Migraine type headache with sensitivity to caffeine (allergies, pain, bleeding)

[lizzyst]

My daughter suffers from migraine-type headaches, sometimes with nausea and sometimes not. She is very sensitive to caffeine, also; more than one cup of weak coffee makes her very jittery. She does detail work with her hands, self-employed sewing/embroidering baby clothes, so cannot drink coffee or caffeinated soft drinks and work.

In addition, she does not have health insurance at present.

Since there is a family history of migraines, I know what used to work for me--Imitrex; of course, a prescription. Sometimes BC and Goody powders with black coffee work for me, but she would be bouncing off the walls with that combination, I'm afraid--she has used Exedrin Migraine in the past with good results but now it upsets her stomach! Does anyone know of any other over-the-counter med or a treatment for her to try? Thanks so much!

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Feverfew is an herbal preparation that has shown to be effective in medical studies. I took the liquid form made by HerbPharm, bought at my grocery, for years. You can take it daily as a preventative or just when you feel one starting. Put it in a little water, juuce or soda but NOT milk; it tastes foul. It stopped my migraines in their tracks.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Benadryl helps my migraines. Of course it makes you sleepy, but I'd rather be asleep with no migraine than laying in bed in a dark room all day, or for several days, because I can't open my eyes and it hurts to move my head.

800 mg of ibuprofen also helps somewhat.

The main thing for me is to stay hydrated. If I get busy and drink less water than usual, I will have a migraine the next day.

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by lizzyst

My daughter suffers from migraine-type headaches, sometimes with nausea and sometimes not. She is very sensitive to caffeine, also; more than one cup of weak coffee makes her very jittery. She does detail work with her hands, self-employed sewing/embroidering baby clothes, so cannot drink coffee or caffeinated soft drinks and work.

In addition, she does not have health insurance at present.

Since there is a family history of migraines, I know what used to work for me--Imitrex; of course, a prescription. Sometimes BC and Goody powders with black coffee work for me, but she would be bouncing off the walls with that combination, I'm afraid--she has used Exedrin Migraine in the past with good results but now it upsets her stomach! Does anyone know of any other over-the-counter med or a treatment for her to try? Thanks so much!

If you have a Hy-Vee in your area try their Migraine Medicine, it is like Excedrin except Excedrin has been pulled from the shelves many months ago. Otherwise CVS also has their own brand but for migraine it has caffeine in it but it is about 65 mg per tablet.

Valerian tea works pretty well also but it is the base of Valium when mixed with the proper ingredients, she might try Sleepy Time Tea as well or St John's Wort, it is used as a mood enhancer mainly but works well and keeps me balanced.

[PippySkiddles]

believe it or not Phenergan knocks out most of my migraines.

[sfcambridge]

Is she taking the exedrine migraine with food? Sometimes taking it with food or with a proton pump inhibitor medicine (ex. prilosec or generic omeprazole) can help her stomach. One problem with exedrine is that it works because it contains caffeine! So she may find it sometimes makes her jittery.

I've heard you can get generic imitrex from some pharmacies over the internet in Canada that is very cheap. But she would need to see a doctor and get a prescription.

Hoping she can get some health insurance very soon. What if she develops a bad migraine that doesn't improve and need to go to the emergency room? That could cost a few thousand dollars before you are done.

Check for the special plans in your state (there are federally based ones and many states now have state ones) for people with pre-existing conditions, if she hasn't had insurance for at least 6 months. Since your daughter now has a pre-existing condition (migraines) that will make it difficult to get private coverage (most insurance companies will not cover her the condition) or it would be very expensive. Since your daughter is so young, the state/federal plans will be incredibly cheap - especially if she is not a smoker.

Look for the equivalent to this in your state...

About IPXP

[lizzyst]

Originally Posted by sfcambridge

Is she taking the exedrine migraine with food? Sometimes taking it with food or with a proton pump inhibitor medicine (ex. prilosec or generic omeprazole) can help her stomach. One problem with exedrine is that it works because it contains caffeine! So she may find it sometimes makes her jittery.

I've heard you can get generic imitrex from some pharmacies over the internet in Canada that is very cheap. But she would need to see a doctor and get a prescription.

Hoping she can get some health insurance very soon. What if she develops a bad migraine that doesn't improve and need to go to the emergency room? That could cost a few thousand dollars before you are done.

Check for the special plans in your state (there are federally based ones and many states now have state ones) for people with pre-existing conditions, if she hasn't had insurance for at least 6 months. Since your daughter now has a pre-existing condition (migraines) that will make it difficult to get private coverage (most insurance companies will not cover her the condition) or it would be very expensive. Since your daughter is so young, the state/federal plans will be incredibly cheap - especially if she is not a smoker.

