Hello, gorgeous ladies. Just a quick post to comment on a symptom that has been causing me a great deal of grief lately: headaches. Full blown, painful, what-I-think-are-migraine headaches. I realize this may indeed be part of our meno-experience, but I would like to hear from others who have been plagued with this problem.

Mine start early in the morning, and are usually in the center of my forehead - just behind my eyes. The pain is steady and intense, and Ibuprofen does not touch the pain. I feel these headaches are sometimes linked to sinus pressure. The headache will usually cause me to become nauseous and literally stops me in my tracks. I had a bout with one last week that was tolerable, but the headache I experienced yesterday caused me to stay home from my office.

Because I have very high intraocular pressures, there is always that possibility. I am checked by an ophthalmologist yearly for this high pressure, so I am going to assume that all is fine in that regard. I do not experience the flashing, zig-zagging bright lights - just the pain and the nausea - which subsides within a couple of hours.

Please share your own experiences with me and take care!

Hugs and much love - Belinda

Belinda, I am devastated by the headaches, of all the symptoms the headaches have knock me on my ass. I rarely had headaches before peri! I have a post under the headache board, they started last April and can be daily for weeks. Horrible Horrible Headaches! Do you get confused with the headaches? I was diagnosed with migraine disease, took the migraine medication last Friday night and blacked out. Scare my husband to death. He took me to the ER and I was admitted to the hospital over the weekend. I'm also having numbness on the left side of my face and lip, here reading a post with many other ladies having the same. Anyway They did all kinds of testing and everything comes back normal. I wanted them to do another MRI at the hospital but they wouldn't since the mri was closed on Sundays? HELLO!!!
I would had to stay another night, so I called my neurologist first thing Monday morning and he saw no need for another one?????
Now I wish I had stay!
I feel so awful it felt good to be in the hospital. I felt safe and meals right to my bed. I will have all kind of nerve and muscle testing next Thursday. Seems the Doctors are getting rich off of peri-menopause women. No wonder they don't won't to help us. I swear we are their bread and butter. My counselor told me to stop going to DOCTORS! I wish I had listen! My husband and I both got the flu thanks to all the germs! His fever broke this morning and mine just two hours ago 102.6 for 2 days. I finally felt like eating!
Oh I JUST SO DAMN frustrated!
Oh I met some wonderful nurses while I was there, many had or where in menopause. So I got some comfort from them! No one knows what this is like unless you have lived through it.

Hi Belinda,

I am bugged by headaches too and it drives me crazy trying to figure out exactly why I'm having one. They seem to hit at different times in my very irregular cycle, so I can't identify a certain time of the month as the reason. Sometimes I have a headache for three days in a row, sometimes it's very intense, other times a faint, dull ache, just enough discomfort for me to know it's there.

Many times I have a sharp pain around one eye and my ear hurts, mostly always on my right side, though sometimes it will occur on my left. I assume it's sinus pressure. After the health scares of liver damage, I have moved Tylenol and Advil to the back of my medicine cabinet and opt for aspirin instead. When I think it's sinus related, I'll take a Sudafed. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Yesterday I had a headache that felt like a vise on both temples and the front of my head. A sick, slightly nauseous feeling accompanied it. I took aspirin, but it didn't help at all. Then I got to worrying that maybe my blood pressure has risen, but I checked it (I have a portable unit at home), and it was okay. Hmmmm..... maybe it's hormonal?! Today my headache is gone and I feel pretty good.

Like I said, it drives me crazy trying to figure out the WHY!

RedFox

P.S. Snowmoon -- my gosh! I was just getting ready to post my comment when I read yours. My little headaches are nothing compared to what you suffer. I'm so sorry! You poor thing!

I was out of it most of the day today due to yet another migraine. I got them almost daily for several years. Now I "only" have eight to ten a month and I see that as an improvement.

They seem to have no rhyme or reason as to when they come. I used to wake up with them, now I tend to get them in the afternoons. They used to come around my menstrual cycle, but now they can come anytime.

The only thing that helps them is Imitrex or Zomig. Although I've had almost all of the symptoms of peri at one time or another, migraines have been my most devastating and debilitating.

Good luck. Migraines definitely stop you dead in your tracks and knock you off your feet, and it seems that the doctors rarely find any physical reason for them.

