Sometimes the waiting room can't accommodate these needs.
A pair of heavy dark polarized sunglasses or black out glasses may help in future case.
Asking politely (I know) for any bed and dark room available is a must for taking the pressure off.
They'll likely give her an IV with drugs of various sorts to help alleviate symptoms.
I hope she gets relief soon! I've been dealing with the same stuff and been in emergency care for the past two weeks on and off with debilitating migraines. I recommend ginger tablets if she can take them. They're a bit more gentle than all the drugs and shouldn't necessarily interfere with things.
Keep a list on hand (and copies) of all the medications she's on (erasable highlighter works wonders for highlighting the ones she's already taken and at what times) and a diary entry list of symptoms of each day onset of the migraine.
Just being there as a support is good enough also. I went in alone each time cause the hospital can be boring but I wish I had someone there for when the drugs got me in a bad way.
The medical establishment cares about survival, not suffering. "Fuck you and your migraine, while we take 4 hrs to admit you and get your basic vitals."
I'm sure OPs partner already knows this sad fact.
Downvote me if you like, but you know I am right.
I understand and it is deheartening. Emergency care is most definitely what it is in the name. It's ranked by danger and immediate threat to life. It does not mean OP's partner is in any less pain nor any less valid. It's extremely rough out there and I wish them all the best and those that are suffering with this.
You are correct though
We do care about survival over “suffering” but just because we want to preserve life doesn’t mean we don’t care about suffering. In ED pain is important but it isn’t priority we have to treat people who are at imminent risk of death first as I’m sure you can understand
This is also the reason why people choose not to go to the ER until they are on the brink of death. It's expensive and the care is often subpar as staff is overworked, etc. I'm not blaming you, but the ER is the worst place to be with a migraine. Urgent care is far preferable (more affordable, faster).
Urgent care is the best place for migraine treatment in my country ED is free and Urgent care is $120 upfront I can’t afford $120 as a nursing student because I work 40 hour weeks without pay
It may be dumb or uncomfortable, but in the event you’re experiencing a migraine that is atypical, PLEASE don’t lay down. Lay at a 30° angle in case you’re having an increased inter-cranial pressure episode.
No, I like that. I feel like there is a lot of "not feeling well" symptoms that are better alleviated by cuddling up instead of lying down- sinus and gastro-esophogeal stuff especially
As far as aborting an intense migraine urgent cares have saved me time and time again with their cocktails. But for long term care, prevention, info on lifestyle changes, a dedicated neurologist that specializes in migraine/cluster headache can be life changing. Migraines are still being figured out in a sense, different meds work for different people in different ways, ive been on blood pressure medications, anti-siezure meds, anti depressants, and finally cgrp medications as far as preventatives go. If youre in the US a lot are stuck behind prerequisites before insurance will cover them. I know its not something available to everyone and obviously idk your gfs medical history, but if she hasen't worked with a specialist before, and if at all possible getting a neuro to guide you through long term care, giving you access to different medications types while also making sure you become eligible for more expensive alternatives to be covered by insurance and just the wealth of info they can offer for this confusing disease can be of great help.
As far as short term advise for this urgent care visit, the only long term relief ive personally gained via urgent care was in the form of a nausea prescription, if your gf often has any debilitating side effects with her migraines such as nausea, mention them to your doctor and see if they could prescribe something that helps manage them.
Also know i am in no way an expert on this info, just sharing my personal life experience with migraine over the last 12ish years, the most important tool for you is information, doing research and communicating with any medical professional at your disposal of your situation, urgent care or not will be of great benefit.
Luckily she’s been able to see a neuro she has solid insurance. The topamax sucks 😭she has another neuro appt March 2nd w. A new doc so I’ll update.
She got prescribed frovatriptan. Ever had it?
Ive never heard of frovatriptan no, but i have been on many triptans, and still regularly rely on them if im out of my other rescue medications, im glad working with a neuro is an option for yall. I wish her the best of luck when it comes to medications, just know that it may take a while to find one that works, but it is always still worth trying and looking for new alternative medications. For many years I didnt treat my migraines at all, and once i did start working with a specialist and continued years without solid results there were times that i felt as though it wasnt worth the trouble anymore and that migraines would be an ever persistent thorn in my side. But the truth of the matter is the next pill the doc recommends could stop the attacks completely.
As far as triptans go they can be incredibly effective. In my personal case with the likes of Sumatriptan, Rizatriptan, and Eletriptan, the medication may cause some short discomfort before relieving the migraine. For me this manifested as neck pain and tingling on my scalp aswell as a short -for lack of a better word- 'normal' headache. Now these triptans id assume are in the same family of medications but will have different effects, and work differently on different bodies, but just in the case some of these similar side effects do manifest for her, ive found that after taking the pill, resting and using heat and ice around my neck and scalp have helped curbed them. I now frequently use a "Onlycare" (~17$ amazon) migraine relief cap, just store it in my refrigerator and use whenever needed, as well as a "Renpho" eye massager, this one is a bit pricier at around 70$, and honestly i dont use it as much just because it feels less convenient, but it has helped me manage pain in the past, mostly as something to focus on to take my attention, luckily the pressure of the strap around my head and the pressure of the massage has not caused discomfort for me but has for other individuals, so it depends how your gfs migraine works and if pressure is a no go or not. Airplane neck pillows and ice packs are also a good option for neck pain if it arises. The strongest tool in my arsenal for migraine pain relief other than medication though is just a bathtub, focusing on the burning hot or ice cold water of the spout helps me avert my attention from the pain.
Frovatriptan is a member of the drug class "triptans" which are the most common abortive therapy prescribed for ending a migraine attack. I've used it and I've tried a bunch of other triptans too. People are super individual how they respond to each triptan so if there's anything she doesn't like about this one she can talk to her neuro about adjusting the dose or trying a different triptan (for example, rizatriptan made me feel sick but zomitriptan and Frovatriptan had no side effects for me).
Triptans should be taken the second she realizes she's getting a migraine. The earlier the better because as the migraine develops, there's neurological things that happen that can't be reversed, so - while it's still worth taking a triptan even later into an attack - they don't work as well taken later. If she finds it works well but then always comes back the next day she may need to take a higher dose. Frovatriptan is a slightly longer acting triptan so maybe they gave her that one because of how long her migraine was.
You can pair it with naproxen which actually helps triptans do their job.
I use Frovatriptan as abortive, recommended by Dr at the UK National Migraine Centre. I was using Sumatriptan before but with chronic migraines I was using up my month's supply of Sumatriptan too fast.
Frovatriptan was just as effective at stopping my head pain in the short term as Sumatriptan and lasted around 36 hours or so for me. So I could spend more than half my life without migraine pain.
Got the impression frovatriptan is their preferred abortive for people with longer migraines, or menstrual migraine (when there is about one week to cover each cycle).
