shoo gal Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Hi everybody I just wanted to share a service which is amazing for headaches and migraines - if they are impacting your life. I have been really suffering with Menstrual migraines for the past five months which have been very severe, plus daily headaches which haven;t been pleasant. My doctor has been helpful, but until taking the tickbox list of preventatives, which I didn't want to do and said no to, she said she wouldn't be able to refer me to headache clinic. I work in PR and a journalist recommended going to the National Migraine Centre in London. I know it's a trek, but it is a fantastic service. You don't need a referral and can request an appointment yourself. I went last week. It was amazing to get such specialist advice and speak to someone who understands. They give you a consultation and then a plan of action. From this they write to your doctor and ask them to prescribe the necessary short term medication needed to help. Then after your plan time is up you go back for a follow up. It's a charity organisation and you're requested to give a donation of what you can afford. I would highly recommend this if migraines and headaches are impacting your life. Here is the link - http://www.nationalmigrainecentre.org.uk I went to the doctors yesterday to follow up on this appointment. My GP didn't know this Centre existed. She alos said that referrals to headache clinic in Sheffield are no longer accepted because the wait is too long. Hope this helps anyone who needs it. SGx Ps - I was interested to learn that common triggers such as cheese and chocolate are very very rare. The consultant said that you start releasing migraine chemicals in the brain 12 hours before the pain sets in. These schemicals make you crave cheese, or other foods, so you think that they’ve caused the migraine, but you’d get the migraine anyway. The only exception is red wine, which she said to avoid altogether. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerbyTup Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Regrettably, migraine is a condition that is often misdiagnosed and can be regarded by some GP's as trivial. It is also unfortunate that it is a term that many people use to describe a bad headache - inaccurately. Migraine is a specific type of headache. The word comes from the Greek "hemicranium" meaning "half of the head". The pain is very characteristic occurring only on one half of the head, usually over the eye. It may be preceded, in some cases, by visual disturbances - as if you have looked into a bright light. But not always. Some people never experience this "aura" as it is known. The pain itself is uncomfortable but not usually severe in nature. It may be followed by a feeling of sickness or vomitting - but again, not in all cases. There has never been any research that has proven a link between so called "trigger" factors such as cheese, chocolate, red wine etc. Although many people believe these to be causative. People who have regular migraine may be able to associate it with some specific things, but it has never been proven. I suffer with it (not so much nowadays) and mine was always after a stressful period. (Not a menstrual period - I'm a bloke see!). Of the routine painkillers i.e. those that you can buy over the counter without a prescription - aspirin has been clinically proven to be the most effective - BUT - the effective dose is 900mg and it works better if given with metoclopramide (which you will need a prescription for). The most effective treatments for acute attacks are a class of drugs known as "triptans". There are many different ones, all very similar in efficacy. I think you may be able to buy low strength ones now over the counter. I use Imigran or Zomig. They can switch a migraine off in minutes and prevent being out of the game for the rest of the day. If you suffer from frequent migraines you may be put on long-term medication. In any case - it is always best to seek medical advice. And it really shouldn't be necessary to have to make a trip to London to get it - if you've got a caring and knowledgable GP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CathS Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 This seems great and i will make an appointment if all else fails but do you know of anything nearer? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mecky Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I had a bad attack the other week for about 3 days. It's not fun walking around with sensitive eyesight, severe headache and feeling sick. Mostly though I just get eye floaters which are a bit easier to deal with. I'll check out the website when I get home. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccit Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Migraine can be triggered by grinding the teeth during sleep. It's worth visiting the dentist to check for this. A simple plastic guard to fit over the lower teeth can be most beneficial and the dentist can provide a custom made one. Acupuncture can also be helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 The pain itself is uncomfortable but not usually severe in nature. No, the pain is bleeping severe, don't tell someone it's "uncomfortable" until you've experienced it. I can reduce it to a normal headache kind of pain if I manage to take painkillers as soon as I notice my vision on one side starting to turn to lovely wonderful fractals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie824 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I get migraines and yes, the pain is usually (but not always) severe. When I know one is coming on I know I have to get home because I will not be able to drive or look after the children if I am out and about. It's always down the right side, just behind the eye, accompanied by nausea and dizziness. Like probedb I can control the pain if I get the right painkillers quickly and get some sleep but if I don't get them in time I'm in for an agonizing night (my migraines always seem to come on in the evenings). The after-effects continue for some days too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vague_Boy Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 No, the pain is bleeping severe, don't tell someone it's "uncomfortable" until you've experienced it. Agree 100% I found Feverfew tablets helped me a lot, although they did nothing for a friend who also gets migraines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babyblueeyes Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 i suffer from migraines a lot with servre sickness tried all sorts of tablets untill docs prescribed me paramax which helps a lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kel83 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I think mine are triggered when I have too much coffee/not enough water. I get the bright light and loss of vision followed by a pounding headache above my left eye. I usually just go to sleep but that's not always possible- so thanks for the medication advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.