During my menstruating years, I often had headaches the first couple days of a period. When peri hit, suddenly the headaches were becoming constant. Mine are at the base of the skull, back of the neck area. I OFTEN wake up with these in the morning, so at first thought they were positional, but I also can get them later in the day. No rhyme nor reason.

The only thing that helps is Excedrin Extra-Strength. And lying on my hot-water bottle can be heaven.

You're not alone with this awful symptom!

JJ

I used to have the really bad headaches but am having fewer since I may be finally getting my hormones balanced. My pharmacist told me there are hormone induced headaches. I never had anything like them in my life and nothing would touch them to make them go away - just came and went as they pleased. But I am happy to report they are fewer and not as intense as they were 3 months ago.

Thank you so much for sharing. This is such a great way to reach out to each other and to support each other through all of this.

JJ: How is the weather in your part of the state today? We are getting snow!! That is a great way to spark another headache!!

Hugs to all! Belinda

I've had migraines since my late twenties, but they have definitely increased in frequency since peri!

My step-dad (who was just like my real dad to me) died last May, and I was hit with the WORST migraine of my life at the hospital!It was so bad, I was in the hospital restroom throwing up.A nurse came and got me out and wheeled me to the emergency room in a wheel chair. It took an IV of demerol and some other oral medication to ease it up.

When I get them, I sometimes get flashes, and sometimes everything looks fuzzy, as if I am looking through dirty glasses. Sometimes I see halos around lights. When I am lucky enough to get these warnings, I take ibuprofen BEFORE the migraine hits (I can get these warnings as early as twenty-four hours before the migraine hits), and keep taking it at the perscribed intervals.Sometimes that stops it. Usually it just keeps it down to a dull roar.I'm not always that lucky though-they often hit out of the blue. One time, I had to drive home from school with one, and a police officer pulled me over for not turning on my turn signal when I went around a corner. He took pity on me when I explained-especially since my med wrappers were sitting right next to me. That was longest hour and fifteen minute drive of my life. I had to stop the car and vomit a couple of times, it was so bad.

Usually, if I catch it early, I can control my migraines with what I call my migraine cocktail. Ibuprofen alone won't work. I take ibuprofen, caffeine (usually gulp a cup of freshly brewed coffee), and an antihistimine.Benedryl works the best. Usually, I can get relief in "only" four hours or so doing that, especially if I barricade myself in a dark room.

I've thought about getting perscription meds. If the headaches increase in frequency or start interfering with my job or schooling, I will. BUT I am VERY MED SENSITIVE since starting peri. I have reactions to stuff that never used to bother me, not to mention a wide variety of new drugs. So I am very wary about starting meds of any kind now.

My headaches started about a year ago, they are on both my temples and sometimes the pain is so bad it sends chills and I could just cry. I wa son a low dose birth control pill and went off them about 4 months ago and just weaned off Prozac. So tired of putting these drugs in my body. Im taking a good vitamin regime (when I think of it) and herbal remedies...I am noticing that the headaches are right before my period and can last on and off a few days..I am going on day 2 and I cant stand it. Excedrin migrane wont touch it, tylenol wont touch it, advil works OK but wont completely kill it. I bought Bayer yesterday and didnt realise tha amount of caffeine..it didnt touch the headache and the caffene made me crazy!! Isnt going thru meno bad enough without having hormone induced headaches to go along with it???

I have just found something on the internet which says that disorders like migraine headaches that some women get with menstrual cycles (or menopause) may be an allergic response to their own progesterone and estrogen. It says women who have certain antibodies get an immune response causing headaches, joint pain or asthma, cystitis and fibromyalgia. What I found puzzling is that this is not a new theory. Some years ago, I was talking about period headaches with some older ladies and two of them said they used to get them. One said her doctor said it was an allergy to her hormones. That must have been over fifty years ago.

So did it say what one can do for allergies to your hormones? Is it your body changing so much that it is fighting the hormones? Do you have any more information on this as I always get migraines when I ovulate and when I get my period.

Thanks

Mopsy

Lydia,

Very interesting information...Thank you for sharing this.

I don't get migraines but i do get a headache the day before i get my period.

The info just goes to show the strange things hormones can do and our physical reactions can be many!!

