Dealing With Headaches

Usually, when you get a migraine, you don’ get a fever. Now, if you’ve had a virus with a fever for some time and this messes up your sleeping habits, you can get a migraine from the sleep deprivation. But if you get a migraine and fever, this could be one of three potentially lethal problems.

Even if you think “Oh, it’s just a virus — it’ll pass,” it may not. Better to be safe than sorry. (Sorry for the cliche there, but it needed to be said.)

Stroke

Whether a mini-stroke or a full-blown stroke, a low-grade fever sometimes accompanies the sudden migraine. But more telling symptoms will include numbness in a limb, confusion, difficulty speaking or one side of the face drooping. Call an ambulance immediately.

Meningitis

This is when the fluid and/or the membranes around your brain and spial chord have been invaded by an infection. Symptoms come on rapidly and it can kill. Although often assocated with small children, meningitis can happen to people of any age. There are two major types, viral and bacterial.

Symptoms include migraine, fever, stiff neck, confusion, light sensitivity, nausea, vomiting and strange rashes, sometimes like red or purple polka dots.

Encephalitis

This comes in two forms, but both of them have the same symptoms and both can be deadly. Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain, and when something is inflamed, it tends to expand, even within the confines of the human skull. So, you get a migraine and fever.

And you also get personality changes, confusion, stiff neck, nausea — well, basically, it’s like meningitis symptoms. Small children will have bulging of the soft spots of their skulls, too.

About 9:30 last night, the migraine in my right eye and ear started. Usually it just stays around the eye, but now it’s taken the ear along for the ride. It wasn’t the worst migraine I’ve had. It wasn’t one of the worst 100 migraines I’ve had. I’ve had migraines so bad that I had to crawl to get anywhere. At least today I could stand up. But it kept going and going and going. Yes, folks — I had the freakin’ Energizer Bunny of migraines.

I did take the usual painkillers — acetominophen & caffeine, an allergy pill (because maybe the ear pain was sinus pressure), cups of tea — and by 1:15 this afternoon I was ready to cut my own head off. Which, I guess in a way, I did.

I Asked Mom For A Tramadol

Now, my Mom has major chronic pains due to arthritis, fibromyalgia and spinal stenosis. This is what I have to look forward to. So, she has a nice cornocopia of painkillers. I was depserate enough to beg for a tramadol (because I liked the name. I felt like I was in trauma. Seemed appropriate).

Now Big Obligatory Warning — folks, never take drugs you aren’t prescribed. Something bad could still happen to me. Right now, I feel as if the air molecules around my body have never been more comfortable. I mean, look at me — I’m blogging and there is no known cure.

What Is Tramadol?

Tramadol is the active ingredient in Ultram but I believe is also sold as a generic (it’s hard for me to tell right now). It’s an opiod and so let’s party. Also, keep the stuff under lock and key because people like to steal it.

(THUD).

They’re usually called “green lightbulbs”, even though compact flourescent usually don’t give off a green light. They are far more energy efficient than incandescent lightbulbs and are said to last a lot longer. In order to help with the environment, the UK has gone with green lightbulbs all the way, with stores voluntarily choosing to no longer stock the traditonal bulbs. A ban on incandescent bulbs will go into effect in 2012.

Just one problem — green light bulbs are known to trigger migraines and seizures. In the UK, one on ten people have migraines. People in the UK are used to being cranky, but problems with migraineurs and epilieptics are feared to escalate because of the public fondness for flourescent bulbs.

What’s The Problem?

The problem is that the green bulbs flicker ever so slightly. Even a slight light flicker can produce the same effect as strobe lighting, triggering migraines or epilieptic seizures. Many people on both sides of the Pond are all for using more energy effiencent light bulbs, but don’t feel that we have them yet to warrant such a massive change-over.

