Personal stories about migraine medications

These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions.

Shelby, age 24: I had my first migraine when I started taking birth control pills. I saw wavy lines and had distorted vision at first, then I felt nauseous, and then developed a horrible, throbbing headache on one side of my head. I took some ibuprofen and laid down in a dark room. Even when the headache went away the next day, I felt achy all over and "fuzzy" in my head. I have had two migraines since I started taking the pill 3 months ago. I never had a migraine before that. My doctor recommended that I stop taking the pill and wait to see if my migraines stop too. I've decided to try antimigraine medications right now.

Helen, age 59: I first got migraines when I was a teenager. The medications used to treat migraines at that time didn't really help me, so I quit taking them. Recently, I developed high blood pressure that we can't seem to get under control. I still get migraines, but not very often. I can usually stop the symptoms by taking an aspirin and lying down for awhile. When I was at my doctor's office for my high blood pressure, I asked about the newer antimigraine medications. I am told they are much more effective at reducing migraine symptoms. However, I am at risk for some of their more serious side effects until I get my blood pressure under control. My doctor suggested treating my high blood pressure and trying to prevent migraines with a single medication such as a beta-blocker or calcium channel blocker.

George, age 35: I started getting migraines when I was a kid, although they didn't occur very often. Recently, my migraine attacks are much more frequent, about two a month. I tried taking ibuprofen, but it didn't help. The symptoms have been so bad that I had to go to the emergency room for a shot several times in the past few months. My doctor recommends that I try taking a prophylactic antimigraine medication every day to try to prevent the migraine attacks. He also recommends antimigraine drugs, such as triptans, for migraines I might get while taking prophylactic medications. Since I have missed so much work due to the migraines, I decided to try taking preventive medications and see if this helps.

Kasey, age 32: I have had migraines off and on for years. I was usually able to control them by taking an aspirin and lying down, but that is not helping anymore. I am also getting them close to my menstrual cycle and nearly every month. I am not taking birth control pills, and I don't smoke. I am in pretty good health other than for these migraines. My doctor recommended I try taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as ibuprofen to see if it helps prevent the attack from getting worse. I have decided to try an NSAID before getting a prescription for an antimigraine medication.