Lynda

I get headaches as well. They start later in the day and progree rapidly uless I stop and take advil right away. I had one last month(the month I did not bleed) that came on suddenly and was so intense I had to stop everything I was doing and lay down. My eyes will often burn at night with a rather sick headache until bedtime. They will last about 1 week off and on throughout the day with varying degress of pain. Peri? I am assuming so. I also think assosiated with tension. I also get very tired suddenly and my ler=gs feel wooden. Anyone with that ?
Louisa

I found the info on headaches under allergic response to female hormones. Institute of Austin Texas. I was actually looking for joint pain and hormones, but after reading this article realised that everything ties in to one cause. I suffered awful menstrual migraines every month, but now periods have stopped I have had other symptoms, but this explains many many problems which women suffer. I do actually have allergy and took antihistamines for years. I'm not sure what treatment can be applied for this though, but progesterone seems to be one solution.

WOW!!!!

Light bulbs just went on for me! Aside from the usual misiery of hot flashes and sleeplessness, over the last couple of years I have had severe headaches which would hardly budge with the usual pain killer meds I would take. I also developed numbness in my extremities and down the left side of my face. At the time I really thought I had had a mild stroke and after going to my doctor and being referred to specialists, going through all the tests to see if I had a stroke or maybe even something going on in my brain, e.g clot, cyst or whatever. At the end of all of those hoops I had to jump through, a neuro surgeon suggested it might "just be hormonal fluctuations and not to worry about it"!

Thanks to the laties in this forum who helped confirm for me the many and varied effects that menopause can have on our bodies and the sometimes frightening things we go through.

This is a yin/yang thing...I'm glad I'm not alone and also sorry you all have to go through it too!

Blessings!!!!

Aroha4steve

I have had migraine auras since my early 30's, it took a long time for me to figure out what it was since I often had no headache following or just a mild headache. Occasionally it would be an icepick-in-the-side-of-my-head headache but I hate taking medication and it takes a lot for me to go to the medicine cabinet looking for relief. It would mainly bother my vision - wavy lines like looking through the heat waves off a burning barrel and tunnel vision. It was very irritating because I could not read, write, use the computer or concentrate on much of anything until it went away. They always came 3 days in a row right around period time and a couple Tylenol would usually relieve it about 20-30 minutes after taking a dose. I have only had one true migraine - severe headache with major nausea, could not stand any light or any noise in room...that was enough to know what others talk about with migraine and I sure don't ever want another one! I have not had any migraine auras for several months now but hadn't thought about it and came across an article a couple weeks ago that states my blood pressure medication has been found to be effective for preventing migraines. I have been on Benicar HCT for about 6 months and have not had any auras in about 2-3 months!

Because my pms has seemed to be getting worse over the years (I'm now almost 45) the headaches have been getting worse too.
They almost always start on the left side of my neck, kind of like someone's squeezing it with pliers, then up to my jaw and eventually it's the whole left side of my face. I can also feel pressure in the sinuses on that side, and my vision gets a little blurry. If I do anything that's mildly strenuous then I get a terrible sick pounding in my head. I don't know if this is a migraine or not...honestly for the first 40 years of my life I never got these kind of headaches so it's kind of baffling to me.
As far as pain relief, because I'm so sensitive to medications about the only thing I can handle is Motrin and all it does is take the edge off the headache for a brief time, but other than that I'm pretty much out of it for 24 hours.
I've been reading the other posts on this thread and never realized that these headaches are so common with perimenopause. I guess I'm part of the club, lol.

Hugs to everyone

I've got a great headache history; firstly, at around 15 I started getting migraines; this was long before there were much of any kinds of relief. Fiorinol with Codeine was about it. I'd get them 2 to 3 times a month back then.

When I started to work, I'd get migraines, couldn't see, needed to be in the dark, queasy and usually had to leave home. I had my last migraine when my son was about 2 years old. I had them during pregnancy.

I got headaches from hypertension in my forties, which is not usual, they were wake up headaches at the base of my neck. I now take Diovan hct for hypertension.

Lately, it's been allergies and sinus headaches. When I need energy, I can't do it with chlortrimeton, which is the best allergy medicine for me. My head feels like there is a dart sticking into the middle of my head, now.

Allegra and Claritin, eh, got nothing on a sleepy anti histamine pill, if you don't mind. Today, it is humid; this is south jersey, remember, kinda like the tropics or movies like "The Long Hot Summer".

I went to look for a pair of shoes and one of those insufferable but cheaply priced warehouses. A girl young enough to be my daughter was standing in front of the A/C cussing about the heat, (and she's a young pup).

