Hi I Have suffered from Migraine for 40+ years,now going through the menopause and headaches are chronic,I've had one for 2 years,what makes it worse is that I only sleep for about 3 hours a night and I am so tired I can barely function,which in turn makes my headaches even worse and makes me feel nauseated or sometimes even sick,my GP gave me zopaclone sleeping tablet for occasional use,and the thing is about 20 minutes after I take this zopiclone my headache and sickness is gone,it happened every time I take them(,about 18 times in total) even a really severe Migraine,I dont know if there is a muscle relaxant in them or something,but I wish I could get something similar to treat my headaches,does anyone know of anything with similar property's in them
Migraine and sleeping pills - National Migraine...
Migraine and sleeping pills
Hi dylandoll....this could be me!! I recently asked the doctor the same question and the answer was YES!! They are a muscle relaxant and have the exact same reaction with me. I too only get 3hrs a night and it's broken. I'm currently trying magnesium and vitamin D3 at bed time as they are reported to be natural muscle relaxant, i do feel a diff but still use sleeping tablets occasionally . Good luck 😀
Hi I am currently trying magnesium supplements but can't find out what strength I need to take? What do you have are they working ? Thanks
Hi magnesium does help me a bit,just not enough,but I was told to take 500mg magnesium,400mg vit B2 and 300mg co-q 10,they all work in conjunction with each other to benifit the most,I also spray magnesium on my neck and shoulders although I water it down a bit as I find it nips my skin,hope this helps
yes I take high strength magnesium too,I was told to take co-q-10 with it and vitamin B2
I don't know anything about that medication or sleeping pills other than that they are highly addictive! Which is such a shame as it helps your head pain. It is a vicious cycle with any medication for migraine-- it works for awhile then stops working or one gets rebound headaches from it. Triptans are miracle cures but end up giving migraineurs terrible rebounds. The best thing is to see if you can mix up your medicine chest alternating between two or three medicines to avoid rebound. Best wishes to all of us.
If anyone hits upon the magic formulae to stop this ghastly infliction of migraines let me know. Unable to throw off mine since New year's day.....
Hugs to all
Same here, since just after Christmas though mine is the vestibular sort with milder head pain, but currently lots of balance problems, dizziness, ataxia and awful fatigue! So I'm housebound. .....Lovely!! I'm determined to get to the root cause of all this. I take serc ( betahistine) which used to be very helpful but is becoming less effective. Amitriptyline ( low dose of 10 mg) was good at raising the threshold of the triggers but I've just had to come off that as it was contributing to awful bloating problems. Might be worth looking at though as it helped me for a few years! I'm currently looking into the connection between gut and brain and getting back to my food sensitivity issues. There is a lot of new research intIo non coeliac gluten sensitivity and healing through good nutrition !! Unfortunately this isn't recognised enough in the mainstream 
even though it could be at the root of many diseases.
Good luck and love to all.
Please mention Antiphospholipid syndrome ( APS, or sometimes also called Hughes Syndrome) to your specialist. The ataxia has my attention.
Migraine is a hallmark of APS ( antiphospholipid syndrome.)
So is ataxia- but it’s usually not associated with migraine to my knowledge.
If you click on the link below, dr Hughes talks a little about APS.
It’s an autoimmune blood clotting syndrome. The blood can become stick, sludgy, before it actually forms a blood clot.
This can cause you to be off balance, Have migraines, low oxygen to vital organs, chest pain, ( micovascular angina to heart and bowels).
The placenta can actually clot- causing miscarriage, preeclampsia, intra uterine growth retardation, and tragically even stillbirth.
Stroke, heart attack, miscarriages, and Deetvein thrombosis are the very serious and often fatal calling cards of the antiphospholipid Syndrome.
Migraine, Sjögren’s syndrome, low thyroid, lupus, - or family history of any of this are strong clues.
its terrible I know x
Might be worth the daith piercing. Mine have been so much better since getting it done 3 months ago
Hi Babs Wonder if anyone in dorset does this....if it avoids medication!!
Thanks
Hi determined 56
Just to say I had the daith piercing, only had it done last Friday - but so far so good. Other than a headache on the day, and no more than a headache, I have been pain free.
I had mine done at Elemental in Bournemouth, Old Christchurch Road. Really clinical set up and have a brilliant reputation.
My view is you have nothing to loose, it's not toxic, yes there is a slight risk of infection if you don't follow the after care, and yes it is uncomfortable - but if it provides relief it's well worth giving it a go.
I should also say the guys in the place, Aaron and Sarge are very aware of daith piercings for migraine relief not just for cosmetic reasons. You could always mention me - Hazel, Aaron is my son in law.