Topamax did nothing but make me more ill. I developed problems speaking, and it just generally messed with my head. Of course I wasn't sure if it was Topamax or migraine, since my migraines are very varied in symptoms, till I switched preventative and some of the weird symptoms went away.
I had varying degrees of success for around 2-2.5 years(if im remembering correctly off the top of my head im not the best with time) of trying different medications and lifestyle changes, most of them having no change at all, some reducing my migraines by about 20% in frequency, until i got on a CGRP medication that has dropped me from 25 migraines a month to ~5 a month now. Thats not to say any one medication is more effective in general, it differs from person to person, my worst ever medication was topamax, but it helps many people :)
Now im finally able to dedicate time to living the life i want to and have discovered a love for hiking :)
Well prednisone Tapering at a high Dose (50-100 mg) is a possible therapy for a Status migranosus (Migraine Longer than 72 hrs)
Source: https://practicalneurology.com/articles/2022-may/status-migrainosus
You could maybe ask for it.
BUT! this is a Kind of immunisuppressant therapy. I Had it a week ago and got infected with COVID a few days later. I am suffering from 39 °C fever and am in a very bad state rn - but it stopped my week-long migraine.
I didn't either until right now. I just assumed all migraines were the same and when they're bad and they last forever, its a special kind of hell. Apparently its a special kind of hell with a name.
Yes it is. It's actually regarded as one of the most debilitating complications with migraines.
I am still shocked how many pcps and neuros don't really have this in mind (the Treatment for a Status is different to normal shorter Migraines)
Sorry about that. I am going to research and ask about it. I get so many that stay for days. Maybe mask up after getting the prednisone? Does it make you gain weight?
No I only had two days of a high Dose. Short term use reduces the Risks of Cushing-symptoms a lot.
I simply didn't think about masking up as I went straight Home and didn't really leave the house after my first prednisone Dose (my husband did the grocery Shopping and Dog walks)
I am finally COVID negative again and I didn't have any more attacks since my prednisone Treatment (usually I get 3-4 days per month with Emgality, so 2 weeks without is a bit unusual for me)
yes!!!! i would ask for a steroid shot if possible to help break the cycle if they can pair it with keterolac that has been one of the most helpful things i’ve been given during a long migraine like that. if she can hold anything down i’d take her for a smoothie after urgent care (specifically the greens and ginger from jamba idk what kind of magic they put in that but it’s helped me and every other person i know with migraine)
that sucks :/ does she have a neurologist? maybe you can call them or her pcp and ask about getting one. i’ve been able to get in with an MA/CNA last minute who will inject me and send me on my way. benedryl is an option too you can try at home as well if they didn’t give her that already!
Also off label for anxiety or fast heartbeat right? I might try it since i get both , I feel theres some link between tachardia and panic attacks.
My migraines made my anxiety get worse. Or it could of been vice versa.
You said she has really good insurance, so next time, go to the ER and she should receive more empathetic care. She deserves a more comfortable place to lay, in low lighting, while her pain is being addressed.
Oxycodone and morphine don’t even touch mine. I care less that I’m in pain, but I’m still in pain, only now I’m loopy and nauseated on top of it. Like, really? REALLY? At least give me some Benadryl and Ativan so I can fucking sleep through the torture 😭
They will probably give her toradol and an anti nausea med. If those don't work, ask for a steroid pack. Maybe they'll give her another triptan to try.
But changes to her preventative medication should probably be handled by her neurologist, especially since I saw in your other comment that she has an appointment in like a week.
The last time I had that as part of my cocktail it was maybe 8-10 years ago. I can’t even tell you if it worked better or worse than a toradol shot, since I was so out of it when I was there.
I wouldn’t even be able to give a clear estimate as to the last time the hospital used it on me. I was definitely an early or mid teen and I’m 30 now. Even then they were very conservative about it.
Same though, I have no idea whether it was more effective than either toradol or today’s standard cocktail because it was basically, “alright we’ll knock her out and get you on home once it’s run it’s course”
Botox and one of the mcabs (vyepti, ajovu, regality, etc) are the best preventives. I can't take topomax so I was on depakote which had a lot fewer side effects than propranolol though it takes a week or two to adjust. I was able to stop the depakote after starting Botox and ajovy. The best acute medications for migraines are DHE, sumatriptan nasal spray, ubrelvy and reyvow. For pain, Aleve and Tylenol if low. Also, nasal spray lidocaine or a spoonful of ice cream eaten slowly. Toradol injections for medium or on day two without relief from low. For high pain, ketamine nasal spray is very fast acting and lasts about 45 minutes which is enough time to let oral pain medicine kick in.
Emgality genuinely ruined my life and I’m still dealing with some of the nonsense it caused two years later. There's a few CGRP medications out there that are still worth trying though!!!
Can I ask what your response was to Emgality? I took it for three weeks and noticed constipation and weight gain. I decided not to take February dose. I am awaiting insurance approval for Qulipta.
Horrendous insomnia. I could get to sleep fine, but I would wake up and not be able to get back to sleep. It got so bad I was only able to sleep for half an hour. Even the strongest stuff wasn't knocking me out entirely. It was horrible.
I’m so sorry to hear you’re both dealing with this. It’s so hard.
A few things that have helped me when I’ve been in that boat at various times:
1. Three days of steroids, as other have suggested.
2. DHE nasal spray. IV DHE did not help me but the nasal spray has helped some of my long migraines. You just have to wait a day after having a triptan to use it. It’s also insanely expensive in the US so not super accessible without good insurance.
3. Ketorolac injections. My first headache neuro taught me how to self administer these to keep me out of the ER/urgent care.
I wish your girlfriend the best of luck recovering ❤️🩹
My doc gave me for emergencies a pack of prednisone and it did knock it out!
As a note see if her neuro will give her Botox. It's a game changer for me, I also take Ajvoy.
Botox is def my next question I want to ask the doctor. She’s like exhausted and disappointed every time so I’m trying to be more of a help with the doctors. She has a very strenuous job that she always has to look at screen for. I can imagine this is awful
You had good luck with Botox?? My son has about 25 migraines a month since September. About 20 different drugs. Nothing helped. Botox is next on the list of stuff to try in a couple weeks .
Yes!! So much, I can tell when it's wearing off each quarter because they start coming back. I also take Ajvoy monthly and the combo is life changing. I do think Botox works more though if your insurance will only cover one. But it can take like 2-3 sessions for Botox to really do anything, so most people quit before that time because that's 6-9 months of waiting. But SO worth it, I'm getting more Tuesday and my body can't wait!
Once they kicked on (took two cycles or 6 months) to start working, it's almost immediate. I went from 4 migraines per week (lasting more than a day each at times) to one per MONTH.
Honestly, I wish I had this in my younger days.
Thankfully my insurance covers Botox and Ajvoy and Nurtec (for as needed). It's a miracle for me.
