Daily migraines.....Not enough meds?

Options
Wendyma1
Wendyma1 Posts: 289 Member
hey there-

So for the past 2 weeks I have been experiencing daily migraines! I've been taking a prescription migraine medication, but I'm thinking these migraines might be due to the fact that I'm not taking in enough thyroid meds. Also, I'm always cold, I can turn the heater up which warms the body, but my hands and feet are always ice cold! The newest thing, panic/anxiety attacks, where the heck did those come from??? Never had them before!

Anyone else experience any of this?

Replies

  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    Options
    Yes, I've been there before, and it was AWFUL!!!!

    I'd say between 2008 and 2010 I felt like crap, and I had migraines more often than not during that time.

    I don't have any way to prove whether or not it was related to my thyroid. I did feel worse when my numbers were bad, but as my thyroid labs got better, my migraines didn't really correlate.

    First of all, how old are you? What meds are you on? What about birth control pills? What can you tell us about your lifestyle?

    I found that my migraines were really bad in my 20s, but lately, I don't really get them anymore. (I'm 31.) I tried a variety of both the kinds of medications to end a migraine in progress and the preventative types. Some made things better, some made them worse... but it was worth trying, because I was so miserable that I was willing to do anything to make the pain stop. (Topamax made it worse if that's what you're wondering... it made me hallucinate.)

    My neurologist finally put me on Depakote, which helped a lot, but it also made me gain weight and feel sluggish. I took that for a year or so, and I got a new job. She said that my erratic sleep schedule from working retail hours might have something to do with the migraines. She was right. Once I started a new job with regular business hours, I felt a lot better. I had to go to sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. It made a world of difference.

    I eventually weaned off the Depakote, and now I feel great unless I stress out or something. The last six weeks have been scary for me, emotionally, so I've gotten light headed a couple times, but I haven't had a real, debilitating migraine in probably over a year now. Incidentally, the emotions I'm going through right now do feel similar to anxiety...

    Anyway, feel free to friend me or send me messages with questions. I hope you are able to find relief soon. I know when I was really struggling it felt like the pain would never end, but it eventually did. There is hope.
  • Wendyma1
    Wendyma1 Posts: 289 Member
    Options
    . I just turned 45 years old last month. I have only been on thyroid medication since January. Currently I am taking 60mg of Armour. I work a 9 to 5 job and have a very strict schedule for bedtime. I go to bed between 9 and 10 every night and wake up at 7:00am. I know that my adrenals are sluggish and currently my body is not absorbing nutrients like it should, so therefore my iron, B12, copper, zinc and so on are low. I take supplements for that now.

    As for the migraines, I take a prescription drug, Maxalt. It works but I need to take it daily recently. The anxiety comes and goes throughout the day and evening, regardless of stress or not, its just weird. My face is puffy, especially around the eye area, my upper lids are the worse, it almost feels like a big pocket of fluid and when I press on it, its all squishy. most days the lids are so swollen that the fluid pocket shines!

    I called my doctor yesterday and she is having me retake my blood tests (I wasnt due to have blood drawn till the end of March) to see if my thyroid levels are the cause of the headaches and anxiety. Honestly, I have no idea what else it can be.
  • islandmonkey
    islandmonkey Posts: 546 Member
    Options
    Hmm, the anxiety sounds more like hyper, but the cold is definitely hypo... I was already wondering if you're on a high enough dose.

    It could also be that your thyroid hasn't fully died off from the RAI yet, so those levels could be fluctuating up and down, which makes dosing difficult.

    I'd be very curious to see where your current levels are at. Make sure to take your Armour after the labs and not before!


    The puffiness is still really unusual to me, and I'm wondering if it's your graves antibodies all riled up and causing issues. I think I said before that my friend figured hers took 8 years to fully die off...
  • Wendyma1
    Wendyma1 Posts: 289 Member
    Options
    8 years???? Holy Moly Island Monkey!!! I dont know if I can deal with all this for 8 years! I am working on getting my immune system on better track so that at least I can be a bit healthier! I was reading somewhere last night that swollen face and eyes are a symptom of being hypo, so hopefully once my meds are at a optimum level, the swelling will go away.

    I woke up this morning and out of habit, took my thyroid meds! UGH, I was going to have my labs done on my way into work. Now I have to wait till the afternoon to have it all drawn
  • islandmonkey
    islandmonkey Posts: 546 Member
    Options
    Ha, it's good that you're in the habit, at least?? :)

    Ya, she had eye involvement for 8 years after her RAI treatment. I'm also thinking it's due to being hypo though, and that getting your immune system built back up will help hugely.
  • aggiejk94
    aggiejk94 Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    Several years back I started with bad panic attacks and it was because I didn't have estrogen. Not sure what your hormones are like, but thought I'd throw that in since I never had them my whole life and after the estrogen returned to normal they disappeared.
  • nznatural
    nznatural Posts: 45 Member
    Options
    I've been on total thyroxine replacement literally all my life. I wasnt the best taker of my tablets through my teenage years, and there were a few occasions, I am ashamed to say, that I went days, if not almost a week without taking them (this despite my mums best attempts).

    Whenever one of these periods of not taking them was going on, I could guarantee that I would get a headache. It was a really really bad one that wouldnt go away if I took an ibuprofen or panadol. Kind of focused around the back of my head, but it would spider out around that too. Just a really dull ache that wouldnt go away.

    Took me a few years to cotton onto it being linked to not taking my medication, but even now its the first sign I have that somethings not right.

