Drug Warnings for Migraineurs

While it is not uncommon to see headache listed as a possible side effect on the prescribing information for drugs, some drugs carry specific FDA required WARNINGS or CAUTIONS for those who suffer from migraines.

Headache as a side effect pertains to all people, whereas a WARNING or CAUTION relates to those with a specific condition such as migraines. These warnings tell of impending known problems that occur as a result of taking or using the drug or remedy.  This includes pills, shots, creams, patches, drops, and even intrauterine contraceptive devices that release hormones.

CAUTIONS and WARNINGS tell you that you should not be taking the drug if you fit the object of the warning. For example, when the warning or caution states, "If you have a heart condition, do not take this drug," you are being told that you may die or suffer another consequence if you have a heart condition and you take this drug.

Migraine Warnings. As a migraineur, you need to beware of the CAUTIONS and WARNING on drugs for those who suffer from MIGRAINES. These are not saying a side effect of this drug is headaches, rather the words used are telling you be very careful or don't take this drug if you are a person who gets migraines. It is saying that if you choose to ignore the warning, you will suffer.

When a doctor writes you a prescription, he or she is supposed to inform you of the cautions and warnings for the drug. However, you have to be your own health advocate and find out if the prescribed drug may be harmful to you.

Hormone based drugs carry more warnings and cautions for migraines than perhaps any other type of drug.  It is well known that altering the hormone levels in the body has a direct consequence on the occurrence of migraine headaches and perhaps that is the reason the FDA requires such warnings be placed in the labeling information for the drug.

The greatest use for hormone based drugs is birth control. Second to that would be hormones used as HRT (hormone replacement therapy) as a possible way to help alleviate perimenopause symptoms. In addition to migraine cautions, many of these drugs also carry warnings related to cancer.

If you are currently taking a drug and especially a hormone of any type, you should read the labeling information to see what it says about headaches and migraines. If you do not have this information, you may be able to obtain a copy from your pharmacist or you can use the FDA website to find it. You will need to know the drug's brand or generic name in order to do a search. 

Click here for instructions on how to find drug information from the FDA.

We are always willing to help you find the information you need and answer any questions about migraines. You can reach us by email at Questions@Tuiv.comor by phone at 1-866-367-5953. There is never a cost or obligation for our services.

Let us hear from you today. Our toll-free phone number is 1-866-367-5953 or send an email to Migraines@Tuliv.com

Avoiding Holiday Headaches

Anyone can suffer from a headache after a hectic day of shopping or fighting traffic during the holiday season. For a migraineur the situation can be much worse.

The stress of any event, let alone the added stress related to the holidays can trigger a migraine. In the case of a migraine the stress headache does not come about as the result of a psychological tension as many would have you believe, but rather a biological event caused by hormones secreted within the endocrine system as a coping mechanism. Therefore, a migraineur can't just think the headache away or take the "just relax and everything will be just fine" attitude.

Especially during this season, migraine triggers and conditions are compounded. In other words, something that may not have bothered your head at other times of the year suddenly becomes a major trigger for a severe migraine when other factors are also in play.

For example, you may be able to get away with drinking a single small glass of wine at home once in awhile, but couple it with stress, strange foods, excitement, winter weather changes, and overactive hormones and you could be on your way to paying the high price of a migraine.

Food and drink generally are part of any celebration. Tempting foods are served without labels and no way of knowing their ingredients. Your favorite aunt who won't hear of you not at least trying her special dish loaded with the secret spice mixture containing MSG may be your worst enemy. Her disappointment may be well worth your avoiding a horrible migraine the next morning.

Red wine is a well know major trigger, but are you prepared to refuse it when your host offers you a glass of wine to join in on the celebration? Being ready to refuse anything that may cause you a headache with a prepared answer may save you hours and even days fighting a horrible migraine.

You shouldn't expect others to know what might bother you; rather you should be ready with a good explanation as to why you must decline the offer. There is nothing wrong with saying, "Thank you very much for offering, but I have a genetic condition that certain foods or drinks can cause me to have severe migraine headaches and I just can't afford to take the chance."

