Get Informed: Migraine / Headache
1 in 11 Americans have Migraine / Headache
iGuard is currently monitoring more than 146,790 patients with Migraine / Headache from around the United States as shown on the heat map below. These figures suggest that roughly 25.4 million Americans have Migraine / Headache with women being 5 times more likely to be affected than men.
< 21
21-39
40-59
60+
Age (Years)
Medications used for Migraine / Headache
Drugs commonly taken by iGuard.org users for Migraine / Headache are listed below, together with the percentage of patients that take each drug.
|
Commonly Used Medication Name* (Hover mouse over name to see medication class) |
% of Patients | Average Risk Rating | Has Generic Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advil | 14% |
|
Yes |
| Tylenol | 13% |
|
Yes |
| Aspirin | 7% |
|
Yes |
Less than 5%: Aleve, Cymbalta, Depakote, Effexor, Flexeril, Hydrocodone, Lamictal XR, Lexapro, Lyrica, Neurontin, Omega 3, Oxycontin, Paxil, Prozac, Tenormin, Topamax, Toprol, Ultram, Vicodin, YAZ, Zoloft
*This list is NOT EXHAUSTIVE - Only drugs used by a sufficiently large number of iGuard.org users are listed.
**Medications are sometimes known by different brand/generic names, depending upon how they are packaged or used.
Global Patient Feedback for Migraine / Headache ( Post a comment )
Question/Comment:
51year old female who has suffered from migraines since my menstral cycle began. Imitrex 100mg has worked best for me. Topamax no change. Ice pack on forehead and behind neck seems to help while waiting for Imitrex to kick in.
52 year old Female
Posted: 2009-10-12 23:09:59
Question/Comment:
i have migraines at least 3 to 4 times a month.I had 6 acupunctures on the right side of my head.It lasted bout 4and half years,but now they ear getting unbearable again and i have no health insurance what home remedies woud help me?
33 year old Male
Posted: 2009-09-30 00:25:26
Question/Comment:
I used Topamax at 50 mg for 6 months. I lost 27 lbs during that timeframe and found that I could no longer eat. The Topamax allowed me to simply take an excedrin and my headaches were gone. It was wonderful. I was weaned off of the Topamax a year and a half ago and the headaches came back. Tried Depakote without success. Am now just recently back on Topamax at 12.5 mg startup but am worried the side effects will come back. Other than the weight loss I also experienced vision issues. I want this to work for me without having the extreme side effects because I cannot live with the headaches any longer. Looking for suggestions on keeping weight up and anxiety low?
35 year old Female
Posted: 2009-09-26 08:31:38
Question/Comment:
I would up the dosage of your Topamax, that has helped me out tremendously. You can go to about 800mg, but that is the max, my neurologist said. Sometimes the side effects dissappear after your body gets use to the medicine, or you could try Depakote. You have to increase slowly 25mg/week. I am up to about 650mg and it has really helped the daily chronic headache. I also take a lot of supplements-Calicium/Magnesium, B6, and CoQ10 have been known to help, but they have to be taken everyday. I found with Frova/Imitrex that the migraine comes back. I use Zomig and that tends to take care of it.
50 year old Female
Posted: 2009-08-18 16:31:31
Question/Comment:
I am a 22 year old female who has been suffering from migraines with aura for 18 years. Of course, when I was 4, we didn't know that they were migraines and I couldn't communicate to my parents what was hurting, so I just slept a lot and threw up. Now, my migraines have turned into multi-day events, and I can't seem to find relief. I have for the last 6 months been monitoring my diet, exercising regularly, and trying to sleep for 8 hours per night. Mind you, I'm 22 so this has been most difficult. My neurologist diagnosed me with severe insomnia, and has thrown Ambien at me for the last 3 months. This is not affecting inability to sleep. During a recent visit, I was told to take Magnesium Oxide at 400 mg/day. I currently take Topamax at 150 mg/day. I take Relpax or Frova at the onset of a migraine, but both medicines make me nauseous, fuzzy-headed, and drowsy. My migraines range from 8 hours to 8 days and generally progress to a point that makes me not able to function. I am a graduate student and need to be able to focus on my studies and not miss class for a headache.
Any suggestions?
22 year old Female
Posted: 2009-07-28 09:43:06
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
Preventing and treating migraines is very challenging for some patients. It sounds like you are making an effort to follow a healthy lifestyle to minimize migraine triggers. If your migraines are becoming more severe in pain or lasting longer, or if they are happening more frequently, you should make an appointment with your neurologist to discuss these changes. You may also consider asking your neurologist to refer you to a migraine specialist for a second opinion.
Posted: 2009-07-28 22:04:42
Answer/Reply:
I started getting migraines when I was 22, I just weaned myself off of topamax due to the side effects, ( was on it for 6 months)the fact the the neurosurgeon was a bonehead and my headaches were getting worse which I didn't think could be anymore horrible than 18 days out of every month and could do nothing more than lay on a cold tile floor in a dark bathroom and barf. I take zomig and it is helping since I got off the topamax. I take 5mgs at the onset and another 5 mgs if it's not gone in 20 mins. Since getting off topamax, which BTW i was on 100 mgs a day, have had fewer migraines than I've had in years and as we both know anything less is better. Since I got off the topamax I've expereinced only 2 headaches and I'll call them headaches because they were tolerable and controlable with an OTC migraine asprin. The zomig can make you achey as a side effect but I've seemed to have shaken it off along with the wicked urge to sleep when I first started taking it. I find those side effects much better than what I was dealing with with the topamax, I actually became a mindless zombie with no control of memory or conversation. This medication is dangerous and they do not know how long the side effects will linger?! good grief! I was grateful I had a husband and daughter with a watchful eye and they both demanded I get off the Topamax whereas I had become what seemed like an alhezimers victim, I also know someone else that was taking the Topamax and had the same problems with her headaches being worse and she has had brain surgery! she was only on 5mg of the stuff and since being off of it her headaches have subsided. Not enough known about this drug to use us a guinea pigs, we have enough to deal with just trying to control this disability. I was at my witts ends too and thought god anything is better than these headaches, Topamax trust me is NOT better. Becareful and Good luck and I hope my experience has helped just a little bit.
56 year old Female
Posted: 2009-07-31 07:59:16
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Patient Comments about
Migraine / Headache