IBS-D and MIGRAINE'S
#311873 - 07/24/07 02:40 PM
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SLHoutz56841
Reged: 12/05/04
Posts: 44
Loc: We are right in the middle of the state of Pennsylvania, USA :)
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Does anyone think there is a link between IBS-D and migraine's? My neuro. is at his wit's end as to what to do with me as nothing helps or it makes me sick in my stomach or just makes my IBS-D unbearable.
Any suggestions?
Thanks 
Sandra Houtz
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IBS-D, GERD, Hiatal Hernia --- very unstable
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I don't have IBS-D, but I take Maxalt for my migraines and it's WONDERFUL! I have tried so many others in the past, and nothing kicks a migraine like Maxalt. Have you tried it? What meds have you tried?
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Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
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No, I don't think one affects the other. But maybe whatever is causing your IBS-D is also causing your migraines. Do seratonin levels affect migraine frequency and severity? Some IBSers do have seratonin abnormalities.
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I have chronic migraines and I am A, mostly D. I take Maxalt too. I do not get nauseated from it, just from the migraine itself. I also take gravol / anti nausea stuff. I do the hypnosis and go for massage therapy to also help with my migraines. I am also investigating acupuncture and visiting a naturopath to help. I average a migraine every 4 to 10 days and they last from hours up to 10 days.
Get stable, then you can start controlling your migraines better. Watch your hydration level, blood pressure and pulse. I have to drink double what you normally are recommended and I find that helps. I also monitor my bp weekly as I'm very hypotensive. I average 106 / 67.
Best of luck!!!
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Cassandra
Live like there's no tomorrow. Love like you've never loved before.
IBS A 20+ years, Chronic Migraines, Chiari Malformation (decompressed June 22, 2010), Brachial Neuritis, and ??? the list just keeps growing, but I'm still shiny side up!
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They started me off on Maxalt when I was hospitalized for a very violent migraine ... worked for a while and then it stopped ... very typical for me unfortunately 
These migraine drugs are so darn expensive too ... I have scrip coverage but at 50% of a name brand drug it's still really expensive ...
Thanks for the reminder on hydration ... that is something that does get forgotten about occassionaly and I know it does make a difference ... off to get a bottle of water 
My blood pressure and pulse have always been normal, thankfully. Except for one time when they put me on prednisone for my migraine's and it caused a terrible spike in my pulse to the level that I couldn't even count it anymore and went to the hospital ... it was scary!
It's kind of nice to know in a sad way that a migraine isn't a one day event ... mine can last for days also
Sandra Houtz
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IBS-D, GERD, Hiatal Hernia --- very unstable
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They have checked everything on me and nothing ever tells them WHY I have migraine's ... they just keep relying on the age old diagnosis of "stress" ... yeah, I have six children, we dairy farm on 200 acres and I'm going to school myself and we homeschool 5 of the 6 children ... hmm, do I have stress? 
Sandra Houtz
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IBS-D, GERD, Hiatal Hernia --- very unstable
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Before I went on Donnatal, every bad attack I got was preceded by a headache that was almost as bad as a migraine. It would typically last a few hours or until the worst of the attack was over. I only get those really bad headaches when an attack is coming. I never investigated whether they were migraines or not. The Donnatal has helped getting my symptoms under control and has helped with the headaches. I don't know if that helps or not. 
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Thanks for posting ... I was on Donnatal a while back but unfortunately due to my IBS-D being refractory in nature nothing works for any length of time ... frustrating as ....
Sandra Houtz
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IBS-D, GERD, Hiatal Hernia --- very unstable
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Maybe you have a gluten sensitivity? Wheat can cause severe headaches according to the Neurology Journal Feb. 2001.In a small study, there was a severe reduction of symptoms in 7 of 9 people who followed a gluten free diet. The other 2 had some success. Gluten sensitivity can also cause gut problems, (D, bloating)as you know. Do you drink soda or eat foods with artificial sweeteners? That can also trigger migraines. Sorry in advance if you have already mentioned these things somewhere else in your postings. Dunno, just a thought.....
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Wheat is not an issue for me or gluten ... my gastro. said the food poisoning I had ruined the nervous system in my gut and thus any "medicine" is not going to help for any length of time How frustrating is that!
I do not drink soda ever (bloating), no artificial sweetners either I know they can be a huge trigger for headaches ... my neuro. does not know what to prescribe for me at this point ... I do take 50 mg. of nortriptyline at bedtime and it does help with my problem of not sleeping ... I'm one of those "types" that can never shut my mind off ...
