Migraine headaches have been a big part of
my life for the past 13 years. On January 29, 2001 I slipped on some ice at our
hobby farm and landed on the back of my head. I had a moderate concussion with
minor head injury, according to the doctors who treated me, over the following
months. For me that concussion manifested itself with typical symptoms like
fogginess, dizziness diminished cognitive clarity and a feeling that I had a
blanket wrapped over my head. As time went on, though, I developed migraine
headaches as a result of the injury.
I do not remember every having migraines
before my head injury. But, that head injury co-occurred with two huge
professional commitments that I had at the time: full time teaching in a small
liberal arts college and full time doctoral student at the University of
Minnesota. I am sure it did not help that I took
little time off of work and continued in graduate school (although I did miss a
few classes). I persisted with both and my headaches followed me through every
stage.
I started seeing a
neurologist after about two years who prescribed a series of daily preventative
that included a beta-blocker and an anti-depressant. There are strong results
reported in the scientific literature that the regime helps to prevent migraines. In addition, I took Imitrex, for acute
migraines, injectables (which I had many) and tablets. My acute headaches persisted,
although the cycle became longer in between them. When I finished grad school,
my headaches became even less. But they were still there and would raise their
glaring head when I least expected it.
When I started taking better care of my
health in 2010, I thought my headaches would also decrease. They did somewhat.
The cycles between headaches would go for many months now, but they were still
there. Still there meant that I was incapacitated at times. When my headaches
start up, I am incredibly sensitive to light and sound. I get sick in my
stomach, too, but usually do not vomit.
I
continued to take preventative medications and of course the Imitrex when they
were acute. I rarely missed work. But, I kept looking to see if there was
something else that was triggering this insidious cycle of head pain. In
January 2012, I went cold turkey and eliminated coffee and caffeine. My body
responded with one of the longest migraine/rebound headache cycles I ever had:
22 days. Once I got on the other side of the caffeine withdrawal, the migraines
decreased considerably. As a matter of fact, I went from having 6-8 a year to
maybe 1. I thought I was nearly cured.
Enter
2014: specifically summer of 2014. 2014 was a significant year for me because I
had several bad bouts with asthma because of the very high pollen counts (I am
basically allergic to everything outside!). The summer began with a switch to different
series beta-blockers because the one that I was on decreased the effectiveness
of my asthma medication. The switch began in late May. From late May until late
July I was back in a non-relenting cycle of migraine headaches. I took more
Imitrex in the summer months than I did since I gave up caffeine. By
the end of June, the headaches had subsided, so I that I was done. But, no. I
wasn’t. By the third week July they had started up again. I went to see my neurologist
who prescribed a new drug for me: an anticonvulsant. I took this for three weeks,
but could not handle the numbness in my hands and the dullness in my head. So,
I went back to my other meds.
As
the summer progressed I began reading a great deal about migraines
(specifically Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/neurology/overview/specialty-groups/headache.
From my reading, I realized that I was probably using too much Imitrex and developed
what is known as medication overuse rebound migraines. In early August, I decided
to stop all Imitrex for my acute headaches. It was tough, but I did it. At the
same time, I eliminated Aspartame in my diet (another trigger). I noticed that my body would go through
a migraine cycle for 2-3 days with about a day in between and then the cycle
would begin again. By Mid September, the cycles were getting longer and weaker. By
early October, I was having only 1 or so every two weeks. Although it was very
hard to power through these headaches, I was encouraged that all together as I went along each headache was less than the one before. This fact
made we wonder what might happen if I started to take myself off of all
medication. Would I have that same cycle?
By Mid October, 10 days ago, I decided to begin to tapper
down my preventative meds. After 13 years, it was fairly obvious that they were
not doing what they should have. I was also becoming concerned with some
vague wobbliness that I felt might have been related to the long-term impact on
my body of these preventative medications. Plus, Beta-blockers are not weight neutral. I reasoned that if I went off the Beta-blocker, just maybe I would be able to work on my last 35 pounds. After my experience of powering
through the headaches without any acute migraine medication outside of Ibuprofen,
I wanted to see how my body responded.
It may be coincidental, but over the
past 10 days I have not had a headache. I am now off all of my medications for
migraines. It is too early to tell what will happen, but I am encouraged by how
I feel so far. After taking daily
medication to prevent migraines for over 13 years, plus tens if not hundreds of doses of
Imitrex, I feel it is time to see how my body responds on it’s own. So far my
head feels good and clear. I am taking good care of myself and keeping up my
exercise.
I have been a migraine sufferer for too long to really believe
that they are gone. But, at this point, I want to continue to give no medication
a try. I respect my neurologist, however, I known that if I had gone back to
her in August and reported the unrelenting cycle of migraines, that she would
have opted for a new round of different medications, including Botox
injections. I am interrupting that medication cycle, to see what happens. I am
keeping my fingers crossed that my chronic cycle has also been disrupted.
I am not a medical doctor. Please take this overview as just what it is: a short history of my own migraines and what is working, not as advice for any reader. I will keep you posted. Michele