And watch out for those dishes that may have been bought at a store and "re-plated" as they may be loaded with MSG, nitrates, L-tyrosine, and other "do not touch" ingredients lying in wait to set off a migraine in you. If your first bite says "yummy, this tastes different or really good," and has a slight salty taste, put it down because more than likely that good taste is MSG. Remember, MSG is a flavor enhancer.

Party Triggers. The following is our partial list of key foods and drinks to avoid at parties:

• Almonds and nuts Lots of these around at parties, but don't eat them.
  
• Wines, especially red wine - instead you may want to try a drink made of cranberry juice, club soda and a clear alcohol.
  
• Cheeses - especially the cheese balls and aged cheese - the better the cheese the more powerful the trigger.
  
• Sausages, little wieners, and other such things floating around in a crock pot full of the special BBQ sauce that may be loaded with MSG and nitrates.
  
• Snack mixes - these are party and office favorites that may contain MSG to heighten the flavor.
  
• Chocolate - I hate to mention this hard to resist confection, but for some people it can be a real problem - again keep in mind that triggers are not the same for everyone - always avoid what you know will hurt you  no matter how good it looks.
  
• Beer and other alcohol beverages - Beer is a fermented beverage and may be a problem for some. It is not the alcohol but the process that creates the trigger. Clear alcohol products may be a better choice.
  
• Your Triggers. Don't cheat just because it is a party. Triggers compound rapidly and the last thing you want is to have to leave the party because of another migraine headache.
  

If you are unsure about a product or have any questions about triggers or migraines, call us at 1-866-867-5953 or send an email to Questions@Tuliv.comand we will do the research for you. We do this as a free service to help prevent migraines and add to the list of products that may cause migraines. 

Be safe and enjoy the holidays.

There is still time for you to Enjoy the Holidays without Migraines. What a great gift to yourself that will be enjoyed every day of your life. Click Here.

Let us hear from you today. Our toll-free phone number is 1-866-367-5953 or send an email to Migraines@Tuliv.com 

  

“Are my Recent Migraines Related to Hormones?” asks Tori Spelling

"Anyone else get horrendous migraines right after giving birth? Is it hormones? I've had one for a week now. Nothing is working." Tori Spelling tweeted her followers.

News reports that Tori Spelling looked exhausted as she was wheeled into a hospital just weeks after giving birth to a baby girl by her husband Dean McDermott this morning. The ordeal comes after the 90210 actress revealed that she had been suffering from migraines following the birth of Hattie Margaret McDermott twenty days ago.

It is not uncommon for mothers who are prone to migraines to get extreme headaches after bearing children. Tori asks the correct question, "Is it hormones?" Although the answer is yes, what is actually causing the problem is not often understood by even doctors who are trying to treat the migraine symptoms rather than the basic cause of the problem.

When the term hormonal migraine is used, most people are thinking about the hormones estrogen and progesterone. While this is in part true, what is at the source of the problem is what are called "messenger hormones". These are hormones in the body secreted by specific glands that act like messengers to deliver commands to start and stop production of the aforementioned hormones as well as others.

A simple analogy is a factory that produces body lotion. Although the production line makes the lotion, the orders to start and stop production come from a supervisor. If the supervisor orders more or less lotion than is needed, the production line doesn't know and then all kinds of problems and headaches can occur as a result. A solution to the problem is to manage how the orders are being received by the production line in order to prevent further factory headaches from occurring.

The solution to preventing migraine headaches works in a similar manner. The migraine antidote is a prevention formula that acts on the cause of the migraine before it can occur rather than simply trying to stop the pain of the headache after it has started.

In the analogy the orders came from a supervisor. The body has a supervisor called the pituitary gland which controls the cycles of the female body by sending out messenger hormones. This gland not only controls the monthly menstrual cycles, but also controls pregnancies by issuing the hormone messengers to regulate the levels of estrogen and progesterone during this time.

