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Patterns: Preventing Women's Migraines
NY Times ^ | July 27, 2004 | JOHN O'NEIL

Posted on 07/30/2004 7:52:44 PM PDT by neverdem

VITAL SIGNS

Many women who suffer migraines tell their doctors that their headaches are related to the onset of menstruation. Two studies released yesterday lend support to that link and to the idea of timing medication to the menstrual cycle as a preventive measure.

Both studies were published in the journal Neurology.

The lead author of one of the studies, Dr. E. Anne MacGregor of the City of London Migraine Clinic, said that in general about half of women with migraines say their headaches come on more often and with greater severity just before menstruation. Earlier studies had not found evidence of the connection, Dr. MacGregor said, because women with migraines connected to the menstrual cycle and women whose migraines were not connected canceled each other out.

The new study overcame that difficulty by comparing the onset and severity of attacks within a group of 155 women who all had suspected menstrual migraines, she said.

Entries in diaries the women were asked to keep showed that they were more than twice as likely to suffer migraines during the first three days of menstruation as they were on other days, and that the menstrual migraines were more than three times as likely to be severe as those at other times.

The second study found that fewer than half the women who took an anti-migraine drug, frovatriptan, before and during the onset of menstruation suffered headaches, compared with two-thirds of women given a placebo.

Dr. MacGregor said women suffering migraines should use diaries to discern patterns in attacks, and a fertility monitor if they are uncertain about predicting menstruation. Even without preventive medicine, "women in our study reported that this helped them to feel more in control of their migraine," she said.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: health; medication; medicine; menstrualcycle; menstruation; migraines; timing
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To: neverdem

I get them pretty often and have been to so many drs. Never had a pain-killer that can get rid of them.


21 posted on 07/30/2004 10:32:16 PM PDT by Trillian
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To: neverdem

I had an earache once.


22 posted on 07/30/2004 10:41:29 PM PDT by Deb (Hey, Sen. Kerry...why the long face?)
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To: neverdem

I had migraines for all kinds of reasons, but they tended to cluster around my period. I had a hysterectomy 2 years ago and am on Estrogen. Still getting the migraines.

Cheese will set them off and who knows what else. Excedrin works most of the time, THANK GOD!

Ice can help, hot baths can help as well. A small amount of Peppermint oil on the forehead sometimes works, too. But once in a while, I still get ones that just won't go away.

Had one today, but had a Chiropractor appointment. After he cracked my neck, VOILA, it disappeared. Sigh. Wish I could avoid them entirely.


23 posted on 07/30/2004 10:51:19 PM PDT by ODC-GIRL (Proudly serving our Nation's Homeland Defense)
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To: neverdem

I suffered with the worst migraines two days before onset of cycle then two years ago they just stopped that caused me more concern than having them so I went to see my DR. found out Iam peri-menopausal.I didnt realize what a crank I had been:)but being headache free has really made my life wonderful again!!


24 posted on 07/30/2004 10:54:15 PM PDT by suzyq5558 (Sayyyyyy....isnt disingenuous dissembler just a fancy way of saying your a LIAR???)
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To: I still care

Which blood pressure medicine? What was the cause of your migraines? My dad gets terrible headaches if he has any garlic (You can't believe how many foods -even mustard- that it's in.) I wish he could find something to get rid of them if he accidentally ingests some...


25 posted on 07/30/2004 10:57:23 PM PDT by Libertina (Photoshop is our friend - just ask John Bunny-Suit Kerry ;))
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To: Trillian

I've suffered horrible headaches since I was five years old, but Butabitol, which is actually fioricette, will knock them out pretty well. It seems that the longer I have taken fioricette, the less often I need it.



26 posted on 07/30/2004 11:11:14 PM PDT by angry elephant (Endangered species in Seattle)
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To: Trillian

"I get them pretty often and have been to so many drs. Never had a pain-killer that can get rid of them."

Have you tried neurontin? I know a few folks who found that that one worked when the others didn't. Also, a shot of toradol can do wonders, although it can only be a once in a while thing since it can go to town on your liver. And, finally, botox injections are helping quite a few people with intractable migraine these days. You get btwn. 20-40 little shots at particular points on your scalp. Drawbacks are the cost, the fact that it can wear off after 4-6 months, and that few doctors know exactly where to inject, which is crucial. It's still considered experimental, but several studies are now confirming that it works.

Btw, have you ever been tested for lyme disease? I know tons of lyme people who have had horrid problems with headaches, myself included.


27 posted on 07/31/2004 12:10:45 AM PDT by MonaMars
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To: NYC GOP Chick
For some reason, drinking something with caffeine in it at the onset seems to take some of the edge off an impending migraine.

Interesting. For the person I know with bad migraines, caffeine induces migraines. ...As does food or drink with high ascorbic acid content...cheeses...spicy sausages...foods with a lot of nitrates.

I did successfully get one migraine to go away by giving them an "indian burn" on their ankle. I suspect that was just the inverse of "thinking about your migraine just makes it worse".

28 posted on 07/31/2004 6:06:53 AM PDT by lepton ("It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into"--Jonathan Swift)
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To: Libertina

I take Toprol XL - a beta blocker. I had thought maybe my headaches were from HBP, but it seems that betablockers help lots of migraines.


29 posted on 07/31/2004 8:50:11 AM PDT by I still care (Have you heard about the Democrat cocktail? It's ketchup with a chaser.)
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To: ODC-GIRL

Re: Migraines, I sympathize with you - I had a period of time when my children were both small when I used to get a headache every Friday and throw up all day. The allergist had me give up cola, tea and chocolate. That cured the problem but I sure was sad about not being able to have any of those things. Apparently,the common ingredient in these foods is tannin which can trigger migraines in some people. Coffee was still OK for me.


30 posted on 07/31/2004 3:57:37 PM PDT by mean lunch lady (Native of Florida, Land of the Hanging Chad)
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To: Libertina

My dad gets terrible headaches if he has any garlic.... I wish he could find something to get rid of them if he accidentally ingests some...

My mother-in-law had a brother who had some severe food allergies and she said he was told by his doctor that Alka-Seltzer Gold would help to neutralize the things in your system. You might want to suggest that he check with a doctor first if he has any health problems or is on medication, but maybe it would help your dad, too. Good luck.


31 posted on 07/31/2004 4:02:54 PM PDT by mean lunch lady (Native of Florida, Land of the Hanging Chad)
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To: mean lunch lady

LOL Thanks, I'll pass it on :)


32 posted on 07/31/2004 5:43:52 PM PDT by Libertina (Photoshop is our friend - just ask John Bunny-Suit Kerry ;))
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