I am thinking a bit about inflammations. It really feels like my supersensitive brain must be inflamed somehow. Somewhere in the migraine process there must a a factor of inflammation. Then it sounds like a good idea to try to treat it with a anti-inflammatory drug of some kind, no?
Has anybody here tried an anti-inflammatory drug? which one and what is your experience? I don’t mean trying an aspirin when you feel an attack coming on but more trying a drug for a long time of, at least a few days, to see if the inflammation can be halted.
This is of coarse only interesting for chronic migraineurs.
I never really tried it but I am thinking about trying maximum dose of naproxen or diklofenak for a week to see if it has any effect. I know that when I had an other inflammation that it helped after a few days so one week should be enough to see the effect, if there is any.
NSAIDs should also be possible to eat for a long time if they would help. I have a friend who ate max dose for a year. And it seems to me that it would disturb the brain less than other drugs who really mixes with the brain chemistry, so that would also indicate better tolerance for long term use.
Out of the myriad of migraine preventives I’ve been prescribed, one was Celebrex, which is an anti-inflammatory that doesn’t carry the undesirable long-term usage effects of say, Ibuprofen. It did nothing for me, besides make me feel more relaxed in my muscles. However, that’s not to say it wouldn’t work for you.
I think you should be careful about doing this. My neurologist advised only taking things like panadol and ibuprofen very occasionally.
If you are taking something every other day or more, you may be setting up the risk of rebound headache, and getting stuck in a cycle that is hard to break out of.
also it could be bad for your stomach.
I really do not advise long term use of NSAIDs. I was on NSAIDs for 15 years due to autoimmune arthritis and they are very hard on kidneys. Now I have to baby my kidneys and can’t take any nsaids - all because naproxen damaged them.
I can’t imagine you would be doing any long-term damage by trying an NSAID for a week. If you don’t, you’ll always wonder if it might have helped. If it doesn’t help, fine. But, if it does help, then your physician can help you make a risk/benefit analysis on how long to continue it.
I’ve been taking high doses of ibuprofen for many years, and although I know the dangers, so far I’ve been lucky with no stomach or kidney problems.
I don’t get headaches to speak of, nor severe dizziness.
I could SWEAR that when I DON’T take my regular Advil, I sometimes feel dizzier. I suspect this isn’t a direct influence but perhaps because the ibuprofen helps the daily aching in my joints, muscles and tendons (due to arthritis and probably a little fibromyalgia)–and when my brain is less encumbered by “dealing with” the achiness, it can deal with the dizziness better. Just my guess.
I function and feel so much better when I just take my Advil regularly like clockwork. 800 mg three to four times a day, plus 1000 mg acetaminophen (Tylenol) along with it. Lots of pills, but they keep me going pretty well! That, and since last year 50 mg nortriptyline, which has been a very big help with the dizzy-wooziness.
I saw one of my co-workers once take nine ibuprofen at once, per her doctor’s advice, to stave off a migraine. Apparently that works for her.
Usually anti-inflammatory drug, celebrex 100 mg capsule, is prescribed for arthritis. I don’t think it will work for migraine. But there are already medicines to treat migraine and headaches. Be sure to be aware of relationship of each drug.
Read Grain Brain as it discusses the inflammation in the brain caused by eating too many carbs/sugar…I’ve taken ibuprofen and it seems to help…i have 2 year long battle with vestibular migraines that are constant…but the real help came from diet:
Heal My Headache: a 1-2-3 Plan was the greatest book
You should really discuss this with your doctor. If you feel inflammation is the main cause of the migraines, there are specific medications for said such as Pizotefen, When caused by high blood pressure, Metoprolol could benefit, and so on. Never add over-the-counter medications to your prescription drugs without discussing with your doctor first. Best of luck to you!
I take an anti-inflammatory for migraine (I have both chronic migraine with aura as well as VM), and it does help considerably. I had problems with all other migraine drugs, and it has been the only thing that has helped since Cafergot came off the market. There are issues with long term use though, and I do take another stomach protectant med. NSAIDs are part of the Neurologist’s toolkit but you need to talk to your doctor before starting on this course, NSAIDs do have side effects and there is probably safer medication available.
I wonder if you are feeling your head is inflamed because of the pressure feeling that migraines often cause - it isn’t actually inflammation though.
I take a 200mg Advil maybe once a week and it does help the overly agitated nerves. But my doctor, and the literature on healing vertigo and migraine, all warn about rebound. You would be better for awhile and then you would become dependent and need to keep increasing the dose. Occasional might be okay but not large quantities and not everyday. This is what happened to me before I found the right doctor and the right diagnosis. I was on Meclizine and Advil until I hit rock bottom. You need to check with a physician who is knowledgeable about the 1-2-3 program out of Johns Hopkins and the Migraine Diet. Maybe your “inflammation” is from other things - certain foods, too much exercise, too long at the computer, stress from lifestyle, caffeine, etc. It is a lot of work to eliminate triggers (of this “inflammation”) but it has the most lasting value. Maybe you need to add “low histamine” to your diet regimen. I have a diet comparison chart that I share at my blog on vertigo/migraine if you are interested. I also talk about going the distance and doing the whole program to find relief. Good luck to you. This is a very frustrating disability. (www.vertigotalesandtastes.blogspot.com
Also, I forgot to mention that I take an Allegra once in a while and that helps to reduce inflammation. Both head and ear pressure are relieved. I try not to take it too often.
(www.vertigotalesandtastes.blogspot.com
I realise this topic is old now, but i am really interested in the link between inflammation and migraine. The new cgrp drugs decrease the protein present in the brain during a migraine, and that protein is associated with inflammation. There is research into migraines being an inflammatory process, even depression may be inflammation on the brain.
Yeah, I looked into this a lot a few months back too. I’ve experimented with mega doses of ibuprofen and curcumin, both of which didn’t seem to have an immediate effect. Not supposed to have ibuprofen long term, so didn’t try that…