Take Two Of These And Call Me In The Morning
August 15th, 2007 @ 1:04 pm by Mrs. Petunia
I have suffered from headaches all my life. Seriously, all my life. When I was six or so it was so bad, I had headaches every day for a year. But headaches are a mystery: EEG’s, CAT scan’s, and so on: no one can come up with a solid explanation for them (though they can isolate certain triggers).
Most, if not ALL of my headaches are migraines. They’re tricky, too, because they often disguise themselves as sinus headaches. I have some sinus problems, too, but for years I took Sudafed hoping for relief and getting none.
If you’ve never had a migraine, imagine a regular headache times, oh, I don’t know: a gagillion. It literally feels like a giant green monster is living inside your head, squeezing his fat body against your eye socket, and pounding a hammer against whichever half side of your head it has taken a liking to. You feel all this while making several trips to Lord Toilet (the nausea alone is debilitating) and wishing you lived inside a cold, very quiet and very very dark cave (noise and lights are unbearable).
A migraine stops you on your tracks. Before getting on any medication for them, many a vacation and celebration had been ruined for me.
I now take Imitrex for them, which is great at stopping the migraine in its tracks. But: you do still have to suffer through the beginning parts of it, plus for me, Imitrex also results in the side effects of haze and loopiness. In other words, I’m out of it for a while afterward. I go through a pack of Imitrex a month, which means I have about 9 migraines a month. That’s a lot.
I’m TERRIFIED, especially because of the stress I’m sure to be feeling already naturally, that I will get a horrific migraine on my wedding day.
My meds work, but I would love to hear what other migraine sufferers are doing to ease their pain, or any homeopathic or alternative suggestions anyone may have for staving off the monster!
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42 Responses to “Take Two Of These And Call Me In The Morning”
I hear ya, Miss Petunia. I’ve suffered from headaches my entire life and was formally diagnosed with migraines when I was 23. I currently take the Zomig nasal spray, because I tend to have nausea with my migraines (so I can’t take a pill because of the risk of throwing it up). The side effects are fatigue and sore muscles, but I’d rather deal with that than the pain!
I just try my best to avoid my triggers. I stay hydrated and eat on a regular schedule (skipping meals/being hungry can bring one on). I don’t drink very often, and when I do, I never have more than 1 or 2 drinks at a sitting. I also find that sticking to a consistent sleep schedule can reduce the frequency (so no sleeping in on the weekends). And I always wear my sunglasses when I go outside, even if just briefly.
I’m also nervous about getting one on my wedding day. I don’t want to have to take my meds, be super tired, and then not be able to have a drink at my own wedding.
I’m going through this as I type this. I stayed home from work yesterday due to a horrendous migraine and it’s still here today, but I can at least open my eyes today. I don’t get them regularly, so I’ve never been on medication for them, but I’ve been getting headaches nearly every day now for the past month. It may be wedding stress, who knows. I’m really hoping as well that I’m not dealing with this on my wedding day though in just over two weeks. Good luck to you!
I always suffers from headaches but I was “blessed” and discovered migraines pretty recently. I found what triggers them: chocolate, lack of sleep, too much sun, skipping meals and dehydration.
What I take? 2 extra strenght Tylenol and espresso. (I never drink coffee but simply decaf tea so the effect of caffeine is stronger). I cannot take meds since I am TTC and also I don’t want to get addicted. I just purchased “What your doctor did not tell you about migraines” by Mauskop. Hope it will help me. On important occasions I usually take my pills before, avoid alchol (big trigger) and try to stick to routine. HTH 
and I hope to hear new methods on what people do (I am always experimenting).
I feel your pain! Though I am not getting married for over a year, I’ve already started to worry about whether I will wake up the morning of the big day with a migraine. But the one thing I try to keep in mind is that in the past, I notice that I tend to get the headache the day AFTER the big stresser (i.e. I was fine the day I took the CPA exam, but I spent the next two days in bed with a migraine when it was over!), so I am hoping this will be the case. Think back to previous big events in your life - when did you get the migraine? Maybe you won’t get one until after it is all over!
