Could Demerol treat an underlying medical condition causing migraines?

Question

For many years now, I've brought a friend to the emergency ward to be treated for migraines that were brought on by a childhood stroke.  The stroke left him completely without sight in one eye, and partially sighted in the other.  Treatment occurs about once every ten days.

The only thing that works on the migraines is demerol.  Once when he was being treated he was hooked up to an EKG and I noticed that the two blips of a typical hearbeat merged into one peak every six beats.  Based upon his facial expression I was able to deduce when the demerol kicked in, and noticed that the heatbeats became normal  beats when this occurred.  

The above observations have led me to the recurring question of whether the demerol could be treating an underlying medical condition that is causing the migraines, versus merely acting as a narcotic.  He was also recently diagnosed with a heart murmer, which is furthering this belief.  My friend has asked about this, but gets the "Are you a Dr?" answer

? · Accepted Answer

Demerol is used for bad migraines for the reason this drug is very very short lived 4 hrs or less..no one can answer that question except the Doctor since hes had problems in the past!!!!!!!!!!!!! good luck man

Classy Granny · Answer

I have been to the ER for a shot of Demerol when migraine pain gets unbearable. The relieve is short lived, usually 6 to 8 hours. Demerol kills the pain for a while, it's not a cure.

Anonymous · Answer

The generic name for the brand named Demerol is Meperidine. It is in the group of drugs known as  narcotic analgesics which are used to relieve moderate to severe pain. Narcotics do not medicate, they remove the sensation of pain. They also may be habit-forming. With this in mind, it is unlikely that Demerol would benefit any underlying condition unless it was causing pain. But, always with an open mind on medical subjects, you will notice that I wrote ‘unlikely’.

Hope this helps
matador 89

Could Demerol treat an underlying medical condition causing migraines?

3 Answers