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Managing my Migraines: Recent Success

June 25th, 2008

All my hidden superstition comes out and I hesitate to say this for fear of jinxing myself, but I have only had one very mild Migraine in the past 19 days.  It is too soon to tell if this is a trend or a fluke.   It’s quite a contrast to the last 6 months though, when I’ve had an average of 5 Migraines per month and my Migraines have generally lasted 36 hours.  I promise not to be embarrassed if this trend doesn’t continue.  I believe I am doing a lot of right stuff - just sometimes we need even more right stuff to add to our toolkits.

I have yet to try preventive medications; I missed my long-awaited headache specialist appointment when I was sick with bronchitis.  But I will give you my current regimen, and list the things that I think are making a difference.  Please note that this is my list; the same factors might not work for you.

1. 400 mg of Magnesium (see studies done by USDA linking magnesium deficiency and migraine)
2. 200 mg of B2 (riboflavin)
3. a high potency multi-vitamin
4. 60 mg Armour Thyroid*
5. an iodine supplement*
6. 3000 mg phosphorylated serine per day, 1000 mg each at lunch, dinner and bedtime*
7. 10 mg DHEA*
8. the Wiley Protocol - bio-mimetic hormone replacement therapy
9. not drinking caffeinated beverages more than 2 -3 times per week - and the ones I drink are mild!
10. 30 - 45 minutes aerobic exercise daily
11. sleeping 8 hours per night
12. daily meditation
13. basing my work schedule on the idea that I have about 30 productive hours in me per week, and not trying to do more than that!
14. taking frequent breaks throughout the day and gardening or doing housework
15. napping if I need to
16. switching overhead lights in the house back from CFLs to incandescents
17. banning my son’s stinky cologne from the house
18. Summer - long days, warmth

I have Migraine disease, early stage chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), low thyroid and, I believe, seasonal affective disorder.  I also have allergies, and frequent, sometimes chronic, sinus infections, and am very prone to catching whatever illnesses are around to catch.  The factors that I marked with an asterix (*) above are not there to prevent Migraine; they are there to balance my hormones, strengthen my adrenal glands, and manage my CFS.  All the research shows that CFS and low thyroid are co-morbid conditions with Migraine - they occur at the same time, without a causal relationship.  I can only speak to my own experience, but when I am fatigued, and I push myself beyond my limits, I often get a Migraine.   Low thyroid also contributes to my fatigue, which contributes to my Migraine frequency.  Unless someone can prove to me otherwise, I will maintain that taking care of my thyroid and CFS also takes care of my Migraines.

I began the Wiley Protocol about a year ago to address menopausal symptoms.  The Wiley Protocol replaces a woman’s hormones with the identical hormones her body makes (rather than the synthetic hormones found in traditional HRT), and doses them in the way that mimics her natural cycle when she is young.  It is not specifically designed to combat Migraine, but for those of us whose Migraines increased in peri-menopause, it makes sense that returning to a younger hormonal state would help!  I found initially that while my Migraine frequency didn’t improve, the severity went way down.  My doctor started me on an adjusted dose of the hormones about 3 weeks ago, with estrogen levels raised slightly in the beginning of my cycle and lowered slightly later on.  Since that’s the same time period where I’ve been having so few Migraines, I can only guess it’s helping.

I am usually healthier in the warm weather months, and sluggish and illness-prone over the Winter.  I feel like I come alive again in the Spring.  Short of moving far south, I think I will have to get a light-box for next Winter to address this.

The CFLs are funny for me.  They are on a list of things that I “just don’t like” - and haven’t liked most of my life (baking in the hot sun, strong men’s colognes, crowded rooms full of noisy people, fluorescent lights).  Lo and behold, these things that I never liked are actually triggers for me.  When I began blogging about CFLs a month or two ago it occurred to me to get them out of my own house and see what happened.  My husband had started replacing incandescents with CFLs in our overhead lights about six months ago.  My Migraine frequency went way up when?  About six months ago!  Coincidence?  We’ve been taking them out again and… fewer Migraines?

