Once a migraine has started, is there anything to lessen the symptoms?

[clementine]

My 16 year old dd gets bad migraines.  They are seldom, but nasty.  She gets the aura, nausea to the point of vomiting, and is pretty much out of commission until it passes - usually hours.  

 

My question is, she doesn't know one is coming on until it's too late (I think).  Has anyone had success with lessening the symptoms or severity after one has started?  I'm really not interested in having her see a doctor, as it's not chronic.   Thanks all!

[Guest]

Yes. I slam about 1000 mg of ibuprofen, drink salty broth to wash it down, and sleep it off. I'd say that usually kicks it completely or drastically reduces my symptoms compared to staying awake with no treatment.

[itsheresomewhere]

B-2 daily 400mg.   You can buy one that is called migraine mix and it contains magnesium too. At first sign I eat some protein.  It helps and sometimes can stop it.  

[clementine]

Yes. I slam about 1000 mg of ibuprofen, drink salty broth to wash it down, and sleep it off. I'd say that usually kicks it completely or drastically reduces my symptoms compared to staying awake with no treatment.

 

 

Thank you!  

[mom2scouts]

As soon as I feel a migraine coming on I take two Excedrin migraine tablets.  It's the only thing that works for me and it only works if I take it before the pain gets too bad.

[Amira]

Water, sleep, and ibuprofen if my son can keep it down.  He takes ibuprofen at the first hint of a headache in an effort to head off a migraine. He doesn't get an aura, but for the few migraines I have had, it makes a HUGE difference if I can take ibuprofen when the aura occurs, then drink a lot of water and lie down in a cool, dark place.

[itsheresomewhere]

Yes. I slam about 1000 mg of ibuprofen, drink salty broth to wash it down, and sleep it off. I'd say that usually kicks it completely or drastically reduces my symptoms compared to staying awake with no treatment.

That causes a rebound migraine in me.  

[justasque]

If I take ibuprofen as soon as I see the aura, I don't get the migraine.  I carry ibuprofen at all times for just this reason.  My aura is bright, flashing zig-zag lines; sometimes I can catch it at the very beginning when it's just little blips of light.

[clementine]

If I take ibuprofen as soon as I see the aura, I don't get the migraine.  I carry ibuprofen at all times for just this reason.  My aura is bright, flashing zig-zag lines; sometimes I can catch it at the very beginning when it's just little blips of light.

 

 

That is how she describes her aura too.  Ibuprofen seems to be common - will definitely have her try that.  Thank you!

[I talk to the trees]

I rub peppermint oil on several spots on my head and neck, and if I do it soon enough, it will keep the vomiting at bay, which makes the pain a little more endurable. (No, I don't sell essential oils. I was doing this decades before essential oil mania hit.)  I also keep ice packs on my head until whatever nsaid I have taken (I prefer naproxen) takes effect. 

 

:grouphug: to your dd.

[justasque]

That is how she describes her aura too.  Ibuprofen seems to be common - will definitely have her try that.  Thank you!

I have also found that they sometimes seem to be connected with either 1) needing a new prescription for my glasses, or 2) sinus issues due to seasonal allergies.  Solving these things goes a long way towards avoiding the migraine entirely.

[Guest]

Water, sleep, and ibuprofen if my son can keep it down.  He takes ibuprofen at the first hint of a headache in an effort to head off a migraine. He doesn't get an aura, but for the few migraines I have had, it makes a HUGE difference if I can take ibuprofen when the aura occurs, then drink a lot of water and lie down in a cool, dark place.

 

This is what I do, but use Excedrin Migraine instead. Dh bought some black out curtains for our bedroom and older ds's, as he gets them too. When I feel one, I immediately take something for them and start with water. Then I lay down in the darkened room and sleep it off. I would definitely have her start journaling what she eats and does. My doctor suggested I do that, and it helped to narrow down some of my triggers.

[Katy]

Excedrin helps, but there are powdered versions of the same medicines (caffeine, Tylenol, and aspirin) that you can pour in your mouth and get into your system faster.  They taste horrible, but if swallowed with an energy drink specifically or something else with caffeine (like Mtn Dew), it can help a lot.  Peppermint essential oil rubbed on temples helps a lot too.  Obviously it's better when taken at the first sign of symptoms than later, but both help at least a little at any time.

