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Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)

I'm 49 yrs old. At 35 cigarette smoke started my journey with migraines. At 41 it was my birth control pills...

Posted by quietday

I'm 49 yrs old. At 35 cigarette smoke started my journey with migraines. At 41 it was my birth control pills which I had taken since age 18 with no problems. Also at 41 I noticed a different headache which 8 yrs later my gynecologist suggested it sounded like maybe preservatives in food. My headache doctor, when I was 41 said it is rarely food when I asked him about it. I suffered needlessly for 8 yrs. I now eat only organic foods which solved that problem, but it's very restricting because of no more eating out or at other people's homes. I also get migraines from even slight dehydration, not sleeping enough, caffeine, animal products(even organic, might be tied to my perimenopausal problems), fish, shrimp, paint, magic markers, burning charcoal, scented products. I now use unscented laundry detergent, bath soaps, and cleaning products. I just moved into a new house and started having a headache which it turns out was from the pilot light from the gas fireplace(turned it off, headache went away). Also since it got cold and I closed the windows up for the winter I now have a headache back which I think is from the new carpet. I think this because last week I went shopping for some rugs for my house and ended up later that night with the most awful migraine. I put the rugs in the garage and after 2 days(that's how long my migraines last) my migraine was gone(but not the lesser headache from my carpet). Carpets(rugs) give off toxic gasses when they are new. I now live a quiet life mostly at home because of the smells I encounter in public. Some of the lesser smells just make me sneeze out of control and I have pulled back muscles because of this. I know the things I have to avoid might be excessive but if my story can help someone it's worth telling.
I've tried meds in the past without much help. I've tried daily Verapamil. And, as needed, I've used imitrex pills and shots, Amerge, Zomig, Torodal none of which worked very well, but they did take the pain level down enough so that I didn't feel "suicidal" anymore. Anyone who has had bad migraines knows what I'm talking about. It's a very scary place to be. Now, since I know my migraines will last 48 hours no matter what I do, I will take 2 Motrin(ibuprofen) every 8 hours to stay below the "suicidal" pain level until it is gone.
Sometimes a migraine will show up immediately as with cigarette smoke and sometimes it will show up after a few hours like after an offending chemical(preservative, pesticide) is digested and gets into your bloodstream thus causing the bloodvessels to inflame which causes pain(migraine). Get to know your body and what it is telling you. It takes time but it works. I'm NOT a doctor but I have learned from 14 years of experience with migraines. Check out WebMD and type in Multiple Chemical Sensitivity(MCS). There's no cure but there are things you can do with some awareness. Look for patterns in your migraines. Keep a detailed journal about your activities and also everything you consume. It just might help.View Thread

Posted by quietday

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2 Replies | ReplyReport This| Share this:Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) I'm 49 yrs old. At 35 cigarette smoke started my journey with migraines. At 41 it was my birth control pills...

HELP!!!

I am a healthy 13 year old male and I have recently been having had pains. For the last 6 months i had...

Posted by patrickvs

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0 Replies | ReplyReport This| Share this:HELP!!! I am a healthy 13 year old male and I have recently been having had pains. For the last 6 months i had...

Medication Question

My pain management doctor wants to change my medication, but I want to clarify a question first without...

Posted by irish_eyes_k8

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Email Digests Are Back!

Don't get to your favorite boards every day? We're all busy, so sometimes it is nice to have your...

Posted by Andie_WebMD_Staff

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My migraines went away

Hello, I have had migraine headaches since I was a child. Nothing they gave me helped until now. I've...

Posted by patsworld

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4 Replies | ReplyReport This| Share this:My migraines went away Hello, I have had migraine headaches since I was a child. Nothing they gave me helped until now. I've...

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Botox for Headaches FDA approved

Many of you have heard that Botox (botulinum toxin) has been approved by the FDA for chronic daily...

Posted by Timothy Collins, MD

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14 Replies | ReplyReport This| Share this:Botox for Headaches FDA approved Many of you have heard that Botox (botulinum toxin) has been approved by the FDA for chronic daily...

waking up with headache, sore throat

My childhood chum (of 54 years) has been troubled for at least a year with waking up in the morning with a...

