with a cup of coffee. That was in the prodromal stage, though; after five days, I don't know. Couldn't do any harm, anyway. I've had cranio-sacral therapy help, too, though again only in the early stage. The guy just grabbed my head and kind of mashed it; surprisingly, I felt better. Again, it couldn't hurt, other than having to walk through daylight to get to it. I've known sex to help, too, though one has to be up to it.

I'm not really qualified to give an opinion, but the Demerol/Vistaril combination made me wonder. Demerol of course is a painkiller, great for broken bones and whatnot, but Vistaril is primarily an anti-allergy drug, though it seems to be an adjuvant for painkillers. Still, as I said, migraine's a different animal, and after five days of little or no relief, even if God had written the prescription, I'd have some questions and comments.

Good luck to both of you. Five days is a long time to feel crappy.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

In this case, the Vistaril is being prescribed as an anti-nausea drug to counter any nausea induced by the Demerol. The Demerol, however, is having little if any noticeable effect.

[cymrullewes.livejournal.com]

The Vistaril was supposed to quell the nasua... Morphine tends to make him quite violently ill.

Now I'm getting a headache trying to decipher the differences between Vicodin, Demerol, and Imitrex.

I still want to know why they didn't write him a script for Imitrex. EVERY migraine sufferer that I know has a script for it. They each have a different time when to take it to get max effect though.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

My parents also recommended Maxalt-MLT, and I will be seeing if I can get a prescription from my doctor for it. They also pointed me at www.oregonrx.org (http://www.oregonrx.org), Oregon's evidence-based drug effectiveness reporting system. I understand the Big Pharma companies hate it because it's exposing the lies and inflated claims of their marketing departments, but Oregon won't knuckle under.

[richspk.livejournal.com]

I just heard someone (Richard Bluestein (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bluestein)) rave about the Diamond Headache Clinic (http://www.diamondheadache.com/). They're in Chicago, not your neck of the woods, but maybe the link will come in handy sooner or later.

[olafthunderfoot.livejournal.com]

amputation?

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

I suppose it'd be a good start for a career in politics....

[olafthunderfoot.livejournal.com]

lol, yup, you could be a democrap or repugnican!

[jilara.livejournal.com]

I feel for you, having had two days of migraine the end of last week. One day was just the aura (light sensitivity, nausea, perceptual weirdness, but no pain). Mine often responds to a combination of aspirin and caffeine. (Other pain relievers don't work--has to be aspirin.) The problem is that migraine seems to have several causes, which vary by person.
Serious question - you don't react to aspartame, do you? I get more serious side effects, but a lot of folks get aspartame migraines. And it's amazing the things they hide it in.
Here's a web site to bookmark:
http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/index.html

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Once I was well enough to cope with making it, a double cappucino seems to have helped clear up most of the lingering tail-end of mine.