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Anyone beaten hormonal headaches?
I've posted on here about my headaches before…and I tried it all. I eliminated wheat, soy, dairy, caffeine, and a ton of other tings to no avail. I've done acupuncture, massage, physical therapy, botox in my neck, and I've taken every kind of medication you could think of. I even had sinus surgery and got braces! Nothing has worked. I started logging my headaches on my calendar. I found that they usually occur around the same day every week, and I am guaranteed to have a major one (or more) the week of my period, and sometimes during ovulation. This pattern tells me it is hormonal. I am no longer taking estrogen containing bcp's. I have a mirena, so it's hormonal influence is less than bcp's. The headaches have become less intense and don't last AS long, but my period ones are still unbearable.
Anyone had this problem and figured out how to fix it??? I am DESPERATE! These headaches are ruining my life! I cannot make plans for fear of a headache!
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17 Replies
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Are the bad headaches actually migraines? – Do you get sensitive to light/sound/smells? Do you vomit or feel nauseous? I'm curious cos I get them. (Btw you don't have to get those specific symptoms for it to be a migraine)
Man it sounds like you've tried heaps of stuff already.. They do have migraine medicine of different varieties you could talk to your doc about.. Stuff you take when you feel them coming on to stuff you take daily in an effort to stop them coming..
Do you grind your teeth at night? I found I do and it causes a build up of tension in my jaw which contributes to my headaches.
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They are more like tension headaches. I do get nauseous sometimes, and light does bother me sometimes, but I don't think they ar true migraines. I've tried imitrex and topamax before. I tried a bunch of other meds too that didn't work.
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Hi love, actually I always wound up with these before I had my kids. Mine were from a hormonal imbalance, low progesterone (luteal phase defect and daily shots of progesterone to maintain my pregnancies, so a bit extreme for me!) But a minor imbalance can cause this. May not be your case, the cyclical pattern indicates it could be. The use of contraceptives can help some women, and make others worse, as the hormones are not bio-identical (Think of it this way, when I was prescribed Danocrine I was told NOT to fall pregnant at least 6 months following the treatment – but I am prescribed progesterone in oil injections and HCG injections to maintain pregnancies. Very different!) For me, some of the hormonal contraceptives I had been on for me endometriosis made me a lot worse with the headaches, mood swings etc I can send some links to explain this if you want? Just a thought that it may be a similar issue, it's not hard to knock our hormones out of whack and for some women it affects them terribly! Using natural progesterone cream (compounded, not just a 'yam based' OTC cream) has been AMAZING for me (for avoiding postnatal even with a microprem delivered at 25 weeks) for the headaches, teariness, irritability etc I've been right back to normal – the only downside is that natural progesterone ENHANCES fertility. So barrier methods are a must if you ever tried it and did not want a pregnancy.
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I'm going to talk to my doc that I saw for my hormones and acne. I'm hoping he can help me. I think the estrogen did make me worse, but being off of it hasn't helped me completely. They can still be debilitating (and usually are.) I certainly don't want to enhance my fertility. I do not want babies while the man is in school and we have to live in an apartment with two dogs. I'm not sure if my doc has done a progesterone test (or estrogen for that matter.) I know they did free testosterone and I was normal.
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There are so many things that trigger my headaches/migraines. Barometric pressure changes are a huge one for me. Nothing helps those. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif Tension headaches/migraines just plain suck the big wazoo. I take a medication called Fiorinal with codeine. Itcontains Butalbital, caffeine, and codeine. Works wonders, but I only take if I know it is tension related. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gifHormone headaches are a real bitch. I agree with RM on the bio-identical hormones. went through that myself. My gal gave me Estrogen patches to use on specific days of my cycle since hormone headaches are caused by a sudden drop in estrogen right before your period. The patches are called Vivelle-DOT. You could ask your doc about those, if you are not already on another form of birth control pill. If you are on a birth control pill and have no desire to switch or stop, you could ask your doc about the Fiorinal. It also can be formulated without the codeine. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cool.gifOne thing that may work if you haven't already tried it is taking a combo of ibuprofen (up to 600mg) and aceteminophen (up to 1000ms). This can only be repeated once every 6-8 hours, no more than twice a day. Hope you find something that worls for you. I can feel your pain, literally! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_evil.gif
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Yes that's a good call on the medication as they work so differently in the body one may offer relief where another doesn't. I give birth without drugs yet migraines are something I can't handle!! Headaches are horrible too. Panadol works in a different way to NSAIDs, and given the different responses you can have to those it's actually worth trying. There are natural aids for hormones also (eg Vitex to raise progesterone) and if you find you get some relief with the COX inhibiting meds then there are some dietry factors that could possibly help. They have done for a dear friend of mine, the only thing that I found to work was the progesterone but that's because I had a particular issue with my low levels. The pain meds didn't lift them but a shot of progesterone did 🙂 My friend on the other hand has great relief with a combo of medications and diet changes. They are horrible hun I hope you find something to work!
