preventative meds for migraines with aura

I have Intractable Chronic Migraine. I was diagnosed with Migraine at age 9 and have been on, literally, dozens of preventives. None of which worked. Yes, they suck. I'm amazed that we can put a man on the moon but cannot find a cure. I'm lucky enough not to have the auras, but I never have one headache-free day and can't remember ever having one in my life. Good luck to you. I feel your pain.

Yes, yes they do.

Right now, I'm taking magnesium and nadalol to try to prevent them.  I've taken various beta blockers and Cymbalta as well.  The best thing I did for migraines were Botox injections.  It's every three months.  It cut my migraines from 5-6 days a week to only 2-3 days a week.  I'm trying to get pregnant and my neuro doesn't want me on Botox for that.  After child 2, I will be going back to the Botox.  It's the only thing that consistently gave me relief. 

I feel for you... I have migraine problems. I get them really bad to the point they put me to bed. I get the auras so bad that If I sit or stand I lose my balance.  

I am not on any prescription  meds for them because I am allergic to them. I wish I had something stronger than advil migraine. I used to take excedrin migraine but I took it for so many years they stopped working. My doctor has me on a high dose of the advil migraine and they help make the migraines livable to the point that I can get out of bed as long as I do nothing other than sit. Walking is hard and I can't function like a normal person when I have migraines. 

I have found that if I drink my coffee in the mornings I get fewer migraines. but anything can trigger them. The things I have ate or done for years that never triggered them before have triggered them and then some of the things that have triggered them in the past don't trigger them now.  It is a never ending battle with them. I do know that bright flashing lights trigger them bad. 

I used to be able to play video games with my daughter when she was growing up but the past few years I haven't even been able to watch her play without triggering a migraine. 

There are some movies that trigger migraines even if the sound is off.  I have had to stop watching movies before because of the special effects triggering a migraine. 

So the games I play are nonaction games. 

good luck with your migraines. 

Old pea, with the family cardiac history it seems an echo would be a good idea. We have a horrible stroke history in our family: killed paternal grandmother, incapacitated a paternal aunt, dad had several starting at age 60, killed maternal grandfather, maternal grandmother had many. I also have a blood clotting disorder which increases my risk obviously. I'm terrified of having a major stroke, particularly of being horribly incapacitated but not killed by it. I think as more research is done, we will find even more of a connection between stroke and migraine.

Hang in there.

I have been taking Topamax on a daily basis as a preventative for migraines. It works. I had them frequently before this. Good luck. Migraines suck!

I don't have aura with my migraines, but I do take 20mg of nortriptyline at night as a preventative. It hasn't really eliminated them completely-- I'm not even sure if I can say it cut down on frequency, although I think I have far fewer classic migraines and more regular headaches these days. Anyhow, I'm mentioning it mostly so you have the name of something else that can be prescribed just in case you want to ask your doctor about it.

UV lighting, including CFLs are triggers for me. Back in the late 1970s I was prescribed Cafergot (Cafergot is the proprietary name of a medication consisting of ergotamine tartrate and caffeine) it was somewhat of a help, but I developed a sensitivity to the Ergotamine.  I was on Midrin (combination of acetaminophen, dichloralphenazone, and isometheptene)  until it went off the market.  There is a report that a different manufacturer is restarting making it because of its effectiveness.

Like lap, I had serious side effects with Topomax. The worst being pancreatitis which ended me up in the hospital for eleven days. Amongst migraine patients it is often nicknamed Dopomax, because of the way it inhibits speech and causes confusion. I also had the side effects of numb face and hands. Thankfully not everyone has those reactions though and it works wonders for some.