Calling migraine sufferers

[Parrothead]

What do you do to get rid of them? I've had this one since Wednesday. I generally only get one once a year. Usually by the time I realize what it is, it ends up being the weekend. And they have only lasted three days. I've never been where/when I can go to the doc. Then after it is gone I don't think about discussing it with the doc when I see her.

 

I'm working on day four now. The queasiness is gone, but the head still hurts. Any one have any suggestions?

[JFSinIL]

Hydration, a dark room, and someone else do all the chores. Plus a large dog or cat with which to curl up. Sorry you feel cruddy.

[newbie]

Caffeine and chocolate work for me.

 

jet

[LauraGB]

If its been that long, I'd make an appt asap Monday morning. In the meanwhile, I assume you have gone to your room, pulled the blinds and stuffed a towel under the door to block out the noise. Advil, Tylenol or the like. A hot (or cold) neckwrap or compress on the nasty spot, or on your neck is helpful. Some serious whiffs of peppermint oil and some lavender oil rubbed on your temples. Sounds a little out there, but it is helpful.

Rest and silence. Hope you feel better soon.

[cin]

If you do not normally drink caffeine, it can help quite a bit, along with a couple of aspirin.

 

I would call the dr. and get a Rx for migraine medicine. imitrex or zomig work really well for us. The headaches are gone rather quickly.

[astrid]

Hydration, a dark room, and someone else do all the chores. Plus a large dog or cat with which to curl up. Sorry you feel cruddy.

 

 

Works better than Imitrex for me. Cool, dark room + Excedrine Migraine + hydration work for us.

 

Sorry you're coping with this for so long!

[hsmom]

I also do the caffeine, ibu., dark room, water, and two nice cold rags for my forehead and the back of my neck. I hope you feel better soon.

[Brindee]

I drink lots of water, drink two cups of coffee, take 2 Tylenol (500mg each), and my dd will bring me first cold, then hot, then cold, then hot, etc. wash cloths to put on my forehead or the back of my neck.

 

I can't read or watch tv, it hurts my eyes and head.

[Parrothead]

Thanks for all the help. I didn't know caffine would help. I'll down some very soon.

 

There isn't any place that I can go to get in the dark. It is entirely too hot upstairs in the bedrooms. I told dh that we need to get the air matresses out and pumped up so we can sleep downstairs.

 

I have a regular appointment on Thursday for the doctor. I hope I remember to ask her about it this time. My doctor is an hour away with at least a two day wait. I don't think I'd get in any faster if I call Monday.

 

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

[hsmom]

I have been know when it is too hot any where else to crawl into the bathroom (tub usually) with a pillow and lay down in the dark also the cool tub feels great!

[Brindee]

 

I have a regular appointment on Thursday for the doctor. I hope I remember to ask her about it this time.

Write it down on a large piece of paper and put it in your purse. Large---so it gets in your way and helps you remember!!!:001_smile:

[nakitty]

800mg of ibupropen, a strong cup of coffee, a heating pad and a vibrating massager. After you take the Ib and coffee apply the heating pad to your head and use the massager on your sinus', jaw line, temples and '3rd eye'...I have been dealing with migraines since I was about 8 years old...I get them at least once a month. This is the best method I have found for getting rid of them....good luck...

[Michelle T]

which generally does the trick. I also drink something caffeinated. A dark room helps, or at least close your eyes and cover them with a rag or cold pack. As much silence as you can get. I sometimes find that a shower helps too, maybe because of the steam.

 

I did have prescription meds, but they ran out and dr. won't refill without my coming in to see him.

Michelle T

[I talk to the trees]

Peppermint oil (essential oil, not extract) works wonders. Soak a washcloth in cold water with 4-5 drops of peppermint oil in it, and apply to the back of your neck or your forehead. You can also rub a TINY bit into your temples or onto your scalp. WARNING: Do not get peppermint oil anywhere near your eyes. BTDT. It hurts.

 

Hope you feel better soon!