 

I order NOW brand food grade essential oil from Amazon recently.  It's cheap and seems better in quality than the more expensive oils I've tried.  Also there's no issues with MLM companies.

[unsinkable]

Excedrin with caffeinated drink then sleep in a dark room with icy cold cloth on my head.

 

I also had Relpax but I had to take it immediately.

 

And please reconsider going to a doctor. She is at an age that they can easily worsen and become more frequent. It's better to get a relationship established now, IMO.

[zoobie]

Ibuprofen doesn't help mine. Excedrin is okay, but 2 Aleve taken with a real Coke, an ice pack, and a dark room is my treatment. I will sometimes take a shower in the hottest water I can stand, soak my head and shoulders in that, then switch to ice cold (only the head!). Then ice pack. I have a Velcro head wrap to hold the ice packs that is my BFF.

 

There was another thread on essential oils and migraines. I've tried a couple, and while they don't help my headache, they do help me relax a little. I do think getting tense makes them worse. Plus relaxing makes it easier to sleep, which helps. I do some quasi-meditative deep breathing.

 

She can start keeping a log of food and her cycle. I always got one two days before my period started until I had kids. I didn't go to the doctor until I could take myself in college. I wish my parents had taken me seriously before then. Magnesium really helps some people, and the supplement is fairly innocuous.

[Kalmia]

Ibuprofen and a Pepsi or Coke (regular) immediately upon first hint of an aura then straight to bed in a dark room. That usually prevents the headache from coming on.

 

I also have learned to identify my triggers and will take ibuprofen upon encountering them. Mine are dramatic changes in weather (increase in heat/humidity/possibly barometric pressure) and visually overstimulating environments (once it was a flourescently lit stationery store with hundreds of patterns and reflective plastic wrap on anything another time it was a crystal clear day, breezy, with the autumn leaves moving against the blue sky. Weird, huh?) So if I know the temp is going to rise dramatically between one day and the next, I might take a preventative Advil. I can't generally predict what my brain will conside a visually overstimulating environment though!

[clementine]

Ibuprofen and a Pepsi or Coke (regular) immediately upon first hint of an aura then straight to bed in a dark room. That usually prevents the headache from coming on.

 

I also have learned to identify my triggers and will take ibuprofen upon encountering them. Mine are dramatic changes in weather (increase in heat/humidity/possibly barometric pressure) and visually overstimulating environments (once it was a flourescently lit stationery store with hundreds of patterns and reflective plastic wrap on anything another time it was a crystal clear day, breezy, with the autumn leaves moving against the blue sky. Weird, huh?) So if I know the temp is going to rise dramatically between one day and the next, I might take a preventative Advil. I can't generally predict what my brain will conside a visually overstimulating environment though!

 

I think having her journal will be helpful - finding out her triggers is smart!

[unsinkable]

Ibuprofen and a Pepsi or Coke (regular) immediately upon first hint of an aura then straight to bed in a dark room. That usually prevents the headache from coming on.

 

I also have learned to identify my triggers and will take ibuprofen upon encountering them. Mine are dramatic changes in weather (increase in heat/humidity/possibly barometric pressure) and visually overstimulating environments (once it was a flourescently lit stationery store with hundreds of patterns and reflective plastic wrap on anything another time it was a crystal clear day, breezy, with the autumn leaves moving against the blue sky. Weird, huh?) So if I know the temp is going to rise dramatically between one day and the next, I might take a preventative Advil. I can't generally predict what my brain will conside a visually overstimulating environment though!

I don't think the fluorescent lighting being a trigger is weird at all. It is a known trigger for seizures. They trigger my DD's seizures.

[mommymonster]

I take a Benadryl allergy-sinus-headache, drink a diet coke and take a nap as soon as I feel a migraine coming on. Also, one of my early symptoms is getting really cold for no apparent reason -- I start my migraine "protocol" if that happens as well.

[wendyroo]

I get a migraine about once a month.  The hard part about fighting them is that they normally progress from the first hint of pain to excruciating headache and vomiting in 10ish minutes.  My doctor prescribed Tylenol with Codeine, which is nice, but really not all that much better than when I take a big dose of Ibuprofen.  Both of those are utterly useless, however, if I immediately vomit them up.  The most helpful thing the doctor did was prescribe some melt-away Zofran tablets.  At the first hint of pain, I take a Zofran which normally eliminates the vomiting and as a side effect puts me to sleep.  As soon as I start to feel the Zofran hit my system (very fast) then I take Ibuprofen or Tylenol with Codeine and try to get some sleep.

