Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with migraines

How can I find out if mold is causing her migraines?

joshwebb — Wed, 28 May 2008 10:51:45 -0800

My fiance has been experiencing rather severe migraines for close to a year now. Since they began she's been to many different doctors, specialists, chiropractors, etc. all of whom have failed to provide an answer. Its only now that I'm seeing a correlation between her migraines/headaches and our move into the first floor of an old house within the same timeframe. Could this be mold or another allergen? Help me figure this out and (possibly) get out of here before our wedding. A little background—in August of last year we moved into this first-floor old-house apartment in a hurry. Its been somewhat of a disaster but we've managed through it. After we moved in my fiance began experiencing more and more frequent headaches and which led to migraines—every day. She has seen several different doctors, a headache specialist, a neurologist and most recently a chiropractor over the course of the past year, none of whom could provide a solution or an explanation. She's been taking increasingly high doses of various medication, but neither of us have noticed a significant difference.

Recently our relatives and I have been considering the possibility of some sort of allergen or irritant in the house that could be causing the problem. The timeframes match up, the house in pretty bad shape (the basement is particularly disgusting) and things seem to settle down if we're away from the place for an extended period. I don't believe that this has ever been brought up to or asked about by a doctor.

Is it possible that mold could be causing this (or some other factor related to the place?) We're 2 months away from our lease being up, but only 1 month away from our wedding. I'd like to end these migraines so she's not suffering on our wedding day.

I'm willing to just pack up and move today if it would mean that she'd get better. However, she's not happy with the idea of paying rent for two apartments concurrently—which leads to the second part of my question. If something in this place is causing these, how can we prove it and convince the landlord to let us out of our lease?

Keep in mind that this particular landlord, when confronted by the contents of all tenants toilets being dumped into the basement (yes, the smell was unbearable) said that it wasn't remotely a health risk.

I called today to see if they had ever had the place checked for mold and was told that they "didn't think so."

Oh, and we're in Naperville, IL if that means anything to anyone.

Phenobarbital and Migraines

maryh — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 23:11:45 -0800

From the age of 5 until 9, my doctor prescribed phenobarbital for my migraines. The headaches disappeared, but I'm wondering if there have been any long term studies done on the effects of phenobarbital on young children. I can't remember what my oral dosage was, but I do recall, in excruciating detail, the awfulness of stopping the medication: depression, disorientation, a disconnect between my thoughts and my ability to speak them. I experienced these symptoms for some years afterward, but I don't know if there was any connection to the drug. Google isn't helping me much here. Anyone?

Such a headache! Must have been something I ate!

D Dear — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 19:05:49 -0800

RE: food-induced migraine triggers. Certain foods trigger, others don't. Common denominator is caffeine. These don't cause migraines: bottled white tea beverages, decaf coffee (which is suppose to contain a small amount of caffeine), white chocolate, Excedrin Migraine and Country Time Lemonade. Urban Legend says the lemonade contains caffeine.

These cause migraines: caffeinated beverage (colas, Mountain Dew), coffee, tea, and milk/dark chocolate.

Any ideas on why certain foods trigger and others do not? Thank you, MetaHive!

Help With Migraines

spicynuts — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 09:13:31 -0800

Migraines - Neurology institutes or doctors in Manhattan that specialize in migraines? I thought I had read of a doctor/institute in Manhattan that is on the forefront of migraine treatment and I can't find it after a quick browse of the AskMefi google search results (forgive me - I'm near death with a migraine right now and did the best I could). Does anyone know what I'm talking about and if not can anyone recommend a good treatment center in Manhattan?

"Are you experienced" -- as a vaporizer user?

Gordion Knott — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 05:22:17 -0800

To those in the know, please recommend a high-quality, efficient and reliable, solid and durable vaporizer. A friend of mine -- okay, okay, it's me -- is in the market for a vaporizer to relieve his (my) lungs of the assorted nasties in his (my) favorite green combustible product. Not that it matters in the least, but as a user, I'm two-thirds medicinal (migraines) and one third recreational.

Preferred feature set:
-Easy to set up and clean (for my migraine-addled fingers)
-Good for one or two hits and no more (low consumption)
-Guaranteed to produce the effects and taste I'm familiar with
-A few high-tech niceties, if the new models have them

Any product recommendations? My migraines are on an upswing, so any advice would be appreciated!

Help me become a graceful nondrinker.

anjamu — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 20:32:37 -0800

How do I gracefully become a (young) non-drinker? It's become apparent to me over the past couple of months that I can't have so much as a drink without risking a tidy little migraine shortly after. While I've enjoyed drinking socially in the past, I'd rather stop drinking than continue having migraines every time I have so much as a mojito.

That said, how do I gracefully make the transition from "social drinker" to "teetotaler"? I'm 22, and although I'm not dating, alcohol is a substantial part of the social scene. I often make plans to meet "for a drink" with friends, and going to bars and clubs is something that's done in my social circle.

I am just seeking ways to answer the inevitable "Are you pregnant/on the wagon/religious?" questions that are bound to come up, preferably without going into too much detail about my medical condition. (Not because I'm embarrassed, but just because, well, I'm somewhat reticent on the matter).

