I am currently taking Butterbur, 75mg, once a day.Here is the results of and description of the studies done.
Nothing great from it has happened yet...but I've only been taking it for a few weeks.
I have to admit: I'm not much of a "natural" person when it comes to medicine. BUT, my neurologist wants me to do this AND it doesn't have any side effects AND if it works to reduce them by 50% in other people...why not me?
It's pretty, isn't it?
6 comments:
Kim,
First of all, thanks for setting this up for us to troubleshoot our migraines. It seems that these are linked by a common gene, but who knows? :)
I just finished a 4-day migraine trip, and can I tell you I now appreciate very much the absence of pain while bending over. :0
The first day I went to my PCP he gave me Midrin and a shot of "super-strength ibuprophen" as he put it. That alleviated it a little, but not enough so that it came back the next day. This was day 4 of my migraine. So I went back and he gave me Imitrex and told me to go home and take one of my Phenigren pills, as that would help me. I asked him what it did, and he told me that it was the same drug they give in the E.R. by IV or shot and that if I had the pill at home that was as good as anything and it saved me an ER copay, something Ryan could get jazzed about. (for once)
So I went home and then made macncheese for my family and slept after taking the pill for over 12 hours. But I woke up today and am migraine free so far! Yeah!!!!!
Well, since I'm feeling better, I'd better get off this computer and get some more laundry caught up and get dinner started.
Kim, have you wondered if dehydration has something to do with this? I can't keep ahead of my thirst. Any suggestions? Plain water doesn't work and we can't keep buying gatorade-like drinks all the time. They're full of sugar and don't really fit into the budget.
Love ya kiddo!
Heidi
Heidi,
Drinks with sugar (gatorade which has sodium which will make you thirsty--you only need gatorade if you are doing heavy cardio for longer than an hour) will make you more thirsty. Keep drinking lots of water. There is no one set amount of water (that 6-8 glasses is a suggestion, and just a suggestion). My "suggestion" to you is to drink three liters of water (12 cups) and measure that. See if you really are drinking much. NO POP!!! Not even diet. JUST STOP IT! Consider it medicine to eliminate it...and if you already have, then forget what I said. I suppose some milk for calcium would be a good thing---but every other drink that goes in your mouth: let it be water! Try it.
My first neurologist said that no medicine will help if I'm not hydrated. It seems simple to do... but with busy schedules you may think you're getting a lot when you really aren't. So measure it and then adjust. Good rule of thumb: does your urine have any color to it? Challenge yourself to make sure it doesn't.
Ditto to Kim's comments about sodium and sugar in liquid drinks--the satiety factor doesn't happen with soda drinks. Think nicotine and cigarettes--the sugar-craving (even with diet drinks) makes one want more sugar, more soda. So the vicious cycle continues--I can't accuse Pepsi and Coke of being the evil twins that the cigarette industry is (about 10 years ago the US Govt held hearings, 10 attorneys raised their right hands and swore there were no addictive chemicals added to cigarettes). But their ONE objective is to sell their product. I do know that soda drinkers need their soda, crave it. So stop it cold turkey--your body's metabolism and health and pocketbook will all thank you! Sometimes water gets pretty tiring, squeeze a lemon or lime and add lots of ice.
Carol/Mom
...if only I liked herbal tea! That could change things up a bit on the water front and even soothe. But alas! ...At least I love water. I'm a bit addicted now to it. For me, it's a matter of making myself a priority and paying attention to the water intake. Like I suggested (really it's a suggestion to me!) I am thinking about getting three 1 liter water bottles and filling them up and having them all used up by the end of the day. I think that would help me keep track better.
Boy! WE Christensen women sure make long comments!
Yes, we do leave long comments...is that genetic from Mom? :)
Anyway, I'm going to do as you suggested. I have a 64 ounce water bottle and I'm going to fill it with water flavored with a little lemon and see if I can suck it down today. I know my throat will feel less parched, as is my usual sensation.
I have cut way back on my pop intake, but still have it 2 to 3 times a week. I'm working on it, it's getting better. It's so hard for me though, 'cuz it just TASTES SO GOOD!!! And I admit, I'm a little addicted to the fizzy bubbles in my mouth. :) (As Dr. Phil once called it, a party in the mouth). And I do love parties! :)
I woke up this morning with a headache and panicked. I immediately tood a dose of my Excedrin Migraine, as this is my first line of defense. If this doesn't help then I'll try a nap this afternoon. It's weird, it feels like it's a very tenuous thing, that it could really go either way and in a hurry.
I vote NO MIGRAINE!!!
Talk to you later,
Heidi-ho.
Be careful when using caffiene to treat a migraine. According to my neurologists (more than one said this), it can cause rebound migraines. If you notice you get one soon after using that treatment (like Excederin Migraine, which I believe uses aspirin and caffeine to treat) that you get another migraine, it could be the caffiene.
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