I dressed in a loose cotton frock that doesn't touch my body, hardly. My hair was up and you'd think I was living in Florida and I don't give a hill of beans. I don't wear shorts, tight shirts, and not much underwear either and know what? I don't give a horses patootie's, so long as I am comfortable.

Well, I got the shoes I wanted which were stylish AND comfortable and a silly summer bag to go with it.

My comfort weatherwise comes first, ladies.

Now, to fix dinner and not pass out!!!!

Lately, I've been getting 3-day long headaches, and I have started paying attention to when they occur. The last two episodes were: the first one was during a period, and the second one was right after my next period ended. I used aspirin, aceteminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil). Each of these pain relievers dulled the pain a little, but not all the way. I then tried Sudafed, thinking it might be due to sinus pressure. No luck. Then.... I tried the herb, Feverfew. Guess what? It worked! Headache gone! I'm waiting to see if I get another one right about or after my next period, then will try the Feverfew first.

Ballroomdays, I hear ya about the weather! Here in NC, it's awful too. I'm all for wearing comfortable clothing and shoes too, even if my ugly varicose veins are visible. I don't care. I HAVE to be comfortable in the hot, humid jungle heat.


RedFox

Oops, should have said "North Carolina" for NC -- for our European Surgers!

Hey Redfox, I love natural stuff glad to hear it worked. Could you please tell me did you use the feverfew in tea form, pill or extract? Thanks a bunch, Tinkybug

Hi Tinkybug, I love natural remedies too. It always makes me feel good to take something natural rather than a chemical concoction brewed in a laboratory. The feverfew I have is in capsule form, 400 mg.

Have a nice Sunday!

RedFox

THanks for the tip on feverfew. Maybe I will try that.

Mopsy

H Redfox, thanks so much for replying. Boy I hadnt had a bad headache for a while but seems that just being out looking for a sofa was enough for me today I will be trying the feverfew, thanks a whole bunch, I am off to take an herbal tea that is very relaxing called "Siete Azahares" or Seven Blossoms' . It has lovely ingredients like valerian, passion flower,spearmint and some other herbs. Have a loverly and relaxing evening, God bless you, Tinkybug

Hi Belinda

My headache started on Sunday and is still here. I'm a wreck with it. Top of my head, back of my neck and behind my eyes. Couldn't function yesterday at all. Do your headaches make you dizzy? Mine do. Do your make you feel not like yourself (does that make sense)? Mine do. Is this normal if you're in peri?

Thanks!!!

Hi, Tclark and all of you precious ladies. Well, I went to my optometrist today to have my annual field test and optometric testing done and I was quite anxious to ask my doctor about my headaches. Were they sinus related? I see my ophthalmologist in June, but my optometrist is also very knowledgeable and would very likely be able to see any abnormalities that may be causing these horrendous headaches I have been having. As I described the headaches to him, his first response was that they are most definitely sinus related. When I went on to mention that I sometimes feel nauseous as well, he felt those particular bouts may indeed be migraines (and sinue headaches can be migraines.)

Needless to say, I have been worrying about all of this for quite some time now. And, since I have very high intraocular pressures, I was speculating about the possibility of the headaches being connected to this. My optometrist really feels these are sinus-related, however. While I buy into the sinus theory, I have to tell you that I think they are meno-related!!!

You do not walk this path alone, Tclark. We are with you every step of the way.

Much love to everyone. Belinda

Hello everyone!

I can sympathise with all you brave ladies and thought I would share my headache experiences with you.

I've always suffered with a pounding headache during the first few days of my period and sometimes at the end. It was what I call a 'heartbeat' headache, meaning that the pain is a sort of pulsating pain. Since starting peri menopause and only having had two periods in one year my headaches subsided, but recently I have started to suffer on and off with them again. This time they are different, I now get an intermittent sharp pain left side top of my head and pain above left eye and across forehead. I also suffer from migraines, my last attack was over a year ago. I get the visual disturbances first, which is quite scary then I get flashes at the side of my eyes then comes the most horrendous headache with nausea, not the best thing to go through

I woke up with a headache this morning and it's feeling like it's not going to go away, I will probably have to take some pain killers, although I don't like to do this. I have also heard of the herb Feverfew and may give it a go.