Makers of flourescent light bulbs deny that their bulbs flicker (or, at least, that’s I found. If a maker of a flourescent lightbulb wants to admit that they do, feel free to correct me.) It could be that the industry is going through growing pains and the flickering will go away on their own. Another problem, according to The Daily Mail is that “the light emitted by fluorescent bulbs is made up of a disproportionate amount of red and blue, which can cause the problems.”

In The Meantime

But in the meantime, health charities in Great Britain are petitioning the government to allow migraineurs and epilieptics to use incandescent bulbs.

Considering how rapidly the pace of technology changes, by the time 2012 rolls around, flourescent light bulbs may be useless and we all go back to using candles or perhaps use LED lighting.

It does look as if the great lighbulb change is sweeping the planet, whether the bulbs are ready or not. Saving energy and the environment is always a good thing (where would be be without an Earth to complain off of?) If you can train your eyes to red by candlelight, then there is a possibility they may get used to flourescent light.

Just a theory, though, I say as I glance back at my incandescent lamp.

FMH migraines are also known as familial hemipleic migraines and, as the name implies, they run in families. This is a nasty type of migraine that often is accompanied by problems standing, fever, paralysis of a limb or side of the body and auras that can last days. It is thought that FMH migraines are caused by a mutation in a gene known as CACNA1A, also thought to be a player in cortisol spreading depression.

There is no known cure, but FMH migraines can be managed. Now, there’s a new study out that states that women with FMH migraines shouldn’t take hormones or they will get migraines more frequently. However, the study was done on mice and not on actual women with FMH migraines.

I’ll resist the urge to rant against using animals in medical experiments and just plow on with the study details.

Study Specs

The study on mice was done at Massachusetts General Hospital. No word as to whether a certain Major Charles Winchester III participated (In joke for M*A*S*H fans.) The female mice had their ovaries removed and then were given estrogen replacement therapy. Female mice were chosen because more women get FMH migraines (and migraines overall) than men.

And this is where the study gets a bit incomprehensible. I’m assuming the mice in the experiment had the genetic mutation required for FHM migraines. They are known in the study as “FMH1 mutant mice”. Although I’ve been called very empathic with animals, I’m not entrely sure how you know a mouse has a migraine. (I’m serious here. Do they do brain scans? Check the supplies of mouse Imitrex in the mouse medicine chest? What?)

If I’m interpeting the study correctly, the scientists induced a migraine in the mice through chemical means of “brief topical application of 300 mM KCl”. If I got that wrong, I’m sure I’ll hear about it.

Although this study’s title is “Genetic and hormonal factors modulate spreading depression and transient hemiparesis in mouse models of familial hemiplegic migraine type 1” and the somewhat comprehsible parts lean towards this being a depression study, it’s get a lot of news on blogs devoted to headaches and migraines. So, I’m just joining in on the fun.

The Practical Upshot

Don’t be a lab mouse. Or if you do, try to get in on those medical marijuana studies.

In case you’re wondering, I’m not a doctor, but I do get a lot of headaches and migraines. I also have endogenous recurring depression, which happens to a lot of people who have migraines. So, I take a bit of medication. This year saw me try three new medications and a slapstick comedy trying and failing to get a prescription for a fourth filled. Let’s take a look at the Year in Review for Rena’s Medications.

Propranalol

This is a high blood pressure medication you take in pill form. It’s a generic. It was prescribed to me on a hunch by my doctor, Dr. Fountian-Of-Youth-Face, even though I don;t have high blood pressure. (I have low blood pressure). It works for a lot of people with migraines and chronic headaches, but it did bugger all for me. Well, it did give me incredibly loud, constant farts and the trots. Not only that, but it was way too hard for me to pronounce. (With all of my health problems, I also have a stutter. Now you now why I telecommute instead of work in a traditional job.)

Verapamil

Now, this is a medicine with a name I can pronounce. I like the name. It makes me think of dinosaurs. (”Out in the Gobi Desert, scientists have uncovered an intact jawbone of a rare Verapamil, thought to be the direct ancestor of Smuckasaurus.”) It’s also a medication for high blood pressure and it’s also a generic. You have to gradually introduce it to your body. First, you take mini-pills and then you can sit at the adult table and take the regular pills.

