I lost a whole day.

[undeterred]

I have a migraine today and I spent the whole day in bed, trying to quash it with the inadequate meds that I am able to afford. If I had health insurance I would take a pill and be back to reasonably normal within an hour. This is the price and millions of people without insurance needlessly lost a whole day today. I am going to bed now and I hope I don't lose tomorrow too.

[tabatha]

1. Try limiting carbs.

[Captain Hilts]

2. Many are caused by allergies. Others hormonal. nt

[tabatha]

12. Limiting carbs helps the immune system -

and that affects allergies, hormone balance, etc.

[NYC_SKP]

3. The best possible health plan would not likely have given you meds.

The best possible health plan would have found the primary cause and treated it through diet, exercise, environment, and any healthy way possible before resorting to some pharmaceutical product.

Maybe you can find out on your own what's hurting your head.

And forgive me if you already know that you have an organic cause that can only be treated with meds.

90% of what we medicate should be treated in another more holistic way.

:patriot:

[bobbolink]

5. And good luck thinking that this country is going to support a "more holistic way"

any time in our lifetimes.

Even if we were to "win" single-payer, it would still be all about the real profit-makers.

And that doesn't include "holistic".

Mainly, because we won't fight for it.

Wellness centers should be EVERYWHERE, and free to poor folk.

Chinese medicine should be available to everyone for whom it works better than western medicine.

And the list goes on.....

But, we won't demand it.

[NYC_SKP]

9. A Health Care System that just treats everything with another Rx is not really a health care system.

Everyone knows that.

Of course it will be nice to have a "system" that helps pay the tab, but it's not true health.

[Donnachaidh]

27. not really a healthcare system -- but it IS what we have now.

Yeah, someone with light sensitivity, vomiting, and head pain so bad they pray for death are really going to be able to do the *holistic* route, before they crawl to an ER and beg for meds.

And pity the poor bastard who has no health insurance, let alone insurance yuppified enough to pay for *holistic* care (I can just hear the peals of laughter from the Blue Cross/ Blue Shield offices, for example), who has to incur ER costs AND scrape together the cash to pay for the drugs that DO work to quell migraines.

I have family members that suffer with migraines. We know about the allergic reactions that cause *some* of the outbreaks - but not all migraines can be avoided at all times. Stress, and many other factors can cause them, too.

Migraine sufferers need access to prescriptions - and there are good ones out there.

[bobbolink]

45. "Everyone knows that.' If everyone really knew that, we would have a much different system.

[Silent3]

15. Why don't you demand some repeatable double-blind studies...

...for the safety and efficacy all of these various "holistic" approaches while you're at it?

Give me good data, and I'll support it. Give me anecdote and pseudoscience, not so much.

[bobbolink]

44. Any other orders you want to issue? Never mind that I'm homeless and have a full job just surviving

Not that it would matter to you.

[Silent3]

47. I'm sorry about the bad circumstance you find yourself in...

...but I don't see how that has much of anything to do with choosing the most sensible health care options. What I'd like to see good free affordable health care for everyone, you and me and everyone. I just want know the tax dollars behind providing that care are being spent in a sensible and effective fashion. Some of what people call "alt med" might fit that bill, but a lot won't.

As for the idea that I'm issuing orders... give me a break. Or wait, is telling you to "give me a break" also and "order" being "issued"? And did I also just order you to wait when I said, "Or wait"?

Oh, God! I can't stop my dictatorial self!!! :eyes:

[bobbolink]

50. Exactly, you knew nothing about me, but you TOLD me what to do.

Now you make fun of that.

I'm really sick of the authoritarian tone of DU.

People here complain so much about this same sort of thing from the RW, then laugh when they themselves do it.

If you want things to be different in this country, then start with yourself.

You can speak with a tone of compassion and understanding if you decide to.

If you decide to keep emulating THEM, then don't bother... I've had a stomach full.

[Silent3]

65. You make it hard to speak to you with compassion...

...when you're being pretty stupidly pissy about the way you take plain old figurative speech.

I'd say "Give me good data" to anyone, and that's not a RW authoritarian "order". It means "If you'd want me to belief such and such, I'd have to see good data (whether you personally track it down or not)".

Am I supposed to give you some sort of break and treat what you say about medicine as automatically more believable simply because it might be tougher for you to back up what you say, therefore you get a charity benefit of the doubt?