I thought I would look on the web about headaches and hormonal changes and found the following info:

'Flushes and sweats (known as vasomotor symptoms), are due to altered function of the body's temperature control. Headaches, palpitations (sensation of heart racing) and dizziness may be associated with vasomotor symptoms.' (Menopausematters.co.uk)

'It has now been found that the hormonal change that is responsible for the hot flashes are the increased levels of the FOLLICLE STIMULATING HORMONE (FSH) AND LEUTINIZING HORMONE(LH). These PITUITARY HORMONES can be 1300 percent greater during the menopausal years and are thought to be more responsible for the Hot Flushes. Some women experience headaches for the first time during Menopause. This is usually due to fatigue, stress and rapidly changing hormone levels. Food allergies may also suddenly flare up and cause headaches.' (Organicnutrition.co.uk)

Also found various natural herb remedies, which may or may not be of benefit to us:
'Chaste Berry (Vitex Agnus castus) is considered to be THE herb for Menopause. Especially good for those who come into menopause early through natural or induced means. This greatly increases the level of progesterone and leutinizing hormones (LH) when used consistently.

Dang Quai (Angelica Sinensis) supports oestrogen production by the body and is the most used women's herb in the world.

Other herbs recognised as being useful include, Kava Kava, Lemon Balm, Peppermint and Sage.' (Organicnutrition.co.uk)

Sorry for the long mail!

Take care
Lynne

lynnem hi, what an excellent site that is! So good to find something so informative that is actually based here in the UK. I even found out that there is a real menopause clinic not too far from me...wonder of wonders! Many thanks.

Lynnem, that's really interesting what you found linking vasomotor changes to headaches. It made a lightbulb go off for me. My headaches are much worse than usual this month (although I always have headaches, but these are much worse), and my hot flashes are worse this month, too. Has anyone else noticed a pattern connecting flashes and headaches?

hi everyone, i have monthly headaghes that last for 3 days too and i think theyre as close to migrains as they can get. nothing helps exceopt advil , IF i take it at the very first sign and even then its iffy. im wondering if anyone else gets extreme dizziness , even when lying down? and today i woke up and i just feel very weak and shaky. i get nausea and sometimes diareah too. is this normal? i was so upset about the weakness in my legs and shakiness this morning that i had a panic attack. im scared. also i read on here somewhere that someone had a remedy for migraines that involved adding salt to coffee and it works. but it didnt say if the coffee had to be reg. or if decaf. would work too. this is definately the worst headache yet and im desperate. the dizziness is really getting scary.

Just a word of caution folks... Aspirin can and will cause kidney failure. Advil will too. I understand Tylenol is known to cause liver failure. Two close people in my family got kidney failure, one from taking 2-4 Advil every 4-6 hours, the other from taking 2 Extra Strength Aspirin every 4 hours for 3 days. Both people were diabetic. One doctor recommended switching from Aspirin to Tylenol to Advil and so on and not staying with any one over-the-counter medicine for too long for just that reason. The advice wasn't followed and bam! Kidney failure. The symptoms I spotted were complaints about a tinny sound when people talked and acting strange and babbling foolishly (urine gets into the bloodstream), very rapid respiration and a fast heartbeat.
There's probably more symptoms but these are the ones I saw.

sudio, as far as I am aware, the coffee has to be regular stuff and quite strong. I've never tried it but I have heard that it definitely works. You have to drink it at the first sign of the headache.

thanks peribelle, do you recall how much salt? i dont do caffein but i might just decide that id rather be a little jittery than suffer thru another migraine like that ever again! how long do migraines last for you all?thanx again

Hey all:

My migraines usually last 3 days.

Mopsy

Hi sudio, it's a teaspoon of salt.
Mine last from 1 to 2 days, but the "hangover" can last anything up to 5 days.

I get the head pressure everyday at different degrees and sometimes it will develop to a full blown headache or migraine with nausea. I think I maybe have two days out of the month where I have no head pressure or headache and I am on bioidentical hormones... I don't know anymore.

I just take it a day at the time in the hopes that there will be some end to all this.

Sorry, don't mean to be a downer. Have a good day everyone.

Plumeria

Finally people who know what I'm going through.
I've always had slight headaches & sometimes cluster ones.

the past 5 yrs the migraines have started.
most times i can deal w/ them.
I think to myself, Ok i can have a migraine & get nothing done.
or i can have a migraine do what I need to do & maybe it'll take my mind off it.

now, no way !!