I started taking it in July, so I figure enough time has passed for the placebo effect to wear off. This stuff is great! Due to my nature, I’ll probably wind up complaining about it in the near future, but for right now, call me a Verapmil-ist. In June, I was having at least four migraines a month. In December, I had one. Sure, I still had headaches, but they weren’t migraines. That migraine came and went in waves for about three days. Not only that, but I hardly have any cramps any more when I have my period. I’ll keep taking the stuff just for that.

Zolmig

Or Zomig, or whatever the heck it’s called. Zolmitriptan is the magic ingredient that you have to know. I was given two sample nasal sprays. It works in less than an hour on my migraines. You think I can afford it? Think again.

Imitrex

This is the medication my doctor wants me on, but I can’t afford and my $250 per month insurance won’t cover it, because that would make sense. It’s $200 for 9 pills. However, I’m doing so well on verapamil that now the point of trying Imitrex is moot.

There’s been a lot of bad news in 2008 for makers and takers of supplemental vitamins. They haven’t quite proven to be the natural cure-all as sometimes they are touted to be. For example, a study on Vitamins E and C to help with preventing prostate cancer proved the vitamins didn’t seem to change a man’s health in any way. In another study done in Copenhagen University, vitmains didn’t seem to give any benefit and were harmful in mega doses.

Migraineurs and people with chronic headaches sometimes take multi-vitamins and nutritinal supplements in the hope to leesen the intensity and frequency of head pain. Taking mega doses of magnesium is a popular alternative or complimentary migraine treatment, as well as a combination of magnesium and calicium. Some people also take mega doses of vitamin B2 in order to treat their headaches.

Does this mean you should toss out all of your multivitamins?

Not Necessarily

You do need vitamins, minerals and all of that good stuff in order to get healthy and stay healthy. You can get everything you need if (and this is a big if) you eat a varied, balanced diet full of fresh foods every day.

Odds are that you live in the real world and eat an unbalanced diet. Then, taking a multi-vitamin can be beneficial. In this way, you get just the amount that you need or nearly the amount that you need. Before you take any nutritional supplement or multi-vitamin, you should talk to your doctor. He or she may ask you to do a blood test for a complete blood cell count to be sure that your body isn’t lacking in any vitamin or mineral that may make you ill.

For example, I have iron-poor blood. My body seems to have a tremendous problem absorbing iron, even if I take it in food and multi-vitamins. So, I have to take a once-a-day little iron supplement. It helps my energy levels.

More Is Not Better

The problem with vitamins not helping to cure some problems like migraines or chronic headaches is that more of a good thing turns out to be a bad thing. Mega doses of anything is never a good idea, even if it is something natural like vitamin pills. So, vitamins aren’t bad for you, but they are if you take too much or not take them at all.

I’ve been thinking about medical marijuana, partially because I’ve had to write some web articles about the subject this year. Since there is such a strong fear of universal health care in America (and fears about the crumbling NHS in Great Britain), what alternatives are there for the average person? Not much — but for some instances, medical marijuana would certainly help.

Although this clip focuses on Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), medical marijuana is also known for being a very effective pain killer withut side effects (although you will get hungry and then really sleepy.) There are people with killer migraines, cluster headaches or other incredibly painful headaches that can’t afford medical care, so they have no choice but to get some relief from street weed. If our governments won’t put price caps on medicines, health insurance or Big Pharma greed, then perhaps they should just let us grow our own stuff. It would certainly keep us quieter.

I should also mention that you don’t have to smoke marijuana to get the pain-killing benefits. For example, when I lived homeless in England (and posession was legal), I would make a chai (Indian spice tea) with it when I had incredible pain. At least I could then get some sleep.