I take Topamax on a daily basis as a preventative to migraines. I have tried everything in the book over the past 17 years and this is just about the only thing that has reduced the number of headaches I have had (I used to get 3-5 a week, now I have 1-2/week and some weeks I get lucky enough not to have any at all). At the onset of a headache, I take Axert. It works much better for me than Imitrex, and I get none of the side effects that used to wipe me out from the Imitrex. Maybe it’s worth a shot for you to give a try?
The other thing to try to keep in mind is that change in sleep patterns can be a huge trigger. So as your big day approaches, maybe think about how late you’ll be up the night before your wedding, what time you’ll be getting up the day of your wedding, etc. and gradually start following a similar schedule prior to the wedding day if possible. That might help to prevent a pending headache on wedding day.
Good Luck!
I take Relpax when I start to feel one coming on - it’s a miracle drug and I don’t feel all loopy. I never leave home without one in my wallet. I also take Topamax daily, which has also helped.
Amen sister. I get 9-10 migraines a month and it’s pure hell. I take Axert, since Imitrex made me dizzy and more nausiated than the headache made me. I try to take 1 Axert, 2 extra strength tylenol, and 2 advil right at the first sign of a migraine (Doc’s orders). I was like you in that it starts out feeling like a sinus headache and I took sudafed to try to combat it with hardly any effects. It took forever for a doctor to diagnose me with migraines…I probably would have gotten a 4.0 GPA in school had I had control of my migrains. (Ok, maybe not, but it couldn’t have hurt!). If I can, I’ll take my meds and lay down in a dark room with a cold washcloth over my eyes. Having a migraine on my wedding day is one of my biggest fears as well. Good luck!
I am with you as well. I hated the side effects I experienced with Imitrex so I now take Maxalt. It works wonders without the terrible haze and loppiness. I’d ask your doctor to give it a try if you haven’t.
I’d focus on taking care of yourself in the months leading up to your wedding and try to let go of the little things that don’t matter. Your guests won’t know you could have had the cutest stamp on your OOT bags if only you’d ordred it in time…etc.
Good luck and let me know how you are feeling. My wedding is just 24 days away and I hope hope hope — and will pack my Maxalt!
I was diagnosed with migranes when I was in middle school and was put on very expensive drugs that made me fall asleep within an hour. Not cool. Then a doc friend of mine shared a trick- 2 Excedrin Migraine pills and 1 can of Regular Coke. The caffeine kicks in the medicine super fast and it actually does work. (And it’s so much cheaper…and I stay awake!)Hope you find something that works for you!
My best friend suffers from them as well, but cant take medication due to a heart problem. For her, acupuncture has helped reduce the number of headaches she gets by quite a bit. When she was getting them more frequently, the second she felt one coming on she would rush to the chiropractor to get an adjustment. After that the migraine would typically only turn into a regular old headache. Hope this helps some of you! Good luck!
Yes - Wow i’m glad to hear i’m not alone. I can’t take Imitrex as i have horrible side effects. I’m on topamax daily and have not had a migraine in 2 months. However it took us a long time to get there. I have had migraines since i was a child. And now that i’m 18 days from my wedding, I can’t imagine all this stress & not having a plan for my migraines.
Good luck ladies!!
I see some of you mention Topomax: someone told me they had awful side effects from it — what have been your experiences with this med in particular?
My mom used to get terrible migraines, and was also using Imitrex all the time. Then she discovered Excedrin Migraine which she says works just as well and is far cheaper. Might be worth a try- Good luck!
My life saver is Excedrin Migraine…
I’ve had migraines since I was 7. They run on my Mom’s side of the family and are quite deliberating as well!
I’ve been admitted to the ER twice for them and the only thing that I ever found worked wonders was not Imetrex, funny enough…. but Furinol.