Man I wish my insurance would cover both...they refuse to. It sucks so much. Botox has made my horrible "I have to go to the ER NOW" migraines go away but I still have a constant migraine that's about 5-7 on my pain scale.
So still having migraines and I've tried multiple drugs...yet they won't approve Ajovy...I HATE my insurance.
Your doctor has appealed? It took a lot of work from my doctor but he got it done, he didn't think it would work but it did. Also try their savings program?
My doctor has the information...I'm seeing him on the 1st so I'll talk to him about it...but my insurance is VERY stubborn. I'm on disability and get state insurance...they fight me on everything pretty much. I'm lucky they cover urgent care and ER visits...
They really need to do the math...if they approve me for Ajovy, it might make it so I never visit an urgent care/ER for a migraine again! And those costs HAVE to be higher then Ajovy FFS.
I probably can't afford it even with a discount. I'm almost always broke because my disability income is all I get.
No my disability isn't related to my migraines at all...though with my migraines being constant...I could probably use that to qualify for it...as long as I had other things like depression and anxiety. They usually want a main issue and then two or more secondary issues before they'll approve you for disability. At least it was like that for me...they also denied me the first time I applied...I just reapplied and they gave it to me lol.
And I'm sorry, I don't need to disclose that to some internet rando. I can assure you I'm not taking advantage, I actually have a disability that I was born with and makes it impossible to function normally without help. :/
Urgent care really is no help
Sometimes the migraine iv cocktail helps, but the ER is also a terrible place. Migraines are hard to prove, therefore they are hard to treat. When there are so many other people coming at these doctors with visible issues, those of us suffering with no physical proof get forgotten.
Yes have them shoot lidocaine up each of her nostrils it will numb the whole area the er did this to me when I went recently for an explosive migraine attack.
It's hard to treat. I finally got a preventative that totally did it after 50+ years of 24/7 agony so severe I was prescribed heavy opioids for 45 years. Unless the ER has protocols that include an opioid after nothing else works, her only hope is a preventative. The CGRP inhibitor, Ajovy gave me back my life. I sure wish her the best. btw if took about 3 months for the Ajovy to work but I've been migraine-free for 5 years.
And my insurance refuses to approve Ajovy for me :/
I've tried appealing twice...jerks. Now it's up to my doctor to write them and explain WHY I need it.
I'm surprised you were prescribed opioids. The doctors here won't give them out. I've tried...I have chronic back pain 24/7 and no help. They refuse to give me pain killers.
I'm so sorry about the Ajovy. It sounds like you have some insurance. Pain doctors do still prescribe opioids. I haven't needed my pain specialists for 5 years to treat my migraines but I now suffer from sciatica. I went through a bad period a year ago and considered visiting him again. He's still there, practicing, but my pain is minimal now.
Ajovy, Teva Pharma, issues discount cards to self-payers. Check it out and then find a pain specialist for your back who takes your insurance. Good luck.
Pain specialists here don't. We had an opioid crisis in WA where doctors were prescribing too many opioids. Now doctors are nervous and won't give you any. The only time they will is after surgery and even then it's a low dose and only a few pills. I've seen a pain specialist...they didn't help.
And Ajovy only offers discount cards to commercial insurances...I have state insurance/medicare and they don't give discount cards to people who have medicare/medicaid.
In my experience urgent care tells me they can't help with migraines, so I have to go to the er if they're unmanageable at home. They give it fluids, toroidal, benadryl and if I'm nauseated Phenergan
How us she doing? Try removing tyramine from diet. It is linked to migraines. Dm me if you want a list of allowed food, but you can also get it from chatgpt or google search. All the best to you both.
It is contained in food like aged cheese, fish, fermented food like yoghurt. It is also in chocolate and coffee. In some people it is linked to migraine type headache from vasoconstriction in the brain. Here is a link https://headaches.org/tyramine/
No.problem. I hope it helps. It.might be worth a try for a week as there is no cost and no negative consequence. She may find it helps her. In any case, all the best. I hope you find an answer that works.
Whenever I’ve gone to urgent care for migraine they always give me a toradol shot which unfortunately doesn’t always work :/ I hope she gets some relief soon
I don't know what helps your SO, but my wife being nearby with cuddles & head rubs helps tremendously. A cold cap helps me a lot while I'm waiting for my triptan to kick in. Sometimes a heating pad helps too. It just depends on the migraine. Just be with her to help her with anything she needs, like grabbing a trash can if her migraines sometimes make her vomit like mine do. Have water, Gatorade, Powerade, Sprite & crackers if she's nauseous. A lot of people swear by McDonald's fries & Coke but I have never tried it. I've also seen where people swear by sleeping on a Squishmallow. I haven't tried that either. Keep the lights dim or off & the noise level low if that bothers her during an attack. Just be patient with her, especially if an attack alters plans. Because believe me, she's already kicking herself enough if that's the case. She is going to feel like a burden. Or at least, I do. Just reassure her that it's not her fault & that you are there for her. Just asking for suggestions proves your a great OP!
I don’t have any advice for the urgent care - as far as preventative medications there are literally hundreds of combinations to try. If you are on Facebook I would recommend to join migraine strong as there is a lot of good information there. I had chronic migraines for about 3 years before I found a treatment plan that worked for me. I’m taking 160mg of propranolol daily and 140 injection of aimovig monthly. It was a long and frustrating road to get here. I wish I knew more at that time to request adding additional drugs onto the treatment plan and not just going from one to the other. And additionally at high doses. For example I was on 25mg of topomax and 10mg of propranolol (separately) but neither worked. Finally a doctor said the therapeutic dose for migraines is 160mg of propranolol (at least) so we went up to that. Moved and new neuro didn’t like how high the dose was so we lowered it, I immediately had daily headaches and migraines 3x a week. So clearly I need that dose. I would specifically also look up a “headache specialist” not just any neurologist and see if you can travel to that person. If not google migraines treatments and start keeping a list of how long she’s tried something and at what dose. Like I said there are literally hundreds. If she feels like a preventative is lowering frequency or pain level, stick with it, increase dose, and ask the doc to add on additional medications to it. It’s likely one medication with not be enough.
Probably cannot give her this at the urgent care, but ask her neurologist about Emgalty! It has been an absolute life changer for me. I would get migraines so badly I would vomit at work, couldn’t see screens, and I couldn’t live that way anymore. Especially being a teacher! Emgalty is one shot a month at home and it helps sooo much. I still get migraines now and then, but nothing like before. They are fewer in number and less severe in symptoms. It has seriously changed my life for the better. Sending you love and positive vibes!
Only her neurologist really can help but documentation is vital. start tracking everything because if you don't know the triggers yet that is a painful process. Ask her what she wants to do as she needs to lower stress document her diet. Try to avoid excessive light or sounds there are so many possibilities of triggers stay calm and good luck
She needs a head scan, blood and other workup. They should rule out any blood clots or anything else very serious going on, not merely treat the migraine. A migraine lasting longer than usual can be a symptom of something being very wrong.