Like any other drug or herb, marijuana won’t help everyone. Some people react badly to it — even the small amounts used in medical marijuana cookies or tea.

I only started watching Countdown with Keith Olbermann this year, so I do not know what year this clip was filmed. I’m guessing 2003, but I’m probably wrong. Hmmm — 2003 I was still living homeless in England.

Obviously, this post today is just for the ladies. However, you men can read it, too — just so you know what we have to go through. Not only do women get far more migraines than men, we also get that annoying bleeding thing every month or so. This means that for a few days per month, we can have not only our periods, but a migraine as well. How to handle the meds during this time?

Obligatory Warning

I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. I’m a fellow migraineur who also gets many different kinds of headaches as well as migraines. And I can’t wait to hit menopause. I’m sick and tired of being fertile. So, please don’t use this blog post in the place of your doctor’s advice.

Over the Counter Painkillers

Combining over the counter painkillers like ibuprofen and acetominphen are not recommended because this is incredibly rough on the stomach. Combining them — or even taking one two hours after the other — makes me throw up. It might not produce such a dramatic result for you, but it’s hell on the stomach.

So, if you’ve taken one kind of painkiller for the cramps and it doesn’t seem to work, don’t try another over the counter painkiller thinking it will work better.

Some Prescription Meds

Many daily preventative medications like proplanol or verapamil (prescribed off-label for migraines) can still be taken as usual and then over the counter painkilles can be used when needed.

Some extreme prescription painkillers like tramadol or Percocet can be okay when taken with one ibuprofen. However, please ask your doctor or physical therapist about this before you go popping away. (Granted, tramadol or Percocet is usually not prescribed for migraine or chronic headache pain, but very occassionally it is.)

Migraine Abortives

These are meds like triptans that are taken as soon as you realize a migraine is coming on They are also often prescribed for cluster headaches. I’ve talked to women who say they were all right taking these kinds of medicines for migraines while being on over the counter painkillers for cramps. I’ve also talked to women who never seem to get a migraine or headache during their period. But still, talk to your doctor about taking one painkiller for cramps and the triptans for migraines.

Hope this helps.

Topamax (topimirate) was originally made to treat eileptic seizures when it was unleashed on the world in 1995, but now is most often prescribed for migraines. It’s also currently undergoing studies to see how well it works as a weight loss medication and if it can help alcoholics lose their desire for alcohol. Soon, they’ll study to see if Topamax can help win the war in Iraq.

Anyway, like any other drug (or herb), it’s loaded with side effects. Just because I’m listing them here doesn’t mean that you’re going to get any of them. I did search around to see just how many people get side effects out of all of the thousands and thousands of people prescribed Topax, but I couldn’t find any concrete numbers. All I could find was that “Many” people taking Topamax live happily ever after.

Don’t stop suddenly taking Topamax, especially if you have epilepsy. This can lead to withdrawal symptoms.

*Note: I’m not a doctor. I’ve never taken Topamax, and have no plans of ever doing so (knock on wood), so I can’t give you any first hand testimonies, recommendations or rants.*

Minor Side Effects

These include the following:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness (more so than usual)
• Feeling very tired all of the time
• Increase in urine output
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss

More Serious Side Effects

Oh, these are fun. Happy happy. Joy joy:

• Back pain
• Kidney stones (apparently, you have to take Topamax for at least a few months before these set in. This happened to only 1.5% of adults taking Topamax, according to a 2006 study.)
• Painful urination
• Suicidal thoughts
• Psychosis
• Depression
• Fainting
• Swelling or tingling of the mouth or other parts of the body (an allergic reaction that kicks in right away)
• Birth defects
• Extreme confusion
• Loss of the ability to concentrate

Call An Ambulance Immediately Side Effect

If you get a sudden pain in one or both eyes and suddenly get vision problems, call the ambulance. This could be glaucoma. This happens very rarely — something like 23 patients out of every 800,000 (still looking for the study where I read that) — but you should know. Also, also if you’re not taking Topamax and get these symptoms, call an ambulance. If could be glaucoma or stroke.

