Headline-Migraine Freedom™ Q&A: Is There a Real Solution in Pills?

Welcome to this month's Q&A session on our Migraine Freedom™ Blog. This is where women like you get quick, no-nonsense support and scientifically-backed answers to the questions that matter most to you.

If you have a question you would like to hear answered live on our podcast, send me a DM or email.

If your question can’t wait until next month, head over to the Women’s Migraine Freedom™ Facebook group, check out our Migraine Freedom™ Community Membership, or access daily support through one of our Freedom From Migraines Method® Programs.

All the info is in the show notes for you.

So today’s question is from Sarah.

Sarah says, “Every time I get a new medication it works for a while then slowly stops working as well until it no longer works at all. How do I find a medication that won’t stop working?

So, Sarah, let’s tackle your question by first unpacking some details about prescription medications - how they work and why doctors prescribe them.

Did you know that to treat your pain your doc usually goes by a sort of one-size-fits-all treatment plan?

You come into their office complaining of pain that won’t stop by taking over-the-counter medications and since you need to function your searching for relief.

After asking you a few health questions they determine you have migraines.

Instead of digging into WHY you are experiencing this pain and working on that, they usually start with one of the go-to medications for migraines and prescribe you an abortive pill most likely a triptan.

Then the medication train begins.

They tell you to take it right away when you first feel the pain yet they only give you 9 pills a month, yet you have more than 9 migraines a month.

You're feeling horrible and there's a ton on your plate, so you're tempted to take your medication now.

But there's that nagging worry in the back of your mind—what if you need these pills even more another day?

It makes you stop and check your calendar to ensure you've got enough to last through all your important upcoming events before you can get a refill.

When that medication stops working, your doctor moves on to preventatives. These pills are supposed to keep migraines from showing up in the first place.

Once you're on preventatives, your insurance company allows you a few more abortives each month because your pain has become chronic, meaning you have 15 or more migraine days a month.

So now you have a few more triptans to use but still not enough for daily use. Plus the abortive says if it doesn't work in 2 hours to take a second pill, but you don't want to do that for fear of what will happen when you run out.

When the preventative stops working, your doctor might try to give you an off-script medication like epileptic meds, anxiety medications, or blood pressure meds that have shown to help some people short-term reduce the severity, duration, and frequency of their pain.

When all of this fails or is no longer enough to manage the pain allowing you to function day to day, your doctor may suggest Botox, infusions, pain clinics, or even surgeries like nerve blocks or hysterectomy.

But if you are seeing a conventional doctor we can’t blame them.

It’s the insurance companies calling the shots, steering your doctor to hand out prescriptions to manage pain.

The keyword is managed here. These medications are not prescribed to keep your pain from returning but to manage it when it shows up.

Meaning when your doctor gives you that first prescription, there is no solid exit strategy for getting you off the meds.

It kind of boils down to playing around with dosages, depending on how your pain levels are.

If you feel worse, the prescription is increased or changed to a different brand to see if that works better.

Then the medication cocktails are started. Layering med on top of med to try to alleviate your head pain and new symptoms that are popping up as a result of taking medications that are increasing your inflammation.

One med causes constipation so now you are taking a med for constipation.

One med causes insomnia so now you are taking a sleep med.

The combination of medications is causing the very thing you don’t want, increased inflammation which is the root of all illness and the root of your migraines.

Most of us have at some point in time tried many prescriptions…only to have them eventually fail us.

But here's the thing: this approach is all about pain management, not pain elimination.

It's not an individualized plan; it's a generic plan dictated by insurance and big pharma.

Trust me, I've been there.

All it did was keep me trapped in a cycle of pain, paying monthly for pills, and reliving Groundhog Day over and over again.

It finally hit me—I realized my doctors were skilled at pain management, but that's not what I wanted.

I wanted to stop the pain from coming in the first place.

And the truth is, my doctor wasn't trained to provide that solution.

Even Dr. Diamond, president and managing director of all Diamond Headache Clinic locations, informed one of the women we've helped achieve migraine freedom that medication only manages pain; it does not eliminate it. She emphasized that the only way to truly end migraines is by addressing the root cause.

So, it's no wonder I kept getting migraines. I was looking for help in the wrong place!

Think about it like this: if your fridge is broken, would you keep buying ice every day to keep your food cold or would you call an appliance repair person to fix your fridge?

You'd call a repair person who knows how to work on appliances to fix the root of the problem.

There is no way you’d buy ice every time your fridge broke…so why take pills every time your head hurts?

Call the expert and fix the problem by uncovering the root cause of migraines and putting an end to them instead of constantly managing the pain with medications.

Start by building a Migraine Buffer™—a gap between days filled with pain and pain-free days.

This involves empowering our body to promote quality sleep, reduce anxiety, balance hormones, and so much more.

So, if you're tired of being caught in the cycle of pain management, it's time to shift your focus to the root cause and create lasting change.

So Sarah, to get back to your question… How do you find the right medication to end your migraines?

You don’t.

There is no one magical medication that will end migraines for good.

There are only medications that may temporarily mask the pain…but the reason for the migraine is still there and until you focus on the root cause your migraine will always eventually return.

PLUS the more meds you take the more toxins go into your body, the more your inflammation rises, and the more you are at risk for migraines and other concerning health issues like cancer, strokes, heart disease, autoimmunity, diabetes... All illness starts from chronic inflammation.

So if you need the med short term to function, you need the med. I get it. I lived that for 10 years and medications were the only thing that kept me out of bed.

I used over 7 prescription meds not including over the counters for a long time.

Many of the women I work with are initially on medications as a temporary measure. This allows them time to uncover and address their root causes of pain while still being able to function. With progress and the guidance of their prescribing doctors, they can gradually discontinue medications that become unnecessary.

What I wish I had known back when I had migraines was medications are a short-term tool NOT a lifelong solution.

We need to function right? But the first pill you take needs to be the first day you switch your focus to getting to the root of the problem with the goal of getting off of the meds asap before it causes more damage.

Hope that helps.

Remember to take a look at our self-assessment Migraine Level Guide to help you find the ideal approach to achieving migraine freedom.

Determine your level to understand exactly what type of support you'll need to say goodbye to those migraines by the end of 2025.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debbie Waidl is the Owner of In The Balance Health Coaching LLC, and Founder of The Freedom From Migraines Method™ & The Migraine Freedom Protocol™
She supports busy moms living with Migraines.

Debbie will uncover what is holding them back from migraine freedom so they can live their life pain and symptom free, work productively, spend the time they want with family and friends, and stop missing out on the things they enjoy.

A message from Debbie:
"I was once right where you are now. 100% believing there was NO WAY to end migraines and my only option was to learn how to live with them or find that magic pill that maybe would work for a while. If anyone told me back then that I could end my pain once and for all, I would have called BS and popped another pill!

Skeptical times 10 was my middle name for sure because when you try it all and everyone tells you they can help you and they don’t. You stop believing… you lose HOPE!

I now realize I was approaching my migraines all backward.

I was trying to cover up symptoms versus trying to end my pain."

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