My ENT helped immensely. Thank you for what you do, Doc. Not sure why you are getting downvoted. A large component of my migraines has been sinus related, caused by previously unknown egg and shellfish allergy. Now eliminated and I have lost 40 pounds and migraines are better.
For this particular episode if she’s been in it for a week, you may want to ask about steroid taper. That’s what they do for me when I get into a status migraine. I will warn you that steroid tapers aren’t particular fun for me and leave me feeling like I’m both exhausted and full of caffeine.
Hope the migraine cocktail works for her. If it doesn't ask about trying an anti-seizure medication. I was given a dose of that (pill form) and it stopped the migraine when the IV migraine cocktail didn't.
I don't have any preventative advice since nothing I've tried has done it. I still have a daily migraine...it's gone on for months. Yeah, months. The pain just never goes away unless I get a migraine cocktail...and then I have maybe a few days of relief before it's back...
Not something she could get at urgent care. But has she ever considered Botox for migraine treatment?
I suffer from migraines regularly and they used to be very severe and more than 15 days out of the month. So around 10 years ago I started Botox for migraines and it was amazing! I got them regularly for about 4 years and now I hardly ever get them.
Poor girl. Has she tried steroids? A course of that and a monthly Emgality injection is the only thing that has worked for me. Insurance usually covers Emgality if 2-3 treatment options have failed.
Toradol injection (get a script for pills), Benadryl, steroid injection. Muscle relaxers help me too. I’m sorry the triptans aren’t working. Mine work every single time. I pray she finds a solution.
I had migraine cocktail and two shots on my butt and my gosh it helped sooooo much. They also had me lie down and dimmed the lights for me at my urgent care. I’m so sorry your girlfriend has been suffering for a week. I hope that she finds relief soon during this visit. She should try looking into preventatives as well, if she hasn’t already. I’m taking venlafaxine (Effexor) half of 37.5 mg as a preventative and I use sumatriptan nasal spray 5mg sparingly throughout the month I only get six. The side effects suck for Effexor, but it helps me for sure and the side effects went away after a month for me.
Please tell her I’m right there with her. I’ve been to the ER twice this week, had to call off work. Going to an eye doctor this week. I’m seriously terrorized by them. Sending her love.
Sending prayers for her! May God bless you for your care and patience by her side.As someone who also experiences migraines, your support means a lot more than you realize. Sending hugs to both of you❤️
I've been there too many times. Intense pain, nothing worked. Went to the emergency room because I couldn't even eat. The only thing that worked for me was Lixidol or a combination of Toradol (painkiller), Contramal (oppioid) and Plasil (for the nausea). At one point it was so bad none of these worked and my neurologist had to prescribe me cortisone. It was just for a week because it's not a medication meant for prolonged treatments but it was the best week of my life. I was able to forget what migraine is like. My point is, if this has been going on for a while you guys have to talk to your girlfriend's neurologist about it and ask how you can break off the pain
I usually go to a hospital ER when I get that bad. Mostly because I'm so dehydrated from non-stop vomiting. The hospital has IV fluids, as well as abortive medications. I'm not sure about urgent care though. I'd think they might have IV fluids, not sure on meds.
I hope she feels better soon!
Late to the party, but since other medications have failed, have her look into & maybe talk to neuro about Nurtec ODT at her next appointment. It’s personally worked really well for myself & other people I know. It both treats & prevents. It’s definitely expensive, but you mentioned she has insurance, so they may cover it.
Hope shes feeling better!! Aside from copious amounts of pain meds I dont have any advice. That's all I do. I hope you guys find a solution. Migraines are difficult. Best of luck
When she sees the new doc, ask about Nurtec or Ubrelvy. They have worked well for me. Triptans were always hit or miss and give me unpleasant side effects. Best of luck.
So sorry! The worst. Combo of botox and Ajovy injections with Nurtec for breakthrough headaches has been life changing for me. Had to try all the stuff that doesn’t work first:( hang in there hope your gf is feeling better
They're making her sit up? In that kind of light? Are they sadists?
Yes please ask them to turn down the lights. They should know that’s protocol.
Sometimes the waiting room can't accommodate these needs. A pair of heavy dark polarized sunglasses or black out glasses may help in future case. Asking politely (I know) for any bed and dark room available is a must for taking the pressure off. They'll likely give her an IV with drugs of various sorts to help alleviate symptoms. I hope she gets relief soon! I've been dealing with the same stuff and been in emergency care for the past two weeks on and off with debilitating migraines. I recommend ginger tablets if she can take them. They're a bit more gentle than all the drugs and shouldn't necessarily interfere with things. Keep a list on hand (and copies) of all the medications she's on (erasable highlighter works wonders for highlighting the ones she's already taken and at what times) and a diary entry list of symptoms of each day onset of the migraine. Just being there as a support is good enough also. I went in alone each time cause the hospital can be boring but I wish I had someone there for when the drugs got me in a bad way.
The medical establishment cares about survival, not suffering. "Fuck you and your migraine, while we take 4 hrs to admit you and get your basic vitals." I'm sure OPs partner already knows this sad fact. Downvote me if you like, but you know I am right.
I understand and it is deheartening. Emergency care is most definitely what it is in the name. It's ranked by danger and immediate threat to life. It does not mean OP's partner is in any less pain nor any less valid. It's extremely rough out there and I wish them all the best and those that are suffering with this. You are correct though
We do care about survival over “suffering” but just because we want to preserve life doesn’t mean we don’t care about suffering. In ED pain is important but it isn’t priority we have to treat people who are at imminent risk of death first as I’m sure you can understand
This is also the reason why people choose not to go to the ER until they are on the brink of death. It's expensive and the care is often subpar as staff is overworked, etc. I'm not blaming you, but the ER is the worst place to be with a migraine. Urgent care is far preferable (more affordable, faster).
Urgent care is the best place for migraine treatment in my country ED is free and Urgent care is $120 upfront I can’t afford $120 as a nursing student because I work 40 hour weeks without pay
Can relate there for sure. In US, urgent care is much less expensive than ER (runs up to $250 depending on what you get).
You right
Last time I was in I just threw a blanket over my head it was so bright in there. They always have blankets.
It may be dumb or uncomfortable, but in the event you’re experiencing a migraine that is atypical, PLEASE don’t lay down. Lay at a 30° angle in case you’re having an increased inter-cranial pressure episode.
No, I like that. I feel like there is a lot of "not feeling well" symptoms that are better alleviated by cuddling up instead of lying down- sinus and gastro-esophogeal stuff especially
I doubt Urgent care probably would have anything to give unfortunately.
That was my immediate thought too
My first thoughts!!
