[sugahorse1]

I suffer from really bad ones about every 2 months. Can this in some strange way be linked to BP or meds? What do you guys do?

There is a higher than random correlation, though, IIRC, they're not sure why. I used to get them really badly ("Oh crap. Heading to Hell for 3 days. Again..."), but they decreased over the years (TG!) to virtually non-existant. Think the last one was... 3 or 4 years ago (???) Hope to never have one again.

Do? Originally, with no med (no doc, no insurance...), ummm...crawl into a cave for 3 days and desperately want to die. Could not function. At all. Later, got a med. It did not eliminate them, but helped enough that I could basically function, like go to work, though being slow and spacey. Um... that's not helpful at all, is it?! Ok. Helpful. It's probably obvious, but be SURE to to NOT have ANY alcohol around such times. In desperation, tried this once. Huge mistake. Turns out that Hell has a Hell.

[BNLsMOM]

I used to get migraines and I would get to the point that I would throw up. I don't know why I don't get them much anymore. The last one I had was about a year and a half ago. I wonder if my meds have helped. I still get headaches now and then, but they are totally tolerable and I don't even need any Motrin or anything.

I used to take a double dose of Motrin or Tylenol and go to bed in a completely dark room. Usually it was gone by morning.

I have had migraines for years although they have lessened since I started menopause. I take the prescription drug Zomig which does a great job relieving the throbbing.

[ohlala]

Some experience "lamictal headaches" as a SE...

I get migraines in clusters.

[Omers]

Yes, I get migraines anywhere from 1-2 a week lasting as long as 3 days each. My insurance is all screwed up so there is nothing I can do medically. I journaled to find my triggers which can include weather changes, PMS, stress, Foods... just about anything. I have worked hard to reduce my triggers. I use M-Grain oil from young living in a defuser which seems to help but is expensive to get at first (you don't use much so the bottle lasts a while). Ice packs become my best friends in the whole world and if the ice alone doesn't help I use an ice pack on my head and a heating pad on my feet (supposedly it reduces the excessive blood flow in your head and brings it down into your body). I take Motrin back and muscle... it has the same pain meds as their migraine one but does not have the caffeine which gives me panic attacks (but does help the meds to work faster). I have an eye mask that has an optional ice pack you can put in it. Hide in a cave...
It is also important to figure out the early warning signs. A lot of times during a migraine your stomach will "shut down" which means if you don't get any oral meds in you by then they will not work. If they get really bad they can give you injections at the hospital but you need someone else to drive.
Oh, and making sure you are getting enough fluids seems to help too.

[widgets]

I go through phases of getting serious head aches, it's like they're also on cycles!
When I was 'becoming bipolar,' o had a headache for about 4 months

[zbmom]

I have about 2-4 migraines a month. Have had them since age 12. Not sure why they started then. I get them with aura though so I know when one is coming and if I take meds right away I can usually catch the pain before all hell breaks loose. It doesn't do much for the other side effects though. I don't think it has anything to do with my bp though. My triggers tend to be hormones, barometric pressure changes, lack of sleep, and allergies/sinus inflammation.

[SunAngel]

Originally Posted by sugahorse

I suffer from really bad ones about every 2 months. Can this in some strange way be linked to BP or meds? What do you guys do?

I am a chronic pain sufferer and my old pain dr. told me that most of her patients had BP.

I have no idea if they are in some way connected, but that's what she told me.

[Yoda]

I took Topamax for migraines but it affected my memory so now I take verapamil and it works well.

[jk2833]

Originally Posted by widgets

I go through phases of getting serious head aches, it's like they're also on cycles!
When I was 'becoming bipolar,' o had a headache for about 4 months

Me too widgets,I can get 4 a week then none for 2 months,I can't deal with them as I shake and vomit a lot so I just have to stay in bed. Even the anti sickness medication does not work
JK

[sugahorse1]

Ironically I am on Lamictin...

