Hi there, having Botox injections for a year, tried all kinds of meds. Migraines triggered by weather fluctuations-pain generates from neck

[Karker]

When the weather changes I wake up in the middle of the night with pain at the bottom of my skull, top of the neck, it swells and I have a migraine. I cannot lie down any longer. For example, yesterday I woke at 2:20am and had to sit with ice packs until I had to go to work, the pain was not manageable. Until recently I could take advils that would dull a bit of the pain, now nothing seems to work. I get dizzy, shaky and sometimes feel faint. I've tried muscle relaxants and and prophylactic medications with no results. I've tried physio and massage which makes it worse. Anyone else experience this? What helps you?

[teadrinker]

Poor you. Not getting enough sleep can't be helping either. I get pain in my shoulder and neck which can then trigger migraines. Botox has been helping, along with atenolol to try and prevent them (still not sure if it is) I'd given up on triptans but have recently been prescribed naratriptan and told to try it with domperidone to help my stomach absorb it better and that seemed to work for the head pain.

I've had a lot of physio and osteopathy and massage - generally those things make it worse and can trigger an attack, but with the last lot of physio she did the massage and then used heat packs immediately afterwards and it seemed to stop it flaring up. Heat is one the few things that stops the neck pain - I've found those self-adhesive stick-on pads that last for 8 hours the best.

Get a lot of dizzy spells and sometimes feel faint too.

Sometimes though, I think you can just go through a bad patch where nothing seems to help. I hope you can get some relief soon.

[Karker in reply to teadrinker]

Thank you so much, you too! Do you find weather changes affect you?

[teadrinker in reply to Karker]

not really the frequent changes in weather we get in the UK - just as well really - but the clocks changing last autumn really did me in. I am guaranteed to get one either on arrival or on return from a holiday to a hot place, although the heat stops me sleeping, and lack of sleep is another trigger.

[woodlog]

I'm in exactly the same boat. Low atmospheric pressure or even a change in weather invariably triggers uncontrollable migraine, despite Botox, a nerve stimulator and a long long list of prophylactics. One day someone will identify the rogue gene that is responsible for all this pain and wasted time and repair it. Until then, I fear, we're just going to suffer. The only thing I know that helps at all with insomnia when the pain is intense is Chlorpromazine but there are dangerous side effects if you use it often.

[Karker in reply to woodlog]

Do you reside in a climate with fluctuating weather, I certainly do. Once I was in Arizona and I got a headache, I remember took two tylenols and it went away!! I found that incredible, never have had thAt success at home. Oh well...

[Emma1024]

Things that may help: actual migraine medications (e g Triptans), acupuncture, caffeine (eg, paracetamol + caffeine pain killers), ibuprofen or naproxen, vitamin B2 400 mg daily, magnesium 200 mg daily, other prophylactics (amitriptyline, topiramate, propranolol).

[Karker]

Thanks Emma and the list goes on, tried them all!! Hope you've found relief. Have a bad headache now, the weather has changed.