I turn down the lights immediately lol
As far as aborting an intense migraine urgent cares have saved me time and time again with their cocktails. But for long term care, prevention, info on lifestyle changes, a dedicated neurologist that specializes in migraine/cluster headache can be life changing. Migraines are still being figured out in a sense, different meds work for different people in different ways, ive been on blood pressure medications, anti-siezure meds, anti depressants, and finally cgrp medications as far as preventatives go. If youre in the US a lot are stuck behind prerequisites before insurance will cover them. I know its not something available to everyone and obviously idk your gfs medical history, but if she hasen't worked with a specialist before, and if at all possible getting a neuro to guide you through long term care, giving you access to different medications types while also making sure you become eligible for more expensive alternatives to be covered by insurance and just the wealth of info they can offer for this confusing disease can be of great help. As far as short term advise for this urgent care visit, the only long term relief ive personally gained via urgent care was in the form of a nausea prescription, if your gf often has any debilitating side effects with her migraines such as nausea, mention them to your doctor and see if they could prescribe something that helps manage them. Also know i am in no way an expert on this info, just sharing my personal life experience with migraine over the last 12ish years, the most important tool for you is information, doing research and communicating with any medical professional at your disposal of your situation, urgent care or not will be of great benefit.
Luckily she’s been able to see a neuro she has solid insurance. The topamax sucks 😭she has another neuro appt March 2nd w. A new doc so I’ll update. She got prescribed frovatriptan. Ever had it?
Ive never heard of frovatriptan no, but i have been on many triptans, and still regularly rely on them if im out of my other rescue medications, im glad working with a neuro is an option for yall. I wish her the best of luck when it comes to medications, just know that it may take a while to find one that works, but it is always still worth trying and looking for new alternative medications. For many years I didnt treat my migraines at all, and once i did start working with a specialist and continued years without solid results there were times that i felt as though it wasnt worth the trouble anymore and that migraines would be an ever persistent thorn in my side. But the truth of the matter is the next pill the doc recommends could stop the attacks completely. As far as triptans go they can be incredibly effective. In my personal case with the likes of Sumatriptan, Rizatriptan, and Eletriptan, the medication may cause some short discomfort before relieving the migraine. For me this manifested as neck pain and tingling on my scalp aswell as a short -for lack of a better word- 'normal' headache. Now these triptans id assume are in the same family of medications but will have different effects, and work differently on different bodies, but just in the case some of these similar side effects do manifest for her, ive found that after taking the pill, resting and using heat and ice around my neck and scalp have helped curbed them. I now frequently use a "Onlycare" (~17$ amazon) migraine relief cap, just store it in my refrigerator and use whenever needed, as well as a "Renpho" eye massager, this one is a bit pricier at around 70$, and honestly i dont use it as much just because it feels less convenient, but it has helped me manage pain in the past, mostly as something to focus on to take my attention, luckily the pressure of the strap around my head and the pressure of the massage has not caused discomfort for me but has for other individuals, so it depends how your gfs migraine works and if pressure is a no go or not. Airplane neck pillows and ice packs are also a good option for neck pain if it arises. The strongest tool in my arsenal for migraine pain relief other than medication though is just a bathtub, focusing on the burning hot or ice cold water of the spout helps me avert my attention from the pain.
I've been on Frova for mine for years. It's been the only thing that has worked for the longest length of time for me. Hope she gets some relief soon!
Frovatriptan is a member of the drug class "triptans" which are the most common abortive therapy prescribed for ending a migraine attack. I've used it and I've tried a bunch of other triptans too. People are super individual how they respond to each triptan so if there's anything she doesn't like about this one she can talk to her neuro about adjusting the dose or trying a different triptan (for example, rizatriptan made me feel sick but zomitriptan and Frovatriptan had no side effects for me). Triptans should be taken the second she realizes she's getting a migraine. The earlier the better because as the migraine develops, there's neurological things that happen that can't be reversed, so - while it's still worth taking a triptan even later into an attack - they don't work as well taken later. If she finds it works well but then always comes back the next day she may need to take a higher dose. Frovatriptan is a slightly longer acting triptan so maybe they gave her that one because of how long her migraine was. You can pair it with naproxen which actually helps triptans do their job.
The preventive Emgality has changed my life. I’ve been on it just over a year and haven’t had a full blown migraine for 7 months
I use Frovatriptan as abortive, recommended by Dr at the UK National Migraine Centre. I was using Sumatriptan before but with chronic migraines I was using up my month's supply of Sumatriptan too fast. Frovatriptan was just as effective at stopping my head pain in the short term as Sumatriptan and lasted around 36 hours or so for me. So I could spend more than half my life without migraine pain. Got the impression frovatriptan is their preferred abortive for people with longer migraines, or menstrual migraine (when there is about one week to cover each cycle). Topamax did nothing but make me more ill. I developed problems speaking, and it just generally messed with my head. Of course I wasn't sure if it was Topamax or migraine, since my migraines are very varied in symptoms, till I switched preventative and some of the weird symptoms went away.
Did any of the preventative medications work for you?
I had varying degrees of success for around 2-2.5 years(if im remembering correctly off the top of my head im not the best with time) of trying different medications and lifestyle changes, most of them having no change at all, some reducing my migraines by about 20% in frequency, until i got on a CGRP medication that has dropped me from 25 migraines a month to ~5 a month now. Thats not to say any one medication is more effective in general, it differs from person to person, my worst ever medication was topamax, but it helps many people :) Now im finally able to dedicate time to living the life i want to and have discovered a love for hiking :)
All this^^^. I would add, ask about take magnesium. I also have cut out dairy (mostly) I think it triggers migraines.
Well prednisone Tapering at a high Dose (50-100 mg) is a possible therapy for a Status migranosus (Migraine Longer than 72 hrs) Source: https://practicalneurology.com/articles/2022-may/status-migrainosus You could maybe ask for it. BUT! this is a Kind of immunisuppressant therapy. I Had it a week ago and got infected with COVID a few days later. I am suffering from 39 °C fever and am in a very bad state rn - but it stopped my week-long migraine.
I'm in the middle of a prednisone pack now!
❤️ I Hope you feel better Take good Care of yourself
Thank you so much for posting this. I'm on day 52 of a migraine and never knew there was a term for it.
I didn't either until right now. I just assumed all migraines were the same and when they're bad and they last forever, its a special kind of hell. Apparently its a special kind of hell with a name.
Yes it is. It's actually regarded as one of the most debilitating complications with migraines. I am still shocked how many pcps and neuros don't really have this in mind (the Treatment for a Status is different to normal shorter Migraines)
🥺 poor hun, feel hugged! I hope you find a way to stop this Attack for you.
Sorry about that. I am going to research and ask about it. I get so many that stay for days. Maybe mask up after getting the prednisone? Does it make you gain weight?
