migraines at 5am every morning for four days in a row, and I am a little freaked out

November 14, 2011 2:16 AM

YNMD, but I just want to know how much I should freak out... Since Friday, I've been getting a migraine every morning. Saturday morning, Sunday morning, and I woke up just now, with an aura. I quickly took the large dose of ibuprofen (1600 mg) I usually take right at the first sign of aura, and drank coffee. Now I am still feeling tightness in my head but it doesn't hurt. I have always had migraines since when I was a kid, but never four consecutive days, and I am starting to worry. Should I go to a doctor? Did something explode in my brain?

My definitive trigger is wine, and I have not touched that in years. I also haven't had any unusually high or low caffeine or sleep (I'm not getting much sleep these days, but that's not a new thing). I am a little stressed out. In the past, some years I don't have any migraines at all, and some of the more stressful years I get one about once a month (preeeeeetty regular). This year so far I haven't gotten any; the last was in late December/ early Jan.

The back of my eye hurts (very tight feeling) right now, and putting in eye drops help.I had Lasik in August. In the past, if I sleep with contact lenses on I get a migraine, but I haven't worn contact since august.

Also, the one on Friday and yesterday were on different sides and far more severe (barfed several times and was debilitated) than the one yesterday...or hopefully this one.

advice me, hive me!

p.s. everyday, except for Friday, it happens at around the same time-- 5am. When I get up.

posted by atetrachordofthree to Health & Fitness (23 answers total)

I'm not a medical alarmist and I have a history of migraines as well. I would call my doc asap only because these are presenting differently, you can get looked over and then get it all cleared up.

Feel better soon, but do call the doctor's office.
posted by kinetic at 2:40 AM on November 14, 2011

I agree with kinetic. I've had migraines my whole life and have had two instances of a 3-4 in a row. For me, I never figured out why it was happening, but I did go to the MD on one of the occasions.

Are you on hormonal birth control?

Do talk to a professional about this because changes in frequency/kind of migraine can be a bad thing; also by talking to someone, you may figure out a new trigger to avoid in the future.
posted by sciencegeek at 2:46 AM on November 14, 2011

Response by poster: I am not on any birth control, although this IS around that time of the month for me (usually a couple of days before I get my period)

will call doctor today.
posted by atetrachordofthree at 2:48 AM on November 14, 2011

Calm down, 1600mg of Ibuprofen could lead you to gastric bleeding. I am another migraine sufferer. If you are so sure of wine then frankly stop wine (I did, even though it was not a definitive trigger) My migraines started exactly as you mentioned. While Ibuprofen could be a good abortive, you may wan to try Alleve (Neproxen) as well. Neproxen worked better than Ibuprofen for me.

May be the neurologist will give you some kind of triptan as an abortive. (While NSAIDs are good abortive, avoid taking them for a long term)

Feel better. I know its a debilitating disorder.
posted by zaxour at 3:25 AM on November 14, 2011

Go see the doctor - even if it's nothing, hearing a medical professional tell you it's nothing will help you ease up on the migraine-exacerbating stress and worry about it not being nothing.
posted by Wylla at 3:48 AM on November 14, 2011

Go see a doctor. If it's nothing, you've only lost time. But if it's not, then you could lose a lot more. Neurological symptoms should always be checked out.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 3:55 AM on November 14, 2011

Is there something about the weather since Friday? When the barometric pressure drops, it can easily trigger migraine for me.
posted by DarlingBri at 4:23 AM on November 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Just anecdata here, but when I get a migraine, I tend to be super-vulnerable to them for a week or so afterwards. The threshold for one starting is usually pretty high, but if I've had one in the last week, I'll get another one at the drop of a hat, even without one of the normal triggers. You might be experiencing the same thing. Check it out with the doctor anyway, but I wouldn't be too freaked out in your situation.
posted by Mayor West at 4:26 AM on November 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

1600 of Ibuprofen seems like a lot. You might be giving yourself rebound migraines (hangovers) from the Ibuprofen.

There are a lot of other things that cause migraines besides wine. Anything aged, basically. Cut all of that out for a while. Stinky cheese is a guaranteed 1-3 day headache for me.

Also, get tested for sleep apnea. Waking up with a headache is a classic sign.