Posted by pattypan

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1 Reply | ReplyReport This| Share this:waking up with headache, sore throat My childhood chum (of 54 years) has been troubled for at least a year with waking up in the morning with a...

Migraine Relief

I suffered from terrible migraines that affected my sight and hearing. MRIs and Catscans showed nothing. On a...

Posted by An_204998

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0 Replies | ReplyReport This| Share this:Migraine Relief I suffered from terrible migraines that affected my sight and hearing. MRIs and Catscans showed nothing. On a...

blood pressure medicine made my migraines disappea...

I hope this can help someone. Just a little background so you can maybe compare yours to mine. I am a 49 year old...

Posted by suedd

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0 Replies | ReplyReport This| Share this:blood pressure medicine made my migraines disappear I hope this can help someone. Just a little background so you can maybe compare yours to mine. I am a 49 year old...

Warm Weather & Migraines

Summer's here and so is the heat. What does that mean for migraine sufferers? Check out this...

Posted by Andie_WebMD_Staff

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1 Reply | ReplyReport This| Share this:Warm Weather & Migraines Summer's here and so is the heat. What does that mean for migraine sufferers? Check out this...

Books and eye strain

I don't know about you all, but when I have a mig it is almost impossible for me to read because the...

Posted by melhallblade34

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0 Replies | ReplyReport This| Share this:Books and eye strain I don't know about you all, but when I have a mig it is almost impossible for me to read because the...

How to deal with the heat in summer

I hope I don't get into trouble naming brands but there just doesn't seem to be any other thing on the...

Posted by carpetcrawler5

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Includes Expert Content

pfo

got some info for you. Look up PFO. patent foramen ovale, a heart condition. Djk

Posted by djkaz

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1 Reply | ReplyReport This| Share this:pfo got some info for you. Look up PFO. patent foramen ovale, a heart condition. Djk

The importance of excercise

Excercise is important if you get headaches because it gets your blood circulating. But you have to...

Posted by carpetcrawler5

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0 Replies | ReplyReport This| Share this:The importance of excercise Excercise is important if you get headaches because it gets your blood circulating. But you have to...

summer water survival strategy

I dunno about others here but I find it hard in the summer to stay hydrated because plain water gets so boring...

Posted by penguie

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Revised: New Features on Exchanges!

Dear Members, You may have noticed some changes that happened to your Exchange after last weekeend....

Posted by Andie_WebMD_Staff

Dear Members,

You may have noticed some changes that happened to your Exchange after last weekeend. We rolled out a few new features and added back the ability for you all to add signatures to your posts.

Here are some of the new things to check out:

Finding Expert Content – On the front page of an Exchange you will now see “Includes Expert Content” if an expert has responded in a thread. So, if you’re just looking for expert feedback you can find it more easily.

Signatures – If you visit your Exchange Profile page you will now see a place to add your signature. You can add a different signature to each Exchange you join, so that it’s a more personalized experience.

TRIGGER – Moderators can now add a TRIGGER notation to a post. So, if you come across a post that you think needs a TRIGGER, send the link to our mods at ExchangeManagement@WebMD.net and someone will take a look and add TRIGGER if necessary.

Guest Experts and Sponsored Guests – Very soon we hope to be adding guest experts to some of our moderated Exchanges. These will be experts who are available for a limited time to answer questions about specific aspects of a topic. For instance, there might be a diabetes diet expert visiting the Diabetes Exchange. You may also notice “Sponsored” guests. These are experts that may be nominated by one of our site sponsors, and they will answer in much the same way as a guest expert, but it will be clear that their content is from a sponsor.

We hope that you like these new additions, and we welcome your comments and suggestions as well. Our product and engineering teams are already hard at work on even more changes and additions that have been suggested by our members, and we hope to have those ready soon.

Please feel free to write to us at ExchangeManagement@WebMD.net and let us know what you think.

Yours in Health, The WebMD Community StaffView Thread

Posted by Andie_WebMD_Staff

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Migraine starts again 1 week after getting off the...

Dear Dr. Collins: I'm a 40 year old, non smoker who just got off the pill on 5/13, due to my husband having a...

