Migraines

[Adeyboy]

I've had occasional migraine attacks ever since I was very young. In the last 10 years or so I probably get 2 or 3 migraines a week and rarely, if ever, wake up without a headache. I've had brain scans, special diets, etc etc and nothing has had any positive effect. I went for a sleep study a couple of weeks back and while waiting for the results Ive read up a lot on OSA and wondered if any of you were getting migraines or headaches prior to starting on CPAP and whether CPAP had helped at all. I'm getting so desperate for a 'normal ish' life that a diagnosis of OSA would be something positive (if you know what I mean)

Thanks
Adey

[Anniett]

Oh poor you! I have also had migraines since I was about 10 years old and, before I was diagnosed with OSA, I would have at least one a week which would last for days. They improved slightly after a hysterectomy but the truly appalling headaches disappeared a few weeks after starting treatment. The strange thing is that I still get the eye disturbances (I have been on CPAP for about 18 months now) but if I hold off taking the tablets I have discovered that they subside after an hour or so and I have no headache! A huge improvement as the side effects of the tablets are not pleasant. It is a warning though, that I have been over doing it and need to slow down for a while.

I still have headaches from time to time (doesn't everyone?) but not as severe and not for so long as before and ordinary paracetamol will clear them. I cannot remember waking up with one since I started treatment for OSA.

Everyone is different and gets headaches for different reasons but with hindsight I think CPAP has certainly improved my headaches.

Good luck
Anniett

[martin]

I don't have migraines (thank goodness, one bit of my bod that works) but would sometimes get ice cream type sinus pain if I don't put enough water in my humidifier or sometimes if the room is cold and i don't use the heater. If they think the therapy is going to help its worth asking for a machine that has a heated humidifier included, it would be a shame if it worked for one thing but niggled in another way.

As far as sleep therapy Cpap is great, its non druggy, you get to do it while you are asleep and you get to pretend you are Darth Vader. All good stuff.

Ps, I'm sure you are more up to date on migraine stuff thatn I am, but a friend swore by tinted glasses, think they had a yellow tint. His were light triggered , especially when the sun was low in winter time when driving. Prob more detailed information somewhere on the weird wide web.

[Grumpy]

pretty sure cpap helps

I have definitely had fewer migraines since starting CPAP; and I used to get some real humdingers (up to 36 hours). SinuPulse also reduces the occurence of sinus pain induced migraines.

I also suffer a little from photo-phobia and can get migraines brought on by bright sunlight. So another good investment has been DriveWear lenses in a pair of prescription specs I keep in the car. Particularly good when the sun is low in the sky for reducing glare or in misty conditions for enhancing contrast.

http://www.drivewearlens.com

[Barely Awake]

I was getting regular headaches prior to CPAP. They were basically two types one being neck tension, which I still get and tackle with acupuncture, the other was like a hangover headache on waking then a feeling of headache muzziness. If I had more than a few pints of beer it was horrendous. This latter problem was probably due to oxygen starvation through apnea, and vanished on adapting to CPAP.
We are all different though, doesn't mean anyone else is the same.