At the completion of a pregnancy the hormones in the female body are literally in turmoil. This turmoil is what is triggering the migraines to occur. To stop this process and gain control over the migraines, something is needed that will help manage the receipt of these hormone messengers that are causing the onset of the migraines.

Tuliv Migraine Defense is the migraine prevention product designed to help control migraines by managing how hormone messages are handled and defend against the occurrence of migraine headaches.

You can order Tuliv Migraine Defense at www.Tuliv.com.

Chronic Migraines -There is a Solution

Chronic migraines by definition are migraines that occur 15 or more times per month and last four hours a day or more. 

 It is estimated that of the 32 million people in America who suffer from some level of migraines, about 10 percent or roughly 3.2 million Americans suffer from chronic migraines. Although women are three times more likely to experience a migraine than men, when it comes to chronic migraines the ratio of women suffering from chronic migraines compared to men is much higher.

The migraine research conducted by Tuliv has shown that the general age range for chronic migraines starts as early as 35 and continues through 60. These ages correlate to the age when women experience the perimenopause stage of life. This research went on to show a direct connection between the two events.

Perimenopause refers to the time of life when the body goes through significant hormonal changes that eventually lead to menopause.  Many women who suffer from chronic migraine also experience the symptoms of perimenopause including hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, and irritability.

Any woman who has had menstrual related migraines knows the intensity of a migraine during times of hormone changes. What is happening during perimenopause is similar in a much more rapid or erratic sequence.  The continuous fluctuation in hormone production during perimenopause causes an increase in the number of migraines. See Hormonal Migraines for more information.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is often prescribed by doctors and health therapists as a method to combat the symptoms of perimenopause. While they may help ease those symptoms, HRT can be a major contributing factor to chronic migraines. 

No one should give in to the idea that chronic migraines are uncontrollable. Chronic migraines can be controlled and further episodes prevented by proper treatment with Tuliv Migraine Defense and a good migraine prevention plan. 

If you are experiencing chronic migraines, the first thing to do is seek our help in evaluating your problem. We will help to identify anything that may be contributing to your chronic migraine episodes. Together we will be able to produce an effective migraine prevention plan that will guide you to a better life.

To learn more about chronic migraines and how you can overcome them, see Chronic Migraines at Tuliv.com.

 Let us hear from you today. Our toll-free phone number is 1-866-367-5953 or send an email to Migraines@Tuliv.com

Children with Migraines

Back to school can be tough for children suffering from migraines.  It is estimated that up to 10 percent of children in the U.S. get migraines, according to the Migraine Research Foundation.

Today more than half of the children with migraines had their first attack of symptoms before the age of 12. Migraines are more common in boys at a younger age. By adolescence the rate of incidence is much higher for girls as migraines are commonly triggered by hormone changes associated with their menstrual cycles.

Girls are more likely to miss school because the severity of their migraines can be intolerable one or more days each month. It is not only the days missed, but the many hours of not being able to give full attention to classroom work which may result in struggling to keep up with school work.

Symptoms accompanying a migraine, including headache, sensitivity to light and sound as well as nausea and vomiting can inhibit concentration on studies and keep a child from participating in extra-curricular activities. In addition, about 15 to 20 percent of those with migraines also have what is called an aura prior to the onset of the headache. Typical aura symptoms include the appearance of flashing lights, zigzag lines or other visual disturbances that add to the problems encountered by children with migraines. See more about Migraine Diagnoses.

Migraines in children are often misdiagnosed because they don't always have the same type of symptoms as adults. Rather than the typical one-sided head pain of an adult, the child may experience pain on both sides and other areas of pain that are more difficult to describe. In addition, an adult may suffer severe headache pain, whereas children are more likely to experience a moderate to severe level of pain along with nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and dizziness association with a migraine. See more about What Causes Migraines.

Currently, there are no pharmaceutical migraine medications approved for children. Unfortunately many doctors will ignore the drug warnings of the manufacturer and treat children with adult-only medications. Using drugs off label is not only wrong it can be damaging to children. Parents and guardians should first understand the risks and carefully explore options, weighing risks of potential side effects against possible benefits before accepting or filling prescriptions.

