I had my first migraine at age seventeen. I suffered with the pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light. Over the next 20 years, I went from doctor to doctor looking for relief. I was put on Inderal as a preventative, which worked for a few years. Soon enough, though, it stopped being effective. I was given Midrin for the headaches, which, again, worked for a few years before it stopped working also. Eventually, I was referred to the Headache Clinic in Chicago. I became a patient of one of the physicians there. Over the next eighteen years, I was put on twenty five different preventatives. Initially, I was tried on Nardil, which is a Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI) drug. It worked wonders. I felt like a new person. For two years, I was almost headache free. Eventually, though, it stopped being effective, too. Finally, two years ago I was put on Marplan, which is another MAOI. So far it is working. I feel really good right now. And I still see the Chicago physician.
Recently, I contacted the NHF to start a Headache Education and Support group (HES/g), here in Huntsville, AL. With their help, we are going forward with this new group and our first meeting will be in September 2010. I hope to share my story and my knowledge of headache treatments with fellow headache sufferers.
