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14 April 2008

herbal supplements, prescription assistance, etc.

Here's something I wrote in response to a query on a new health community site I love, http://www.wegohealth.com/
It's about the herbal supplements I've heard of as being TRULY helpful for Migraine, not just recommended by some person you ran into one time at the supermarket. Of course they're not helpful for all people, but it's worth a try!

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My neurologist (who's pretty prominent) as well as many other acquaintances' doctors recommend a few different vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements for migraine care.

1. Petadolex (a mixture of butterbur, B2, and perhaps one other thing--I forget what) is a daily supplement you take to help diminish the number of attacks and lessen the pain and side effects that accompany the attacks you do have. (http://www.migraineaid.com/) I buy mine through a shop on Amazon because it's cheaper there than anywhere else I've found.

2. Vitamin B2, about 400 mg/day. (This is approx. 23,000 the RDA--but that's the amount they recommend! Gives you wonderful energy.)

3. Magnesium, 500mg/day

Chamomile, mint, and feverfew are also frequently recommended.

As far as the expensive triptans go:

My doctor tells me that Imitrex will be going generic "later this year." Great news! I don't know the specific date. And look here to see if you qualify for prescription assistance programs--even if you have insurance you might be a candidate for one of the many programs offered! https://www.pparx.org/Intro.php

I can't recommend this program enough, and I've only heard back from one company so far! (Waiting for my doctor to sign the forms so I can start getting cheap to FREE meds!)

Take care, and good luck!

5 comments:

Allie said...

Wow, that sounds like a great line-up of herbal care. I've had some help with acupuncture, and my acupuncturist recommends drinking peppermint tea at the very first twinge. I feel like it has warded off issues if I get it right away.

Anonymous said...

I also get migraines from fluorescent lights...damn things. I get about migraine days 3-5 a week. Today I went to fill my prescription for Imitrex and was super excited to see it had gone generic!! YAY.
However, the price I had the pay was the same. $50 for 18 pill. Boo.
Have you heard anything about this?

themigrainegirl said...

Anonymous, I guess the price you pay for Imitrex (or its generic form) depends on what insurance you carry. I don't have any insurance, so I expect that the generic form will cost less as I pay out of pocket. Maybe you need to call your insurance company and make sure they're up to date, make sure they know it's gone generic! Good luck.

Anonymous said...

Just curious if your doctor also suggested fish oil? Mine suggested I take 1000 2x a day in addition to the dose of B2 (200mg 2x a day) and Magnesium (250mg 2x a day) you take also. He hadn't mentioned petadolex. I'll ask him about it when I see him next.
~KT

themigrainegirl said...

KT,

I was taking fish oil in April (when I wrote this post) and continue to take it now despite having changed doctors. My current doctor (who has helped me innumerable ways!) asked me to take the same dosage of fish oil as you. I was taking store-brand Omega-3 before and he has me taking the more expensive, pharmaceutical-grade fish oil from Nordic Naturals. Apparently brand matters because different companies have varying levels of quality, potency, standards, etc. despite the # of milligrams shown on the bottle.

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