The risks to a child taking an adult-only drug like Topamax are many. You should know and understand that a major side effect of Topamax -called cognitive impairment -is one that can lessen a person's ability to learn, retain and recall new information - the exact reason a child goes to school.  To learn more see The Dangers of Topamax)

Parents and guardians who desire safe migraine prevention for their child often turn to Tuliv and Migraine Defense as a natural solution. Migraine Defense does not change or alter the natural hormonal rhythms of the body nor does it cause chemical reactions in the brain as do pharmaceuticals. Migraine prevention drugs work by changing the brain chemistry is such a way that it can disrupt the learning process for children (as well as adults). Migraine Defense has no side effects and with high ranking results Tuliv Migraine Defense is the best possible solution to migraine prevention for children.

If your child is experiencing migraines, you should visit with Tuliv migraine experts as soon as possible to ask any questions you may have about children with migraines, to learn if Migraine Defense is the right solution for long term migraine prevention for your child. Call 1-866-367-5953 or send an email to Children@Tuliv.com.

Daughter Returns to School

"I just wanted to let you know how well the Tuliv Migraine Defense formula is working for my 15 year old daughter (just like you said it would). She started taking the recommended six per day and her migraines stopped completely within two weeks.

She has been able to return to school and is doing fine.

Thank you ever so much. May God bless you in the continuance of the work you do the help children with migraines. I have told everyone I know about the product and have given them your website and email address."

Best wishes, Sandy, Mother of Sara

Devices Used to Control Migraine Pain

 The proverb "desperate times call for desperate measures" can certainly be applied to the need to find ways to control the pain of a migraine. Although the idea of an electronic device used to stop the pain of a migraine is nothing new, the advancement of such technologies is worth noting. Considering these are ways that may help stop the pain after it starts, what most people want is a way to prevent the migraine from ever starting, which is the real value of Tuliv Migraine Defense.

In June of 2011, at the 15th International Headache Congress in Berlin, Germany, one such electronic device maker announced study results on the safety and efficacy of peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) of the occipital nerve for the management of pain and disability associated with chronic migraine.

 These devices are basically an advancement of the externally worn TENS units that are used to provide relief from a variety of pain sources, such as back pain, sports injury pain, general muscle pain etc. The new PNS systems deliver mild electrical pulses from an implanted device to leads placed under the skin at the back of the head, stimulating the occipital nerves.

"Many migraine patients have exhausted all current medical treatment options and often are disabled by the pain and frequency of migraine attacks," said Stephen D. Silberstein, M.D., past president of the American Headache Society, director of the Jefferson Headache Center, and the principal investigator in the study for the Genesis neurostimulation product from St. Jude's Medical Company. "Achieving a reduction in the number of days they suffer from headache and a significant improvement in their quality of life may be even more important than pain reduction alone."

The study showed that patients who received stimulation reported a 28% decrease in their number of headache days (seven less days a month). In contrast, study of the all natural migraine prevention formula Migraine Defense from Tuliv, shows a greater than 50% average reduction in headache frequency, which is to say that Migraine Defense may be more than twice as effective as an implanted electronic device. See Tuliv Research.

What is also in the works is new ways to manage the induction of existing migraine medications into the body. One of these that is working its way through FDA approval is is from NuPathe. The Zelrix patch is a single-use patch that relies on a mild electrical current to "actively transport" the anti-migraine drug sumatriptan through the skin using a process called iontophoresis.

There are other devices made for the relief of headache pain, one of which is an apparatus which is designed to be worn on a patient's forehead to deliver controlled electrical impulses for 20-minute sessions. The developer of this device claims it gives pain relief to people suffering from migraines and cluster/tension headaches.

Another device is a hand-held machine called a noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulator which claims to create an intense magnetic field that, when held next to the head, creates an electric current in the neurons of the brain that disrupts the migraine aura.

