31 replies to this topic

[Noura_Shi'a]

Im studying pharmacy and in order to understand the drug effects regarding migraine on different individual person, i want to ask:

• Do any of u guys (or anyone in ur family) have migraine and use medications for it?
  
• What is the name of medication(s) u (they) r using?
  
• I have heard from some people that the medications doesnt help/make it worse, did that ever happen to u or someone u know
  
• Do u have some alternative methods when u have the headache going on?

I have family member that does also have migraine, and she doesnt use any medications. So this may guide me with helping her about the medications.



Thanks to every helpful reply,

[awaiting_for_the.12th]

lol studied about migraines last week:
Migraines are Familial, genetics not proven, probably a dominant inherited disorder
Treatment:
Rescue- Simple anelgesia early with premonition, Tryptans
Prophylaxis - Amitriptyline, anti-epileptics, beta blockers. For status migrainosis use Tryptans too

So basically, just treat it before you start getting migraines

[Noura_Shi'a]

awaiting_for_the.12th, on 19 September 2012 - 05:44 PM, said:

lol studied about migraines last week:
Migraines are Familial, genetics not proven, probably a dominant inherited disorder
Treatment:
Rescue- Simple anelgesia early with premonition, Tryptans
Prophylaxis - Amitriptyline, anti-epileptics, beta blockers. For status migrainosis use Tryptans too

So basically, just treat it before you start getting migraines

We had about it this week

The reason for migraine is not known, but it may be a vasoconstriction followed by a vasodilatation. Also a inflammation that occurs and a pain spreading depression.

In triptans:

• Sumatriptan - which have some side effects and doesnt go into the blood-brain-barrier (effective in appoximently 70-80% of the attacks)
  
• Naratriptan +++ - which have the same effects as sumatriptan, but with less side effects and they do actually pass the bbb (will presume that these ones have better effect on the patient)

We also do have Ergotamin, used in rescue and partial agonist on 5-HT 1 reseptor + adrenoceptors. It does have many side effects and but is effective.

But i have to read more about the ones used for prophylaxis

[awaiting_for_the.12th]

I believe you basically pop a NSAID as soon as you get the aura. I am not sure if you can prevent it.
On a side note, have you read about Cluster headaches? Apparently, its considered the MOST pain a human can feel. Its also called Suicide headaches since most people just kill themselves as they cant take the pain.
People describe it as 10 times more pain then giving birth.

[Noura_Shi'a]

awaiting_for_the.12th, on 19 September 2012 - 06:27 PM, said:

I believe you basically pop a NSAID as soon as you get the aura. I am not sure if you can prevent it.
On a side note, have you read about Cluster headaches? Apparently, its considered the MOST pain a human can feel. Its also called Suicide headaches since most people just kill themselves as they cant take the pain.
People describe it as 10 times more pain then giving birth.

I would say that NSAIDs doesnt help for more than the inflammation. My family member just uses ibumetin and it doesnt seem like it helps at all. And the second thing is that not everyone gets the aura, so it may be difficult to determine if it is a migraine attack or just a "regular" headache.

Yes yes true, I were watching a documentary about Cluster. I dont remember, but is it something similar to migraine (i mean like is it a vascular problem in the brain)?

[awaiting_for_the.12th]

Noura_Shi, on 19 September 2012 - 06:50 PM, said:

I would say that NSAIDs doesnt help for more than the inflammation. My family member just uses ibumetin and it doesnt seem like it helps at all. And the second thing is that not everyone gets the aura, so it may be difficult to determine if it is a migraine attack or just a "regular" headache.

Yes yes true, I were watching a documentary about Cluster. I dont remember, but is it something similar to migraine (i mean like is it a vascular problem in the brain)?

I am not sure about the mechanism of Cluster Headaches but i just remember watching a video of a guy screaming for his life and crying which left its images in my head.
Ibumentin is same as ibuprofen?

[Peace!]

Noura_Shi, on 19 September 2012 - 05:21 PM, said:

• Do any of u guys (or anyone in ur family) have migraine and use medications for it?
  
• What is the name of medication(s) u (they) r using?
  
• I have heard from some people that the medications doesnt help/make it worse, did that ever happen to u or someone u know
  
• Do u have some alternative methods when u have the headache going on?

Migraines are the stuff of nightmares – I know of someone in our family who is visited by a chronic morning migraine since the last ten years; she has her own way of coping – she prefers to tie a cloth band tightly around her head, according to her the pressure somewhat helps take the edge off the pain.
In the early days she did try out aspirin and ibuprofen but regular use of them left her with stomach ulcers, and now she’s completely stopped taking them.

