Tips for migraines?

[displace]

I'm curious if anyone has tips for migraines that are not so well known and help them?

 

I tend to just bulk up on OTC meds, lay low, and make sure I'm cool. Those help me not feel worse but don't take away the pain.

 

Today I'm wondering if I should work out, a totally contradictory move for me. I think I would feel lousy during it but wonder if I may feel better afterwards with all that good blood flow/hormonal response.

 

I also need to start taking prescription meds honestly. But in the meantime, any tips?

[Hyacinth]

Depending on the severity, I sometimes find a little relief by rubbing a little bit of peppermint essential oil on my forehead, temples, and back of my neck. Even better if dh is around to rub it in with a quick massage. Hot shower. Cold compress. The idea of a workout during a migraine makes me want to puke, but ymmv.

[mom2hunangirls]

I had horrible migraines for years, then one year they were worse. During the time I was training for a half marathon they were less severe but not cured.

Things that helped then:

Cold compress on inside of wrists...still do this for headaches.

Solonpas (sp?) patches. These helped but I ended up needing them all over to work.

3 Tylenol and a coke real fast...worked if caught early.

Ugh...I was so miserable. Finally after I went to neurologist and he rx'd all sorts of things, I never took any of them and got off BC. Know what? No more migraines. My cholesterol went from 300 to 194.

I don't think it was all BC. I think it was this one brand I was on.

But now, the only migraine I have gotten are related to barametric pressure. And I have learned that if one of those are starting I have to drink lots of water (4-5 cups) quickly, but not chugging it :)...and I will be fine. I found that online somewhere and rolled my eyes at it.

It's a little frustrating that getting off a med and water are my great cure! But I'm thankful!!

[Amy in TX]

Sumatriptan (brand name Imitrex) has been a lifesaver for me, seriously. 

 

Before I had that, it was a bag of frozen vegetables covering the painful part of my head, and a dark room.  Dh massaging my temple sometimes helped.

 

About exercise:  I've never tried this, but someone I knew years ago used to go running when she had a migraine.  It helped her.

[1GirlTwinBoys]

My DH works in a plastic surgeon's office and Botox is used to treat migraines as well.

[TeacherZee]

Tepid showers, cold water on my wrists, lots of water and a nap. Cold compress on my forehead is also good.

[Joyofsixreboot]

Well, before I wised up and got a prescription for Imitrex (see above) vomiting was about all that brought relief.  When I finally got that sick I would sort of zone out into a not awake/not asleep state.  I do find since beginning to work out I get fewer headaches and if it's just starting (I can tell when one is coming) I can do what I think of as "run it out".  If I get good and sweaty, not an all out push but vigorous, it seems to raise my bp and then drop it when I recover which pushes the headache back.  Seriously though, I can't recommend meds enough.  I feel really stupid for suffering all those years needlessly.

[Tanaqui]

Some people have triggers for their migraines. This isn't a universal trait, but if you do have them they can be hard to track down, as sometimes a trigger can set of a migraine as much as a day or two later. Do you keep a migraine journal? You might find there's some pattern, like you always get a migraine one day after eating tuna, or if you don't have enough sleep. If you DO have triggers, and those are something within your control, that might help a lot.

[TeacherZee]

Yes definitely look for triggers.

 

For me one of the triggers is my period, which I can't do anything about :) but I do make sure I always carry my meds when I have my period and that I don't try and "tough it out" when I start feeling a headache coming on. Meds straight away.

[MeAndTheBoys]

My husband has migraines every week--there are some triggers for sure.  He got a magnetic necklace with hazelwood and that helped a lot--but now he won't wear it because I restrung it and it "pinches".

 

And taking magnesium--that's his new trick and he's convinced it's working.

 

I feel sorry for those of you suffering :( and it really stinks being a "migraine widow" most weekends too--

 

Betsy

[TeacherZee]

I've stared taking magnesium as well but it was for my fibro, maybe it will help with the migraines too. See this is why I read these threads. :)

[prairiewindmomma]

I used to take imitrex.