Now, I don’t get it Rx’ed to me, because one of it’s warnings is “habit forming”. Basically it has a barbiturate in it. But the other stuff it has is what I use to fight them off before they get started.
It’s good you know what your triggers are, it’s taken me about 15-20 years to nail mine down. And sadly, I missed one this weekend, which resulted in a major migraine on Monday that landed me home sick, even though I tried to drive to work, thinking, in the stupid logic loop, that it would go away.
But I digress. My solution is two fold:
Find and avoid all triggers. For me they are:
Over heating, over exertion, STRESS, direct sunlight (the kind that one squint), MSG, general heat, and the pill.
When I start to sense that I’m having one, I take 2-3 Excedrin (caffeine and aspirin) and some coffee: the other ingredients found in Furinol. I usually get great results.
This last Monday was bad, as I suspect I ingested MSG at the Bridal Expo where I sampled pasta and cake all morning.
The results reared their ugly head on Monday morning, and also resulted me in dry heaves.
I somehow got home and I guess I called my FI, because he came by and cooled me off and made my room dark and made sure I kept cool.
I hope you can find more clues to your migraines. For me, it’s been a hell of a ride, especially when it came to trying to convince doctors that I had them, and telling them why Imitrex was not working, for the same reasons you mention in your post.
My older sister (who is getting married in October) suffers from migraines. When she was younger she was on about three daily medications that were supposed to be preventative, but it never really worked. The doctors all told her the headaches might go away once she went through puberty, but it never happened. A couple years she started taking Imitrex, but she’s limited in how many she can have in a short amount of time and they aren’t always effective for her. When a headache does come on she takes a pill and then basically hibernates until she feels better.
Luckily, she has found many things that induce headaches for her so she can avoid them. She can’t drink alcohol at all, she stays away from sweets & chocolate, no caffeine, she’s the only 24 year old I know who consistently goes to bed at 9:00 because staying up late gives her headaches.
Anyways, many things during her wedding planning have induced headaches. Dress shopping? Ended with a migraine. Meeting with photographers? Migraine. Her fiance and I actually ended up ordering her invitations (she picked them out from a catalog though) because she couldn’t get through it without a headache. She’s not even attempting the cake testing. My mom is reallllly worried that she’s going to get a migraine the day of her wedding, so we’re basically just trying to keep everything as stress-free as possible for her so she doesn’t end up with a headache and since she knows some things that trigger them, she’ll make sure to keep away from them on the day-of.
Hopefully as your day approaches you can find more ways to prevent your headaches. Good luck!
My favorite is Axert. No icky side effects for me (the achy jaw, queasy tummy, feeling sleepy). Good luck.
Regarding the Topamax, if you are too high or even too low (yes too low) of a dose, you can have some pretty extreme side effects. But once we got the dosing right, it was a godsend. The only side effect that I have now is that I find sometimes my toes tingle/fall asleep. This is reduced by taking vitamin C.
When I first went on it, I was exhausted, to the point where I couldn’t keep my eyes open at my desk even after a full night’s sleep, and I couldn’t ever get the words out that I was trying to say. Once we got the dosing right, the loss of words went away. Topamax is meant to be taken twice a day - once in the morning and once at night - but we have found that if I take it in the morning, that’s what causing the exhaustion for me. I can function just fine if I take it only at night so that is what I do.
I, too, suffer from migraines and was horrified of getting one on the big day! I spoke to my doc about it and he recommended that if I felt one coming on to take a shot of espresso! Recent trials have found that a dose of caffeine can help those little brainwaves/blood vessels fix themselves ASAP. But what really made me feel better was his comment that many migraines occur after a period of stress has passed. His feeling was that I would be stressed out until after the wedding, and therefore be ok for the day o’ bliss. Whether that was true or not, I survived the wedding day (July 7, 2007) migraine free.