I've had them last from 24 to 72 hrs.
sometimes a good week is saying no migraines 3 days !! yay.

the past few months they are worse than ever.
these, scare me. the pain is soo intense, they will be anywhere,
temples, right through my eyes, back of my head, top of my head.

I get soo nauseous & light-headed at the same time.
yesterday we were at Sams club.

I just couldn't anymore. we were in line.
so I went to the truck, tears just coming down, it hurt soo bad.

on the way home I fell alseep.
I asked my husband, how do we know i even fell sleep ?
maybe I passed out !

last month I kept my daughter home from school.
I couldn't do it, get her ready. we live only 5 houses from the school.
she's 6 yrs old, can dress herself, brush her own hair.
I couldn't even do it.

right now my "headache" is at a 2 on a scale of 1 - 10
its been like that since 4:45 am. I'm taking excederain migraine.
I called my Drs office.
their system is down, call back tomorrow for an appt.
argh

Hi, wondrous ladies. Hope all is well with each of you on this day. I went for six weeks with no horrific headache and then WHAM!!! I got one yesterday. The whole thing began at about 1:00 A.M. and from that point on began to gain momentum. By the time I arose - 5:00 A.M. - I was hit right between the eyes (and I mean that literally) with a whopper. I did my morning tasks - making lunches, taking care of Scoutie (our Shetland Sheepdog) and by the time I sat down with a hot cup of tea, I knew I would have to stay home and re-energize. I had no appetite and no enthusiasm for anything. As I stood at the kitchen counter, I found myself weeping for no known reason. I also felt as though I was coming down with a cold, so I cannot rule out my constant suspicion that much of this is caused by a sinus condition.

After hubby went off to school (he is a teacher), I took two Benadryl for sinus headache and other sinus conditions and I laid down with Scoutie at my side. I woke up at 10:00 A.M. with a little of my appetite returning and the headache was weakening. By 1:00 P.M. it was just about gone.

I think it might be very helpful to start a headache diary and keep track of foods, situations, etc. that may be triggering these terrible attacks. The night before this, I had a huge Hershey's chocolate bar and I have heard that chocolate may be a trigger.

Any similar experiences? My heart goes out to you, Mopsy. (((((Mopsy))))). Take care everyone!

Love to all - Belinda

Hi Belinda:

Oh I feel for you. I am glad your headache only lasted a day but it sounded horrible. I have kept a diary for my migraines and they are definately hormone related. I wrote them down for about 6-8 months and took them into my doctors office. He said they were hormone related but I knew that already. I am getting another migraine now as my period just got done. It is odd as I get them before and or after or both. I really hope I get done with meno sooner than later. Thank you for the hug. }

Mopsy

Hi All,

I have been suffering the severe headaches also. Mine are mostly in the back of my head with horrible neck pain. The back of my head just burns. I also suffer from Essential Tremor and I thought maybe the constant movement of my head was causing the headaches.

I recenlty moved to another state to get better medical care. Where I was living before, they did nothing to help me. I went to Neurologists, ENT, thought it might be my eyes but it wasnt, also I was diagnosed with TMJ that I see a lot of you had trouble with.

I read on this board where someone said that they were suffering internal tremors. That is a symptom of Essential Tremor.
The males and Females in my family suffer ET, so it is not horomone related. I am not sure about you but Tell your Doc about the internal tremors.

I also read about a Lady who couldnt get her child to school because of severe headache. I have that same problem. I had a child when I was 41, I also cannot walk that far to get her to school. What you do is contact the school and tell them your situation and they will set you up with a responsible older child to walk to school with yours.

I also seen where someone mentioned dizziness. I suffer severe vertigo. I am on disability for the ET and vertigo. The dizziness started about 2 years ago. Very hard to cope with. I cant drive anymore because of it. Most of the day I feel like the ground is falling out from under me.

A friend of mine has been listening to me complain about my headaches and put two and two together they realized that the headaches always happen a few days before that time of the month. I am going to my GP tomorrow to get checked out. Maybe they can get me some releif from this pain.

I learned a lot from all of you..Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I cannot take caffeine as it is one of my triggers plus it upsets my stomach & gives me monthly breast pain too. Choc, tea, cola & coffee all have caffeine in.