That’s your happy thought for the day.

If you’re sick to death of the holdiay season and want to think of something else before your brain explosed into tinsel, here’s a thought that came to my flu-ridden mind the other night. Hope this helps.

Just Suppose

Say you have are scheduled for excecution by the guilotine or somehow having your head chopped off. You have a migraine, probably due to stress and lack of sleep since being sentenced. You might also have a hangover, if you were granted booze for your last meal.

If this was me, I’d probably be sentenced to beheading by grammar freaks because I couldn’t spell guilotine right or used the world “irreguardless” in a blog post. I don’t know what you would be sentenced to death for, but if thinkng about your head being cut off bothers you, you can think about my head being chopped off for the purposes of this hypothetical experiment.

Anyway

I have the migraine. I put my head on the chopping block. I still have the migraine My head is cut off.

Here’s the question —

Would I still have a migraine if my head were chopped off?

Life After Beheading

There is some evidence that you if you ain’t got no body you ain’t necessarily dead. There’s the stomach-turning case of Mike The Headless Chicken. There are also anectodal reports of executions committed after the French Revolution. Bodiless heads were looking around and trying to talk some time after parting from the body. There also was a strange experiment done in 1879 after the execution of Theotime Prunier, who seemed to die instantly after the blade fell.

True, even my brain would die after thirty seconds or much less after the decapitation, but would that time be thitry seconds of migraine-free bliss?

Would I even be capable of feeling any migraine pain? Sure, I still have a brain, but you I have also been seperated from most of my central nervous system. Well, I did a bit of research on the Net to try and find the answer to this but amazingly, I couldn’t find an answer. Heck — type in “is there a god” and you’ll be covered in answers, but “would you have a headache if your head was chopped off” eliicted nada, although I did find an ad for Treximent which involves bloodless decapitation.

Now, thinking about this — don’t you feel much better? Gets you in the mood to write up those Xmas cards, doesn’t it?

There’s so much going on in the world of headache pain that it can’t be contained in just one blogpost. So the following is a list of sites and ramblings that could help you sort it all out. Enjoy:

• It’s last call for submissions to the December Headache and Migraine Blog Carnival. Did you know that the Headache and Migraine Blog Carnival is one year old? Well, now you do. This months’ subject is “Maximizing Your Enjoyment of the Holiday Season”. Submissions are due at midnight tonight. Better get those skates on.
• Since it’s December, remember to get chocolate for all your migraineur friends. Well, some of them (like Megan and me.) Can chocolate cure migraines? Find out with another thorough investigation from the single-named James at Chocolate And Headaches And Health. Oh, my!
• Speaking of Megan, Free My Brain From Migraine Pain has a new look. Go check it out.
• While waiting for the painkilers to kick in, nothing beats a good laugh. Get that laugh from reading a faith healing website, where “Fibromyalgia, migraines, and depression healed” through the power of God. And, since God has nothing else better to do, why not put Him to the test. I guess God is still trying to pass the SATs.
• Every now and then I do a post about concussions. Imagine my suprise when I discovered that Concussion is also the name of an advertising firm in Forth Worth, Texas. I bet you that any company that has the image of a hand grinade on it always gets paid on time.
• A new study from PHT Corporation (which maked phts) found that it’s hard to get stuff done at work when you have a migraine. I would explain further, but I’ve already forgotten what the previous sentence was about.
• Form the You Could Have It Soooo Much Worse Department: Sure, you have migraines and chronic headaches. But at least you aren’t dressed up like a Beedog.
• After all of this, you probably need to relax. A massage would be great to ease tension and stress. But who can afford to go to the massage parlor? Go to eHow and learn How To Give Yourself A Scalp Massage.