As for meds, Imitrex was the first medicine I tried years ago, and like you, I didn’t like the side affects. I’m now on Zomig (oral pill, taken when you start to get a migraine) and it works well, though for the first hour or so of the migraine after I take it I’m a little foggy. What did NOT work for me was Topomax: I was a horribly paranoid. What I’ve learned about migraines from various doctors (and I’ve had 4 so far) is that there are many types of migraines and that medicines react differently for different people, and your symptoms and triggers can change over the years. You could also try Excedrin migraine, though I haven’t gone that route yet. Also, I’ve found that switching my birth control from an oral pill to Nuvaring (which has less hormone) has decreased my migraine frequency, as has sinus surgery. (I’ve had sinus problems forever, and during a CAT scan they found that my sinus passages were totally screwed up. They went in, opened those up, and after a couple months of healing my headaches decreased). The operation and healing time wasn’t so great, but has really improved my quality of life.
Regardless, try not to fret about your headaches (that’ll only make your stress worse). You’ll be a beautiful bride and have a wonderful day!!!
This is a useful post! I also suffer from migraines but not too often, usually one or sometimes none each month. I’ve never been on real medication for them but all these suggestions are helpful. Thanks!
I got my FIRST migraine about 3 wks before my wedding - great timing, eh? I literally thought I was going to die. I went to my dr and got Immitrex, being as terrified as anyone about that happening on my wedding day, but she taught me a great trick: 800 mg of Advil at the first, tiniest twinge. I’ve felt several come on since then, and it either knocked them out entirely or made them livable, without all the funky Immitrex side effects. Good luck!
PS: Not even a HINT of one on my wedding day. Just happiness!
Wow, it sounds like there are a lot of us out there. This is my worst fear. Having a migraine on my wedding day. Of course my FI says the more I stress about it the more likely it will happen! I am also take Maxalt when I get a headache. It really works wonders and helps with the nasuea. I also take 100mg right now of Topamax on a daily basis. I have been struggling with headaches most of my life and have tried numerous prescriptions. These two Maxalt and Topamax have worked the best for me. Good luck erveryone! Drink lots of water, sleep, eat and don’t stree too much
3 Excedrin Migraine pills and my life-saver Maxalt (dissolves on your tongue) at the first sign of the migraine.
At the wedding, I made sure that I had all the necessary supplies in my overnight bag, and that my mom had Maxalt on her at all times. Imitrex made me sick, and Zomig drains down my throat for the most disgusting metallic taste/feeling for 30 minutes and I honestly think having a migraine would be better!
My migraines are tension build-ups from fibromyalgia, so being super relaxed before the wedding helped me avoid any sickness at all. The key was having my breakdown on Wednesday, and after that, not a whole lot of the details mattered anymore
I am in the same boat as you. I get migraines when I’m stressed and I was really worried that I would get a migraine on my wedding day. I made sure I finished planning months before the wedding day. I tried to relax a couple of days before (kind of hard when there are still a few things to be done). I was sure I will not get a migraine until the night before the wedding…I had a guest who called to ask me where she was sitting during the reception and screamed at me for 15 minutes about how she did not like where she was placed. That got me all upset and guess what I got the next day? A migraine! I had nothing to take for it so I just suffered through it the whole day. I still had fun though but when there was a quiet moment (when I was changing dresses) I would be slumped to the floor with my migraine. Nevertheless, I still thought it was the happiest and funniest day of my life.
Try not to stress, the more you stress about getting the migraine, the more likely you will have one. I unfortunately made the mistake of talking to that one guest. >:(
I have gotten migraines for about half of my life, but they are pretty infrequent now and I know what triggers them for me — MSG (usually in chinese take-out), going out in the sun without sunglasses, and extreme stress. Try hard to take care of yourself leading up to the wedding (lots of water, lots of sleep, exercise, relaxation) and watch what you eat — avoid preservatives and processed foods. I am lucky that I can usually take Excedrin Migraine and be OK in an hour or so. It looks like you have several months until the wedding, so I would talk to your doctor — maybe you can try some different treatments in the next few months to see whether you can find something that minimizes the effects of the migraine without putting you to sleep.
