Personal stories about migraine medications

Content provided by Healthwise

Personal stories about migraine medications

These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions.

Shelby, age 24: I had my first migraine when I started taking birth control pills. I saw wavy lines and had distorted vision at first, then I felt nauseous, and then developed a horrible, throbbing headache on one side of my head. I took some ibuprofen and laid down in a dark room. Even when the headache went away the next day, I felt achy all over and "fuzzy" in my head. I have had two migraines since I started taking the pill 3 months ago. I never had a migraine before that. My doctor recommended that I stop taking the pill and wait to see if my migraines stop too. I've decided to try antimigraine medications right now.

Helen, age 59: I first got migraines when I was a teenager. The medications used to treat migraines at that time didn't really help me, so I quit taking them. Recently, I developed high blood pressure that we can't seem to get under control. I still get migraines, but not very often. I can usually stop the symptoms by taking an aspirin and lying down for awhile. When I was at my doctor's office for my high blood pressure, I asked about the newer antimigraine medications. I am told they are much more effective at reducing migraine symptoms. However, I am at risk for some of their more serious side effects until I get my blood pressure under control. My doctor suggested treating my high blood pressure and trying to prevent migraines with a single medication such as a beta-blocker or calcium channel blocker.

George, age 35: I started getting migraines when I was a kid, although they didn't occur very often. Recently, my migraine attacks are much more frequent, about two a month. I tried taking ibuprofen, but it didn't help. The symptoms have been so bad that I had to go to the emergency room for a shot several times in the past few months. My doctor recommends that I try taking a prophylactic antimigraine medication every day to try to prevent the migraine attacks. He also recommends antimigraine drugs, such as triptans, for migraines I might get while taking prophylactic medications. Since I have missed so much work due to the migraines, I decided to try taking preventive medications and see if this helps.

Kasey, age 32: I have had migraines off and on for years. I was usually able to control them by taking an aspirin and lying down, but that is not helping anymore. I am also getting them close to my menstrual cycle and nearly every month. I am not taking birth control pills, and I don't smoke. I am in pretty good health other than for these migraines. My doctor recommended I try taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as ibuprofen to see if it helps prevent the attack from getting worse. I have decided to try an NSAID before getting a prescription for an antimigraine medication.

Credits

Last updated:	July 03, 2007
Author:	Monica Rhodes
Reviewed By:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine, Colin Chalk, MD, CM, FRCPC - Neurology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman