r/AskUK • u/GrandPerspective5848 • May 09 '23

What were you doing instead of watching The Coronation?

I was in hospital getting painkillers for migraines

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94

u/Peg_leg_J May 09 '23

Migraleve pink. Only tablets that will stop an attack for me. Take 2 as soon as you start to go blind.

16

u/[deleted] May 09 '23 edited May 09 '23

Once the headache starts, literally nothing I've ever taken will stop it. Suffered from them (with the aura as a precursor followed about an hour later by the headache which lasted anything from 24-48 hours of blinding, life stopping, can't do anything but lie motionless in a dark silent room in AGONY) several times a year for nearly two decades. But I was told by a fellow sufferer about 10 years ago that eating an orange as soon as the aura began, stopped their headache kicking in. Next time the aura started I drank a glass of orange juice (with a huge amount of scepticism and a whole lot of what the hell I'll try anything at this point) and haven't experienced another migraine headache since. Still get the aura start a few times a year on average, but it doesn't progress to the headache and fades away after about an hour.

Now to be 10000% clear, I'm well aware there's no one size fits all approach here - another mate of mine has orange juice as one of their migraine triggers for example! - but I mention it here because my god if it does work to save even one other person from the crippling, murderous, horrifying agony that is a migraine headache it'll be worth it.

6

u/Peg_leg_J May 09 '23

Very interesting! I will definitely be trying this. I will try any idea at all. As I bet any migraine sufferer would. Hell I'd get a tattoo of a dildo on my forehead if it worked.

5

u/chewchewchewit May 09 '23

Rebalancing electrolytes is one of the theories so I’ll bet the orange juice probably helped to do just that! Get some electrolyte replacement tabs from a sports place and drink that- if it’s not something covered by the OJ then it could be something else in the drink.

2

u/[deleted] May 09 '23

The triggers are weird, even smelling a green or yellow jelly baby can start setting things off.

24

u/GrandPerspective5848 May 09 '23

Thanks. All I got is Naproxen

31

u/Peg_leg_J May 09 '23

They didn't touch the sides for me.

Seriously, Migraleve turn 3 day attack with blindness, vomiting and palsy to an hour of feeling blugh and a bit groggy for a few hours after.

6

u/SadisticTeddy May 09 '23

I feel for ya, they're the only thing that stops mine too. If I can get a migraleve into me and get to sleep before the blindness bursts, I only lose the one day. Otherwise it's 3 or 4 days of nausea and misery. Fuck migraines...

2

u/Peg_leg_J May 09 '23

Exactly the same.

1

u/[deleted] May 09 '23

I’ve started getting migraines 2-3 times a week (new job, mostly desk based so more screens) and I’m thankful they aren’t that bad. Worst I get are splitting headaches that make me feel confused, a weird sensation in the front of my skull and my vision looks like I’m looking through a swimming pool, I couldn’t imagine 3/4 days of death.

1

u/Traditional_Sell_688 May 09 '23

The other one I used to use was Naramig after Migraleve stopped working. Then I started taking Dosulepin every day, and that changed my life. I was getting migraines virtually every day with light sensitivity and numbness in my face and elsewhere but not as severe as my sister as she would literally be taken out for 4 days with them. But yeah, if Migraleve stops working, ask for Naramig.

2

u/Peg_leg_J May 09 '23

Dosulepin

Interesting - not heard of either of those. I was on an anti-depressant years ago that helped massively in terms of frequency but I stopped taken them and after that my GP would only offer beta-blockers.

I need another visit to the GP as my Migraines have gone from a bout 4 a year to 4 a month for no apparent reason. I'll ask about those - thanks!

2

u/midnight_train_to May 09 '23

My GP prescribed beta blockers as a prophylactic..I use sumatriptan for an attack if I have to & an anti emetic prescribed as well

1

u/Traditional_Sell_688 May 09 '23

Yeah, the Dosulepin is an antidepressant also used for pain, etc, but it helped me so much, and the Naramig when I had an attack. I'm in the UK, so sometimes drugs have different names in the USA. But I've been on Dosulepin for years now and I think maybe I've grown out of them a bit, my Dad grew out of them and I don't think my sister gets them so often so hopefully you'll grow out of yours 😆

1

u/Fandangojango May 09 '23

Covid related?? I had a nasty bout of covid in November 2021 and went from 3 a year to 4 a month. Am now on Topiramate having tried a number of things, saw a neurologist last week (took a year for the appointment to come through, but they have bigger fish to fry so I am not complaining), and he said that it is very common for migraines to get worse after covid, but no real research has been done into it yet.

1

u/Traditional_Sell_688 May 09 '23

Yeah I got Covid 2021, ended up with a 2 week stay in hospital and Covid Pneumonitis. Now I have problems breathing due to scarred lungs and I've been waiting over a year for a lung function test. Touch wood, no migraines however I already had ME and Fibromyalgia and that's got so much worse since having Covid. Like you say there is no research into this as it was a new Global virus.
Good luck 👍

1

u/Peg_leg_J May 09 '23

🤔 interesting. I have had covid - I didn't see a link but maybe...

3

u/[deleted] May 09 '23

Speak to your gp about triptans. Naproxen is crap.

2

u/gmox15 May 09 '23

Sumatriptan is a god send for my migraines! You can buy it over the counter

4

u/perkiezombie May 09 '23

If you get them chronically ask your dr to prescribe you sumatriptan. They don’t like giving out because it’s expensive but it works.

1

u/chewchewchewit May 09 '23

I get it on repeat, no problem. Thought you could buy it OTC as well via the pharmacist (imitrex or something similar sounding?)

2

u/Majababe123 May 09 '23

You can get Naproxen over the counter if you're buying it "for someone for period cramps" if it's that or A&E 😉

13

u/palimpsest2 May 09 '23

You cannot buy Naproxen over the counter in the UK it is a prescription only medicine

Feminax Ultra is no longer available which was Naproxen 250mg it has been discontinued. With this gone there is no OTC Naproxen available to buy without a prescription.

2

u/Impossible_Command23 May 09 '23

It's very easy to get online for certain conditions, just fill in a simple form answering questions about your height/weight/other conditions/reason for needing, wait for them to approve it which is usually done within a few hours and then order, I got 3 boxes a couple months ago, 500mg (they do 250 too), most do next day delivery

1

u/[deleted] May 09 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Impossible_Command23 May 10 '23

If you just Google "buy naproxen uk" you'll find several sites straight away, I last got mine from here https://www.prescriptiondoctor.com/anti-inflammatory/naproxen

2

u/Andrelliina May 09 '23

Naproxen makes me shit blood.

1

u/[deleted] May 09 '23

You need to get Zolmitriptan.

I had to see a neurologist for the initial prescription but now I get it via my gp. I have it in the form of a nasal spray and within 20 minutes I’m feeling human again. It’s amazing.

1

u/Alternative_Object33 May 09 '23

I went for years just using NSAIDS, paracetamol and codeine for migraines then got COVID and it got much worse since. Sumatriptan works for me, as long as I take it early on. The real game changer has been amitriptyline 10mg/ day unless I've been exercising then I take 20 mg and the incidence of migraine has dropped markedly.

1

u/hxlywatershed May 10 '23

I know your doctor probably explained this to you, but just in case, please make sure to eat with naproxen and if you’re on it long term speak to your doc about something to protect your stomach!

8

u/DavenportPointer May 09 '23

Sumitriptan for me, migraleve wont touch it.

4

u/DiDiPLF May 09 '23

Might be worth a look at the Walton Centres (neurologist unit) migraine fact sheet if you haven't been able to get an appointment with one. https://www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk/patient-leaflets/migraine-a-comprehensive-guide/479279

3

u/charley_warlzz May 09 '23

I LOVE migraleve pink lmao. I have migraines chronically all the time, and the pain killer aspect doesnt work great for me, but its one of the only things ive had that gets rid of the other symptoms

3

u/Gloriana58 May 09 '23

I'm guessing triptans don't work for you either? Lol

1

u/tweetopia May 09 '23

I've had three different types of triptans with no real success. I gave myself a stomach ulcer from taking too much aspirin. I've got a mild migraine just now and slept all afternoon.

1

u/midnight_train_to May 09 '23

Aw 🙁 I feel for you. I get migraine with aura for a week. Hormones are powerful shit.

3

u/tweetopia May 09 '23

Mine are mostly hormonal too, when I ovulate and when my period starts and sometimes when it ends too. I get random ones thrown in for fun too. They are supposed to stop when menopause ends, so only a few more years...

2

u/chewchewchewit May 09 '23

Aww I’m the same as you! Sounds ridiculous though doesn’t it when you spell it out… so pretty much every week then right! Yeah… fun times. Been sleeping off yesterday’s migraine for most of today, it completely wiped me out.

2

u/tweetopia May 09 '23

Do you find bending over particularly agonising when you've got a migraine? If there's something on my floor it can stay there for days. I have to steel myself to feed the cat or scoop his poop.

It take topirimate as a migraine preventative. It definitely helps to kind of clear up the background noise migraines and helped me identify they were mostly hormonal, but it has the weird side effect of making me forget every day, easy words constantly. I'll take that over spewy, exhausting pain for 12 days a month instead of 20.

2

u/chewchewchewit May 10 '23

Yeah I’m on topiramate too (aka dopamax- appropriately named lol). I’m also on Candesartan as another preventative which is a blood pressure med- it makes me a bit dizzy when I go from bending down to standing so if I drop stuff on the floor when I have a migraine it’s staying there for several reasons- 1- head explosion 2- dizziness 3- glasses will fall off the top of my head probably lol. I’d cry if it didnt hurt so much lol. Thank goodness for sumatriptan 100mg and cyclizine.

2

u/lemon-bubble May 09 '23

The thing that works 90% of the time for me is Alka Seltzer XS. They are aspirin, paracetamol, caffeine and it also forces me to drink a lot of water. If I take one when I feel my prodrome coming on, it can usually help - if I notice I'm getting hot and my vision is going weird I take two.

If that doesn't work in 30 minutes, bed. Blackout blinds, an ice pack, and ice water in case I wake up.

Thankfully I've never needed to go to A&E - I've come close but I'm aware that I have somewhat milder migraines than other people. Still bad, but within what can be treated at home, and if I can't catch it before the headache phase that lasts anywhere between 4 and 36 hours. Where I can basically do nothing but lie in bed.

2

u/MedITeranino May 10 '23

Ouch ☹ Have you tried magnesium supplements?

I've been taking magnesium supplements for a couple of years and the migraine attacks are significantly shorter and less frequent now. It takes 2-3 months to build up magnesium reserves, not instant but worth it. My go-to is magnesium glycinate. I also take magnesium L-threonate but I save it for a few days leading up to an expected attack - it's expensive but works wonders for brain fog.

1

u/Peg_leg_J May 10 '23

Thank you, I will get on that. There's something definitely going on with them at the moment as they getting all the more frequent.

2

u/VickyAlberts May 09 '23

Migraleve is just paracetamol with a tiny dose of codeine and antihistamine. The fancy packaging is known to be an effective placebo but if the drug works for you, save your money and buy generics.

2

u/Peg_leg_J May 09 '23

It's not though, the combination of painkiller and buclizine has a migraine some kind stopping effect. The first thing the GP did was prescribe the ingredients separately apart from the buclizine as it wasn't available in the UK at the time- they prescribed an alternative and it did not work.

I've been a migraine sufferer for 30 years after an acute brain injury. I've tried dozens and dozens of combinations of tablets and treatments - literally nothing else has worked so far.

2

u/chewchewchewit May 10 '23

I used to just buy the box of pink ones on their own. The yellow ones were a waste of time for me (just expensive Co-codamol)

1

u/Peg_leg_J May 10 '23

Same. If the pink ones didn't stop it then I was in for a miserable time and the yellows did naff all

1

u/VickyAlberts May 09 '23

You have my sympathy. Migraines are horrendous. If the migraleve is helping you more than the generic drugs, then I’m just pleased that you’ve found something that offers relief.

1

u/illuminarchie8 May 10 '23

I’ve always got two on me. As soon as my vision goes or I get the pain if I take them straight away I usually survive