How would you sooth a migraine headache associated with fibermyalgia when your prescribed medication just isn't working well enough and it's causing you to not be able to sleep as well as severe constant pain??

Please note that I am not a physician and cannot diagnose nor treat any medical condition.

Both conditions you mention, fibromyalgia and migraine headaches, are complicated, multi-faceted disease states that may be influenced by any number of variables - lifestyle, medications, concommitant disease states, nutrition, activity level, and more.

Because of their complex nature, I am pretty sure that I don't have an exact answer for you, which I am sure is quite frustrating. You will probably have to undergo a process of trial and error with various potential treatment modalities to find the combination that works best for you.

What I would recommend is to find one healthcare professional that can be your main advocate. This could be a traditional physician, or one trained specifically in pain management. It could be a neurologist. It could be a naturopathic doctor. In fact, you will probably want to consult with various professionals who specialize in different areas to get the most comprehensive treatment.

Some treatment avenues to investigate include: massage therapy (pick a therapist who specializes in fibromyalgia), acupuncture, lymphatic massage, neruology, pain management, and physical therapy.

Also, make sure to do things to nuture yourself. Part of managing these two difficult conditions will be to make whatever lifestyle modifications that are necessary to support your good health. This includes the basic things like making sure you get plenty of sleep, a minimum of 7 hours nightly, staying hydrated, drinking 64 ounces minimum each day, and eating a balanced diet.

Next, I would suggest consulting with a pharmacist to review your medications for both conditions. Different treatments are available these days and it may be possible to eliminate medications, reduce dosages, or get on a prophylatic medication that will prevent the migraines. Also, some medications if used too frequently for migraines can actually cause rebound headaches. It would be helpful to have an expert determine if your prescription is contributing to the problem rather than helping based on your useage of it.

Also, do your best to avoid migraine triggers. Sometimes they occur spontaneously, however, some things that have been linked to migraines that should be avoided include chocolate, wine, sulfates, sulfites, dried fruits, pickeled fish, processed meats, cheeses and anything containing tyramine. You may consider gonig on a low-tyramine diet. You can also work with an allergist or naturopath to determine if you have any other food allergies or sensitivies that should be avoided.

If you smoke, stop smoking. Cut out caffeine. Get moving. There is evidence that strength tratining and exercise in the long term may help amoreliate fibromyalgia symptoms. Migraines can sometimes be caused by muscle strain so keeping the muscles active, flexible, and supple may help prevent them as well.

Finally, consider getting some emotional support. Dealing with the pain, fatigue, depression, and stress of either one of these conditions, much less the two together, is a burdensome load for anyone to carry alone. Find hope and encouragement from others who know what it is like to walk in your shoes. Having a healthy state of mind may make navigating difficult symptom days more tolerable.

Finally, if the pain is extremely severe (a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10), is associated with changes in vision, difficulty in speech or coordination, or is associated with a fever, seek medical attention immediately.

Hang in there. This too shall pass.