Good luck, go for it, it took me quite a while to find the courage to have it done....
Nuttynana
Hope you are better now...
Have you tried HRT? I was disabled by menopause, constant migraine and no sleep. Started HRT and ever since have slept normally. Still more migraines than before menopause, but a lot fewer.
Really sounds like that's what you need. Zopiclone is great but not everyday. All those sorts of drugs are linked to dementia eventually if you over use them.
yes I have started going to the menopause clinic,and I am now on my second lot of HRT,but up till now they have both made my headaches worse which was so disappiontong
Are you using gel? Two neurologists have advised because of my migraine severity i can only ever use eostragon gel. When i get a bad migraine i use one pump and i feel it ease within an hour.no triptans needed.😀 although i can have major bouts which floor me for days and i inject sumatriptan😭 but one the onset of my monthly visitor the gel helps lots.
yes I'm using gel and tablets,but It seems to make my headaches worse
I've never had any luck with muscle relaxants. The only thing that changed for me was taking the epilepsy pill topirimate. I was having constant migraines every week for 3/4 days.
the specialist said it was rebound from painkillers as i have a disability however after stopping all medication and then reducing it to 8 days or less a month nothing really improved that my doc realised it wasn't.
Once we got the topirimate dose right i was only suffering once or twice a month!
( unfortunately i have got another condition now with the side effect being headaches and migraines so i am being affected once again, but i am not having migraines as much and with the severity that i was. i have about 6 migraines sometimes less a month now which considering i have another illness i find fantastic. Just wish i could find a cure for headaches....
I have also tried topirimate but wasnt for me,ive tried a few epilepsy drug but they didnt work,ive also tried every alternative i can think of know to man,even all the weird and wacky ones,youll try anything when your desperate,
Ahh i really feel for you! Can i ask how long you tried topirimate for as it did take a good few months before i found tge right dose and it worked( and too get used to the side effects!)
Have you tried the migraine reliever rizatriptan?
I'd tried other tiptans befote but they hadn't been very successful but this one is fantastic.
Hi Kali,I must admit I didn't give toprimate much of a try,I think it was two weeks,i felt awful on it,and no I haven't tried Rizatriptan I will mention this to my doctor,and see what he says thanks
Yes rizatriptan is amazing.
You should try topirimate again but give it longer.
Yes the side effects are definitely hard to get used but they do get easier after about a month or two x the rewards are definetly worth it x
I use rizatriptan but find it takes longer to work. I have tablets and wafer melts. If i take sumatriptan 2hrs after rizatriptan i get better control.
You're allowed sumitriptan along with rizatriptan?
Ive never had the tablets, always the melts.
I can't have the ginger as i have a blood disorder and ive read that it interacts with blood thinners.
Ive found that i get horrendous headaches/migraines if im due on too. Seems my blood thinners have interacted with my contraceptive 😆
Dear dylandolly,
We think it possible that our Zeez sleep pebble might help. We don't KNOW - noone with these symptoms has tried it - but it is designed to encourage us to fall asleep, stay asleep and to sleep more deeply. Zopiclone has the effect of slowing the brain frequencies, and so does our Zeez - and so it too may have the effect of stopping the headaches. Please look us up on line. We aren't yet in production but if you want to try we would do our best to help. We don't think that the Zeez would stop all headaches - causes are very varied, and it is not its purpose - but in the circumstances you describe it may, and in any event, might help your sleep.
I will definitely look you up on line thanks
Wow i would love to try that. I rarely get more than 6 hours sleep due to chronic pain and anxiety
also meant to say I take ginger capsules, as well as helping with sickness they are also meant to help with headaches and also pepzin GI for stomach
Have you ever been to see a neurologist or to a headache clinic? It sounds like you need to some fine tuning with a profolaxsis and triptans for acute episodes.
yes I've been to both ghost
Don't you find that as time goes by your headaches change and as this happens your drug therapy also has to change? I also found that other drugs my GP tried me on for my menopause actually made my headaches worse. I now take Indocid and amitryptiline and touch wood have not taken a tryptan for ages.
From what other headache sufferers describe on here I know I am very lucky. I do hope that you find the right treatment/ therapy, don't give up.
Yes, my Nuerologist gave me Flexeril it's a muscle relaxant. The back of my head and my neck always hurts. I can get a migraine by just laying on my back it aggregates the pain to a migraine. Flexeril has been great plus it helps me sleep. Good luck!
thanks for the info I will mention this to my doctor too,so I have 2 new medications to ask about Thanks
Back of my head really hurts during some attacks too!