 

Huge doses of daily magnesium are the trick for me. 

 

The other not-so-well-known thing that I know friends have used with success is feverfew.

 

[Lucy]

Hi!  Read the book Heal Your Headache by Buchholz.  It is the only comprehensive walk through for triggers and meds that I have found.  I had migraines daily for a year after my tubal.  When I cut out caffeine and msg, it went down to two weeks a month - now with a preventative blood pressure med, it's down to 3-4 days.  On those days, I now take a triptan as a "rescue."  But the book gave me such a good perspective and really held my hand finding my food triggers.  Just one word of warning: he says that  you can't take a rescue med too much or it will cause rebounds - very true, but I find I can take them more often than he recommends.  Every person is different.  I've tried every natural thing, but the propranolol (for my blood pressure) was by far the most effective.

 

I just heard of Petadolex, which is a natural butterbur extract - has great reviews - but you must buy this specific brand from Germany as butterbur can be toxic if not processed correctly.  (Some online have said that even this brand is no longer safe as they have changed the way they process it - but that is a risk you must decide on.) Read the reviews on Amazon.  

 

I hope you get relief - I understand how much cronic pain can affect your life. 

[natalie]

Yes definitely look for triggers.

 

For me one of the triggers is my period, which I can't do anything about :) but I do make sure I always carry my meds when I have my period and that I don't try and "tough it out" when I start feeling a headache coming on. Meds straight away.

I saw my neurologist for this recently. Since having my last baby I've had "menstrual migraines" that start the first day and leave me bedridden for the next two to three days. She instructed me to take naproxen (375 mg) twice a day starting the day before my period started and to continue this for five days. It has only been one month, but it went really well this time around. I'm hopeful it's not just a fluke.

 

I ran out of prescription meds and couldn't get more for awhile. I found that when I felt one coming on during other times of the month I could get some relief or even head it off if I had some caffeine combined with Motrin and Benadryl. The Benadryl I recently discovered accidentally, but it really seems to help.

 

I also avoid my triggers. Sometimes I forget or say just a little of something won't hurt, but then I pay the price.

[J-rap]

I too recommend Heal Your Headache.  My husband had daily migraines for years, and this book is what finally helped him be 80% free of them.  It was mostly diet-related that helped his (he was pretty much on an anti-inflammation diet), plus a calcium channel blocker.  This is also the diet that one of my daughters is on.  Hers weren't quite as frequent, but they were also mostly eliminated by following the diet exactly in this book.  She believes being off gluten helps hers as well.

 

Another daughter has them daily, but unfortunately nothing has helped.  She is considering moving to a different climate because she is so sensitive to weather and pressure changes.  We are also looking into medical marijuana.  (Something we never thought we'd be doing!)  She has really tried everything.

 

BTW, the author of the book above is great.  I emailed him several times with questions and he always answered me.

 

Good luck!

[TeacherZee]

I saw my neurologist for this recently. Since having my last baby I've had "menstrual migraines" that start the first day and leave me bedridden for the next two to three days. She instructed me to take naproxen (375 mg) twice a day starting the day before my period started and to continue this for five days. It has only been one month, but it went really well this time around. I'm hopeful it's not just a fluke.

I ran out of prescription meds and couldn't get more for awhile. I found that when I felt one coming on during other times of the month I could get some relief or even head it off if I had some caffeine combined with Motrin and Benadryl. The Benadryl I recently discovered accidentally, but it really seems to help.

I also avoid my triggers. Sometimes I forget or say just a little of something won't hurt, but then I pay the price.

