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lindseysparks's review against another edition
5.0
This may be TMI for a book review but I figured anyone interested in this book might want this kind of info and it might help a friend who sees it on Facebook, so since I wish I had read this book a long time ago I'm just going with it. I get really frustrated when going to the doctor because they rarely have time to listen and they quickly jump to a solution without necessarily explaining why they are giving you that answer and if that's really what's best for you. With my migraines I've felt like the doctor doesn't really know any more than I do from Googling and sometimes they seem to know less. They have also made me feel my migraines can only be solved with medication and also that they aren't "real" migraines becuase I don't get an aura and mine usually occur during my period. This book was what I've wanted every time I've gone to the doctor. The author knew exactly what I wanted to know and provided very detailed info on how hormones impact migraines, what meds do what and what non med options to try. She used real life examples and explained why each was treated the way she treated them. She also provided numerous studies showing that menstrual migraines are actually usually the most severe, least likely to respond to medication and last longer than other types of migraines. They are more likely to result in emergency room visits and days away from work/missing social activities. I sort of want to send copies to every doctor who acted like I just had PMS. She also said that only about 10% of migraine sufferers get an aura and they aren't common with menstrual migraines, and that most women with menstrual migraines get migraines other times too, they just don't realize they are migraines because they aren't as bad as the ones during their period. The descriptions of these fit me perfectly and made me realize what I think are just bad sinus headaches are actually mild migraines and that should me treat them more appropriately. I found it extremely helpful to see a list of all the drugs and supplements for migraines in one place with her recommendations on which work best for different situations. She also has a section just on birth control, which helped me better understand how that impacts my migraines and what I may need to change. It was also helpful to read about menopause, even though that's a ways away for me. I skipped the chapter on pregnancy and nursing but it looked like it had a lot of info. The book also as info on how to talk to your doctor and prep for an appointment. This gave me a ton of info to try and to know what to ask my doctor about. I found this especially helpful because I recently decided to see a headache specialist...and none of the few I found in my area are taking new patients. So this helped me educate myself and hopefully after trying some of the strategies in here I won't even need a specialist. This does focus almost exclusively on menstrual migraines, which I loved since I've had a much harder time finding info online about these specifically. If you're looking for general migraine info this is not the book for you.
kellylynnthomas's review against another edition
4.0
Overall this is a great book with good insights. The only real downside is that she spends a lot of time focusing on menstrual migraines and migraines triggered by hormonal changes, and not as much time on other potential triggers. But, if you do happen to suffer from menstrual or hormonally-triggered migraines, there's a lot of good, up to date, and helpful information in this book.
catsbah's review against another edition
2.0
Was hoping this might have some good information, but it mostly covered menstrual migraines. I get exertion migraines, which aren't mentioned at all. Some good information on the medications available and what they do.
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