You know what Brother, I don't think that she's stupid at all. Anyone that has had these knows that you finally reach a point where you will do absolutely anything to make them stop, and the rules of the world be damned.
For most of my life I suffered from migraines that lasted from 12-18 hrs and delivered such exquisite pain that I most often lay wishing one would finally kill me. My doc told me to go to the ER when it happens to get treated. I tried once, but was instantly labeled a drug seeker and left to sit in the waiting room. I ended up, and I swear that this is true, crawling on my hands and knees, vomiting all the way, out of the ER to try and climb into my truck to get someplace dark. I didn't make it and ended up spending the night under some bushes outside of the ER doors...the only cool, dark place I could find. Not my proudest moment, and if you've never had these headaches you probably won't understand how it might happen.
I spent most of my life trying different antidepressants, anti seizure meds, anti migraine meds. My brother in law asked me to try
http://altmedicine.a.../a/Arginine.htm , though I don't remember the brand.
I had no faith in it, I only bought it because he was selling it as part of one of the multilevel marketing companies he was involved with. Within a few weeks I noticed that the headaches started changing, feeling different, and in another week or so, they were less severe and only lasted about 4-5hrs, and perhaps a month after that, they were gone completely. Up to that time I'd never known what it was like to be pain free as I had painful, non migraine headaches daily my whole life as well.
I took this for the few years, and it worked really well 'it seems', but if I didn't take it for a week or so the headaches started coming back. After about 2 years or so, strangely, it started giving me headaches. If I didn't take it, I would remain pain free. But being terrified of going back to where I was before I kept trying. Finally I decided to trial reducing and then eliminating it and now have maybe one or two migraines/year lasting 2-3hrs and if my others were a 10, these would rate perhaps a 6-7. And that has been the case for the last 5 years or so.
I've spoken to many Dr.s about this and other than it's vasodilation properties none had any idea even what it does, much less why it may have helped.
And of course, the pink elephant in the room is that it may not have helped at all. I was 40ish when I started taking it, and many find that their migraines taper off at that point anyway. I also didn't document when I took it and how dosing times related to the times that I did or didn't have headaches. My experience is all 'it seems like.'
Having said that, none of the life that I live and love now would be possible if I went back to the way that I was, so perhaps it's worth a try? It's relatively inexpensive (I think it cost me about $60/mo and would have gladly paid 10x that), I can't find anything that causes concern for significant risk, and it's easy.
Though I hope that if she does try, that she will be smarter than I was. Document the dates, times, severity and duration of her headaches...starting now, and then the dates/times of her medication. In that way she can truly see if there is an effect or not.
And I hope it goes without saying, though I'm going to say it anyway. I'm not a physician, only a regular guy that's been down this path. I am not recommending that she take this product, but only relaying my personal experiences.
No treatment should be undertaken unless every effort has been made to diagnose her condition. Any treatment should be discussed with and monitored by her physician, as well as any change in these headaches should be reported to her doctor as well. Ok, that should do it.
Just some thoughts.
Dwayne