I believe back of the head pain refers to a tension headache, which can be as devastating as migraine, but maybe a clue for what meds to take. I used to get those as well as migraine, which for me is temple pain or occular, ice pick like unbearable pain.
When I had the neck stiffness and pain I would take TyCo3 or Vicodan for relief. Maybe a muscle relaxant would help. With my migraine, these no longer help at all.
When I see a new doctor, I feel they are fumbling around, experimenting with various possibilities of relief, just like we are. Helping each other like this, sharing experiences, despair and successes is so helpful. And hopeful.
Unfortunately even when iam having extreme spasms they don't like prescribing muscle relaxants!i had a blood clot and i had to suffer. I really wanted to try that piecing unfortunately i can no longer have anything like that.
I have a friend who had a similar problem As you Dylandolly. She has found relief with Valium. Her doctor suggested she try it and it has. Hopefully, you may want to ask your doctor about this.
thank you I will
If you have a piercing studio there ask them have they heard about daith piercing for migrains. The guy who did mine knew all about it and had done many but make sure they do know about it as it has to be in the right place ( accupunture point) google it and you'll see where it has to go. Good luck
X
DD - Sympathy.
From my experience, I would say stick with trying HRT - transdermal not tablet.
The loss of estrogen and hormone profile can make the migraines so much worse - the loss of sleep only exacerbates things further. My migraines returned at menopause, the loss of estrogen, insomnia, flushes and night sweats reduced my threshold.
Transdermal HRT - gel or patch (estrogen) and Utrogestan (progesterone) is the preferred treatment for migraneurs - start with the lowest dose. I found the gel gave too many peaks and troughs, so use the patch - the lowest dose at 25 and progesterone every 6 weeks as a vaginal pessary. Maybe you can discuss all this at the menopause clinic.
The patch and Utrogestan progesterone are what is known as "bioidentical". The tablet HRT is found to be less effective for migraneurs.
I still get very bag migraines - however without the HRT I would get them *all the time*. I plan to stay on low dose HRT for life - it also protects the body from estrogen loss, eg. osteoporosis.
It is worth persevering with the HRT - the estrogen helps with the insomnia and sweats.
I take half a triptan at onset, sometimes it works, sometimes not. Magnesium and B6 daily.
Also thinking about the daith piercing - it's a piercing at the end of the vagus nerve in the ear.
As mentioned upthread, I do think there is a strong connection with the health of the gut / toxicity (constipation?) and migraine - and the main production of serotonin is in the gut. Migraneurs often have low serotonin levels.
At a recent trip to a neuro - these was recommended: yoga, CBT, mindfulness. Hmm....
I hope you ALL find a way forward - coping with this is not easy - in addition to other health issues. Never give up trying to find some relief!
Thank you, what is CBT?
HRT sounds promising, but I fear, not for women who have had breast cancer.
Thanks so much for your reply and lots of useful info
Cognitive behavior therapy. I suffer terribly with my gut and gave never been told there is a link to migraine. It's a relief to hear that. Thanks.
Hi
I take 7.5 mg zimovane/zopiclone 2-3 times a week. It gets me to sleep within half an hour or so, pretty reliably. Lack of sleep affects me really badly, so it's been a fantastic find. Bought it from generic-meds-store.com and it is real stuff and not fake like it's sold many times.
Good luck !
OMG!!! Finally someone who has experienced the same as me!!! Likewise! I have suffered /suffer from menstural migraines and have been for 13 yrs now and OMG zopiclone actually helps me in not getting a migraine.
Hi Leenzm its 4 years since I wrote the original post and I can remember just how desperate I was back then,It wasnt practical for me to take Zopiclone everytime I had a headache as I was having them on a daily basis,plus they made everything I ate taste horrible.so my doctor tried all different meds which didnt work then finally put me on Amitriptyline 75mg dose and it was like a miracle the headaches and sickness stopped and Ive been fine for about 3 years.I still have the odd headache but never had a full blown migraine and never been sick either and what a bonus that was because been sick when your head was pounding was awful.I now take 50mg so cut out a tablet and still all good.hope you might find this helpful
Hi...my husband takes Zopiclone too as a sleeping medication he is a truck driver and works nights. It's a narcotic so it helps him sleep better and he has restless leg too and takes medication for that too! I have chronic migraines and have been on new drug Aimovig but have to get off of it due to serious side effects. I also take Topiramate as a preventative medication and have been on that for years. Unfortunately the new CGRP has cut down the severity and frequency of the migraines but the pain and numbness in my hands are too severe to continue. This month was last dose but some women have had great success with it me not so lucky!
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