It lasted about 4 hours. Took 2 serious painkillers - but not prescription ones - and a Klonopin for its muscle relaxant properties. Went to work thereafter, but was a zombie. Will ask my pdoc.
At first I thought it was related to me menstrual cycle, but there's no clear pattern there. I cannot imagine one last for days tho.

Even so, I'm in such agony. Groaning, even pushing my head against the headboard to feel better.

[Merlin]

I have migraines too, and I have heard, even from my pdoc, that there is a correlation between bipolar and migraines. Like my bipolar, my migraines tend to follow my menstrual cycle, and I found that when I took a combination birth control pill, the estrogen severely increased the number of migraines I had. I know that when I was on Epival (American name Depakote) it reduced my migraine frequency and I know that it is used for that purpose. On the Lamictal, I get them about my usual frequency of 1 - 2 a month. I take Maxalt and I find that it treats the symptoms quite effectively.

[Phoenix_1]

I've had migraines since I was 17, 1-3 times a month. I get the aura so I know when to get away and go lie down in a dark quiet place. It's easier to do now that I live alone.

I used to take imitrex in the 90's with good results, but you can't take that with SSRI's.

In 2001 I saw a homeopathic doctor and she gave me a migraine remedy. If I take it as soon as the aura comes it works just as well as imitrex, most of the time.

Most of my migraines come from being exposed to perfume, air freshners, etc. but some come for no reason. I almost got fired from my job in 1990 due to migraines - one of my co-workers used to wear a cheap cologne that caused the migraines. I finally sat down with her and the boss and we straightened it out. I was spending $20 a pill on imitrex then, and I was taking them every day she worked (she worked 1/2 time). Thank goodness most workplaces are scent free now.

Originally Posted by Omers

It is also important to figure out the early warning signs...Oh, and making sure you are getting enough fluids seems to help too.

So true to identify early warning signs! (Hmmm, just like BP!) And YES on hydration... that is a big help on regular headaches too.

Originally Posted by zbmom

... I get them with aura though so I know when one is coming and if I take meds right away I can usually catch the pain before all hell breaks loose...

Those auras can be so weird, yeah?! I sometimes had that warning sign, but not always. There was one that was VERY bizarre, and even after years of recognizing my "usual" types, had no idea what was up. Thought I was going to have/or having a seizure or something! Then the migraine came on, at which point it was obvious what it had been. I had to take meds at the first sign too, as there was no real catching up later.

Originally Posted by sugahorse

Ironically I am on Lamictin...At first I thought it was related to me menstrual cycle, but there's no clear pattern there.
Even so, I'm in such agony. Groaning, even pushing my head against the headboard to feel better.

I had a light headache (not migraine) for a couple of days starting Lamictal. Thank goodness it was light and didn't last. You've been on Lamictin awhile now, suga, right? Had you had any problems like that before while taking it? Yeah, there was no correlation with menstrual on either BP cycling or migraines for me either. It's a good thing for sure to chart though to see if there is one(!)

Are you feeling all better now, suga? Hope so! Lots of

[Moose72]

I get migraines. Never did before Lithium.

[sugahorse1]

I had migraines even before the Lamictin. It just does happen more frequently. As are thr milder headaches, but I can cope with those.

With some migraines, I really wonder at what stage I ought to go to an ER room (they are mostly occuring at night). And as at now, I don't have any strong enough migrainr meds.
But thanks for all your insights

[Merlin]

Can you see your gp about getting stronger migraine meds? As for the hospital, I would wait until the migraines were so bad they were interfering with any of the methods you use to treat them, i.e. sleep.

[sugahorse1]

I'll bring it up with my pdoc when I see him in 2 weeks or so. I guess it's a little difficult for me to explain to my GP when I'm ok at the moment.
And trust me - I often have headaches, but when I have a migraine, I cannot sleep. I have to try lie perfectly still, else I get this stabbing pain. Literally, even the movement of my chest from breathing is too much.
I have only had an aura a few times.
And on the whole, I am pretty light-sensitive as it is