Naproxen is what I take as well. Only medication that has managed to keep me functional through a migraine

[kbutton]

I gave up gluten and really cleaned up my (already better than) SAD, and it's been helpful. I also take a really good multi vitamin, probiotic, and fish oil. I think all of that works together (and adds a lot of magnesium to my diet). Staying hydrated and not overdoing caffeine helps. I now (usually) have to have more than one trigger at a time (weather, hormones, etc.) before I will have a migraine, or sometimes, I will have just the upset stomach (which ibuprofen helps too), and that is it. It's extremely rare for any migraine to put me on the couch unless it's already late in the day and nearly bedtime. However, about three years ago, I was having daily migraines that were a big problem--that's when I changed diet and added supplements (the change was helpful almost overnight after about a week or ten days of feeling worse). I suspect that after I complete menopause, most will go away, and I'll return to having only the ones with aura, which are already rare for me (and the most severe).

 

I think exercise when you feel good is worth trying, but you might need to take Imitrex or something else to get over that hurdle. I didn't have a different reaction to Imitrex than I did to ibuprofen (both worked fine if I caught the migraine in time). If you have analgesic rebound, that would probably be a different story.

 

A friend recommended feverfew because it helped her sister tremendously--I didn't try it myself because I think it's in the ragweed family, and I can't do anything related to ragweed (no chamomile either). If you don't have that problem, I'd definitely recommend trying it.

 

My doctor told me it was pointless to keep a symptom diary--just cut out trigger foods. I am not a wine drinker, but I eat nuts, chocolate, cheese, etc. now with no problem at all now that I don't eat gluten. However, I did an elimination diet to figure out what might be bothering me--I wouldn't have caught that with a food diary.

 

For those in the thread that have aura with their migraines, I have heard an uptick lately in warning about taking BC pills. My doctor blew off my concerns years ago, so I think it's something that some really don't take seriously. I think if I was contemplating using hormones of any kind again, I would be reading the literature myself, not asking my doctor. That sounds kind of harsh, but I think they are used to BC being the norm.

 

 

[Myeightkiddies]

I like ice packs on my head and/or neck.  Imitrex or any meds with the same active ingredient make me vomit, so I can't take those.  Most other migraine meds have something that conflicts with my asthma.  My doctor warned against taking too many OTC drugs as it can cause rebound headaches.  She did mention Benedryl as some receive doses of that when they go to the ER with migraines.  I have Fiorcet (Tylenol, Caffeine, Barbituate) that I take rarely because it either helps or doesn't but does make me sort of out of it.

 

I've had migraines for most of my life.  It isn't uncommon for me to have five in a week, every week.  I've tried magnesium and other supplements.  A neurologist put me on a preventative, but it didn't work and greatly changed my personality.  The only OTC that sort of works (besides Benedryl which also sort of works) is Advil Migraine.  If I take it the moment I think one is coming on it will shave some of the pain off of it or reduce the severity.  Sometimes I add a Sudafed or Sudafed Sinus and Pain (sudafed with Tylenol) if I feel that the migraine is including sinus pain - as I get weather-related migraines too.

 

About two months ago I quit drinking coffee.  I had about two cups a day.  Since then, surprisingly enough, I'm down to just one migraine a week and actually went a couple weeks without one.  I still have caffeine in meds and an occasional soft drink.  I thought when I quit that the migraines would increase, so this was a pleasant surprise. 

[displace]

Thanks for all these tips! I'll have to go over them more fully and take notes. My migraines are triggered hormonally but sometimes assoc with stress and muscle tension. I'll have to pick up some naproxen and try that.

 

I did not work out and so far the ibuprofen is staving off the worst of it. Could have been just the beginning of one or a false alarm. Interesting about barometric pressure cause there was a super strange storm here today.

 

I tend to avoid rx meds because I'm still nursing, and also imitrex caused a throat tightening episode with me in the past, so getting rx meds safe for nursing that are a different class may be difficult but at least require a little research on my behalf. Everyone's so sweet to wish me well . Thanks, Hive!

[Joyofsixreboot]

Just FYI imitrex is approved for BF. I feel so badly for those of you suffering so often. I seriously would contemplate something drastic if my headaches were so frequent. (((hugs)))