[bobbolink]

72. Yes, I'm just being "pissy" because I'msick to death of the RW copycaytting.

Just like we feminists in the 60s and 70s were "being pissy" because we demanded to be treated as equals.

All of your defensiveness and rationalization just add to the picture.

You can choose to treat others with respect, and maybe build a little more peace, or you can choose to be harsh.

I just don't feel a need to bow to harshness anymore.

Given your penchant for authoritarian comebacks, I'm sure you will want the last word. Have at it, because I'm not reading more of your ugliness.

Bye now...

[Silent3]

75. All of this because I used an ordinary conversational turn of phrase.

Of course, you've said your big drama queen goodbye now and can't respond, but I wonder what exactly an "authoritarian comeback" is?

If you were "demanding equal treatment" or the like, you'd get it. What you seem to be demanding is that people walk on eggshells around you, lest they set off bizarre sensitivities no reasonable person would expect or should have to plan for.

[bobbolink]

84. Does it ever occur to you that maybe these "ordinary" phrases ARE damaging??

Haven't minority groups complained through the years about phrases that the dominant culture takes for granted?

Are you so fragile that you can't look at yourself and see that maybe you could change some things for the better, for the sake of building a better society?

Take a deep breath, go back and look at y0ur harshh language, your demands, and your name-calling.

is that what you call "peace"?

And, yes, SENSITIVITY is a good thing.

As one writer said, "When somebody tells you you're "too sensitive", you know you're talking to an insensitive person."

So, belittle others while you pride yourself on your harshness, namep-calling, and insensitivity.

Welcome to my ignore list.

[Zhade]

88. What does any of that have to do with the reasonable demand for evidence?

NT!

[Silent3]

91. Maybe I forgot the "pretty please"? n/t

[Obamanaut]

89. Has there been a thread - ever - where your "dire" circumstances

have not been mentioned at least once?

Or where you have not been dismissive of other posters, such as "Not that it would matter to you."

[Silent3]

92. Hey, you're toying with ending up on ignore!

(gasp!) :scared:

[Obamanaut]

93. Dammit! It's a burden I'll have to bear. nt

[uppityperson]

101. You are joining a good group of us. nt

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

10. What do they treat migraines with in a holistic system?

[timeforpeace]

11. Good question.

[ehrnst]

30. Feverfew. An herb that really helped a friend of mine.

She had monthly migranes triggered by hormones - a daily preventative dose of feverfew really helped.

More info:

http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/feverfew-migraine.html

[gkhouston]

74. I tried it. Didn't work. n/t

[tabatha]

14. Diet, diet, diet.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

18. What diet?

[tabatha]

37. There is a lot of information in books and on the web.

But some simple pointers - lots of low glycemic vegetables, some fruit, only whole grains and not very much of them at all.
The correct Omega3/Omega6 balance, and enough sunshine to have good levels of VitD.
Much water, and little to no alcohol and caffeine (even in tea), and as much raw food as possible (enzymes not destroyed.)

[armyowalgreens]

25. Not all migraines are triggered by diet.

[tabatha]

36. Agreed, but many are.

[dysfunctional press]

41. has nothing to do with most migraines.

[undeterred]

57. agree

There are some foods that trigger headaches in a lot of people, like red wine, smoked meats, msg, etc. Its pretty easy to figure out which ones to avoid. And that may eliminate a few migraines.
I went from never having one in my life to having 3-4 severe ones per month when I was in my twenties. And I hadn't changed my diet or any other habits.

[Sheltiemama]

95. Triptans, triptans, triptans.

[NYC_SKP]

19. I left a margin in my reply for the case that meds were the only way.

Not knowing the member's specific condition.

But as you know, many allergens of food-drug interactions or other environmental factors can cause headaches, for example.My

I fear that even the best hope in a single-payer system won't stem the practice of finding pharmacological solutions to problems that can be treated with proper diet, exercise, etc.

Our old family GP and my current GP both really hate to medicate, and I admire that.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

20. Most people don't want to diet and exercise. Most people want a pill.

[Donnachaidh]

28. my DH has had migraines for years

He's physically fit, and his job kept him that way. ONE of his triggers was msg, which we keep out of everything in our house.

But it didn't stop all of the migraines. And he NEEDED the *pill*. Unless you've suffered the kind of serious pain these folks go through, you cannot understand how BAD it can get. Why should these folks be made to feel bad about requesting medication that WORKS?

