Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Migraine Sufferers Unite!


I must admit that I have a bit of an agenda with the following post.  I need help!
I have gotten migraines since I was 8 years old.  They have always been off and on, with sometimes a couple years in between.  The last 3 years I have been getting them, on average, 2-3 times a month.  Sometimes more, sometimes less.  When I get them, they usually last 1-5 days.  After visits to a neurologist, naturopaths, and regular doctors I have only found two things that make any difference.  The first thing I found is a mixture of several vitamins and herbs.  Butterbur, Feverfew, Magnesium, Calcium, B2, and Co-enzyme Q10.  These do nothing for the migraine when I have it, but they did reduce the frequency of them.  I am not sure if it is a combination or one specific supplement, but I'll just keep taking them all!
The second, and main thing is Relpax.  It is a very expensive(over 20$ a pill) prescription drug.  I really hate to take such a potent and potential dangerous drug, but after I take one, I feel myself relaxing, my neck and shoulder muscles releasing, and my headache subsiding.  I know that it really hasn't "gotten rid of" the migraine, but the relief is amazing.  Unfortunately, I seem to have been getting quite a few migraines the last couple of months in Peru.  I have only 3 of these pills left to last me about 6 weeks, so I am trying to conserve them.  I went to a pharmacy today with the box that the Relpax come in (ingredients on the box), plus the names of three drugs that are approved for sale in South America to treat migraines.  The moment I walked in to this specific pharmacy, I knew I was out of luck.  I got the typical "Oh a gringa, not going to help her" look.  The girl looked at the box and said there was nothing like that, I showed her the names on my list and the ingredient in the drug and once again, no nothing.  Sadly, I was expecting it because of the girl's age.  I chose this pharmacy because there is a guy that speaks a little english and an older woman that is very nice and helpful but neither were there.  I'm not sure if I have mentioned before but most women under the age of 50 automatically hate me.  I get dirty looks all the time walking down the street.  I will try somewhere else tomorrow I guess.
In the meantime, today I have tried every home remedy that I already knew, and even more I found online. Here are a list of some of the things I have tried.
-massaging both peppermint oil and tea tree oil into my pressure points, and the muscles in my neck that are bothering me.
-Soaking my feet in hot water, and putting an ice pack on my head.
-peppermint tea
-special migraine tea
-yoga
-neck stretches
-deep breathing
-using a tennis ball to massage my back and neck muscles

All of these do help, or at least take my mind off of the migraine for a few minutes, but as soon as I stop, it gets just as bad.

I should mention I have also tried both Professional massage and chiropractor.  Both of these things again help and feel amazing, but they don't make anything go away.  Actually, a lot of times they either trigger a migraine or make it worse for a while.  I do practice yoga as well, which also helps in the preventative area, but having that stupid stomach bug prevented me from going for the last week.  I will start again tomorrow.

I guess the point of this blog is to get some help!  Anyone have any other things that work for them?  Or does anyone in Peru (I know there are about 30 views from Peru a week!) know what drug I can look for that is a specific migraine treatment?  Keep in mind, I have tried Aleve, Advil Migraine, Advil extra strength, liquigels, every kind of tylenol, Excedrin Migraine and Aspirin.  No combination of these helps for anymore than a few minutes to take the edge off.  Thanks in advance!  Since it is apparently hit or miss whether comments will post on here, you can email me at Tanyamcmann@icloud.com if you can help.  Thank you!



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