[Noura_Shi'a]

awaiting_for_the.12th, on 19 September 2012 - 08:33 PM, said:

I am not sure about the mechanism of Cluster Headaches but i just remember watching a video of a guy screaming for his life and crying which left its images in my head.
Ibumentin is same as ibuprofen?

I see, im thankful that i dont have Cluster or migraine!

I found this(in wikipedia because im too lazy to search more):
"Among the most widely accepted theories is that cluster headaches are due to an abnormality in the hypothalamus. This can explain why cluster headaches frequently strike around the same time each day, and during a particular season, since one of the functions the hypothalamus performs is regulation of the biological clock. Metabolic abnormalities have also been reported in patients.
The hypothalamus is responsive to light—daylength and photoperiod; olfactory stimuli, including sex steroids (some researchers have linked low testosterone to cluster headaches)[11][12] and corticosteroids; neurally transmitted information arising in particular from the heart, the stomach, and the reproductive system; autonomic inputs; blood-borne stimuli, including leptin, ghrelin, angiotensin, insulin, pituitary hormones, cytokines, blood plasma concentrations of glucose and osmolarity, etc.; and stress. These particular sensitivities may underlay the causes, triggers, and methods of treatment of cluster headache." + genetics and people who have heavy addiction for smoking.

Ibuprofen is the active drug in ibumetin

Peace!, on 20 September 2012 - 12:11 AM, said:

Migraines are the stuff of nightmares – I know of someone in our family who is visited by a chronic morning migraine since the last ten years; she has her own way of coping – she prefers to tie a cloth band tightly around her head, according to her the pressure somewhat helps take the edge off the pain.
In the early days she did try out aspirin and ibuprofen but regular use of them left her with stomach ulcers, and now she’s completely stopped taking them.

Yes, the side effects of aspirin and ibuprofen is stomach ulcers (because of irritation and inhibition of certain enzymes/mediators in the stomach).
I have seen many using that method which u tie something around ur head, but it doesnt work for anyone.
Does she use any other medication which is used for migraine? (like the ones i wrote in the 3.reply here)

[Chaotic Muslem]

Noura_Shi, on 19 September 2012 - 05:21 PM, said:

Im studying pharmacy and in order to understand the drug effects regarding migraine on different individual person, i want to ask:

• Do any of u guys (or anyone in ur family) have migraine and use medications for it?
  
• What is the name of medication(s) u (they) r using?
  
• I have heard from some people that the medications doesnt help/make it worse, did that ever happen to u or someone u know
  
• Do u have some alternative methods when u have the headache going on?

I have family member that does also have migraine, and she doesnt use any medications. So this may guide me with helping her about the medications.



Thanks to every helpful reply,

my family from my mother side are almost all having migraine , it is some nasty illness
i dont have it alhamdullilah but it makes me nervous whenever i get bad headache
Most of my family members use acetaminophens, some of them use the NSAID somtimes
and yes , the pills dont help in some cases, one pill is not enough, they may take 2 or three at a time
they try to avoid teh migraine by avoiding its triggers like the smells, change in sleeping pattern, change in any daily activity specially having to drive a long distance that you are not used to take daily (long distance that takes more than 30 mints on highway)
they try to avoid food that trigger the migraine and the excessive noise
but when the migraine strikes them it is as if nothing can help, they use a head band ,cold tea bags on eyes etc
some get better after they throw up

but the most sever form of migraine that may make someone to go to ER and get an injection of morphine to ease it will need the use of some other drugs , i know someone who is on Gabapentin to prevent the severe attacks

[Noura_Shi'a]

Chaotic Muslem, on 20 September 2012 - 05:12 AM, said:

my family from my mother side are almost all having migraine , it is some nasty illness
i dont have it alhamdullilah but it makes me nervous whenever i get bad headache
Most of my family members use acetaminophens, some of them use the NSAID somtimes
and yes , the pills dont help in some cases, one pill is not enough, they may take 2 or three at a time
they try to avoid teh migraine by avoiding its triggers like the smells, change in sleeping pattern, change in any daily activity specially having to drive a long distance that you are not used to take daily (long distance that takes more than 30 mints on highway)
they try to avoid food that trigger the migraine and the excessive noise
but when the migraine strikes them it is as if nothing can help, they use a head band ,cold tea bags on eyes etc
some get better after they throw up

but the most sever form of migraine that may make someone to go to ER and get an injection of morphine to ease it will need the use of some other drugs , i know someone who is on Gabapentin to prevent the severe attacks

As i can see, u have summarized everything that may trigger the headache, which its exactly what happens to my family member too. Especially traveling combined with stress, triggers the migraine. Gabapentin isnt in use in the country where i live, but i found out that it is an antiepileptic drug, which may have some effects on migraine.