A conclusion here?  As you all know who deal with this disease, there are many factors involved.  If you are one of those people who only has to avoid one trigger, or take one herb, or use one particular drug, to eliminate Migraines, then God bless you!  You have my undying jealousy!  If you are one of those complicated cases who have to manage multiple triggers and multiple treatments, I know how tired you are of managing it all.  I just want to hold out some hope - that the detective work is worth doing, and can make a difference.  Keep on trying!

- Megan Oltman
Managing Migraines one day at a time.

Crossed fingers image courtesy of Meisje van de Sliterij.

Tags: chronic fatigue syndrome, magnesium, Migraine treatment, Migraine triggers, the Wiley Protocol, vitamin B2
Posted in Managing, Medicine | Comments (9)

9 Responses to “Managing my Migraines: Recent Success”

1. Rain Gem Says:
   June 26th, 2008 at 2:16 am

   That is good to hear. Excellent news.
   I am curious, what are the ingredients and the amounts of those ingredients in “phosphorylated serine”?

2. emily Says:
   June 26th, 2008 at 2:26 pm

   wow, that’s great news! let’s hope this is the beginning of a trend.

3. deborah Says:
   June 26th, 2008 at 7:05 pm

   hey, Meg; I had no idea you weren’t taking preventatives but holistics. You sure have done your homework.

   I’m curious, have you tried Co enzyme Q10 ever? I had for a while, but didn’t find it helpful, I know some do.

4. Megan Says:
   June 27th, 2008 at 4:02 pm

   Rain - phosphorylated serine is another name for the amino acid ethanolamine. That’s the only ingredient listed - 1000 mg of ethanolamine per capsule, in a gelatin capsule. The brand I am using is called Seriphos. I have looked it up on line and it is listed in a few places as a “treatment of choice for early stage CFS.” Initially when treating my CFS my doctor had me do a saliva test for cortisol levels and basically I had no cortisol. I took a cortisol supplement for about a year and a half. Now after a second saliva test I have the right amount of cortisol in the morning and far too much in the afternoon and evening. As I understand it the ethanolamine inhibits the release of cortisol so that the blood levels are regulated. I think a more detailed post on this may be in order!

   Deb - I’ve had a lot of help in the homework from a holistically oriented MD. I’m not opposed to preventives, I just haven’t had any luck yet in getting in to a headache specialist. In the meantime I’ve worked hard on my migraine management routine and lately it seems I’m doing pretty well. I tried CoQ10 while I was in Arizona, where a dr. told me it helped people cope with the altitude. I was having a very bad 5 day, altitude and smoke triggered migraine. I haven’t tried using it on an ongoing basis. But it may be worth a try.

   Cheers - Megan

5. Rain Gem Says:
   June 28th, 2008 at 1:06 am

   Oh, cool, thank. Why I was asking - I looked up that particular thing you take and this is what it said:

   “This Is Provided In A Chelate Form Of Magnesium And Calcium”

   http://www.amazon.com/InterPlexus-Inc-Seriphos%C2%AE-Phosphorylated-Support-100/dp/B000N23AE8

   So, it seems you might be taking more Mg and Ca than you count.

   I could be wrong though.

6. Megan Oltman Says:
   June 28th, 2008 at 1:04 pm

   Rain - Well, that’s fine - more Mg and Ca seem to be helping. The more the merrier, I guess. It didn’t say anything about them on the bottle!

7. MaxJerz Says:
   June 29th, 2008 at 5:08 pm

   Megs, this is inspiring to hear. As you well know, I’m one of the complicated, messy, tricky migraine cases. My list of stackable triggers is hugely long, and managing them can really be difficult. But it’s very good to hear how well you’re doing. (Even though I know you’ve had some trouble this week.)

   Keep up the good work - every time I hear of success like this, it gives me hope!

   Be well,
   MJ

8. Megan Oltman Says:
   June 29th, 2008 at 6:57 pm

   Thanks, MJ. Yes, I did have a migraine this week, but it was a mild one, which seems consistent with my recent trend. I had more trouble with the fatigue this week. Obviously there’s further to go in managing that!

   Be well!

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