    I've had a few panic/anxiety attacks, but those have usually come at really stressful times in my life. Not sure if theyre connected to my medication, but usually when my levels are higher.
  • JessHealthKick
    JessHealthKick Posts: 800 Member
    Options
    in the end my migraines were due to my eyesight - astigmatism. Sounds like too simple an answer, but to get them checked. I had a migraine every afternoon and it was really ruining my life. (I have hypothyroid too!)
  • debbiepa
    debbiepa Posts: 45
    Options
    Intermittent, worsening headaches along with weight gain were my first signs that I was hypo. Now, then I start getting headaches like that again, I have my labs checked and it has always coordinated with abnormal levels.
    Good luck-hope you get your results soon!
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    Options
    From what I understand, if you are getting migraines more than twice a month, you should probably be on a preventative medication. If you're taking Maxalt every day, you're going to get a tolerance to it, and it will stop working for you (or even make it worse.)

    With migraine meds, there are two types. There is the abortive kind, which is supposed to get rid of a migraine in progress. Examples would be Maxalt, Imitrex, Frova, Midrin, etc. Then, there is the preventative kind, which are taken daily and are supposed to reduce the frequency of migraines. Examples would be Topamax, Depakote, and Pamelor.

    If you take too many pills to try to get rid of a migraine in process (the abortive pills) you can get a tolerance to it, and it will constantly require more and more for it to work, if it even works at all. This happens a lot with over the counter meds, too. If you find yourself taking these frequently, you have got to get to a doctor.

    I wouldn't wait for more labs to come back on the thyroid. I would ask your doctor for a preventative med or an alternative to the Maxalt.
  • islandmonkey
    islandmonkey Posts: 546 Member
    Options
    Are you still getting the eye issues? I'm wondering if your antibodies are still all riled up, causing further eye issues, which is either causing the migraines or making them worse.

    Have you looked at acupuncture yet, to help bring down your antibodies? Sugar/yeast/gluten free also worked for me.
  • Ryanmariem
    Ryanmariem Posts: 46 Member
    Options
    hey there-

    So for the past 2 weeks I have been experiencing daily migraines! I've been taking a prescription migraine medication, but I'm thinking these migraines might be due to the fact that I'm not taking in enough thyroid meds. Also, I'm always cold, I can turn the heater up which warms the body, but my hands and feet are always ice cold! The newest thing, panic/anxiety attacks, where the heck did those come from??? Never had them before!

    Anyone else experience any of this?

    Back in 2009-2011 I would get that really bad. Anxiety/panic attacks that would just come out of no where... crazy and no fun! I do not like taking medications so I started looking for the cause to treat that in a natural way if possible. In 2011 I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia and adrenal fatigue... I would get awful migraines, I would just have to lay down for the day. I found that I was not drinking enough water and when my blood sugar was way off my symptoms were worse. But I also was just cold all the time, esp my fingers and toes. I did some more research and look at my family history and felt I had some kind of thyroid problem. Well everytime I would get my blood work checked everything would come back as normal.

    It took me from 2011 till Jan 2013 to finally find a doctor who would treat me based on my symptoms and not just my blood work. Well I am currently taking 30mg of Armour, I think I need it boosted to 60, but just the change with having the thyroid meds vs not is crazy. But I no longer feel cold all the time and my hands and feet are warm! Some days though I do feel it, but it is not an everyday thing as it use to be. Plus my energy level is finally improving. But I also have been changing the foods I eat, as I do not want to be on medicine for my hypoglycemia or adrenals.

    I need to take extra supplements, it so important to make sure they are whole foods and don't have "fillers". Here is a book I found to work for ALL hormone related problems "The Blood Sugar Solution" by Dr. Mark Hyman. I am still working on it, but my migraines are gone for the most part and I am feeling a whole lot better. With changing what I eat to help support my hormone imbalances it drastically helps. Plus I don't have to be on the tons of medications that the previous Dr's wanted me on, and suffer the side effects. I refuse to just treat the symptoms with out getting to the root cause. Currently t have the thyroid and spirolactin for my PCOS and I am debating weather or not it really helps, because it gives me bad dizzy spells.

    It is a one day at a time thing. I drink lots of tea, green and herbal and those have helped lots. I have increaed my water intake to try to make it half my body weight and I have minimized my sugar intake and still working on eliminating as much as I can. I have also minimized the preservatives and additives and have gone to a more "cleaner" diet. It gets easier and I feel so much better. I hope you feel better soon I would not wish how I felt on anyone, so I know what it feels like.
  • Wendyma1
    Wendyma1 Posts: 289 Member
    Options
    Thank you all so much for the responses. it is very apparent I need to cut more sugar out of my diet. I at one point and was eating a lot cleaner, recently I started to eat some bread and processed food again, maybe that on top of thyroid and adrenal issues is whats causing these darn migraines.

    eating clean starts again this week!!!

    Again, thank you everyone, I'm so blessed not to have to go through this alone.
  • aandrus0608
    Options
    I have migraines about 90% of the time. That was until my doc started me on Amitriptyline and imitrex. It has helped greatly. I was kind of hesitant to start it because it is considered a antidepressent. I am so glad I chose to start it I am down to about one headache a week.
  • Wendyma1
    Wendyma1 Posts: 289 Member
    Options
    I am pleased to say that my migraines have gone away! Another person here on MFP who also has thyroid eye disease suggested I take selenium and curcumin every day. I started that about a week ago and the very next day the pressure behind my eyes was gone!!!! I now faithfully take the combination every night with the rest of my supplements. So for those of you with Thyroid eye disease, the combination does wonders!!!! Wont get rid of the gritty feeling in your eyes, but at least that can be helped some with eye drops!
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    Options
    I'm so glad you are feeling better!