Dilaudid for treating migraines

I have had cluster migraines on and off all my life.  I went to the best of the best headach Dr. in NY.  I actually found out the usual trigger which was sugar.  However, my Dr. said sugar isn't a known trigger.  It is now & I have proved it over & over.  Too much sweets or sweet drinks (not diet) real sugar does cuse headaches.  Now for the cure.  I am now 71 & have had headaches since I was a kid.  I found aspirin is the only thing that helps me.  However, I am now forced to use 4 to 5 500MG (Max. Strength) at 71 I think it is becoming dangerous & certainly now great for kidneys.  So now where do I go.  Over the years I tried many painkillers all of which I tried either didn't help or gave me rebound headaches.  I am real worried about taking 2,000 to 2,500 MG aspirin and at night at my age bleeding out in my sleep.  They say the older you get the more you have to be careful on aspirins.  I have Dilaudid but am reluctent to try it not so much because of a feared addiction, I just really hate to make the headaches worse which has happened in the past with some painkillers.  I have had a headache for 2 days and after reading here it helped some I wiil take the plunge to a 2 MG Dilaudid & see if it cures or not.   

I am a 21 year old female and I suffer from multiple chronic diseases, such as Crohn's disease, adrenal insufficiency, migraines, avascular necrosis, depression, anxiety, and much more. I may only be 21 but I know a lot when it comes to medication because I have basically been on them all! For all of you who are suffering from the chronic migraines I strongly recommend that you start on a medication such as amatriptyline or noratryptaline which are preventatives. Then, if you are still having issues ask about the Botox. I receive Botox injections every 3 months and although I still have migraines, they have significantly decreased. I went from having about 3 a week to maybe 2 or 3 a month. I have Immatrex, also known as sumatriptan for when I get a migraine. There is a tablet form and a self injectable form. I highly recommend the injectable form. Once I started taking the injectable Immatrex, I felt much better. I could feel the medication start working within minutes rather than half an hour to an hour for the oral tablet. I am in the medical field as well so I know a lot about drugs and how they affect the body. I have been on many opioid drugs due to having a hip replacement and pain from my Crohn's disease. As one person mentioned, you can get what is called a rebound headache. I noticed that when I was taking the opioids, I was on Percocet, I would get a headache right around the time I was due for my next dose. The brain receptors get used to the opioids and stop working which is why you start to get the headaches so frequently. The best option is to stay away from any narcotic pain medication because of this reason. I know it is hard to do because they do make your head feel better for a while, but in the long run it is actually making them worse. And for anyone who is currently taking opioids/narcotics, do not stop them cold turkey, you need to wean yourself or you could have withdrawal symptoms and cause issues. After being on Percocet for 3 years I spoke with my pain management doctor and we came up with a treatment regimen and daily dosages to slowly have to stop the medication. I am currently on Dilaudid because I just had surgery, however I am only taking them when absolutely necessary. I have learned the hard way that narcotics are not always the best option. I hope this information helps some of you. If you have any questions feel free to reply to my post. I hope you all get your pain under control!

Relpax was one of the few medications that worked for me as well.

DHE gives me an even worse migraine that I was treated for and then I need to go back to ER for the migraine cocktail that ultimately works. this consists of dilaudid, Benadryl, reglan, valium, toradol and sometimes a steroid-and at least 3-4 hours rest in the ER after receiving meds. sometime another dose of dilaudid and more rest. I get these migraines at least 7 times a month and have been acused of being a "drug seeker" but anyone who suffers from them knows that you need whatever works to get rid of them. I have been suffering with these migraines since I'm 10 years old - 39 years of migraines is no fun.

I have also suffered from migraine headaches since I was 18. A shot of norflex and phenergan usually works but the last time it didn't. Triptans don't work for me neither does topamax. Butalbital,acetaminophen and caffeine was working but I'm now working on day 3 of this migraine and can't get any relief.

I suffer from chronic migraine and by day 4 I'm beside myself. My neuro won't perscribe pain meds and my gp told me that's not how we treat migraines. Pissed of is putting it mildly as I called my gp in tears from urgent care. When I finally have reached my limit I go to urgent care and get two shots of dilaudid and finally get relief for a few hours. Who can afford to keep going to urgent care?! I've been on every preventative and nsaids are a colossal waste of time. If you can find a dr that will do what works for you go for it.

Wow I thought I was the only one who felt this way when going to the ER

i take the generic for dilaudid 4mg 4x a day for my migraines which ive had since i was 10 and im 27 now been on dilaudid for about 6 years but it don't work since i have a high tolerance to any medication. But its not something you should play around with and take if you only have migraines a few times. I have daily ones. Most pain doctors only perscribe it if there is no other medication they will try u out at all the smaller ones first and its mainly for those with chronic pain if you go in there and just ask for it they won't do anything cause they will think you just want opiates my friend tried when she found out what i was on and what it was for....so good luck

