How much is Too much for Migraines

enie · 03-12-2006, 08:56 PM

I have a 27 year old son who quite often has several Migraines a week; as did my Grandfather, my Father, and I (off and on our whole life). Of course my Son thinks he is the only one in the family that has ever hurt this bad.

His Neurologist is giving him: 300mg elivil nightly; plus 2 Imitrex Injections per migraine per 24 hour period (he quite often takes 6 injections a week); plus Oxycodone as needed when the Imitrex does not work (but take it easy on the Oxycodone).
I feel that in the long run (almost two years now) that amount of powerful drugs must be doing damage. My son says he has to take that much because of his size he is 6’5"/260lbs.
My question is; has anyone heard of taking this much?
enie

ARANGER · 03-12-2006, 10:31 PM

Enie,

I'm not sure about the Imitrex, but I can tell you that many of us on this board take pain meds that may seem to be alot. One thing I have learned over the years is to forget about the Mg's a person is taking. It really comes down to what works for that person.

I know people that take 500 mg of Morphine daily just to get relief. To some people that may be a lot, but to others its what works. You mentioned he takes Oxycodone on a limited basis. At of all the meds you mentioned, Oxycodone is the the only Narcotic med. I can tell you that on a limited basis is probably ok, if that is what is working for him.

It may be that he is not getting the right relief. Has he tried something like Topamax? It is suppose to reduce the frequency of the migraines and the intensity. You mentioned he is taking 300 mg of Elavil at night. Again to some people, that may be alot. But if that is what it takes to work for him....

I guess is what I am saying is, don't get too caught up on the Mg's. I'm sure many of us could blow you away with what we take monthly/daily. Maybe he should get a second opinion to see if there are other meds or other treatments that may work better for them. There are certain meds that you should not exceed like Tylenol. But pure opiates do not have a ceiling.

Anyway, thats my opinion. Hope he feels better, Take care

enie · 03-12-2006, 11:56 PM

Thank you for replying Aranger,
I asked because I have read so much on the med/web pages that say what the limit is on elivil, plus the fact that he complains about symptoms that sound like some neuropathy. I read that this was a side effect if you take too much Imitrex. He says he’s fine, but complains all the time. And if I am not allowed to voice my concerns to his Doc anymore because of privacy laws, then how do I help him.
Believe you me; I know what it is like to take too much because you want relief from chronic pain…. It took me many years to “Learn to deal with it”, as my Doctors used to tell me, (I hate that saying).
Right now I am on the max amount of 5 heart meds, plus, Celebrex and T#3 for almost constant Neuralgia and Migraines. Plus I wish I could take something more for my Migraines, but because of my heart, I can not breathe well if I take more than 1/2 a Relpax (which doesn't help much). I know what pain is, and I know what it feels like to want just a little relief even for just a few moments.
I’m sorry if I sound like a worrywart but I’m just a mom that is worried that these meds are too much and might harm my son.
enie

ARANGER · 03-13-2006, 12:29 AM

Hey Enie, I understand your concerns. Like I mentioned before some meds do have limits. I'm not sure about Imitrex on the limits. I know for me that 300 mgs of Elavil would knock me out for a couple days. However, I take Percocet and OxyContin and can tolerate a high dose of that. Everyone is different.

Many times you can look the drug up and check the prescribing info and it may tell you what the maximium dose. For instance, anything with Tylenol in it (Percocet, Vicodin) has a daily limit of no more than 4000 mg of Tylenol. So this would be eight 5/500 Vicodin tablets.

I'm not sure about Elavil, but I have heard of people taking pretty big doses. Elavil is a tri-cyclic antidepressant. Many people use it to sleep due to its sedation properties.

Anyway, I hope everything works out well for your son. Take Care

theweaver2 · 03-14-2006, 09:18 PM

I have traveled the ROAD on migraines..... One thing your son should consider is rebound migraines. If he is using imitrex that much there should be some concern if that is actually causing the migraine. Have you considered rebound? It is something you should research and consider.

I used about every abortive there is and find Amerge works for me but my neuro only allows me 3 per week. To reduce my daily migraines I finally resorted to botox injections. It took 6 months and 3 series of injections but I finally got some relief.

I find that pain meds dont work to knock out the true cause of the migraine. I assume your son has been working with a neurologist. With that kind of frequency he needs a specialist that works a lot with migraine patients.

Good luck to you. I know how migraines can rule your life... It also runs in my family. My grandmother, mother and I - my daughter has had a few but oddly she has had visual migraines which I never had. It's very hereditary and hopefully by your son's next generation more will be available to treat this condition.