Also, how much caffeine (and other stimulants) are you injesting per day? If I remember right, one of the theories of migraine is that the blood vessels in the brain get over-dilated for some reason, and that's what causes the pain. Stimulants constrict the vessels. So when you are sleeping, the stimulants wear off and the vessels dilate and your brain feels like it is going to explode.
posted by gjc at 4:28 AM on November 14, 2011

See your doctor, just to be sure. I got hormonal migraines since my teens, they pretty much stopped with menopause. My aunt had the same condition and results. Since then I have had a couple of auras, but no pain.

Do get this checked though, and see if there is something other than high doses of ibuprofen that you can take.
posted by mermayd at 5:25 AM on November 14, 2011

Fuck ibuprofen, get yourself some Imitrex.
posted by elizardbits at 5:43 AM on November 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

IANAD, but your description reminds me of Cluster Headache. There are some remedies available. See your doc or a specialist.
posted by DarkForest at 5:56 AM on November 14, 2011

Been eating anything unusually high in salt? Salt load can definitely trigger vasodilation even in non-migraine-prone folk.
posted by bz at 7:52 AM on November 14, 2011

Same thing happened to me last week - only it was every night.
I'm thinking maybe hormone issues since I'm off BC and have had weird periods in the last year.
I also think it had to do with anxiety. My anxiety was sky high last week. Especially after the first night. I kept panicing that I would get another one - which I did. Eventually when the weekend came, they wore off.

Anyway, when I first started having them when I was younger (mostly just annoying headaches but not full blown migraines except 1 a year), I went to the doctor (which I currently cannot afford) and they did MRIs and neurogical testing.... as well as allergy testing.
They didn't find anything - and since my Mom suffers from them, they basically said it was genetics.

So, yeah, see your doctor and if you have insurance, see if you can get a referral (if necessary) to see an allergist and make sure you're not allergic to common things such as mold/dust/etc.

That amount of ibuprofen seems to be a lot.

OTC-wise, the only thing that can SOMETIMES help (not last week) is excedrine for me.
Other things that have somewhat helped - cold pack, tea, sinus rinses, breathing, dark rooms, taking something to make me drowsy (so I can try to sleep through it), consuming a lot of water.
posted by KogeLiz at 8:46 AM on November 14, 2011

Seconding the weather as a possibility. I've had maybe four days in the last three weeks without a migraine and there have been lots of barometric pressure ups and downs. It is worth getting a doctor's opinion on, though.
posted by bryon at 8:48 AM on November 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

I've many times had menstrual migraines on three or four days in a row. It didn't worry me since they were obviously migraines, not some different kind of headache, and there's no more likely trigger than your menstrual period or the days leading up to it. Almost all women who get migraines and who have menstrual cycles do get menstrual migraines, at least sometimes. No fun at all, though. Now I use continuous birth control pills (throwing away the placebo pills and never taking a week off) so I never get menstrual migraines any more. The only problem is remembering to get the doctor to specifically prescribe four packs every three months, instead of three, so that insurance will pay for that many. I haven't had much trouble with spotting, but it would be worth putting up with if I did, just to avoid the menstrual migraines.

Any drug you take to abort a migraine will wear off. That's usually what's happening when I get a migraine again the next day. I don't usually get auras, so I can't tell when it's a new migraine starting, versus day two or three or four of the old one. It's rare for me to have a migraine lasting less than three days long. Ibuprofen lasts about eight hours, then the headache comes back. Imitrex less than that, naratriptan a little longer. Since naproxen (Aleve) is a longer-lasting NSAID and very similar to ibuprofen, it would seem to be a better choice, but it happens not to work as well on headaches for me. Don't take more than 500 mg of Aleve at a time, every twelve hours.

All drugs that stop a migraine will also tend to cause more migraines. To avoid this, I try to alternate between drugs. I take three or four ibuprofens (total 600 to 800 mg) to last eight hours, or two extra-strength acetaminophen (total 1000 mg) to last six hours, or one dose of caffeine if it's before 9 am, or one prescription naratriptan or imitrex pill. When the headache comes back the next day, I take a different one from that list. This seems to reduce the number of rebound headaches I get.