 

Wendy

[SparklyUnicorn]

When I had them, all I could do was take some pain reliever of one form or another and sleep it off. 

 

 

[Btervet]

Once one of my migraines has started, light and sound are torture devices. It helps me to take a shower in a dark bathroom, with either very warm or cold water. The sound of the water drowns out other sounds, and it becomes somewhat soothing. Then I sleep in a dark room with a cold pillow (DH puts my pillow in our chest freezer while I shower).

 

No pain med has ever touched my migraine once started. If I can take Ibuprofen before it gets going, there is a slight chance to stop it from being a full blown migraine.

 

I would also suggest a food journal. I went from almost daily migraines to every couple of months with a long term change in diet. I wish I had tried that earlier, as I suffered through years of unhelpful doctor's visits with medication that rarely worked more than once.

[Guest]

Ibuprofen and a Pepsi or Coke (regular) immediately upon first hint of an aura then straight to bed in a dark room. That usually prevents the headache from coming on.

 

I also have learned to identify my triggers and will take ibuprofen upon encountering them. Mine are dramatic changes in weather (increase in heat/humidity/possibly barometric pressure) and visually overstimulating environments (once it was a flourescently lit stationery store with hundreds of patterns and reflective plastic wrap on anything another time it was a crystal clear day, breezy, with the autumn leaves moving against the blue sky. Weird, huh?) So if I know the temp is going to rise dramatically between one day and the next, I might take a preventative Advil. I can't generally predict what my brain will conside a visually overstimulating environment though!

 

Forgot this. When I take something for a migraine, I always take it with a caffienated drink. Some people have the opposite reaction with caffiene though.

 

[The Governess]

I agree with other posters who said that if she gets the aura and takes ibuprofen immediately, it might keep it from turning into a full-blown migraine. I don't get them often anymore, but if I follow these instructions I will get only a dull headache.

 

I'd have her keep ibuprofen or a similar med with her at all times so it is available immediately.

[Guest]

When I had to go to the ER for some IV meds for my migraine, the nurse suggested ibuprofen, Benadryl and pepto bismol tablets. I take my "cocktail" with grape juice. If it doesn't completely take it away, it certainly lessens the migraine to the point of being able to function somewhat.

[Tammyla]

Tylenol and 3 baby aspirin are what I take if I feel one coming on.  Bright lights or sun are a trigger for me, so sunglasses are a must.  Some perfumes will give me one, and I avoid people who wear too much.  Just mentioning this because moving at a theatre or other closely seated place can help if she has the same reaction.  In fact, she might want to keep a headache journal.  You can find them on-line and they can really help her figure out her triggers. :grouphug:  

[MyThreeSons]

My 16 year old dd gets bad migraines.  They are seldom, but nasty.  She gets the aura, nausea to the point of vomiting, and is pretty much out of commission until it passes - usually hours.  

 

My question is, she doesn't know one is coming on until it's too late (I think).  Has anyone had success with lessening the symptoms or severity after one has started?  I'm really not interested in having her see a doctor, as it's not chronic.   Thanks all!

 

My son (yes, son) swears by Midol. He tries to take it as soon as he feels one coming on.

 

I do the purchasing for him.  :laugh:

[Guest]

Once one of my migraines has started, light and sound are torture devices. It helps me to take a shower in a dark bathroom, with either very warm or cold water. The sound of the water drowns out other sounds, and it becomes somewhat soothing. Then I sleep in a dark room with a cold pillow (DH puts my pillow in our chest freezer while I shower).

 

No pain med has ever touched my migraine once started. If I can take Ibuprofen before it gets going, there is a slight chance to stop it from being a full blown migraine.

 

I would also suggest a food journal. I went from almost daily migraines to every couple of months with a long term change in diet. I wish I had tried that earlier, as I suffered through years of unhelpful doctor's visits with medication that rarely worked more than once.

This is important - food diaries can be so helpful. It turns out one of my triggers is mushrooms. Well I was having them for lunch or dinner almost daily, and had a significant ramp up in headaches and migraines that I didn't correlate until I was writing things down and could look at the pattern. Stress is a trigger, too.