Mainly, I'm entering a phase of my life where I will be meeting a lot of new people in both a personal and professional capacity, and I could use some advice on how to deal with this. (I fear the Alpana Singhs of the world judging me if I don't order wine at a nice restaurant!)

As a bonus, two more questions:

1) I'm going to be working for the US government in France for several months this spring. Anyone know how Europeans view nondrinkers?

2) What's a nice nonalcoholic beverage that feels a bit more "grown-up" than a Diet Coke?

Seasonale v. Ortho Tri-Cyclen

anjamu — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 00:07:45 -0800

Women of MeFi, your experiences with Seasonale? As part of a two-pronged attack on my migraine (part two being Zomig), my doctor suggested that I switch from Ortho Tri-Cyclen to Seasonale.

I've never taken anything but OTC, and I'm concerned about the switch. Breakthrough bleeding? Weight gain? (I had very little of the former, and none of the latter, on OTC.) Nausea? Cramps? Decreased libido?

I'm also somewhat concerned about the long-term effects of messing with my body chemistry this much.

Basically, I'm apprehensive about switching, and I'd like a little more information from women who actually have taken it (or their MeFi-inclined boyfriends/husbands/what-have-you).

Don't be shy because you're not a doctor; I have a perfectly good one of those, and pharmacist family members, and what I want is anecdotes and such.

Migraines and interviews?

Anonymous — Mon, 08 May 2006 11:45:28 -0800

When to mention migraines, if at all, during job interview? I get migraines fairly regularly, at least 2-4 each month. I deal with them fairly well by taking Imitrex, but even with that, sometimes they interfere with life. Most often, they come on during the night/in the morning, so even if I take Imitrex right away, I'm out of it for a few hours.

I'm finishing up with grad school soon and will be entering the "real world" of jobs. Migraines were a major hassle in the past, when I was working retail and people don't like their shifts screwed up because I can't lift my head. Should I be mentioning a need for flexibility due to migraines in job interviews? Essentially, I'm hoping that I can find a job that will allow me to come in a little later when necessary and then I can make that time up. But should I even broach the topic? Will it hurt my chances or will it be more suspect to have not mentioned it and then want "special treatment" after starting the job?

Migraines: triggers and prescribed treatments?

kimota — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 14:45:04 -0800

Migraine sufferers, what are your triggers, how quickly/consistently do they bring on your migraines, and what prescription meds work best for you? I can't tell which one or several of the following are triggers for me: activity after sedentariness, caffeine, sunlight, artificial coloring, sinus problems, aspartame, possibly bad posture while sitting, etc. Some combination of the first five tends to be involved for me, most of the time, but not always. I've had a couple of instances where I'd get a migraine shortly after walking from work to various fast food places and getting a soda with lunch. I've had more instances where I'd get a migraine after leaving a 75 or 90 minute class (where, typically but not always, I'd had a soda and sat in flourescent lighting then left for the sunny outdoors).

I never have migraines at home, on the weekends (except for one time when I was at work), and I've only had one after the hours of noon-6 PM (it was still twilight when it happened), and I think I've only had one on a rainy day.

I can't tell if my triggers are nearly immediate, or if they're longer term but I'm considering the wrong things to be triggers (post hoc ergo propter hoc). I've tried different prescription medicines, and while the first time I took Imitrex, it blew out the migraine in a matter of minutes, I haven't had quite so much success any other time with it, Maxalt, or Zomig, even when I pop the pill as soon as I see the aura, which is always in my right eye (and the pain that follows about 45 minutes later is always on the left side of my head). I'd love to hear from those of you who've isolated your triggers and/or have found successful experiences with prescribed solutions. [Sorry for going on so long.]

How Do I Break an Addiction to Caffiene?

moooshy — Mon, 03 Jan 2005 10:05:46 -0800

I am addicted to caffiene. Everytime I try to abandon my coffee, I get massive month-long migraines. Anyone have any suggestions for getting off of 20oz of Wawa coffee without causing migraines?

Migraine Remedies

prettyboyfloyd — Sun, 19 Dec 2004 19:59:06 -0800

Anyone tried Chinese medicine for Migraines?

I am a materialist, I am not interested in mercury being in retrograde, or lead poisoning from ayurvedic medicine, but I can't keep eating tylenol three like they are f-ing red hots, it doesn't help my concentration at all! My materalism does not of course mean that I am entirely concious my own ignorance regarding 99.9999999etc% of the universe around me.

Thanks, PS, if you have any good practitioners in mind in the bay area, i'm all ears. Anyone tried Chinese medicine for Migraines?

I am a materialist, I am not interested in mercury being in retrograde, or lead poisoning from ayurvedic medicine, but I can't keep eating tylenol three like they are f-ing red hots, it doesn't help my concentration at all! My materalism does not of course mean that I am entirely concious my own ignorance regarding 99.9999999etc% of the universe around me.

That was supposed to be"-PBF", (not pbf.) See...the concentration thing...I told you so!

Migraine Headaches

gottabefunky — Sun, 14 Mar 2004 17:35:27 -0800

I'm looking for web resources on migranes -- multi-day, flat-on-your-back monsters, impervious to post-op-level codeine and other serious drugs, that leave you thinking (god forbid) about tumors and such. A friend's ongoing struggle with these is really starting to worry me, even though MRIs haven't shown anything. Of course, any personal stories and/or remedies are welcome as well. Thank you.