My sister was recently hospitalized for one week with a very painful migraine that would NOT go away, not even with strong medication.

Her doctor now attributes it to the beginnings of menopause. Anyone ever heard of this before?

Would appreciate any advice or story-sharing on this one.
Thanks.

Hi Marg, I see this is your second post. Where can I find post #1? Sorry to hear about your sister. She must have had CT scans and MRI, right? No neurological problem, right? So the doctors say it's related to menopause? I was 8 years old when I was first diagnosed with migraines. They got worse with menstrual cycles. Years & years of migraines. Then, at age 48 I got breast cancer. Chemo gave me migraines from hell. Steroids to arrest the symptoms, Depakote (a med for bipolar) Topamax (an anti-seizure drug) and I am neither epileptic nor bipolar. Chemo caused immediate and permanent menopause. The longer I am into menopause (2 years this November) the fewer migraines I have. In this way, menopause is a blessing. I have friends who said they're migraines did get worse during menopause. Love and Light to you and your sister, Lynn

Yep. I was experiencing a few other peri-menopausal symptoms prior to my first migraines. Had never had one in my life, then my first one put me in bed (in the dark, with my head squeezed between two pillows) for three days. I thought I was going to die, and didn't care if I did!
I experienced some mild and some major migraines before my other symptoms got so bad (and I began a dance with the "Big C".)
I ended up with a hysterectomy. My theory was that my head hurt from lack of oxygen, since there couldn't possibly have been any blood getting to the brain--it was all going elsewhere and then right on out of my body!
My gyn told me that when my hormones started going nuts, my caffeine intake began to drastically effect me. It wasn't until I eliminated nearly all caffeine from my diet that things improved (but did not completely resolve.) And eliminating caffeine isn't as simple as you think-- it's not just coffee and sodas. I even had to give up things like pepperoni pizza. The caffeine in the pepperoni was just too much for my system at the time.
Your sister will likely have to chart her triggers. Once she knows them and can avoid them, things will improve.
Wishing her the very best.

Fifty

Thanks "Lynn" and "Fifty"....

Yes she has had 2 MRIs and a CT scan, both showed nothing. After she was released from the hospital (because they couldn't do anything for her anymore), she went to see her gyno and she has now said it is hormonal and she's going through menopause. It's interesting that for some, menopause helps to alleviate the migraines, yet for some, it increases the painful symptoms. Thanks again to both of you..appreciate the good wishes....it is tough being a woman sometimes, isn't it? : )

Yep, that indoor plumbing can become a problem at times.

I have friends who still have periods and suffer from migraines before every cycle. So yes, hormones can make it worse.

Mine have remained the same...menopause or not. I'm affected by barometric pressure so unless I live somewhere that the weather never changes, I'm going to have them.

I hope your sis gets over this and soon.

Hi-been a migraine sufferer myself (all my life), so my sympathies to all sufferers. I am not experiencing menopause YET, but I wanted to share an experience. About 2 yrs. ago, my thyroid levels were out of control, so I was tested in the female hormone areas as well. While I didn't have any great fluctuations in the female hormone, the dr. felt I needed to add progesterone to help with all the symptoms. Well I am here to say, within two days of the meds, I ended up in the ER with the worst headache of my life, relentless, wouldn't let up, and horrifying. When I recovered from that one, I learned that female hormones can exacerbate Migraine in sufferers-however no dr would admit that, so I ended up going to the ER several times over the next months, until an endocrinologist suggested I get off the meds. Within 2 days my entire body felt better, and I never had migraines that bad again. Whew...after all that I just wanted to ask if your sister is taking or has started taking hormones? Good luck to her, and I hope she finds a way to deal with them...they are horrid, as you probably have witnessed. Dana

I was first diagnosed with migraines when I was pregnant with my youngest son in 87. Since then I have been on so many meds "lets try this one and see if it works..." I have lost count. I have also had MRI's, EEG's, CT's, x-rays of everything from my head south, and everything comes back fine. This past fall, after having a migraine that lasted 18 days, which was triggered by the smell of paint in our apartment building, I was sent to a pulmonary specialist who did a sleep study. Seems as though I have a mild case of sleep apnea. Thanks to a new med, an herbal OTC med, and the CPAP machine, I dont have near the number of headaches that I did. Plus I had a GYN procedure called a Novasure...basically nukes the insides of your uterus to stop heavy periods. Between that and the meds, I dont have periods nor debilitating headaches!!!

Those CPAP machines are a Godsend. I don't know how I managed before I got mine. Now no more waking up every morning with a splitting headache....

[ May 07, 2006, 07:37 PM: Message edited by: chatty lady ]

Please ladies, watch the meds for migraines. I had a heart attack 2 years ago, 35 minutes after taking a 50mg. Imitrex. They do stop the migraines in most people but the potential side effects are very dangerous. I was cleared by my doctors to take this drug but it happened anyway. Be careful.

Thanks for the heads up on Imitrex Pam. I think I will just stick with eliminating the caffine.
It's very hard to do though and every once in awhile I have to have a chocolate bar or some brownies.

Chatty, what is the CPAP machine?