My migraines were my first peri symptom (looking back) and started when I was 37. At first there was no pattern to them and they were every few days throughout the month, but now as several of you say, they occur just before & just after my period. I did find taking Feverfew helped when they were virtually continuous & it stopped them altogether for 6 months after I stopped taking it.

I find other triggers seem to be stress, forgetting to eat breakfast or eating it too late and bright lights (mainly sunshine) catching the corner of my eye. I am trying to keep blood sugar more level throughout the day & it has helped quite a bit.



Eating nuts & seeds mid morning seems to help with this.

Hi Everyone,

After having what seemed like the worst headache/migraine I've ever had, last night, I had to write and say count me in. Mine always seem to be either before or just as my period ends. Usually, the latter.

I know many talk about nausea, but does anyone else actually end up vomitting? I do. Last night several times. It leaves me weak, shaky and anxious.

No doubt in my mind this is hormonal. Mine started when peri started.

Hugs, Susan

Oh, I forgot that my sinuses seem especially bad and I sneeze alot before these headaches happen. Never had allergies or stuffy/runny sinuses til peri, either. arrrrgggg

I eat tons of tums to keep from vomitting. I am always have nausea. My weight stays about 115 to 120 cuz it is hard for me to hold food down.

Funny I never had sinus trouble til this last 2 years when the vertigo/headaches started.

Hi all, Ditto mama mia, the past two months I've had a nasty, migraine type headache with palps, nausea, and (last time) vomiting towards the end of my period. I've spent half the afternoon in bed today as rest seems to be the only thing that helps. Felt nauseous but didn't vomit this time and it seems to be getting better now. Ginger root in hot water helps a bit with the nausea and I also take ibuprofen, which takes the edge off the headache. So now I have this lovely symptom to look forward to every month (sigh). Take care all, Jess xx

MamaMia, et. al.,

Hi Girls! The migraines are the worse, the night before I start a period, I would get a bad migraine also with nausea and vomiting. It hasn't happened in the past 3 months but this month has been awful for me, I've had head pressure almost everyday since my last period with the exception of may be 3 or 4 days of relief, thankfully they are not so bad that I can still function.

I also have the heaviness behind my head, slight pressure feeling on my right ear and both eyes but this lasted only for a few days.

The head stuff, tinnitus and anxiety are by far the worse for me.

Take care ladies and hang-in-there.

Plumeria

I don't know if any of you ladies have skipped any periods yet but I suffered from hormonal migraines from the age of 16 until 1 1/2 years ago when I begain to have irregular periods. I always had one as my period ended and they always made me feel sick to my stomach. I also suffered pretty badly from tinnitus which also went away the farther I moved into peri. I just wanted to give you some hope that things can get better once the hormones start to settle down a little.

Makes it easier to cope knowing there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks!!!

Arla,

I haven't skipped a period but I am on bioidentical hormones and still have the head pressure though they seem a little different from a year ago.

Thank you for that ray of hope.

Plumeria

Arla,

Thanks so much for that RAY OF HOPE! I really needed one right about now. I had a week not too long ago, where everything was "normal": no pains, no aches, no bloat, no anxiety, no tinnitus, no nothing!!!! It all came back with a vengence.

I felt like this is never going to end. Thanks so much. The ladies that send us these rays of hope, are life-savers. I need to know that at the very least this will all settle down some day.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Hugs, Susan

Hello,

Headaches, yeah.. in cycles. When they're on it's like the energy of my womb is seeking release through my head~ the center of my head, to be exact. I had head/ax splitting headaches for a while last summer, and they were quite a challenge. All I could do at times was lie down and breathe, very gently breathe, until the energy passed and cleared itself. Sage tea and rescue remedy would often help relieve some of the symptoms, specifically nausea and some of the pain. What an interesting experience. When these kind of headaches come I take comfort in the writings of Susun Weed and Judith Anodea who talk about the energetic as well as the physical changes women go through. It's a fantastic rewiring!
Oh well, hat's off to all of you and I hope you feel better soon.

Have a good day and take care.
nj

After a short time of hardly a symptom, yesterday I got the WORST migraine of my life. I resorted to Imitrex but it didn't dent it. I lost a day and night to complete bed rest.

I agree with Newjourneys post. I love Susun Weed. I'll read up on Judith Anodea. I'm not one to run to the ER but if I wasn't so nauseas I would have let them "put me out of my misery".

Do any of you get that migraine hangover? I don't hurt today but I feel foggy in the head and very sleepy.