[MadrasT]

46. What Donachaidh said. +1. n/t

[Sheltiemama]

54. What she said, +2.

[nashville_brook]

39. yep -- if you're suffering a migraine it's your own damn fault for eating and being a fat ass

<sarcasm> as if it's needed.

[undeterred]

52. Obviously your hormones don't fluctuate much.

Your body is static, so you believe everything is under your control. Your advice should therefore be limited to others of your gender.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

63. You have attributed much to me that I haven't said or implied.

[undeterred]

69. Sorry, but people who have migraines want immediate relief.

Its the most misery you can be in without anything being really wrong with you. And after a few decades, believe me I've looked into everything. Holistic treatments tend to be mild. Migraines are excruciating. Anything that can last 4 days and make you vomit to dehydration, and still hurts until you've had IV Demerol isn't going away easily.

[Sheltiemama]

55. When I have a migraine, damn straight I want a pill.

No apologies from me.

[SoCalDem]

22. A dear friend of mine who suffered from them used to do this.. It sounds incredibly odd,

she used to wrap her hands in a heating pad.. I never got migraines, but she swore by this "home remedy"..

[undeterred]

58. Frozen vegetables.

Especially after they've been thawed and refrozen a few times so they can't ever be eaten. Frozen snow peas will conform to the head.

[Zhade]

86. Fairy dust.

NT!

[Zhade]

87. dupe

dupe

[tabatha]

13. Agreed.

It all comes down to diet.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

29. So people who have migraines from hereditary hypertension also have a dietary problem?

[tabatha]

35. No.

But people who have migraines from a poor diet, do.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

61. What percentage is that?

[tabatha]

94. I don't know.

But I have read that many people have had relief by changing their diet.

Try this:
http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/diet-headache-migraine.html

and google for more until a clearer picture is obtained.

[uppityperson]

102. "It all comes down to diet" for those who have migraines from a poor diet? Well, yes

It all comes down to hormones for those who have migraines from hormones.
It all comes down to blood pressure for those who have migraines from hypertension or hypotension.

etc

[undeterred]

59. Some of us with migraines are hypotensive, btw.

I have the blood pressure of a much younger person.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

62. So are your migraines caused by hypotension?

[undeterred]

66. My migraines are caused by fluctuating estrogen levels

I get the same headaches every single month. My vascular system over-reacts to the changes and the blood vessels in my brain throb.

Hypotension has nothing to do with the headaches. Doctors figured out about 30 years ago that patients who are hypertensive and have migraines often get rid of the migraines when they start taking something to treat the hypertension.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

70. Then why did you bring up hypotension?

[undeterred]

73. I thought you were assuming that migraines and hypertension

are related.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

77. My question was clearly about specific patients with hypertensive migraines.

Many people with hypertension do have migraines, never did I say that was the only or even the most common cause.

[undeterred]

80. People with migraines are crabby.

Especially when we don't have access to health care.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

81. It shouldn't affect reading comprehension. Hope you feel better.

[Sheltiemama]

99. It can, actually.

[Sheltiemama]

96. Me, too.

I control what I can, but I can't control my hormones, or the weather, another major trigger for me.

[undeterred]

67. dupe

[dixiegrrrrl]

64. I never knew about the hypotension part of it.

Had them for years, always related to my cycle, hit menopause, had one "occular" migraine after that,
never had another migraine. Yayyyyyyyy.
I always have had low blood pressure.
Interesting.
( I am typing very quietly because I know how it feels to have one, and you get my full sympathy).

[undeterred]

68. Thank you.

Well, my doc told me I could look forward to that, but last time I brought it up he said that 50% of his female patients with migraines are continuing to have them after menopause.

[handmade34]

83. me too

thought menopause would end my migraines. It didn't. I started having migraines when I was 12 and they continue to this day. I am sorry you lost yesterday: I too lost pretty much the whole weekend. I have come to understand that there is no way for someone who does not have migraines to 'get it'

[Sheltiemama]

97. My blood pressure tends to run low.

Considering how much stress I'm under, I don't bloody know how, but it does.

[Mojorabbit]

43. no

Mine are from changes in the barometric pressure. Documented.

