I started a new drug at the end of January – micronor – with the hopes that it would help with the increase in severe migraine attacks I get around my period. I then promptly had 3 periods in 2 months which then dropped off to a happier once every 4-6 weeks schedule. The frequency of Very Bad migraine attacks drops from 8 attacks in the 5 months before micronor to 3 Very Bad in the 5 months after (the initial micronor adjustment period). If I include the micronor adjustment period it’s a less dramatic reduction from 14 to 10. The frequency was very bad during March, when I had 2 very long periods, but seemed to go back to “normal” for the next few months.
Is micronor helping? Maybe, with severity, especially of the very worst attacks. It’s hard to tell because…
I started another drug, lisinopril, at the end of March. April is always a relatively good month for me migraine-wise (maybe something about the weather?). When May was pretty good too, I started to be hopeful. In June, the frequency spiked. I was still hanging onto hope for lisinopril though because the frequency of Moderate attacks was still on a steady decline. July wiped that out with 13 moderate migraines. August is on track to be a little better than July, but still not great.
Is lisinopril doing anything? Well, it’s definitely making me extra tired and fuzzy during what is usually my most productive time of day. Reducing the dose and playing around with the timing has helped with that, but not eliminated it. It is possibly contributing to a decline in moderate migraines and might be contributing to an overall increase in attacks. But it’s hard to tell because…
It’s hard to tell because I stopped taking wellbutrin in mid-May. Was wellbutrin supressing some of the attacks? Was wellbutrin causing more intense attacks? It’s hard to tell because….
I started taking magnesium citrate in mid-July. Could the magnesium be responsible for the July spike in Moderate attacks? Oh and what about lisinopril again?
Is any of the reduction in the severity of Very Bad and Kill Me attacks in the last year due to the drugs above, or is it all just increasing effects of the botox injections I’ve been getting since July 2015?
This is all overwhelming and confusing and difficult to detangle, especially given my emotional investment in the outcomes. But taking a step back two things are clear:
- The frequency of the worst attacks is better for the last year than it was in the previous year.
- The overall frequency of attacks has been consistently VERY HIGH since December.
Decreasing the intensity of pain during migraine attacks does improve my quality of life, but migraine isn’t just a headache and the effects of attacks with just mild pain generally prevent me from working and even leaving my house. I am desperate to decrease the frequency of my migraine attacks and I’m not really sure what to do.