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Hi,
I too used to suffer terribly with hormonal migraines. The week before my periods were the worse. I spoke to my doctor about it (a lady doctor) and she recommended that I go on the injection. It has made a huge difference in my life.
Now that I don't have periods, I don't have headaches either. I have suffered with these terrible headaches most of my life (since puberty) and all I can say is that this has been life changing for me.
Just an idea….
Good luckhttps://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_flower.gif
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I've taken butalbital alone, but that didn't do anything. I've never taken codeine. I try to avoid tylenol because it is hard on the liver, and ibuprofen/asprin TEAR UP my stomach. Like, one dose and my stomach hurts and I'm getting acid reflux badly!
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I'm with you. The Butalbital alone does nothing for me, but I didn't want to rule it out for someone else. The addition of the codeine is what really helps me. If Tylenol and Ibuprofen are hard on your tummy, then codeine probably is as well. I wouldn't rule it out though because there are steps you can take to help alleviate that. First, don''t take it on an empty stomach (or any other pain meds for that matter). I would talk to your doctor about it. There are other things, such as an anti-emetic (sp?) that can keep you from getting nausea/tummy ache. I have a script for the generic version of Zofran. It's fabulous! I would definitely talk to your doc about getting a full hormone level panel. This can indicate any hormonal imbalances, and you can decide together if injections/progesterone/estrogen may be an option for you. I do have one more suggestion. There is an herbal supplement that can do wonders for headaches, moodiness, and other PMS types of symptoms. It is called L-Theanine. You can buy this at a GOOD vitamin store. The Vitamine Shoppe, Fruitful Yield, Whole Foods, or a local compounded pharmacy are some choices. L-Theanine is a naturally occuring hormone that works with the "feel Good" receptors in your brain, such as serotonin. It is all natural, so it should be easier on your internal organs.
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My mom and I had hormonal migrains most of our lifes as well as her mom. She was in bed for 2 days every month of my life. Her migrains started right after she had me, her second child. I started having migrains more often after i've had my child (from once every 3 months to once every week in the pat years). I had them since im 5. i've tried the anticonception pill but it makes it worst. Strangely enough, i did not have one migrain while I was pregnant. I took maxalt for a while, but it only made my recuperation time shorter (not to be undermined). I've tried removing coffe, certain foods like chocolat… Wine does make my head worst but not all the time. White wine seems ok. My mom started taking meds for her pressure a few years before her menopose. She had tried ergotamines, fluorinase (for years) as well as cutting salt and other things. Her med was a calcium channel blocker. She never had an other migrain. Amlodipine should be used as a last resort. Does not seem very safe. But i guess it all depends on how chronic you migrains are.
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I sooo sympathize with you. I get them too always a couple days before or during my period & it usually lasts for 2 or more days. Its horrible. Ive tried everything & what has works for me 90% of the time is taking 2 excedrine migraine along w/drinking either iced or hot coffee (from starbucks, homemade coffee is hit or miss) or chugging an energy drink. Its worked for a cpl of my friends & not for others…so i guess it doesnt hurt to try it right?
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I started getting migraines and Occular Migraines in my mid 40's. Always a day or two before my period. I went back on the Pill and it helped. Low Progesterone and low estrogen are usually the culprits. Have a saliva test done and see what hormones are out of balance. Most Compounding Pharmacies have test kits available.Low thyroid and low iron can cause headaches too. I would check hormones and if that doesn't help then check for food allergies. Good luck and get feeling better !!! XXXOOO
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I have had all my hormones checked and a nutrient panel done. I am ginna get a food allergy test fine. The pill does make mine worse.
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AerialGypsy….I know how you feel, I have been sufering of Migraines since I was 12 and 5 years ago, I go a really bad migraine that I ended up in the hospital for 4 days, since then I have had a migraine 24/7….it doesn't go away….I've gotten to the point that I'm use to having the pain but there are days that I can't take it and I have to be in bed for 2 or more days or again I end up in the hospital. I had to quit law school and then I became a pastry chef and I couldn't do that either. I'm in my mid 30's and my doctor told me that I'm going through hormonal changes and that my migraines will intensify more due to my body changes. He sent me some pills and they don't work, now I'm going to a chiropractor to see if that can help me at least reduce the intensity of them. I do a lot of research, so if I do find some info on this, I will notify you immediately!!!
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Omg that is terrible!!!! I cannot imagine! Makes mine seem like nothing. I hope something works!
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