Question:
A question for post-op Migraine sufferers

I have had Migraines since around the age of twelve. I usually only get one or two every three months. However, I have had 6 migraines in the past two months. Has anyone else seen an increase in migraines since their surgery?    — Cosmo K. (posted on October 9, 2003)

October 9, 2003
Living the sugar free life, is it possible that one of the sweeteners is a trigger? Or are you eating more cheese, for example? I lost my migraines (I hope) 3 yrs post-op and was able to use s/f products. Go figure. Trying to remember the list of triggers. Chocolate, cheese & Chinese is what I remember most. Onion, avocado--there was a whole page.
   — vitalady

October 9, 2003
Hi! I also suffer from migraines and have since I was 11 or 12 years old. I am now 15 months post op and I have lost 120 pounds I have been at goal weight about 1 month. My migraines have increased over the past 6 months. My PCP said that some migraines are triggered by hormones and when you lose weight the hormones are all out of whack. She said that fat produces estrogen and as you reach goal weight (and at the rate that WLS patients lose) this will level out and they should slow down. I hope this happens soon as I am having them about every 3 weeks right now. This is just my understanding, but you may want to check with your PCP to double check. I hope this helps a little.
   — Cathi B.

October 9, 2003
Ask your doctor about preventative medicine like Inderal (Propranolol = generic) to eliminate having migraine headaches. It's worked for me before/after WLS.
   — Starrlina

October 9, 2003
I've been a migraine sufferer since about the age of ten as well. I haven't noticed any change in my migraine frequency post-op (I'm about 20 months out) but they have gotten less severe. Also, fortunately the Imitrex I take still works as well as it did pre-op with the added benefit that it works a little faster than before. I've found that my migraines get better or worse depending on the season and time of the year. - Mike
   — Michael N.

October 9, 2003
My migraines are hormone triggered. I can't take birth control pills anymore because they make me have migraines. Since the hormones naturally get whacked out after WLS, my migraines have also picked up some. After my first post op migraine and the doc's emphatic NO EXCEDRIN MIGRAINE!! (which is what I normally used to control pain), they gave me a migraine med called Maxalt. It's a soft dissolving tablet that you just sit in your mouth for a few seconds. Very minty..slightly bitter at the end. But lord does it ever work quick! I had one last Sunday just as I woke up...mine are prefaced with visual aura...as soon as I could see the aura, I took the Maxalt and was only out of commission for about an hour with a headache. We ended up spending the rest of the day at the fair! Check with your surgeon for the meds he feels comfortable letting you take for migraines and then get with your PCP...if you're lucky like me, your surgeon & PCP are in the same group office and they can just get together on it without you having to be a middle man!
   — Rhoni333

October 10, 2003
I am a congenital migraine sufferer - both my parents got them. Pre-op, I averaged 5-6 migraines a month. Post-op, I get 1 a week, sometimes less. I take a wonderful quick dissolving prescription medicine called Zomig. With taking the med, I usually try to lay down in a dark room for 30-60 minutes - the rest and the med together work wonders. I do seem more jittery with the Zomig after the migraine goes away than I was pre-op - but hey! There's less of me to work with. Good luck! Open RNY 03/20/03 326-229-146
   — vittycat

October 10, 2003
In people who already suffer migraines, you will find a higher incidence of post-op migraines due to the release of stored hormones (lots of hormones released at one time with such dramatic weight loss). In Men AND Women!! Once the weight loss slows, the migraines will decrease... mine did.
   — Sharon m. B.