 

-Robin

[muffinmom]

Let me preface this by saying that I have not tried this yet--

 

I just found this web page last night about natural progesterone cream. I was very surprised to find out that they recommend it to stop a migraine headache. Apparently if you apply it on the back of your neck as you feel it coming on, there is a good chance you can stop it. I have no idea if this is true or not, but might be worth a shot.

 

Here is the link: http://www.womenlivingnaturally.com/articlepage.php?id=184

 

There is a lot of great info on the page--just scroll down until you find the part about migraines. By the way, you can get natural progesterone cream without a prescription--probably at health food stores primarily, that's where I got mine. Look for pharmeceutical grade natural progesterone.

 

Up until now, I have done what the other posters have said--caffeine, Tylenol, and a dark, cold room with a bed.

 

Hope you feel better.

[Heather in Neverland]

Ummm...prescription drugs...as many as it takes! :D I have suffered from migraines since I was 15 yo and nothing helps except some good old fashioned pain medicine like vicodin or tylenol 3.

[Serendipity]

I am not a doctor.

 

What works for *me* when I am out of Rx meds is to take one Excedrin Migraine and the adult dosage of the sinus medication (NOT non-drowsy) that is kept behind the pharmacist's counter and has to be signed for. I take both meds at the same time. This combination puts me to sleep and takes away the pain.

 

I haven't had to use that combination in awhile. I take Fioricet for not-so-bad migraines and Maxalt (10mg) for bad ones.

 

Gentle hugs...

[frogpond1]

I quit eating cheese especially Gouda and aged cheeses and the migraines left! Years earlier I got migraines from Splenda and so I don't touch that.

[3lilreds in NC]

I used to get migraines a lot, and what I loved was Relpax. It's a wonderful prescription medication. It was like magic. If you write a note to yourself, write "Relpax" on it and ask your doctor about it.

 

I don't get them so much anymore, and now I take 800mg ibuprofen, drink a Pepsi, and try to lay down in the dark and quiet, preferably where it is cool. If it's really bad, I will also take 2 Tylenol and 2 Sudafed (the kind you have to ask for at the pharmacy, not the new stuff). The Tylenol/ibuprofen/decongestant combo, along with the caffeine, has been most effective for me.

 

I'm telling you, though, Relpax is worth a try. I can remember the feeling of relief when it kicked in and the pain stopped - it seemed miraculous.

 

I hope you feel better soon!

[LadyR]

Excedrin Migraine works for me. It has acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine as ingredients. I tried so many over-the-counter meds but this is the only thing that helps me.

[tiffanyl]

I have heard that magnesium, without the calcium, works wonders for headaches.

 

Tiff

[ClassicMom]

If you do not normally drink caffeine, it can help quite a bit, along with a couple of aspirin.

 

I would call the dr. and get a Rx for migraine medicine. imitrex or zomig work really well for us. The headaches are gone rather quickly.

 

:iagree: If they keep coming back, you need to see a neurologist.

[Tammy]

Imitrex!

[Jen500]

Has anyone had their first migraine later-like in your 30's?

[Barbara in NH]

I use excedrin (the migraine formula has the same thing as the regular excedrin), I take 4 with coke or coffee. The coke is good for your stomach if you are nacious. Alkaselzer gold is also good for your stomach and headache. Must be the Gold. Ice packs are very helpful for as long as you can keep them on. Dark room, no sounds, also no smells if you can, even things I love smell terrible and make me nacious when I have a migraine.

 

I always make a list when I see my doctor on a small legal pad, I pull it out and make sure I cover everything, because for me no matter how much I want to remember it seems like I forget or the doctors rushed.

 

Also people told me feverfew (the suppliment) for years and I would try it and then say it didn't work. A few years ago when someone suggested it I said I tryed it and it didn't help, they said you have to have it for 60 days straight. I tried it for 60 days and forgot to get some at the store and I had 3 days of migraines in a row and said to myself "what am I doing differently?" The feverfew, took it again and wow, less headaches.