After suffering for decades with what I assumed were sinus headaches I was finally, officially diagnosed with migraine headaches. After seeing a Neurologist I was told that my type of migraine is what is loosely referred to as cyclical or menstural type migraines. That is, they occur like menstrual cycles for women in that I typically get them on a monthly basis and they tend to last for days at a time. I have never been able to find a "trigger" despite keeping a migraine journal and cutting out various foods, activities, etc. in a specific manner designed to determine what might be causing the migraines. I finally started trying each of the seven (at the time, now eight) Triptan medications. The first one that I tried seems to be the most popular, Imitrex. Ironically the day after I was prescribed Imitrex pills, and given a sample of Imitrex nasal spray, I woke up with a terrible migraine. I took both the pills and a snort of the spray but before my wife could leave for work I asked her to take me to the ER where I was eventually given an injection of Dilaudid which almost immediately relieved the migraine. The next Triptan that I tried was Maxalt and BANG, it worked just fine. I have now been taking it for years and one pill almost always works though occasionally I have to take a second pill and I have taken as many as three. So with a proven treatment available to me my Neurologist and I started looking for a preventative. We started with Topamax. Soon after I started taking it I not only realized that it was not preventing migraines but I also noticed a definite problem with my memory. I used to be a Trivial Pursuit demon but suddenly I was grasping for the names of objects and people both of which I could picture in my mind but just could not come up with the associated names. Thank God for the Internet! One day I was talking to my Neurologist's receptionist and I mentioned that I was on Topamax. She said that she had been on it too but had stopped taking it. She then asked me if I was having memory problems. After that conversation I told me Neuro that I wanted to stop taking the drug, which my wife and I had now renamed DOPE-A-MAX, and the doctor assured me that within two weeks the drug would be cleared from my system and my memory problems would be gone. That was a number of years ago and I am here to tell you that my memory has not only never returned to what it was but it has steadily gotten worse. I have looked on the Internet for class action suits against the makers of Topamax and have found a few. But strangely enough none of them are for memory problems? There is no history of Alzheimer's in my family though my mother did seem to be headed towards some type of dementia before she died (after breaking her hip, she was 90). So maybe it is because of other things but my wife and I truly believe that Topamax was responsible for my memory problems. I am the team leader for a group of mainframe system support people and have to remember an incredible amount of information. So far I have noticed only the smallest amount of problems with work but in my personal life I often have problems coming up with the names of people and things. The other day I could not come up with the name of my nephew's wife though I attended their wedding and we are all very close. So I guess that what I am saying is to be very wary of and careful with Topamax but for those of you who have yet to find an effective treatment for your migraines I highly recommend trying Maxalt. It is expensive, even with insurance, but the tablets dissolve and placing them under your tongue makes them work even faster. Migraines are a curse. Good luck to all of you with finding an effective treatment!

I also got some relief with DHE , after about 6 hours of excruciating chest pain and vomitting . One of the side effects my Nurse wife found is that is terrible on your veins .

I am 46 year old woman work in the medical field and to have suffered migraines my whole life. I take relpax for my migraines and for the most part does the job but when I get breakthrough pain it no longer works that's when I end up in ER for iv fluids sodium chloride 9% and IV diludid an fenergen for nausea it is the ONLY thing to break the pain. And I have tried EVERYTHING. When desperate and can't get to ER the best thing I have found is something call GOODYS POWDER (OTC) PAIN RELIEVER YOU MIX IN A GLASS OF WATER THEN I DRINK A CAFFIENATED DRINK, caffeine actually helps a pain reliever work faster and better results. Hope this helps

i totally feel your pain. I as well have the same issue and sadly dilaudid is the only thing that seems to help when the are so bad, that I can even see straight. My doctor was okay with me going to the ER once a month, then out of no place told me not to go anymore. I was sexually assaulted and now my migraines have gotten worse. As of right now I have had one for 4 days straight. My doctor told me to come in for a trigger point injection in my neck, so I did as he asked, and as I sit here and type with my eyes closed and tears running down my face, I am in more pain then I was when I got to his office. As soon as he gave me the shot in my neck I have had pain shooting down my back that is almost a 10/10. His answer to me was take 8 Norcos a day and 4 valium a day. Instead of simply having the ER give me one simple pain shot of diladid that would set my pain free for weeks if not longer.So sadly I will not sleep much again tonight and my husband will have to call my doctor tomorrow morning to explain to him, that he needs to do something to help me. I hate to say this but no one should ever be in this much pain for this long.
~stuck in pain~

try botox muscle relaxers & cambia

I'm sorry for your loss. Most people who are posting or reading may be in great physical pain from migraines & just really are looking at any & all SAFE options. At least, I know that I am. I think good of you to warn others, but almost any medication, taken as NOT prescribed, can cause adverse reactions and/or death. Again, I am sorry for your loss.

I'm so very sorry about your brother. I would be heartbroken too, if that happened to my brother. You're absolutely right about being under strict observation from your doctor.
I'm 55, and have had horrible migraines since my mid-twenties. I would get them every few months, and what I got was a lot of pats on the head from the doctors I saw, and told to go lie down in a dark room, and lower my stress level. I have panic disorder, so lowering anxiety was not really an option. I finally found a WONDERFUL Dr who, in the past 10 years, has really worked with me. We've tried EVERYTHING, including Fentanyl patches. By this time, the migraines were almost daily, and would last for 2 weeks at a time. Finally, we found a magical combination of Neurontin (200mg 3x daily), Demerol injections (100ml...2x on really bad days), and Dilauded (started with 2mg, now use 4mg prn) by mouth. Of course, I did not take all this at once!! I pretty much know by now which ones I need at what time of day. The kicker was, of all things, chiropractic and massage therapy. I was very much a skeptic, but my headaches now are almost always menstrual. It's nothing short of a miracle for me. So that's my story. Sorry it was so long.
I have to add that I don't get the addiction problem that a lot of people do with opioids. No high, no euphoria, no craving for any of the meds, etc. My Dr said that that's because I am actually in pain, so the meds hit those receptors to stop the pain, but they hit different receptors in people who use them recreationally.
I hope this looking post helps someone. These migraines are horrible to live with, so I'm always interested in how others treat theirs.
Be well,
Karen