Now that we know what gifts to get a migrainuer, let’s look at what to definately not get a migraineur. This is for those people who have gone through the previous list, couldn’t find anything matching it and decides to regift any old thing or grab something laying around the house. (You know you’ve done it.) Hold the regift or whatever it is and see if it falls on this list. Let’s not leave anything to chance.

Perfume or Cologne

Strong smells can trigger migraines for many of the headache-prone. Since the sense of smell is so individual, what smells great to you may be a certain migraine trigger for another. Unless you get a specific request from the migraineur about a perfume, cologne or other stink-pretty, stay far away from them.

Pink Flamingo Lawn Ornaments

Although now a collectable item, I can still rmember the shock and horror of opening up Aunt Margie’s gift to us inthe late 1970’s and having a plastic pink flamingo on one leg staring back at us. Back then, we’d never seen a plastic pink flamingo lawn ornament and didn’t know what it was for. The pink was so bright it hurt my young eyes. And painfully bright colors like Pepto-Bismal pink can cause eyestrain and trigger migraines (as well as turn your stomach).

Magic Eye Products

A fad in the 1990’s, but unfortunatley not extinct yet, these visual puzzles can trigger a migraine in a very short amount of time. You look at strange patterns that seem like modern art and then look to see the image hidden in the choas. Magic Eye crap comes out in books, posters and do-it-yourself coloring kits.

Red Wine

Alcohol is never a good gift choice. (”Perhaps if I get them drunk, they won’t realize how much I don’t care for them to select a proper gift.”) I’ve seen so many people get beaten up over the holidays because they were drunk that I still begin a panic attack at the scent of beer. But red wine in particular is really bad for migraineurs or people with chronic headaches.

Red wine contains a chemical called tryamine, which is thought to be a migraine trigger. They also contain sulfites, which are also thought to be migraine triggers. Some migraineurs (like me) think that ANY alcohol can be trigger (and not just for a hangover the next morning). Some people claim that only American red wine is a migraine trigger, and then only if the American red wine was stored in American oak barrels.

Hope this helps.

Although sticking needles in your body doesn’t seem like the best remedy for chronic headache, it’s better for you than aspirin. That’s the findings of a new study done by Duke University. Comparing accupuncture to regular aspirin, acupuncture gave the most releif to those suffering from chronic headaches.

Study Details

About 4,000 human guinea pigs volunteered for this one, and God/dess bless you all. You’ve probably saved the lives of 4,000 real guinea pigs. Anyway, the study was blind in that paitents were wither given aspirin, acupuncture or “sham acupuncture”, where acupuncture needles were insterted in other areas of the body not used to help treat chronic headaches. In the study, chronic headaches also included migraineurs and chronic tension-type headaches.

Acupuncture’ s benefits to your body are not apparent on the first visit. According to the study, you need five or six visits to get long-term relief. Many acupuncturists or Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners also prescribe Chinese herbs along with acupunture treatments, but I could not find if any herbs were added in the study.

65% of the acupuncture group found releif in the severity and duration of their attacks while only 45% of the aspirin group did. Comparing sham acupuncture to real acupunture, sham acupuncture didn’t do too shabby at 45% while real acupuncture gave 53% relief. (That’s due to the placebo affect.)

Doesn’t It Hurt?

Acupuncture needles are incredibly thin — even thinner than innoculation needles. Usually, you don’t feel anything, but sometimes you do. Then, the needles feel like a mosquito bite or, at the worst, a bee sting. However, dogs, cats and horses tend to fall asleep during their acupuncture sessions and you will probably feel sleepy, too. Animals tend to go for acupuncture treatments for back problems, arthritis or chronic allergies that aren’t responding to conventional therapy.

Acupuncture is one of the few alternative therapies that some health insurance companies will cover (all or in part). You have to check with your health insurance to see about payment. You may need a referral from your primary doctor.

Don’t Toss Your Meds

In case you do get acupunture for chronic headaches or migraines, don’t expect to go completely off of the painkillers. It is nice to be able to lower your dose when you can, since long term use of painkillers can bring on health problems like ulcers.