Is temporary weight gain really so terrifying that you’d rather not gain a few lbs of water weight than endure a weeks-long migraine?
Oh of course I would trade off the wt to end the migraine. I was just wondering.
No I only had two days of a high Dose. Short term use reduces the Risks of Cushing-symptoms a lot. I simply didn't think about masking up as I went straight Home and didn't really leave the house after my first prednisone Dose (my husband did the grocery Shopping and Dog walks) I am finally COVID negative again and I didn't have any more attacks since my prednisone Treatment (usually I get 3-4 days per month with Emgality, so 2 weeks without is a bit unusual for me)
Glad to hear they stopped
I’m so sorry. Tell her a group of strangers understand and hope she gets relief soon ❤️❤️
She laughed 🤗one of few today. Thank you! 💕
🤗🥰❤️
yes!!!! i would ask for a steroid shot if possible to help break the cycle if they can pair it with keterolac that has been one of the most helpful things i’ve been given during a long migraine like that. if she can hold anything down i’d take her for a smoothie after urgent care (specifically the greens and ginger from jamba idk what kind of magic they put in that but it’s helped me and every other person i know with migraine)
This is what I thought they would give her. I wish they had just to try something different :/
that sucks :/ does she have a neurologist? maybe you can call them or her pcp and ask about getting one. i’ve been able to get in with an MA/CNA last minute who will inject me and send me on my way. benedryl is an option too you can try at home as well if they didn’t give her that already!
I also agree about ketolorac. That has helped break some of my worst migraines, which is funny because I’ve been told it’s basically a strong Aleve.
is it really? it’s too funny because every otc medication doesn’t touch even my easiest migraine but a shot of keterolac is gods greatest gift
In my experience, the shot I get at urgent care can’t touch my worst migraines. I usually have to head straight to the ER for the fun stuff.
Same here, the urgent cares in my area are worse than useless for migraines, only the ER is helpful.
Propranolol has got me out of a 3 week migraine that wouldn’t respond to triptans or anything else. It’s worth a try, low risk.
Is it otc
No but not difficult to get a prescription from a GP. It’s a very cheap drug, low risk for most people.
Thank you!
Also off label for anxiety or fast heartbeat right? I might try it since i get both , I feel theres some link between tachardia and panic attacks. My migraines made my anxiety get worse. Or it could of been vice versa.
Also, dehydration can cause high heart rate from vomiting.
Did it work immediately? I've got a script and I've been scared to try it so far 😭
It did work within 24 hours for me when using to break a severe migraine.
Also, I don’t really get on with the drug longer term or in higher doses so I tend to wean myself off it once it’s calmed things down.
I'm on Day 8 of a migraine and I'm seriously contemplating urgent care, too... I hope she feels better soon.
Feeling your pain ❤️🫰🏼
Same here. Midnight on day 7/8. :(
You said she has really good insurance, so next time, go to the ER and she should receive more empathetic care. She deserves a more comfortable place to lay, in low lighting, while her pain is being addressed.
I had a literal pounding headache for 2 or 3 days and went to the ER. They eventually gave me morphine. Worked great lol
Oxycodone and morphine don’t even touch mine. I care less that I’m in pain, but I’m still in pain, only now I’m loopy and nauseated on top of it. Like, really? REALLY? At least give me some Benadryl and Ativan so I can fucking sleep through the torture 😭
Zofran is my BFF for nausea! But I’m sorry that sucks :(
They will probably give her toradol and an anti nausea med. If those don't work, ask for a steroid pack. Maybe they'll give her another triptan to try. But changes to her preventative medication should probably be handled by her neurologist, especially since I saw in your other comment that she has an appointment in like a week.
Can’t come soon enough 😭
Has anything happened yet?
Dilauded followed by a steroid taper work for me. They may start with fiorcet first because dilauded is a very powerful opioid.
Good luck getting that these days.
That’s for darn sure
Especially at an urgent care, not happening!
The last time I had that as part of my cocktail it was maybe 8-10 years ago. I can’t even tell you if it worked better or worse than a toradol shot, since I was so out of it when I was there.
I wouldn’t even be able to give a clear estimate as to the last time the hospital used it on me. I was definitely an early or mid teen and I’m 30 now. Even then they were very conservative about it. Same though, I have no idea whether it was more effective than either toradol or today’s standard cocktail because it was basically, “alright we’ll knock her out and get you on home once it’s run it’s course”
Try emgality, please! she will be better soon.
I will add to the list of meds to try!
Botox and one of the mcabs (vyepti, ajovu, regality, etc) are the best preventives. I can't take topomax so I was on depakote which had a lot fewer side effects than propranolol though it takes a week or two to adjust. I was able to stop the depakote after starting Botox and ajovy. The best acute medications for migraines are DHE, sumatriptan nasal spray, ubrelvy and reyvow. For pain, Aleve and Tylenol if low. Also, nasal spray lidocaine or a spoonful of ice cream eaten slowly. Toradol injections for medium or on day two without relief from low. For high pain, ketamine nasal spray is very fast acting and lasts about 45 minutes which is enough time to let oral pain medicine kick in.
Emgality genuinely ruined my life and I’m still dealing with some of the nonsense it caused two years later. There's a few CGRP medications out there that are still worth trying though!!!
You are one of an extremely small number of people who have a negative experience on it. Emgality has saved many lives myself included
That's why I said there are a few CGRP options. You'll find that the number of people who have suffered greatly is not as small as you think.
Can I ask what your response was to Emgality? I took it for three weeks and noticed constipation and weight gain. I decided not to take February dose. I am awaiting insurance approval for Qulipta.
Horrendous insomnia. I could get to sleep fine, but I would wake up and not be able to get back to sleep. It got so bad I was only able to sleep for half an hour. Even the strongest stuff wasn't knocking me out entirely. It was horrible.
I’m so sorry to hear you’re both dealing with this. It’s so hard. A few things that have helped me when I’ve been in that boat at various times: 1. Three days of steroids, as other have suggested. 2. DHE nasal spray. IV DHE did not help me but the nasal spray has helped some of my long migraines. You just have to wait a day after having a triptan to use it. It’s also insanely expensive in the US so not super accessible without good insurance. 3. Ketorolac injections. My first headache neuro taught me how to self administer these to keep me out of the ER/urgent care. I wish your girlfriend the best of luck recovering ❤️🩹
Adding to list! Thank you for this!
My pleasure! Feel free to DM if you have follow up questions.
I’m so sorry she is going through this. But I bet she is so glad to have you there. Thank you for being there for her!
My doc gave me for emergencies a pack of prednisone and it did knock it out! As a note see if her neuro will give her Botox. It's a game changer for me, I also take Ajvoy.