[Sheltiemama]

98. That's a huge trigger for me.

[cabluedem]

23. I didn't believe in accupunture until I tried it after injuring my back. It worked great!

Now I am a believer in other methods of treatment besides "western medicine", for certain conditions, myself.

[armyowalgreens]

24. Clearly you have never suffered from migraines...

"holistic medication" does nothing. It's a load of BS.


And yes, insurance companies do provide medication. I was on anti-migraine medication for 5 years. And it worked very well.

[nashville_brook]

38. BULLSHIT -- basic insurance with a pharm bennie would provide Sumatriptan

I've had migraines since i was 17 -- i'm 43 now. i have no less than 7 days a month that are headache days. I'm lucky to have insurance now to pay for the abortive.

There's not a "holistic med" on the planet that will abort a migraine -- not unless you consider suicide by hanging holistic.

[dysfunctional press]

42. i take vicoprofen for mine...

but i don't have prescription coverage for it.

[undeterred]

60. I am with you.

The thing that really gripes me is that there still is not an inexpensive generic. I've been using Imitrex since it came out in the early nineties. Glaxo reformulated in order to get an extension on their patent. And then they came out with their own generic, which is almost as expensive as the real thing. Glaxo doesn't want people to be able to treat their migraines unless they can make an enormous profit from every single shot or pill. There should be a cheap abortive by now. Its a crime on Glaxo's part that there isn't.

[Sheltiemama]

85. Preaching to the choir.

Our health insurance choices probably are going to change for the coming year, and from what I can tell, given the deductible under that choice this year, I'll be paying $275 instead of $40 for my Maxalt. But I'd have to miss work some days without it. I've been taking triptans for at least a decade, and it's just pure greed that there isn't a generic.

[dropkickpa]

105. Hemp is holistic, rope is made from hemp!

[undeterred]

49. I've had these for over 25 years

and been seeing the same neurologist for over 20. I am way past diagnosis, and have prescriptions for the appropriate medications. I just can't afford the ones that abort the migraines.

Only a health plan which relies on torture would withhold meds from a migraine sufferer.

And btw I have been trained in acupuncture and I have the needles. This only works sometimes, and especially if you use it early in the headache. But even then, it only works on some headaches.

[alarimer]

51. Show me the science that this actually works.

Treatments need to based on science and not on nonsense.

Evidence-based medicine (and single-payer or the public options) needs to exclude all the nonsense that has not been shown to work.

Migraines respond to medication. THAT is the current science and that is what should be used. Get rid of all the holistic, new-age, woo-woo bullshit that DOES NOT WORK. No "alternative" or homeopathic medicine should ever be allowed on a government run health care system. Only those treatment that are scientifically proven.

[Sheltiemama]

53. My health plan gives me meds.

I avoid the triggers I can, but migraine sufferers need an abortive in their arsenal. And you'll get my Maxalt when you pry it out of my cold, dead hands.

[Warpy]

4. Migraines are buggers

and my mother noticed I'd inherited them when I was four. Most of my generation in my extended family gets them. I could always count on at least two a month, both hormonal, if I stayed away from the other triggers of cigarette smoke and alcohol in any form. Being around smokers or drinking alcohol gave me instant migraine.

I found I could abort them if I took caffeine when I first got the aura. The worst ones were the ones that woke me up, nothing to do but cower in a dark room and wait for them to go away. After an established migraine finally left, I remained in a fog for about 24 hours.

All I can suggest is getting to know your triggers and avoiding them. If I knew a curse to give our fine conservatives in Congress the buggers until they do the right thing about insurance, I'd use it.

Lack of insurance has meant not only no Imitrex, but no pain meds when I get a bad one.

And people wonder why I hate the insurance companies so much.

[Ms. Toad]

8. I've had them since I was 4, as well.

My mother, who has never had a headache in her life, couldn't figure out why I would curl up in a ball for hours then throw up. The only things that have ever worked for me are aspirin and ibuprofen (which is generally good - since they are cheap). The times that were roughest for me were those I was prohibited from taking NSAIDS because I was on blood thinners. For those periods I had some 5 drug cocktail that still didn't knock them out...it dulled them, but they lasted for days.

[DainBramaged]

6. Having suffered through them for decades I feel your pain

many many days I lost to migraines even though I had medical coverage back in the day. Ice packs, caffeine, Fiorinal worked best back then. Started in the back of my neck and if I didn't catch it within half an hour, I was done for.




:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:

[Ms. Toad]

7. Sorry. Me too.

Fortunately, mine generally respond to cheap OTC ibuprofen or aspirin.

[Mz Pip]

16. Must be something in the air

I had one last night. I have medication but it only works about half the time. God, they are annoying.

Get a good night's sleep and be well tomorrow. :hug:

[EFerrari]

17. I'm so sorry, undeterred.

:hug:

[noamnety]

21. I'm so sorry

I have spent a lot of days like that. I have to regulate everything with caffeine, and like others said, at the first hint, I have to suck it down or I'm done for. If I wait til it's pain - instead of awareness that it's coming - sometimes exedrin migraine will take it away, sometimes it will make it tolerable, if I catch it too late there's just nothing I can do. I keep those pills with me, I have them stashed at work, in the car, and at home because I panic if I start to get one and I can't get it under control.

[barbaraann]

26. There's a surgical treatment that might help you.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/health&id=6397276

[madokie]

31. I have the aura of migraine mostly

I've only had the pain three times and I can tell you from that experiences that migraines are terrible. I get the aura of migraine pretty regularly and have never been able to single out the triggers although sometimes it's the stress that causes it. the last time was shortly after an inner ear surgery and this one put me to bed for several days, couldn't stand light nor touch.

[Sheltiemama]

56. That's what my dad gets.

Sometimes they're called occular migraines. My mother and I get the old-fashioned kind, as did her father.

[Wednesdays]

32. K&R

:kick:

[slackmaster]

33. I'm curious - What kind of pill are you referring to, and how much does it cost per dose?

:hi:

[undeterred]

76. Imitrex

$160 for 2 shots/$286 for 9 pills (pkg cannot be smaller)

no cheaper generic

[dysfunctional press]

104. i have migraines as well, but i can't take imitrex due to my raynaud's syndrome...

so i take vicoprofen, which seems to help a great deal.

[Mira]

34. Do triptans help you ? If yes, you can get some free from

Imitrex. Try their website, try an emergency type clinic. Beg.
I had (probably hormonal) migraines for over 20 years, and my life was such that the only plans I could make were: "i will if I don't have a headache". I had as many as 10 or so a month.
And then, one day, I ougrew them.

[undeterred]

78. Yes, but it takes months to get those from Glaxo

and no they don't hand out expensive pills at an ER or urgent care clinic without a very expensive visit.

[dysfunctional press]

40. your doctor charges you to call in a prescription?

that's odd.

i'd find a different one.

[undeterred]

71. No, the pharmacy charges me to put pills in the little bottles.

They already have the prescriptions. Two injections run $160. Nine pills run $286 and you cannot get less than nine.

[dysfunctional press]

103. have you consulted with anyone in regard to an alternative?

when i lost my insurance/prescription coverage- the dr. changed my script from the one of the priciest to one of the cheapest, and it was just as effective.

[Sheltiemama]

48. Sending quiet, gentle hugs to you.

I take Maxalt. I have health insurance through my employer, and it costs me $40 for 12 doses per month. According to the leaflet that comes with my refills, my cost without insurance would be around $275, and I always wonder how people without insurance make that decision. Food, rent/mortgage or migraine meds? It's obscene. Without it, I'd lose days, too. I sincerely hope you feel better tomorrow.

[undeterred]

79. thank you

Any of them will work, I've tried them all over the years. There is no reason why these should cost so much. And there is no reason why anyone should suffer with these headaches when there is a remedy for them. Its all about GREED.

[greenbird]

82. Interesting new information about a possible cause of migraines:

I've had them for almost forty years now. I was delighted to read this article, if for no other reason than the hope that people with their simplistic solutions and wacky home remedies would finally STFU!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070419212654.htm

[aoyatuo]

90. reply

i think you are right!

[Oilwellian]

100. My son has migraines

His trigger is sudden sunlight or a bright light in his eyes. He religiously wears sunglasses when outside. Oddly, when he was 12 and having an eye exam, the optician told him he would start having migraines when he was 16. Damn if they didn't start when he was 16. He's able to keep them at a minimum at this point. He knows when he's triggered one and immediately takes Execedrin for migraines. He keeps them in his car, in his work van, at home, and a couple in his wallet, just in case.

I had one migraine in my life and know the pain they cause. Those who think it's diet causing a migraine is just plain wrong. They are triggered by many different things.