 

I agree with those who have said that you should ask your doctor, the rescue medicine like Imatrex is wonderful.

 

Also regular sleep paterns and exercise really help me too.

 

Hope you are feeling better.

 

Blessings,

 

Barbara in NH

[Brindee]

I, for one, really appreciate all these ideas and thoughts! I've had headaches since I can remember! And I've never slept well and felt tired a lot since I can remember!

 

In fact, I was 11 years old when my mom took me to a doctor because I had headaches so much. The doctor's diagnosis? "She's a dizzy blonde". Honest. That's what he said! Aaarrrrgh! My parents are VERY non-confrontational, so they did nothing. I would've complained at least and gotten a different verdict from someone! Anyway, nobody (doctor-wise) has taken my headaches seriously, so I just never go to a doctor about them. I just deal with them daily, with migraines around that time of the month.

 

I'm thankful for the relief I CAN get, but not happy that noone seems to think anything of it! My dd's hydrotherapy treatments DO help! I did that (the hot and cold washcloths on the forehead or back of neck) when she had a sinus problem one time. It helped her so much that any time I get a migraine, or she gets a stuffy nose with headache, we do this for each other! :D

 

My ds14 gets headaches as well. Is it in the genes somehow? Wish I knew what to do!

[Parrothead]

Has anyone had their first migraine later-like in your 30's?

I got my first one four days before dh and I got married. I was 32. I didn't get the next one for a couple of years. For the last three years I've gotten one about this time of year.

 

I wonder how much of it comes from temperatures in the 50's then shoot up into the 80's over night.

 

Thanks again for all the suggestions. It mostly went away until about an hour ago. And it is just above my eyebrows right now. I wonder how much of it is sinus since I'm stopped up too.

[Starr]

I finally started taking zomig. What a blessing! Hydration is really important and never get tired or stressed. :001_unsure:

[cin]

I got my first one four days before dh and I got married. I was 32. I didn't get the next one for a couple of years. For the last three years I've gotten one about this time of year.

 

I wonder how much of it comes from temperatures in the 50's then shoot up into the 80's over night.

 

Thanks again for all the suggestions. It mostly went away until about an hour ago. And it is just above my eyebrows right now. I wonder how much of it is sinus since I'm stopped up too.

 

 

Starting in your 30's could be related to a change in hormone levels. It is NOT uncommon for women to get migraines right before their periods.

 

Weather changes can also be a trigger. Changes in barometric pressure is a trigger (one of MANY) for DH.

[Only me]

I am sensitive to caffeine so maybe that is why it works so well but Excedrin migraine is the only thing that works for my migraines. It works even better than prescriptions. The only side affect is that once my headache goes away I'm very hyper.

[Mom to Aly]

I didn't know about caffeine and chocolate after suffering for years (continually when I was a teenager for about a year and a half, then occassionally as an adult) until recently, and it really helps me. Then, last year, I started getting them on a reg basis, and they kept increasing in frequency, until they were almost everyday. My dr. gave me topomax, and I have only had two small ones in four months. If they become a big prob, it is supposed to be the new miracle drug for migraines.

[percytruffle]

Ummm...prescription drugs...as many as it takes! :D I have suffered from migraines since I was 15 yo and nothing helps except some good old fashioned pain medicine like vicodin or tylenol 3.

 

 

Same here. I try the Excedrin Migraine first and if that doesn't cut it I rely on a Vicodin. Sometimes the caffeine and pain killers in the Excedrin or whatever else you take can cause rebound headaches and you need to break the cycle. The vicodin does that for me.

 

I have tried everything else. Nothing is as effective as this for me.

 

I tried Feverfew and it did lessen the severity of the headaches after I'd taken it for a few months, but it also caused digestion issues. Feverfew is very harsh on your digestive system.

 

Progesterone gives me headaches. My gyn said this is not uncommon. It brings relief to a great many people who are suffering with hormonal symptoms, but one of the side effects for some is migraines.