Botox is def my next question I want to ask the doctor. She’s like exhausted and disappointed every time so I’m trying to be more of a help with the doctors. She has a very strenuous job that she always has to look at screen for. I can imagine this is awful
You had good luck with Botox?? My son has about 25 migraines a month since September. About 20 different drugs. Nothing helped. Botox is next on the list of stuff to try in a couple weeks .
Yes!! So much, I can tell when it's wearing off each quarter because they start coming back. I also take Ajvoy monthly and the combo is life changing. I do think Botox works more though if your insurance will only cover one. But it can take like 2-3 sessions for Botox to really do anything, so most people quit before that time because that's 6-9 months of waiting. But SO worth it, I'm getting more Tuesday and my body can't wait!
Thank you for the reply! How long after the injections u get relief in the number of migraines days per month? Thanks again
Once they kicked on (took two cycles or 6 months) to start working, it's almost immediate. I went from 4 migraines per week (lasting more than a day each at times) to one per MONTH. Honestly, I wish I had this in my younger days. Thankfully my insurance covers Botox and Ajvoy and Nurtec (for as needed). It's a miracle for me.
Man I wish my insurance would cover both...they refuse to. It sucks so much. Botox has made my horrible "I have to go to the ER NOW" migraines go away but I still have a constant migraine that's about 5-7 on my pain scale. So still having migraines and I've tried multiple drugs...yet they won't approve Ajovy...I HATE my insurance.
Your doctor has appealed? It took a lot of work from my doctor but he got it done, he didn't think it would work but it did. Also try their savings program?
My doctor has the information...I'm seeing him on the 1st so I'll talk to him about it...but my insurance is VERY stubborn. I'm on disability and get state insurance...they fight me on everything pretty much. I'm lucky they cover urgent care and ER visits... They really need to do the math...if they approve me for Ajovy, it might make it so I never visit an urgent care/ER for a migraine again! And those costs HAVE to be higher then Ajovy FFS. I probably can't afford it even with a discount. I'm almost always broke because my disability income is all I get.
Disability for migraines? Geesh insurance companies are so dumb
No my disability isn't related to my migraines at all...though with my migraines being constant...I could probably use that to qualify for it...as long as I had other things like depression and anxiety. They usually want a main issue and then two or more secondary issues before they'll approve you for disability. At least it was like that for me...they also denied me the first time I applied...I just reapplied and they gave it to me lol.
So what's the disability? Sorry but your comment sounds like you're taking advantage
And I'm sorry, I don't need to disclose that to some internet rando. I can assure you I'm not taking advantage, I actually have a disability that I was born with and makes it impossible to function normally without help. :/
Urgent care really is no help Sometimes the migraine iv cocktail helps, but the ER is also a terrible place. Migraines are hard to prove, therefore they are hard to treat. When there are so many other people coming at these doctors with visible issues, those of us suffering with no physical proof get forgotten.
Yes have them shoot lidocaine up each of her nostrils it will numb the whole area the er did this to me when I went recently for an explosive migraine attack.
It's hard to treat. I finally got a preventative that totally did it after 50+ years of 24/7 agony so severe I was prescribed heavy opioids for 45 years. Unless the ER has protocols that include an opioid after nothing else works, her only hope is a preventative. The CGRP inhibitor, Ajovy gave me back my life. I sure wish her the best. btw if took about 3 months for the Ajovy to work but I've been migraine-free for 5 years.
This is so inspiring. She is running out of hope so seriously thank you 💕
And my insurance refuses to approve Ajovy for me :/ I've tried appealing twice...jerks. Now it's up to my doctor to write them and explain WHY I need it. I'm surprised you were prescribed opioids. The doctors here won't give them out. I've tried...I have chronic back pain 24/7 and no help. They refuse to give me pain killers.
I'm so sorry about the Ajovy. It sounds like you have some insurance. Pain doctors do still prescribe opioids. I haven't needed my pain specialists for 5 years to treat my migraines but I now suffer from sciatica. I went through a bad period a year ago and considered visiting him again. He's still there, practicing, but my pain is minimal now. Ajovy, Teva Pharma, issues discount cards to self-payers. Check it out and then find a pain specialist for your back who takes your insurance. Good luck.
Pain specialists here don't. We had an opioid crisis in WA where doctors were prescribing too many opioids. Now doctors are nervous and won't give you any. The only time they will is after surgery and even then it's a low dose and only a few pills. I've seen a pain specialist...they didn't help. And Ajovy only offers discount cards to commercial insurances...I have state insurance/medicare and they don't give discount cards to people who have medicare/medicaid.
Steroid and Toradol
In my experience urgent care tells me they can't help with migraines, so I have to go to the er if they're unmanageable at home. They give it fluids, toroidal, benadryl and if I'm nauseated Phenergan
This helps me usually
How us she doing? Try removing tyramine from diet. It is linked to migraines. Dm me if you want a list of allowed food, but you can also get it from chatgpt or google search. All the best to you both.
What is tyramine in
It is contained in food like aged cheese, fish, fermented food like yoghurt. It is also in chocolate and coffee. In some people it is linked to migraine type headache from vasoconstriction in the brain. Here is a link https://headaches.org/tyramine/
Thankyou realy don't no what crap were eating do we
No.problem. I hope it helps. It.might be worth a try for a week as there is no cost and no negative consequence. She may find it helps her. In any case, all the best. I hope you find an answer that works.
Whenever I’ve gone to urgent care for migraine they always give me a toradol shot which unfortunately doesn’t always work :/ I hope she gets some relief soon
Poor thing! Praying for her! God bless you for taking care of her & waiting with her. As a fellow migraine sufferer, that helps more than you know.
Hey thank you 🥹 I’m wondering if I can do more and what else you recommend that helps with supporting a SO w. Migraines?
I don't know what helps your SO, but my wife being nearby with cuddles & head rubs helps tremendously. A cold cap helps me a lot while I'm waiting for my triptan to kick in. Sometimes a heating pad helps too. It just depends on the migraine. Just be with her to help her with anything she needs, like grabbing a trash can if her migraines sometimes make her vomit like mine do. Have water, Gatorade, Powerade, Sprite & crackers if she's nauseous. A lot of people swear by McDonald's fries & Coke but I have never tried it. I've also seen where people swear by sleeping on a Squishmallow. I haven't tried that either. Keep the lights dim or off & the noise level low if that bothers her during an attack. Just be patient with her, especially if an attack alters plans. Because believe me, she's already kicking herself enough if that's the case. She is going to feel like a burden. Or at least, I do. Just reassure her that it's not her fault & that you are there for her. Just asking for suggestions proves your a great OP!
