Migraines

Hello,

I am looking for anyone that has moved over from the US and has chronic migraines. My wife is American and over here on a Visa. She has very bad migraines and is struggling to cope with healthcare on the NHS. She used narcotics in the states, a drug called stadol. If anyone replies I will give more information, I would love to share experiences with a view to helping my wife with her situation.

Kind Regards,

I have migraines. 

For any illness under the NHS, particularly migraines and another chronic condition I have had.  I simply have had to go into the doctor and demand what I want.  I have certainly had to do my research ahead of time and know the equilvalent medications though.

I will say that the UK, IME, seem to be a lot tougher on narcotics.  It won't mean she doesn't get it but it may mean she needs to prove a little more that she isn't a drug seeker.  Your other problem may be that Stadol or an equivalent isn't available here.  You may have to contact the drug manufacturer to help navigate that mindfield.  And in the end, she may just have to find something else.

What kinds of trouble is she facing?  What has she tried to do about the situation?

Also, if she has her medical records from the US that can help as well as it can show what medications she's tried previosly and what has been found to work for her.

I also have chronic migraines which were actually diagnosed while I was living in the UK.  I didn't have issues with getting medications, just that I had to see the doctor every time I needed a refill.  I take Zomig as my abortive and even in the US, the prescribed amount given is 6 pills.  When I ran out in 2 weeks, my doctor added a few other drugs to get them under control. 

I agree with what both Sara and WebyJ said.  Bring medical records or at least a letter from her US doctor and I'd be prepared to find something other than Stadol (which is a pretty heavy duty narcotic) to treat the pain.

Your other problem may be that Stadol or an equivalent isn't available here.  You may have to contact the drug manufacturer to help navigate that mindfield.  And in the end, she may just have to find something else.

According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butorphanol), Stadol (the brand) has actually been discontinued by the manufacturer and is now only available in the US as the generic drug, Butorphanol (made by Novex, Mylan, Apotex and Roxane).

The site also says:

Proprietary preparations

Butorphanol is available in the U.S. as a generic drug; it is available in various nations under one of any number of trade names, including Moradol and Beforal (Brand name Stadol no longer available in the US); veterinary trade names include Butorphic, Dolorex, Morphasol, Torbugesic, and Torbutrol.

She does have her medical records from the US. The doctor has continued with most of her persciptions however there does not seem to be an alternative to stadol in the UK. She does take temgesic and mexalts however the migraines can become so bad that she needs the stadol to controll them. We have been to A&E and refer to a clinical decisisons unit however they offered paracetamol and then morphine. She did not take the morphine due to its addicitiveness. We ahve been to a neurologist also, he recommended changing some of the dosages on her persciptions but did not have any recommendations as to an alterative to stadol. I think the main issue we will have to fix is finding an altetative to this narcotic available in the UK.

I think the main issue we will have to fix is finding an altetative to this narcotic available in the UK.

Then she is just going to have to complain until she gets her result.  She will really benefit from doing her own research and finding a close equivalent.

Hi,

I have suffered from severe headaches for most of my adult life thinking they were sinus related, and was diagnosed with migraines by my US doctor about a year and a half ago right before we moved to the UK. The only thing that has prevented my migraines is Propranolol. My US doctor started me on this, and I haven't had a migraine in well over a year since I've been taking it. My UK doctor prescribes it for me here now, and I have no problem getting it. I can feel a migraine threatening in the background from time to time, but it never gets to the point where it hurts. Propranolol is a beta blocker used to treat high blood pressure, but it is also prescribed separately to specifically treat migraines.

Propranolol has to be taken every day to prevent migraines. It will not help alleviate a migraine that has already started, because it does not have any pain killing properties.  I take it every day and I believe it's the reason I no longer have migraines.  You can Google Propranolol for more info.

Of course, this medication works for me, but it might not work for everyone. You absolutely need to check with your doctor to see if this is a good drug for you to take. It does lower your blood pressure, so if you already suffer from low blood pressure, you might not be able to take it.

In any event, it might be something to look into.

Good luck!

Interesting article recently on migraine treatment:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/17/migraine-alternative-solution-painkillers

Interesting article recently on migraine treatment:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/17/migraine-alternative-solution-painkillers

I've been curious about how alternative treatments are looked at in the UK.

Since moving to the US, hubby has started to have migraines. We've done the neurologist, MRI, CT scan, etc and they didn't find anything. We've also been through several different Rx's trying to find one that helps without making him too "doped-up"

Much like the woman in the article, I had read something about the Riboflavin & CoQ10. Also Feverfew and Magnesium (Citrate) - so hubby has started taking a supplement called Migrelief as well as CoQ10 and Magnesium supplements. It may be a coincidence, but he has only had 1 mild migraine since he started those about 6 months ago.

I can't find where that same supplement is sold in the UK, but all of the ingredients are available easily enough. I guess we'll just have to buy the supplements separately when we go back, because there is no way hubby is going off of those anytime soon!