[awaiting_for_the.12th]

Chaotic Muslem, on 20 September 2012 - 05:12 AM, said:

i know someone who is on Gabapentin to prevent the severe attacks

Gabapentin for migraines? How does that work out? Does it just prevent the Cortical spreading depression, from what i remember it is a GABA agonist? Right? Lol i have an exam on all this stuff next week and i am basically forgetting all these drugs

[Noura_Shi'a]

Chaotic Muslem, on 20 September 2012 - 05:12 AM, said:

i know someone who is on Gabapentin to prevent the severe attacks

Just an edit on my first reply to u: I wrote that Gabapentin isnt in use here, but i were wrong, its just that i havent heard of it.

awaiting_for_the.12th, on 20 September 2012 - 05:42 AM, said:

Gabapentin for migraines? How does that work out? Does it just prevent the Cortical spreading depression, from what i remember it is a GABA agonist? Right? Lol i have an exam on all this stuff next week and i am basically forgetting all these drugs

Gabapentin is a GABA agonist. But from what i found out, it doesnt directly work on GABA receptors, but on voltage gated Ca2+ channels in CNS (where it reduse the influx of Ca2+, if i havent misunderstood the whole thing). Its medical uses started as antiepileptica, but now it is used for migraine and other pain reactions.

U should make a detailed info. list over the drugs u have to know in ur exam, and then start memorizing it. Thats what im going to do, and my problem isnt just the drugs, but also about the receptors and how the endogenous substances work.

[awaiting_for_the.12th]

Noura_Shi, on 20 September 2012 - 07:33 AM, said:

Just an edit on my first reply to u: I wrote that Gabapentin isnt in use here, but i were wrong, its just that i havent heard of it.


Gabapentin is a GABA agonist. But from what i found out, it doesnt directly work on GABA receptors, but on voltage gated Ca2+ channels in CNS (where it reduse the influx of Ca2+, if i havent misunderstood the whole thing). Its medical uses started as antiepileptica, but now it is used for migraine and other pain reactions.

U should make a detailed info. list over the drugs u have to know in ur exam, and then start memorizing it. Thats what im going to do, and my problem isnt just the drugs, but also about the receptors and how the endogenous substances work.

Yea,for us its the same stuff. Drug, MOA, Adverse Effects, Pharmokinetics, Toxicity, Uses, Drug-Drug interactions. I have like 100 drugs to know for the exam, and pharm is just like 30% of the exam lol.

[Noura_Shi'a]

awaiting_for_the.12th, on 20 September 2012 - 11:40 AM, said:

Yea,for us its the same stuff. Drug, MOA, Adverse Effects, Pharmokinetics, Toxicity, Uses, Drug-Drug interactions. I have like 100 drugs to know for the exam, and pharm is just like 30% of the exam lol.

I understand u so much. Good luck brother, may Allah give u concentration and patience during this period!

[Replicant]

Salaam,

I've suffered from Migraine all my life, however it has stopped for the last 2-3 years, alhamdullilah.

It was usually caused by a lack of sleep or going from a dark place into a very light place. Other times, it would be random and happen out of nothing. I would first start losing my vision slightly (it became blurred or I saw black spots) and then it would kick-in. The pain could last for hours and I had to just take a pain-killer (usually Paracetamol) and hope for the best. It usually resulted in me vomiting.

Whilst I suffered from Migraine, I was prescribed a drug called Pizotifen - I took this for about two years and had to take a tablet every night. Whilst I took this medicine, I probably had a Migraine attack maybe two or three times, whereas before taking this medication, it would happen every fortnight or so. The doctor then slowly took me off this medicine (I started taking a tablet every other day. Then I started taking one tablet every week. Then I eventually stopped).

After I came off this drug, I hardly ever had a Migraine attack. If I did, I would just take a painkiller and lie in a dark room and it would eventually wear off. But, like I said, it's been a very long time since I had a Migraine attack.

Hope that helps.

[awaiting_for_the.12th]

Replicant, on 20 September 2012 - 04:03 PM, said:

After I came off this drug, I hardly ever had a Migraine attack. If I did, I would just take a painkiller and lie in a dark room and it would eventually wear off. But, like I said, it's been a very long time since I had a Migraine attack.

Yes its pretty common to get photophobia (light) and phonophobia (sounds) during Migraines. Best thing is to go in a dark room, lie down, and dont do any unnecessary movements.

[Peace!]

Noura_Shi, on 20 September 2012 - 04:48 AM, said:

Yes, the side effects of aspirin and ibuprofen is stomach ulcers (because of irritation and inhibition of certain enzymes/mediators in the stomach).
I have seen many using that method which u tie something around ur head, but it doesnt work for anyone.
Does she use any other medication which is used for migraine? (like the ones i wrote in the 3.reply here)

As far as I know she's totally weaned herself off all pain medication because according to her they weren't helping much at all.