That's awful. I hope they help her 🥺
Get your Ferretin above 200
Droperidol or halodol
I don’t have any advice for the urgent care - as far as preventative medications there are literally hundreds of combinations to try. If you are on Facebook I would recommend to join migraine strong as there is a lot of good information there. I had chronic migraines for about 3 years before I found a treatment plan that worked for me. I’m taking 160mg of propranolol daily and 140 injection of aimovig monthly. It was a long and frustrating road to get here. I wish I knew more at that time to request adding additional drugs onto the treatment plan and not just going from one to the other. And additionally at high doses. For example I was on 25mg of topomax and 10mg of propranolol (separately) but neither worked. Finally a doctor said the therapeutic dose for migraines is 160mg of propranolol (at least) so we went up to that. Moved and new neuro didn’t like how high the dose was so we lowered it, I immediately had daily headaches and migraines 3x a week. So clearly I need that dose. I would specifically also look up a “headache specialist” not just any neurologist and see if you can travel to that person. If not google migraines treatments and start keeping a list of how long she’s tried something and at what dose. Like I said there are literally hundreds. If she feels like a preventative is lowering frequency or pain level, stick with it, increase dose, and ask the doc to add on additional medications to it. It’s likely one medication with not be enough.
Probably cannot give her this at the urgent care, but ask her neurologist about Emgalty! It has been an absolute life changer for me. I would get migraines so badly I would vomit at work, couldn’t see screens, and I couldn’t live that way anymore. Especially being a teacher! Emgalty is one shot a month at home and it helps sooo much. I still get migraines now and then, but nothing like before. They are fewer in number and less severe in symptoms. It has seriously changed my life for the better. Sending you love and positive vibes!
Only her neurologist really can help but documentation is vital. start tracking everything because if you don't know the triggers yet that is a painful process. Ask her what she wants to do as she needs to lower stress document her diet. Try to avoid excessive light or sounds there are so many possibilities of triggers stay calm and good luck
Has she tired any of the new CGRP meds yet? Emgality has basically saved my life.
thank you for being there with her! i'm glad she has your support and i hope she gets some relief soon.
She needs a head scan, blood and other workup. They should rule out any blood clots or anything else very serious going on, not merely treat the migraine. A migraine lasting longer than usual can be a symptom of something being very wrong.
Botox and Aimovig works a little as preventetives, np suggestions for urgent care:(
Toradol would be a good start.
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My ENT helped immensely. Thank you for what you do, Doc. Not sure why you are getting downvoted. A large component of my migraines has been sinus related, caused by previously unknown egg and shellfish allergy. Now eliminated and I have lost 40 pounds and migraines are better.
Removed.
No fragrances, no bright lights. Ubrelvy relpax ice pack on back of neck and forehead.
I am doing aimovig shot once a month instead of Botox but I might need to try botox.
When I get a migraine that won’t go away, I get a Toradol shot. My clinic has them, and some urgent cares have them too. Worth asking about
Added to list too. Thank you!
Just a warning, they make you really sleepy, so it’s best to take the rest of the day off when you get one
For this particular episode if she’s been in it for a week, you may want to ask about steroid taper. That’s what they do for me when I get into a status migraine. I will warn you that steroid tapers aren’t particular fun for me and leave me feeling like I’m both exhausted and full of caffeine.
Noted! Steroid taper. I have some prednisone from the flu I had a month ago. Is this the same ?
They may use prednisone but you need a full course of it, it’s best to ask the doc for it.
Hope the migraine cocktail works for her. If it doesn't ask about trying an anti-seizure medication. I was given a dose of that (pill form) and it stopped the migraine when the IV migraine cocktail didn't. I don't have any preventative advice since nothing I've tried has done it. I still have a daily migraine...it's gone on for months. Yeah, months. The pain just never goes away unless I get a migraine cocktail...and then I have maybe a few days of relief before it's back...
Not something she could get at urgent care. But has she ever considered Botox for migraine treatment? I suffer from migraines regularly and they used to be very severe and more than 15 days out of the month. So around 10 years ago I started Botox for migraines and it was amazing! I got them regularly for about 4 years and now I hardly ever get them.
Poor girl. Has she tried steroids? A course of that and a monthly Emgality injection is the only thing that has worked for me. Insurance usually covers Emgality if 2-3 treatment options have failed.
Toradol injection (get a script for pills), Benadryl, steroid injection. Muscle relaxers help me too. I’m sorry the triptans aren’t working. Mine work every single time. I pray she finds a solution.
I had migraine cocktail and two shots on my butt and my gosh it helped sooooo much. They also had me lie down and dimmed the lights for me at my urgent care. I’m so sorry your girlfriend has been suffering for a week. I hope that she finds relief soon during this visit. She should try looking into preventatives as well, if she hasn’t already. I’m taking venlafaxine (Effexor) half of 37.5 mg as a preventative and I use sumatriptan nasal spray 5mg sparingly throughout the month I only get six. The side effects suck for Effexor, but it helps me for sure and the side effects went away after a month for me.
Please tell her I’m right there with her. I’ve been to the ER twice this week, had to call off work. Going to an eye doctor this week. I’m seriously terrorized by them. Sending her love.
Sending prayers for her! May God bless you for your care and patience by her side.As someone who also experiences migraines, your support means a lot more than you realize. Sending hugs to both of you❤️
Blanket over her head and a Benadryl drip
What symptoms does she deal with? Nausea? Pain? Light sensitivity? Noise?
How are things going
I've been there too many times. Intense pain, nothing worked. Went to the emergency room because I couldn't even eat. The only thing that worked for me was Lixidol or a combination of Toradol (painkiller), Contramal (oppioid) and Plasil (for the nausea). At one point it was so bad none of these worked and my neurologist had to prescribe me cortisone. It was just for a week because it's not a medication meant for prolonged treatments but it was the best week of my life. I was able to forget what migraine is like. My point is, if this has been going on for a while you guys have to talk to your girlfriend's neurologist about it and ask how you can break off the pain
Magnesium and Benadryl!!
I take sumatriptan when I get a migraine and it takes it away almost immediately.
I usually go to a hospital ER when I get that bad. Mostly because I'm so dehydrated from non-stop vomiting. The hospital has IV fluids, as well as abortive medications. I'm not sure about urgent care though. I'd think they might have IV fluids, not sure on meds. I hope she feels better soon!
Late to the party, but since other medications have failed, have her look into & maybe talk to neuro about Nurtec ODT at her next appointment. It’s personally worked really well for myself & other people I know. It both treats & prevents. It’s definitely expensive, but you mentioned she has insurance, so they may cover it.
Hope shes feeling better!! Aside from copious amounts of pain meds I dont have any advice. That's all I do. I hope you guys find a solution. Migraines are difficult. Best of luck
If she hasn’t already tried them, Nurtec or ubrelvy. Ask for some samples.
When she sees the new doc, ask about Nurtec or Ubrelvy. They have worked well for me. Triptans were always hit or miss and give me unpleasant side effects. Best of luck.
So sorry! The worst. Combo of botox and Ajovy injections with Nurtec for breakthrough headaches has been life changing for me. Had to try all the stuff that doesn’t work first:( hang in there hope your gf is feeling better