There are other devices including special glasses, skull caps, and stimulators that make claims to help migraineurs and may also be of help to some of the people some of the time.

I try to stay abreast of the latest research on migraines and do see some things that could hold promise for better relief of migraine pain such as the Zelrix patch mentioned above. What I don't see is new research by pharmaceutical companies exploring new ways to prevent migraines.

 Unfortunately for the public in general, it is the trend of pharmaceutical companies to spend their money on market research to find new ways to sell old drugs rather than producing new drugs to alleviate existing conditions.

Please let me know what methods or devices you have tried and how effective they have been for you. My email address is Lyle@Tuliv.com.

You can also start a Live Chat Session to visit with us. Or call us directly for a free consultation 866-367-5953. 


Lyle

What is Your Priority?

Every day we speak to people who have an earnest desire to rid themselves of the plague of migraines. They tell us of their history of migraines and how they continue to suffer from migraines. Many of these are people we are speaking to for the first time. At times we get a phone call or email from a customer who is taking Migraine Defense and yet is still, on occasion, getting a migraine.

"What is causing me to get migraine headaches?" is the question most frequently asked directly or indirectly. In other words, people want to know what is causing their migraines.

First and foremost we must point to the DNA makeup and the inherited migraine gene as the reason you are prone to get migraines. Second to that, is the relationship between hormone changes in the body and the occurrences of migraines for both women and men.

The third factor involved in migraines is much more complex than that of the first two as it involves what we commonly refer to as triggers. Triggers are things that can start a migraine. Triggers are also the things that need to be identified and then avoided.

What we need to address is not so much a list of triggers, rather the attitude toward triggers. Many people know what some of their triggers are and yet pay little or no attention to them. A man once told me that he got a migraine headache every time he ate onions and asked me what he could do about it. When I told him the obvious - "Don't eat onions" - he refused to accept my suggestion because he liked to eat onions.

Believe it or not, in our migraine treatment practice, we talk to people every day who tell us virtually the same thing - not about onions - but about something else they don't want to change even though we explain to them that it may be a contributing factor in their migraines.

When consulting with a migraineur we try to find out more about his or her diet, what supplements are used including hormone replacement therapy, and other information about life style. We often hear about the use of products with claims to make a person feel better, look better, have more energy, live longer, increase vitality, and sexual enhancement. Alarmingly, many of these products, cleansers, foods, lotions, and supplements can be the trigger for a migraine.

We are not saying these various products are bad for the general population, what we are saying is that your body as a migraineur reacts differently. What may be fine for your best friend, spouse, neighbor, or relative may be bad for you. Advice from a naturalist, supplement suppliers, and those who sell those special juices, may be causing you to suffer.

As I mentioned, our days are filled with helping people understand the complexities of migraines and how life style can influence the occurrences of migraines. And yet even after we explain that a product may be triggering a person's migraines, we hear all kinds of reasons as to why he or she feels the compelling need to continue to take the product, including, "I read this was good for women my age, my friend takes it all the time, my naturalist recommended it, I sell it, I think it is doing something for me, I need to cleanse my colon, I'm on this special diet, and I found it in a health food store so it must be okay."

This is the point where I ask the question, "What is your priority?"

If not having migraines is your first priority, then stop doing the things that make the situation worse. Don't do something that may make your head hurt - no matter what the reason. Your head must be your first your priority.

It is not always easy to discover that what you may be doing is contributing to the occurrence of your migraines. That is why we offer you, without cost, our migraine consulting and guidance service to help you get control of your migraines. Generally, at the end of a 10 or 15 minute phone conversation, you will have a fairly good idea of what you could do to improve your situation. You don't have to be a current customer to call us.

There are very few people who have the knowledge, experience, compassion and migraine research background to provide you with the expertise guidance that we do at Tuliv.

You can also start a Live Chat Session to visit with us. Or call us directly for a free consultation 866-367-5953. 

     

Let me hear from you today. Our toll-free phone number is 1-866-367-5953 or send an me an email at Lyle@Tuliv.com