I am seeing my neuro next week and I'll have to pick his brain a bit
Sandra Houtz
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IBS-D, GERD, Hiatal Hernia --- very unstable
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Migraines are a mystery to me also. I had them as a child of 5-12 years...always the day after a stressful event. I would have to lie down just suffering enormous pain around my right eye and temple, and my mother would give me bread and butter to bring on the vomiting which led to 12 hours unconscious sleep, and the next day I'd be ok. There was nothing back then but aspirin, and that wouldn't touch my migraines. At puberty they disappeared completely, and came back sporadically in my late 20s.
But these were monsters, and I would have to go into the hospital to get the vomiting stopped and get rehydrated. Now there doesn't seem to be any one thing that causes them. They can start as a tension or sinus headache that lasts 2-3 days, then morphs into a migraine. The things I link them with are superstress, (I had one the day after an operation, but I was already in the hospital with an IV, and my Dr was able to stop it immediately) and consumption of nitrates, and excess sodium. I have less and less tolerance for salt as time goes by.
However, for me, Imitrex is the wonder drug-it will stop my migraine in its tracks-even if it is well under way, and since the prescription comes in packets of 9, I sometimes have only half a dose available-and even that works like magic.
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Sorry to hear about your migraines! I have IBS-D and when I am having a severe flare, I get horrible migraines. I don't have a prescription for it, but it became clear to me that my dehydration from the D caused me to have these headaches. I try to keep as hydrated as possible and it has helped me relieve the pain when need be. That, combined with sleep, really worked for me.
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IBS-D!
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I know that hydration is really critical with IBS-D and with migraine's ... I try to stay mindful of it as well ... this is just a beast we have to deal with
I had tried Imitrex and it just made me nauseaus along with just about every other migraine drug they have available today ... so I do use 50 mg. of nortriptyline at bed and it "was" helping ... I'm seeing my neuro next week to see what we can try next
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IBS-D, GERD, Hiatal Hernia --- very unstable
Edited by SLHoutz56841 (08/04/07 09:05 AM)
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I can feel your pain! I know that sleep is a big helper to me as well ... but I can't always just go jump in the sack 
Sandra Houtz
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IBS-D, GERD, Hiatal Hernia --- very unstable
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My daughter has been ill for 3 years with a GI disorder. We originally thought it was IBS. All test results were normal. Her symptoms were severe abdominal pain, rectal urgency and stooling etc. We have just received a dx of abdominal migraine. We will be seeing a neurologist since it is a neurological disorder. GI will continue to follow her. Since starting an antimigraine med her pain, headaches, nausea etc have been greatly relieved. They say when she grows up the abd pain will recede and she will be left with migraine headaches. I am glad to have an answer and just wanted to pass it along in case others here are suffering. Maybe some adults had this as a child and never was dx properly. My pediatrician has never seen a case of abd migraine, nor did my GI MD. It was a second opinion that figured it out.
http://headaches.about.com/od/migrainediseas1/a/what_abdom_mx.htm
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I'm so sorry to hear that your daughter is suffering with this. I can really feel her pain. I know that as a child from the age of 10-18 I have terrible IBS-D and headaches, but at that time I was being raised in a terribly dysfunctional alcohol drenched home with a very violent, verbally abusive, attempted sexually abusive step father and a mother that was clueless as to what was going on in the home.  So, I just attributed my physical problems to the emotional hell I was living in. But, when I moved out and got married and the problems did not resolve, then I knew I had to get to a doctor and was "officially" labeled as IBS-D ... and was given a prescription for Immodium (at that time it was only prescription available). It would help but then cause the reverse problems for me ...
I have a really good neuro. that is trying to figure out these darn headaches. I have been on and off so many meds and NOTHING really helps for any length of time.
I hope that your daughter can get some resolution of this and at least you know what she may be facing in the future.
Sandra Houtz
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IBS-D, GERD, Hiatal Hernia --- very unstable
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Hello again
They started her on periactin, which is a old med, an antihistamine, and serotonin blocker. It has been a miracle drug. She has no pain, or nausea or other symptoms. She has been able to gain weight (she was the same weight for 2 years due to anorexia from pain)
I was reading some of Heathers archives here about the brain gut connection and serotonin is one of the problems in our guts that causes IBS and symptoms.
Reading some of those articles makes me realize how complicated it is. But for us we are grateful they figured something out that would help. My kid literally has her life back.
I know I have seen other parents on this board with kids like my kid. I hope they find a doc who knows about abdominal migraine so they can rule it in or out.
As for you, I know you say you have a really good doc. So did we but it was not him who figured out my kids problem.
We saw him for 3 years, and it was another doc who saw her once who recognized what to do. Medicine is an art. Not everyone responds the same way to the same disease or RX. Some docs have tunnel vision as they treat disorders the same for everyone. My doc wishes he had figured it out and now uses my kid to help others as he is studying abd migraine and sees other patients who might have it.
Edited by mykidhasibs (09/04/07 05:16 AM)
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