Just so everyone knows–Excedrin Migraine and regular Excedrin have exactly the same ingredients. Next time you’re at the store, compare the two, and you’ll see.
If I feel a headache coming on, and I can’t tell yet if it’s a headache or a migraine, then I take two Excedrin, and if it hasn’t gone away in 45 minutes, I know it’s not a regular headache, so I go ahead and take my Zomig.
I’m looking to switch doctors in the next few weeks…mine is a bit old school and sticks to Imitrex like glue. I’d like to go see a neurologist again now as an adult and see what other options there are: thanks ladies!
Also want to see about having an Ear/Nose/Throat dr. look at my sinuses Meredith! I think they are also to blame.
As for Excedrin, sadly, it doesn’t work for me. But coffee does help!
I’ll have to agree with all the Excedrin Migraine users. If you take 2 with a can of Coke, it really does get rid of a migraine.
I’ve suffered from them since I was 6 also, and suffered through them for years. Every now and then, I may get a bad one, but the Excedrin really does the trick.
have you ever considered going to an accupuncturist or chinese herbalist? i used to suffer from really bad migraines. i went to a chinese herbalist who made me medicine that i had to drink for 2 weeks. ever since then, i’ve been migraine-free. that was 5 years ago.
Yikes! I take Imitrex too, but have you read the package insert?
It says that you shouldn’t use it more than three times a month because there are unknown side effects. If you’re already on the pill (and even if you aren’t), consider a daily medication. Also, talk to your doctor about potential side effects. Imitrex works by doing some weird stuff do your brain, so taking it all of the time is probably not a good idea.
Also, I find that a good shot of caffeine can help ease the effects, but I think that might be a person-to-person thing.
Wow, who knew there were so many migraine sufferers on Weddingbee? I also have a serious problem — in my case, constant headaches with a “real” migraine 1-2 times a WEEK desipite 3 preventive meds. Bad enough that I’ve been off work for over a year, and of course I’m quite worried about the wedding as well.
One bit of good news: like Meredith’s, my neurologist says people tend NOT to get migraines on a big day like a wedding. If anything, it’s more likely to hit afterward. But definitely be sure to take care of yourself in the week or two ahead of time, be sure to get enough sleep, and watch your eating for any triggers (especially alcohol, chocolate, MSG, etc. at the celebrations like the rehearsal dinner & batchelorette).
One of my neurologists (yes, I have 3!!), has written a book that I recommend highly to anyone with headaches. It’s called Heal Your Headaches, by David Buchholz, and is in most big bookstores or discounted on Amazon. It’s the only thing I’ve read that really explained to me the whole trigger process (that you can become more or less sensitive to the same triggers, that the reaction isn’t always instant, etc.), and it lists the MANY common food triggers that you might not realize are a danger. (After I read it, I freaked out for a while and thought I couldn’t eat anything, but now I’m slowly starting to test foods and work back the ones that don’t seem to be a problem. Still, it’s surprising to see the things I was eating all the time that turn out to be triggers, like citrus fruits!)
Also, a warning on all the medication suggestions that are being thrown around. One of my neurologists (Buchholz) believes aspirin, etc. is OK but the triptan drugs like Immitrex and the like can have a major rebound and cause more headaches if you take them more than a couple of times a month. Another neurologist believes Immitrex, etc. is OK but regular aspirin/Excedrin/etc. will have the rebound effect. But the one thing they all agree on — swallowing too many painkillers is ultimately counterproductive.
Good luck, everyone!
I have been a migraine sufferer since second grade - I’m 22 now. I usually get 4-5 migraines a week. Until this past year when I finally found a great doctor and neurologist.
I have done sleep studies, MRIs, CAT Scans, and the like… I have tried every drug imaginable, maxalt, axert, relpax, imitrex, zomig, etc… I had a horrible allergic reaction to zomig. I finally went on Topomax and have had tons of luck with it. It took a month or two to find the right dosage, but the only side effects I’ve had are the tingling sensations in my toes and fingers. Oh and Topomax does make me tired so my doctor just has me take it at night.