Don't ever take 1600 mg ibuprofen at once. That's an overdose. It's better to limit yourself to no more than 800 mg ibuprofen, and take that no more frequently than once every eight hours. Overdosing on ibuprofen is bad for your kidneys. Check to see what it does to your blood pressure, too.
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 9:22 AM on November 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Has anyone here tried the new migraine drug Frova? It's being marketed as a longer-lasting migraine pill, similar to imitrex but longer lasting. Their promotional literature asks, "Do you have migraines that are long in duration and/or recur?" Sounds like me. I asked my doctor about it, but she hadn't heard of it yet. If other people report that it's better for these three-day migraines it might be worthwhile to make an appointment with a neurologist who knows about it, but I don't want to ask my doctor to prescribe a medication she's not yet familiar with.
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 9:30 AM on November 14, 2011

I agree with everyone else -- I would call my doctor though I wouldn't freak out; and I would not take 1600mg of ibuprofen again! That's quite hard on your stomach! You really don't want to develop an ulcer.

Since we're discussing other remedies for migraines, my mother, who suffered them since she first began her period, got a couple of botox injections in her forehead in her forties. And she was rewarded with an instant cessation of her migraines that lasted about five years. When she got another one, she got another round of Botox: and lo and behold, the migraines went away again. Something to consider, at least! I know that's an indicated usage now.
posted by artemisia at 9:53 AM on November 14, 2011

One thing that has helped my migraines is to ice the back of my head/neck area. Try that, and go see a doctor, as everyone else has suggested. Mine are probably hormonally triggered, which happens as women get older and closer to menopause. Just suggesting that as one possibility,
posted by annsunny at 10:15 AM on November 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

I've tried Frova, and it did nothing for me. On the other hand, I don't respond well to Imitrex or Maxalt either. However, the Frova really did NADA for me with 0 relief. I do tend to get shorter/more intense migraines rather than 3 day ones. My doctor has been having me try various drugs to see if we can find one that works - he didn't mention that Frova was for longer lasting ones, just that it was new and I should give it a whirl.

The drugs seem (to me at least) so random & so personal about whether they work or not, so you should give it a twirl. My dr gave me a box of samples to try so that I wouldn't need to pay for a prescription, you might want to see if you can try it the same way.

To the OP: you can definitely get rebound headaches. And +1 again on check the barometric pressure.
posted by lyra4 at 10:45 AM on November 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Some people get migraines similar to what you have described, and a migraine that is very much like other migraines you have had would not be a problem.

That your pattern of headache symptoms has changed so drastically from your history of migraines is a very good reason to call your doctor today. It matters not one whit that someone else has a pattern of migraines like this, they don't match your pattern. Morning headaches can be a bad sign, so if your doctor says you are fine over the phone it would be prudent to see someone in person for another opinion.
posted by yohko at 3:59 PM on November 14, 2011

Response by poster: thanks y'all. I haven't touched any of my trigger foods in years, certainly not recently-- wine, aged cheese, chocolate. Nothing in my diet changed recently. Have always had menstural migraines, never four days in a row, and have never had trouble with barometric pressure. It sounds like it could be rebound migraines, but again, I've never had it before, and I've always dealt with them the same way. I used to take 800 mg of ibuprofen, but on Friday that barely did anything and I was in a lot of pain (which is to say, these recent ones have been more painful than usual too), which is why I upped it to 1200 on sat and 1600 on sunday, just so I am not puking none stop.

I did make an appointment with a doctor adn will see him on wednesday.
posted by atetrachordofthree at 6:43 PM on November 14, 2011

I have had migraines for nearly 20 years, and they follow a particular pattern. One time, a couple of years ago, I had a migraine that followed quite a different pattern. I freaked out (actually I suspect that some kind of anxiety reaction is part of my migraine pattern - fun fun fun). I jumped in a cab and went to a medical centre. The Dr checked me out and allayed my fears, but told me that it was a good idea to get checked out if things happened that were out of the ordinary. So, +1 to the people saying you should get in touch with your doctor, while recognising that it's quite possible there's nothing wrong.

I also suspect your reasoning about migraine and vomiting may be flawed. Quite frequently I get migraines where I vomit copiously despite only fairly mild pain, so I don't think it's just that the pain is so bad that you vomit as a response. I think the trigger for vomiting in migraine is neurological and not necessarily the result of pain, and consequently upping the ibuprofen is not a particularly good way of stopping vomiting. Ask your doctor to prescribe an anti-emetic such as metoclopramide (called Maxalon where I am) or prochlorperazine (aka Stemetil).
posted by Cheese Monster at 11:33 PM on November 14, 2011