Posted by Karome23

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Migraine Prevention Medications

Which medications work for migraine prevention? This question comes up all the time, so I've made a...

Posted by Timothy Collins, MD

Which medications work for migraine prevention? This question comes up all the time, so I've made a list of some of the medications we use for headache prevention, along with a little information about the medication.

The dose is important, so your doctor has to be familiar with both the "normal" dose and the maximum dose. (A dose that is too small may not work, even if you take it for a long time)

Propranolol--this is a "betablocker" type of blood pressure medication. Atenolol and nadolol are similar medications

Verapamil--this is a "calcium channel blocker" type of blood pressure medication. We usually prescribe the 24 hour long lasting capsules, but it comes in a less expensive immediate release version.

Divalproex Sodium--This is the generic name for one of the common medications used for migraine prevention (you can look up the brand name). It is pretty important to be on the 24 hour extended release tablets of this one, because the side effects are much less common with the extended release version.

Topiramate--This is the generic name for a common medication used for migraine prevention. Many people like this because it can cause modest weight loss in 1/5 people who take it. It also causes tingling in the hands in more than 50% of people who take it. It is important to start at a small dose and go up slowly to avoid side effects

Nortriptyline (and Amitriptyline)--These older medications can work at relatively low doses for migraine prevention. They were originally used to treat depression, but at much higher doses than we use for headache prevention

Trazodone--This is another older medication originally used for depression. It is pretty sedating, and can really help patients who have trouble sleeping and frequent headaches.

Gabapentin--This is helpful for some headache patients, but usually a 2nd or 3rd choice medication for headaches. Because it is also used for fibromyalgia, back pain and neuropathy pain, some patients may take it for more than one problem. Doses up to 3600 mg/day are "normal". It has no medication interactions, so is safe with other medications.

Pregabalin--this is the generic name of a medication that has been advertised heavily for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. It can help with headaches. It is often used with other medications haven't worked.

Zonisamide--This is a generic medication that is used to treat epilepsy (like Topiramate, Divalproex, Gabapentin, and Pregabalin). It can cause weight loss and tingling like Topiramate, but is less likely to cause memory problems. If you are allergic to Sulfa mediations, you cannot take it.

Levetiracetam--This is the generic version of a medication used to treat epilepsy. Its sometimes used for people with chronic daily headaches.

Tizanidine--This muscle relaxer is sometime used for headache prevention, usually in patients with chronic daily headaches, or tension headaches.View Thread

Posted by Timothy Collins, MD

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accupressure

press the fatty part of your hand between your index and thumb with the index and thumb of opposite hand...it...

Posted by An_204996

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Includes Expert Content

TOPOMAX PROBLEM

I KNOW THAT THE SIDE EFFECTS ON THE BOTTLES OF MEDICINE NORMALLY SOUND WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM YOU HAVE....

Posted by AAAAHEADACHES

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Includes Expert Content

Tip for migrains

I know to some this my sound a little bit far off but the best thing i found to work for migrains is...

Posted by superbrains

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excercise

I keep forgetting to add to my posts about excercising. This can help many people with headaches because it...

Posted by whitebear4

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ice on head

Here is a good thing to do if it gets hot, or even if you just have migraines-look up techniice on google or...

Posted by whitebear4

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0 Replies | ReplyReport This| Share this:ice on head Here is a good thing to do if it gets hot, or even if you just have migraines-look up techniice on google or...

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Supplements for headaches

A lot of my patients ask about herbal supplements for headaches. There are very few studies of...

Posted by Timothy Collins, MD

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14 Replies | ReplyReport This| Share this:Supplements for headaches A lot of my patients ask about herbal supplements for headaches. There are very few studies of...

Books that are helpful

I am very into self education when it comes to health. I have found a book I really found useful. It is...

Posted by melhallblade34

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1 Reply | ReplyReport This| Share this:Books that are helpful I am very into self education when it comes to health. I have found a book I really found useful. It is...

rice products and migraines

Does anyone have any experience with brown rice and more exotic rices; red, green, black? I have been eating...

Posted by An_205003

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Botox for Headaches FDA approved

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