Can anyone who suffers from severe migraines help me?

Actually, help my mom. She's suffered from migraines for as long as I can remember. She has the imitrex (sp) shots but sometimes they don't even help. The severity of the migraines isn't even the problem, it's the frequency of them. Sometimes even once a week! My stepdad and I have been trying to get her to see a specialist but she just kind of blows it off. I'm hopeful that there is something that could help her but kind of scared it could be something worse. Any advice would be great.

Summer, you are very sweet to care so much about your Mom. I wish my 16 yr old son had as much sympathy for my migraines!

She should probably see a neurologist, but I'm not saying that to alarm you. It's just the first step to ruling out anything nasty. I saw a neurologist for my migraines, and all he did was take out the prescription pad and say, "So, what works for you?"

There are other drugs in the same family as Imitrex. I take Maxalt or Relpax. Maxalt has comes in different forms, but the cool one is the sublingual dissolving one. You put it under your tongue and it dissapears immediately. Goes to work fast, too.

Like your mom, I don't always get relief even from these drugs. There are more drugs in R and D all the time, and I'm always keeping my fingers crossed. Even when the drugs work, they have a nasty side effect which makes you feel stifled along your chest. So, even if the the headache goes away, I'm sort of disabled for the day anyway.

I've discovered a couple things though. Sometimes after taking the meds, it actually helps to be up and around. Sometimes. Caffeine is also a great help. We keep the chocolate covered coffee beans in the house, and I call them my magic beans. Chewing several of them can help.

The most important thing is to treat the migraine at the first sign. I am the worst person for breaking this rule. I try to "tough it out" before taking the meds, and then it's usually too late for them to work effectively. So encourage her to take the shot right away.

I've also discovered that my headaches seem to be hormonally related. I get them just at the beginning and at the end of my period. If this is the case for your Mom, she might want to consider going on Seasonale, the birth control pill which gives you a period only once every 3 months. Then be prepared with your migraine medicine when the time comes.

Migraines are a curse, no doubt about it. Mine sometimes last for days.

So:
Treat the migraine right away.
Have a cup of coffee or some form of caffeine.
Experiment with being vertical and lying down.
Be prepared for the migraine if they seem to be influenced by hormones.
See a doctor just to rule out other problems, and to get samples of the latest medications.

Your Mom has a great support system. She's a lucky lady.

Hi, I found that changing eyeglass or contact prescription has had an effect on my migraines. I went from getting them once a week to once every three months after getting contacts. May be worth a try.
I have been a migraine sufferer since I hit my 30's. Most of the medications to relieve an existing migraine headache do not work for me. My doctor and I have tried medications such as Maxalt, Imitrex, Relpax and a couple others that I cannot remember at this hour of the morning. :)
Anyhow, what they DO have nowadays for chronic miraine sufferers is preventative medications that a patient can take. (usually taken on a daily basis to prevent the occurence of the headache)
I've been on a couple of different ones, and my doctor and I have found one that works very well for me. I went from having migraine headaches daily, to having them about 4x per year. I take Metoprolol (SP??) one at night before bedtime and it works pretty well for me.
I also know that there are certain foods that also trigger migraines in chronic sufferers. Things such as MSG and aspartame are known triggers.
Her regular doctor should be able to recommend a form of treatment, and if her regular doctor can't help...time to find one that will.
Migraines suck, but there is relief out there!
Good luck!!
We have treated 15 - 20 yrs cases.
There is no medicine for H/A OR MIGRAINE. Not only these but for almost all painful diseases. Hence they become chronic.
Acidity, excessive wind, cold , heat, sour food and sinusitis, constipation, intestinal inflammation;
Blockage in the flow of Vital Energy are their causes. None of them can be treated with medicine. Our 100% success in treating migraine &H/A confirms it.
Acupuncture is the best treatment. I can treat it with naturopathy and YOG, but how can you manage pl see.
Avoid late sleeping if possible;spicy, sour, stale bakery foods and alcohole.
Sweet foods, sweet fruits, milk, rice and good sleep will help you.
But you try one herbal remedy- two drops of drumstick leaves' juice in opposite nostril if one side pains and both nostrils if full H/A will give you rescue. Betel leaf helps but it isvery strong.

Source(s):
SHREE SWASTHYAYOG TREATMENT, TRAINING & RESEARCH INSTITUTE
R.H. 鈥?19, Jhulelal Society, Sector 鈥?2/E, Airoli, Navi Mumbai, INDIA.