Are stomach cramps/diarrhia and complete lethargy (especially in the legs) common side effects of a migraine?

[poppyjoe]

I'm currently in month 3 of taking the Migraine Support Formula (they say to give it 4 months and will refund everything if it doesn't work) so i feel i must see it through. I've also just stopped taking Cerazette a couple of weeks ago so i think my hormones are all over and im currently getting at least one migraine a week with mild fuzzy head and headache/nausea most days. I'm also getting awful stomach cramps and diarrhea before a migraine starts and when a migraine has started i struggle to string a sentence together and get awful lethargy in my legs (i find it hard to even walk and stand). Does anyone else get these symptoms?

[Juliapester3]

Hi poppy joe. What you're describing sounds normal to me, I get dizzy, nauseous,upset stomach, exhaustion and difficulty speaking / concentrating. I don't get all the symptoms with every migraine though, they seem to vary. I do find that my worse migraines are hormone related ( ovulation/period) when I get all the symptoms so maybe you,re experiencing this, as you say, because you,ve stopped the pill and you're hormones are unsettled.

If you,re worried though, and it's bothering you speak to your dr even if it's to put your mind at rest.

How are you getting on with migraine support formula, has it had any positive effect?

[poppyjoe in reply to Juliapester3]

Hi there, i'm not getting on well with the migraine support formula at all i'm coming to the end of my first period since coming off Cerazetted and have had a migraine since Thurs which has come and gone but the nausia/diziness is still there even when the migraine is in the background. I feel so ill right now have just taken my 5th imigran in 6 days. I think im going to go with the doctors advice and go onto Amytriptiline but im just feeling so pesimistic about it all. How are you getting on? you said youre migraines were reduced but do you still get the hormonal ones.

[heyjude77]

Hi poopy joe. Likewise, the lethargy and fuzzy head sounds completely normal - in fact, it's sometimes even more debilitating for me than the actual pain of the migraine. It's one of my warning signs that a migraine is coming on, and then it lasts for a good few days afterwards. Given that my migraines last for 2-3 days, this basically means I can spend a whole week feeling completely wiped out.

[heyjude77]

Oops, I meant poppy joe!

[Iamshe]

Hi Poppy Joe - I'm been really worried about the symptoms I get so it is nice to know that someone else is experiencing them, if you get what I mean.

Had my overies removed at 50, now 55, had have migraines ever since then. I'm convinced it is a monthly cycle thing even though I don't have periods anymore.

I take sumatriptan and that helps but I always have to sleep for about 4 hours after taking tablets. Bit of a pain because I work. Anyway I'm so relieved that I don't have anything seriously wrong with me. Thanks again for your post.

[poppyjoe]

Thanks for your comments heyjude77 and Iamshe its comforting knowing other people are going through the similar experiences. It's horrid isnt it-i find it so dibilitating and get so anxious and depressed at feeling like this all the time. My young daughter is having anxiety problems at the moment and im sure its an offshoot of me being so poorly and anxious all the time. Life is so hard at the moment (dramatic sounding i know but its so horrid, yuk).

[Juliapester3]

Hi poppy i,m sorry you,re still suffering , I think this bout of bad migraine could be linked to you coming off cerazette but should settle down soon. I,m using natural progesterone cream at the moment and did not get an ovulation headache this month but I do have a period migraine today . But have felt better in general and not so up and down in my moods.

In addition to this I also take;

Magnesium

Calcium

Vit d

High potency b vits..slow release

I still take calming herbs if I have stressful day,am agitated by anything or can't sleep( valerian best for sleeping, or lemon balm or gotu kola for daytime)

I am going to try motherwart next month the week before period as its said to help with pmt and hormonal anxiety.

I've been doing aerobic exercise when I get the chance which gives a good rush of endorphins and puts me in a positive mood (still do yoga as well)

So overall my migraines have got slightly better 1-2 per month from 3-4 but I think that managing my stress with herbs and exercising has had a very good effect on my mental state which of course has a knock on effect with everything else.

I hope that this can be of some help to you and give some ideas to try.

[poppyjoe]

Hi again. Thats interesting that he progesterone cream worked for ovulation-ive just done some research that states that applying estrogen gel 10 days after ovulation every day until the end of your period can also help for the period migraines. I had the worst migraine ive ever had i think on Thursday which turned into a really bad anxiety attack so my mum got me an emergancy appt with the doctor who has persuaded me to go onto Amitriptyline.

Im so skeptical about being on them but i suppose i'll give it a go but im just going to take 20mg a day as the 40mg that they told me to take completely knocked me out which was scary. Ive arranged to try yoga with a friend so im hoping that'll be beneficial too. Have you considered the estrogen gel at all? By the way-i have come off the support formula as ive given it a good go and was still getting the migraines.

[Paulacg]

I use nortryptilline, which isn't as sedating as the ami - in my case I take it in combination with citalopram and have managed to reduce it to a tiny dose. The national migraine centre put me in the combination - my GP wasn't keen though.

But they would prise my HRT out of my cold dead hands. My migraines started at perimenopause and if I don't take a constant dose of oestrogen I can't function. I have to take progesterone some of the time as well as it isn't a good idea to take oestrogen on its own if your still have a womb, but I tend to do a 3 month cycle on tridestra.

Another thing worth mentioning is I have IBS, which I know how to control, but if I'm silly and eat stuff I shouldn't and get an attack it can trigger a migraine. So it is possible that a migraine can be caused by gut symptoms rather than the other way around.