[Noura_Shi'a]

Replicant, on 20 September 2012 - 04:03 PM, said:

Salaam,

I've suffered from Migraine all my life, however it has stopped for the last 2-3 years, alhamdullilah.

It was usually caused by a lack of sleep or going from a dark place into a very light place. Other times, it would be random and happen out of nothing. I would first start losing my vision slightly (it became blurred or I saw black spots) and then it would kick-in. The pain could last for hours and I had to just take a pain-killer (usually Paracetamol) and hope for the best. It usually resulted in me vomiting.

Whilst I suffered from Migraine, I was prescribed a drug called Pizotifen - I took this for about two years and had to take a tablet every night. Whilst I took this medicine, I probably had a Migraine attack maybe two or three times, whereas before taking this medication, it would happen every fortnight or so. The doctor then slowly took me off this medicine (I started taking a tablet every other day. Then I started taking one tablet every week. Then I eventually stopped).

After I came off this drug, I hardly ever had a Migraine attack. If I did, I would just take a painkiller and lie in a dark room and it would eventually wear off. But, like I said, it's been a very long time since I had a Migraine attack.

Hope that helps.

Thank u for ur answer, it really helped me mainly because of the drug u were mentioning.
It got my interest since it made ur migraine stop for these last years.

[ילדת מלך]

I have been suffering from it since I was a child; now for the last 2 years I have stopped taking any medicine for it, I sense it coming as one sees the gathering and surging forward of waves and knows that they are about to hit the shore, but now I do not move aside or try to deflect it; I let it come and wash over me and than recede.

The last medicine I used to take were called Megnopyrol and Excedrin--they worked only if taken just before the pain hits you with full propensity.

[Noura_Shi'a]

ילדת מלך, on 21 September 2012 - 10:36 AM, said:

I have been suffering from it since I was a child; now for the last 2 years I have stopped taking any medicine for it, I sense it coming as one sees the gathering and surging forward of waves and knows that they are about to hit the shore, but now I do not move aside or try to deflect it; I let it come and wash over me and than recede.

The last medicine I used to take were called Megnopyrol and Excedrin--they worked only if taken just before the pain hits you with full propensity.

Thank u for reply.
May i know why u stopped using the medications?

Excedrin is mainly a mix of caffeine, asprin and paracetamol. But i couldnt find anything about Megnopyrol.




The medications mentioned on this post is a bit unknown for me, seems like we dont use it here where live. But it will be a hard time for me if i move outside this country!

Edited by Noura_Shi'a, 21 September 2012 - 10:45 AM.

[ילדת מלך]

Noura_Shi, on 21 September 2012 - 10:44 AM, said:

Thank u for reply.
May i know why u stopped using the medications?






The medications mentioned on this post is a bit unknown for me, seems like we dont use it here where live. But it will be a hard time for me if i move outside this country!

No particular reason as such---I wanted to feel it with its raw and real edges, with its full force, without having any shield or armour on my part.......just a little battle

[Logical Islam]

i have a wild theory.

don't take paracetamol

you will make your brain dependent on it.

when i have headaches, i drink water and ignore it.

i rarely get them now, no paracetamol needed.

paracetamol doesn't help too much either imo.

[Peace!]

ילדת מלך, on 21 September 2012 - 10:36 AM, said:

I have been suffering from it since I was a child; now for the last 2 years I have stopped taking any medicine for it, I sense it coming as one sees the gathering and surging forward of waves and knows that they are about to hit the shore, but now I do not move aside or try to deflect it; I let it come and wash over me and than recede.

That felt more like poetry than prose.

ילדת מלך, on 21 September 2012 - 10:46 AM, said:

No particular reason as such---I wanted to feel it with its raw and real edges, with its full force, without having any shield or armour on my part.......just a little battle

[Marbles]

Peace!, on 22 September 2012 - 10:51 AM, said:

That felt more like poetry than prose.

That's the bare minimum you can expect from the fan of Faiz.

Edited by Marbles, 22 September 2012 - 11:02 AM.

[UmmAhmad]

It seems to be hereditary in our family, all the women on my mothers side get them. I know sometimes mine can get so painful that if I stand up I feel faint. I have noticed they accure the most when I get busy and forget to drink enough water.I used to wait them out, take warm baths with a cold clothe on my head, but now that I have a little one he keeps me busy so I just take tylenol extra strength or rapid relief I forget which one it is. When I was attending the medical missionary college where they practice natural methods of healing they advised me to drink extra water and some sort of tea but that was 2 years ago and I have forgotten what the tea was. If there are any gammar or spelling mistakes forgive me I'm writing this on my phone.

Edited by UmmAhmad, 22 September 2012 - 12:16 PM.