With Topomax, I’m down to 2 migraines a month!!!! Such an improvement over the 4-5 a week! Luckily, I did not have a migraine on my wedding 2 weeks ago, although I had one the next day…. Probably all the stress caught up with me. For me, it was a lot of trying. Trying different drugs to see what worked best for me.
Hope this helps!
i’m totally a believer of acupuncture after it worked for me! after suffering migraines for three years, i underwent sessions of acupuncture and i was completely migraine free for a year and a half. then they started creeping back every once in awhile, but never with the frequency or intensity that they had previously.
seriously i’ve known it to work for other people when everything else failed. i highly highly recommend acupunture!
Another vote here for acupuncture and the gross herbal drink they may give you - totally worked for my mom and a friend when nothing else would…
P.S. Migraines & hormonal birth control (the pill, shots, nuvaring, etc.) do not mix — Elevated risk of stroke, even in young women. Check w/ your doctor.
See a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner if you can! It is the ONLY thing that has helped my migraines…an occasional massage and daily herb regimen. All of the prescription medication was making me ill…honestly, the meds make me sicker than the migraine. I hope you figure out what works best for you!
I am a migraine suffer as well. My nuerologist put me on Topomax about a month ago, so far so good I’ve gone from getting every other one a week so far. It’s not for everyone but I highly reccomend that you give it a try if you a frequent migrane sufferer.
oops sorry didn’t finish my train of thought, I went from getting migraines every other day to one a week since on Topomax.
i don’t get them often and they’re not debilitating so all i do is take an asprin and take a nap and i’m usually good to go when i wake up. it sucks though and has ended many a night for me. hopefully you can find a way to keep the stress to a minimum. good luck!
great post! i get migraines all the time and just try to sit it out but its sooooo painful. one time it landed me in the emergency room and they gave me a nice shot of something that took me out for a whole day. ahhh… it was bliss. i didnt know there were so many medications out there! i will definitely have to ask my doctor about them!
I didn’t read through all the comments, so maybe someone else already mentioned this. Most of my headaches & migraines feel like sinus headaches also. I went to the doctor figuring something was wrong with my sinuses, as I’ve had a lot of trouble with them before. I had no other sinus symptoms so my doctor checked me over and realized that my sinus headaches were connected to the stress I carry in my back and neck muscles. My trigger points are where my muscles connect to my shoulder blades at the top. Those muscles all connect up through your neck, into your jaw & sinuses. He recommended that I massage those muscles regularly to help keep them loose. I just thought I would mention that because I saw a similarity in your sinus headache comment and my situation. Also my mom has debilitating migraines, has for as long as I can remember so I can empathize. She can’t take Imitrex because of other health conditions though. I have severe headaches and small migraines due to my fibromyalgia, but thankfully they aren’t too extreme so I miss out on the whole vomiting part. I do get plenty of nausea though.
I would like to know if anyone has taken Axert and took one every four hours or so and then had the side effect of off and on memory loss. and how long it should take for side effects to go away ?
So far it has been four days and still have some memory loss. Please answer! Thank you very much! Debbie N.
Mrs. Petunia, Ft. Lauderdale
Age and Occupation: 31, College Professor
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Engineering Student/Part-time Barista
Engagement Date: December 8, 2006
Wedding Date: March 2, 2008
Venue: Riverside Hotel
Blogging Since: August 6, 2007
About Me: Our original idea of running off to get married quickly turned into an event with 100+ guests once other people got involved and I, too, got swept away in the lovely madness that is wedding planning. Mr. Petunia and I are obsessed with all things World of Warcraft, Monopoly, and Nintendo, so we’re planning on including some fun “game-y” details into our wedding.
I struggle with the same thing everyday as well. I am hoping that on my wedding day that, as you said “the little green monster” doesn’t show up. I will be armed with my medication just in case! And I will probably just take some medicine in the morning…just to be safe.