Beating the migraines - What worked for me

So first I want to say that migraines can play an important role in PPPD. The migraine brain is more susceptible to developing PPPD in the first place. Migraines also interfere with the brain's vestibular functions making balance more difficult, and additionally, the migraine brain is more sensitive to stimuli, which is a huge factor in PPPD.

For me, the PPPD exacerbated the migraines and vice versa, and both caused an unusual amount of fatigue. They all sort of played off one another to really mess up my life.

© 2009 keith ellwood, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

I, like many of you took a triptan medication (Relpax) for migraine relief. They work great if you only have occasional migraines. But more than that and you can be in real trouble, because they cause rebound migraines. In my case, I ended up taking a Relpax pretty much every day, which meant daily migraines, fatigue and a lot of misery. So I knew I had to stop the cycle.

There are infusion centers available that hook you up to an IV for 8 hours a day for 5 days to help you  break the cycle, but that didn't sound good to me. After doing some research, I decided to quit cold turkey. I knew I would have a bad withdrawal migraine, and the research told me I could expect it to last 4 days. I asked my doctor for a prescription for anti-nausea suppositories in case I started throwing up and couldn't stop. But that didn't end up being a problem.

My withdrawal headache lasted 3 days and the first night was by far the worst. So I knew I could make it. When it was over, I knew I never wanted to take tripans again. I just didn't want to get back on that train. And I haven't. I now get about one migraine a week, and I don't take anything. They only last 1 day each, unlike the 3 to 5 days they used to last in the pre-Imitrex days. I know each time that the pain will go away, and I can make it. And I am so much happier being medication free.

Kicking the Relpax (and also my migraine preventive, Topomax) made a huge difference in the way I feel. I am much less tired and I feel so much better. I heartily recommend it if you are anything like me.

Next time, how exercise has helped my PPPD.