Look for the equivalent to this in your state...

About IPXP

There is some really good info in your post and I appreciate it. My daughter is on her own, no longer a minor, self-employed and that is why she is without health insurance. I do worry about her and I've explained some of the issues you brought up. I understand about the pre-existing condition and insurance. Will suggest to her about Prilosec or omeprazole with Excedrin--she may be taking it first thing in the AM before food. Also, we'll look into the possibility of Imitrex in Canada.

Thank you!

[sfcambridge]

Originally Posted by lizzyst

There is some really good info in your post and I appreciate it. My daughter is on her own, no longer a minor, self-employed and that is why she is without health insurance. I do worry about her and I've explained some of the issues you brought up. I understand about the pre-existing condition and insurance. Will suggest to her about Prilosec or omeprazole with Excedrin--she may be taking it first thing in the AM before food. Also, we'll look into the possibility of Imitrex in Canada.

Thank you!

But one quick thing... you worried me a little when you said that she was taking Excedrin in the AM before food. It's unusual to have a migraine first thing in the morning..... How often is she taking it?

One thing that might be a problem if she is taking Exedrin too frequently is it has aspirin in it, which is very rough on the stomach and can cause ulcers/bleeding. Exedrin really isn't a good medicine to take every day because of these issues. So definitely try to encourage her to take it with food as well as the omeprazole, if she isn't so nauseated she can't.

I totally understand the dilemma of being young, struggling to make enough $ in this tough job market, and thinking you're invincible and don't need health insurance. Many of my friends did it. But I've also learned lessons the hard way.... everything could change in an instant. What if she got hit by a car tomorrow and became paralyzed like happened to my Dad?.... I will still encourage you guys to look into the health insurance options I described for her state. I know you can't force her....

[kronenborg]

be aware that overuse of over the counter head medicines can, in itself, be a cause of headache (medication overuse headache).

you dont mention how frequently she suffers migraines (e.g. how many days out of a month is she headache free), nor how often she uses medicines for pain (e.g. how many days per month will she take excedrin, and the like).

having a regular daily routine - getting up at the same time, going to bed at the same time (even at weekends), eating regular meals, and avoiding dehydration, can all be helpful in reducing migraines - also, it might be worth her keeping some kind of food diary, to try and identify if there are any obvious food/drink triggers - although this is only possible to identify in some migraine sufferers - and it seems increasingly possible that migraine triggers an urge to eat certain foods and is thus the cause of the association with migraine, rather than certain foods triggering the migraine.

in general, of the over the counter medicines, naproxen is probably among one of the best, although it can also cause stomach problems - really, if she is having significant disruption from her migraines, she ought to try a triptan, and if she is one of the minority in whom that doesnt work, there are other stronger potential options - all which require administration under the care of a physician.

[lizzyst]

Originally Posted by kronenborg

be aware that overuse of over the counter head medicines can, in itself, be a cause of headache (medication overuse headache).

you dont mention how frequently she suffers migraines (e.g. how many days out of a month is she headache free), nor how often she uses medicines for pain (e.g. how many days per month will she take excedrin, and the like).

having a regular daily routine - getting up at the same time, going to bed at the same time (even at weekends), eating regular meals, and avoiding dehydration, can all be helpful in reducing migraines - also, it might be worth her keeping some kind of food diary, to try and identify if there are any obvious food/drink triggers - although this is only possible to identify in some migraine sufferers - and it seems increasingly possible that migraine triggers an urge to eat certain foods and is thus the cause of the association with migraine, rather than certain foods triggering the migraine.

in general, of the over the counter medicines, naproxen is probably among one of the best, although it can also cause stomach problems - really, if she is having significant disruption from her migraines, she ought to try a triptan, and if she is one of the minority in whom that doesnt work, there are other stronger potential options - all which require administration under the care of a physician.

She used to have them primarily before her period (the 2 or 3 days before and the day of starting her period). Seems to be having them more often in the past couple of months. She also has had allergies and she has wondered if this is the real cause, especially when there is no nausea. I have suggested several times to go a local "free" clinic for her county, but she's been resistant to that suggestion so far, mostly because of the extensive paperwork and intrusiveness of the certification process for that. She also looked into insurance on her own (BCBS) and that is out of the question financially. If she gets to the point where it is debilitating, I may insist more strongly and we will try to find an answer. When your child is an adult, it's impossible to "force" her, as some others have acknowledged.

I appreciate all the responses and will keep suggesting and coaxing--which works better for her.