And, as always, please don’t use this blog post in the place of your doctor’s advice.

Hope this helps.

‘Tis the season and all that happy crappy. If you have migraines or chronic headaches, chances are most of your family does, too. Or perhaps you have a good friend or lover who happens to be a migraineur. What to get them as holiday gifts? Well, you don’t need to get a headache trying to figure this out. Here’s a list of great gifts for migraineurs.

Cash

Always good. Some people think it’s rude to give cash as a holiday gift, stating that it lets the gift giver know how much the gift costs. Some people are really stupid. We are luckly to get ANY cash this year.

Aromatherapy Oils Or Products

Stuff that smells nice has a great effect on many kinds of chronic pain. Some aromatherapy oils like lavender, frankincense or tea tree can help your muscles relax, even if your consciousness feels pretty darn tense. When your body is relaxes, painkillers usually can work a lot better and faster. Since there has been such a boon in aromatherapy, you can find indulgent products from roll-on scent sticks to sensuous massage oils in places like your local drug store, supermarket or their online equivilents.

Over The Counter Painkillers

Much appreciated, thanks. Just be sure you know what kind of OTC painkiller your migraineur gift recipient prefers. Don’t guess.

Hot Water Bottles and Hot Water Bottle Holders

These usually can be filled with cold water as well as hot, but both can burn when placed directly on the skin, so a holder or a tea towel is nice. These are things that most people know they need and just never get around to buying them, perhaps hoping that they’ll get them for Christmas/Yule/Hanukkah/Whatever.

Black Curtains

When a migraine comes on, all light can be painful. Putting up black curtains in the bedroom can help make that bright, painful light go away.

Sunglasses

Ditto.

Chocolate

One of the most common migraine triggers is caffeine withdrawal. This is why a lot of painkillers include caffeine. Chocolate — just a small bit, now — is usually enough to ease the withdrawal symptoms. That and it’s just do darn comforting.

Peter Gabriel DVDs

Oh, wait — now we’re getting to my gift list. Well, if the migraineur in your life happens to be a Peter Gabriel fan, the DVDs may rock. Just keep the volume low.

Abdominal migraines are not a lot of fun. The pain is so bad in your guts that you don’t really feel it in your head. Some people think that the name “abdominal migraines” is a misnomer and should be called something else, such as Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (Although I don’t think the CVS drug store chain in America approves of that). This is a conditions usually associated with children, who go from being kids with abdominal migraines to adults with abdominal migraines. So yes, adults can get abdominal migraines.

Why Are They Called That?

Children with abdominal migraines usually complain more about their gut pains, nausea and vomiting than they do about their heads. They tend to either get very pale or have flushed skin (similar to how they would look with a fever, even though they often aren’t running a fever.)

However, if they don’t grow up into adults with abdominal migraines, then they grow up into adults with classic migraines, with or without auras or even head pain. There is a kind of migraine called “silent migraine” where you get all othe symptoms except headaches. So, some doctors and people with more degrees than you or I combined think that thes points prooves that kids’ gut pains is a type of migraine.

Whatever.

Diagnosis Difficulties

If you are adult with periodic vomiting and gut pains, do you have abdominal migraines, Crohn’s disease, silent migraines or something else entirely? Unfortunately, periodic vomiting and pallor are symptoms of a very long list of ailments. So, it’s very difficult to diagnose your problem as abdominal migraines (assuming, of course, they really exist, and I’m guessing they do. Feel free to disagree.) Your doctor will probably assume you have something more dangerous (such as a stroke) before going down the list to abdominal migraines.

Treatment

Treatment for abdominal migraines is sketchy and seems to be tailor made for each person. I’ve been cruising the web and I haven’t found a general consensus on how these suckers are treated. A combination of anti-nausea medications, painkillers and time seem to be the recommendations. Most abdominal migraine attacks end one to three days later.

It could be worse. You could have a tapeworm in your brain.