[Guest]

Also...is she having them close to her cycle? I have to use a period tracking app specifically to remind me when mine will be coming, because it triggers migraines a couple days prior. When I know it is a couple days out, I start taking meds as a precaution, and it seems to help.

[The Governess]

This is important - food diaries can be so helpful. It turns out one of my triggers is mushrooms. Well I was having them for lunch or dinner almost daily, and had a significant ramp up in headaches and migraines that I didn't correlate until I was writing things down and could look at the pattern. Stress is a trigger, too.

Mine are usually triggered by light. I got one on an international flight once, triggered by the reading light shining too close to my eye. I sometimes get them at dusk - I have astigmatism and sometimes at dusk my eyes do wonky things. I got one once at the grocery store when a long row of shiny cellophane-wrapped flowers confused my vision for a moment - it was this weird disorienting feeling, like my brain could not process what I was looking at. I almost fell over.

 

In high school I would get them after being outside in the bright sun and then coming into a (relatively) dark classroom.

[EmseB]

I slam a cup of coffee (for caffeine) and Excedrin migraine as soon as I feel one coming on.  Then I lie down.  This usually mitigates the damage.

[Guest]

Mine are usually triggered by light. I got one on an international flight once, triggered by the reading light shining too close to my eye. I sometimes get them at dusk - I have astigmatism and sometimes at dusk my eyes do wonky things. I got one once at the grocery store when a long row of shiny cellophane-wrapped flowers confused my vision for a moment - it was this weird disorienting feeling, like my brain could not process what I was looking at. I almost fell over.

 

In high school I would get them after being outside in the bright sun and then coming into a (relatively) dark classroom.

That's so interesting about your astigmatism. Sometimes I have eye strain and tiredness issues that seem to spark them, especially driving home in the evening. I have an astigmatism and weak eye muscles, I wonder if that could be related?

 

The worst thing about them coming on in cars is not being able to lay down!

[Greta]

First, since she vomits, I would buy a *powdered* NSAID, have her keep it with her at all times and take it as soon as she gets the aura. That way, it will hopefully have time go get absorbed before she vomits (and hopefully prevent it from getting that severe). Pills take longer to digest. Powders taste awful, but they are well worth it since her migraines come on so hard and fast. I use this one: http://www.bcpowder.com The combination of aspirin and caffeine works best for me. Some people find that caffeine makes their migraines worse, but for me it helps much, much more than NSAID alone.

 

Second, I would have her start journaling her migraines and any possible triggers, as has been suggested. Do they correlate with her menstrual cycle? Are they triggered by certain foods? Activities? Stress?

 

Third, as someone who suffered from migraines for more than a decade before she finally went to the doctor, I would encourage you to reconsider your decision not to take her to the doctor. I'm very glad that hers aren't frequent, but that could, unfortunately, change, plus they are already severe. If the powdered NSAID doesn't help her, the doctor can offer her other treatment options.

[Paula in MS]

Ice packs and benadryl also helps with whatever OTC pain medicine works best for her.  I also find it helpful to drink/eat something cold if I can do it before the nausea hits, like a snow cone or popsicle.  

[unsinkable]

There are acetaminophen suppositories if vomiting and/or nausea is severe.

 

Sometimes things are really desperate... :leaving:

[clementine]

There are acetaminophen suppositories if vomiting and/or nausea is severe.

 

Sometimes things are really desperate... :leaving:

 

 

Lol!

[Katy]

Oh, I forgot- Mexican Coke!  It has at least twice the caffeine of regular coke, but it even got rid of a cluster headache for me once.  Don't just fall for the stuff in glass bottles.  get the glass bottles that have spanish on them and have paper nutrition labels pasted on to make them legal in America.  American glass bottled coke is not the same formulation.  I've found cases of them at Sam's club, but beware.  They're so delicious you can easily drink three, then realize both you and DH are wide awake and shaking at three AM and have no idea why.  Then you remember- it was the coke.  It's like a double shot of espresso in every bottle.

[sbgrace]

I agree with everyone else that treatment at the very beginning (ie aura) can sometimes stop it. I use Excedrin Migraine. Ibuprofen alone won't do it for me.

 

Once I get to a certain point, though, nothing is going to stop it except sleeping it off. If it actually makes me vomit, though, that will sometimes take the edge off enough for other thing (meds, sleep, etc.) can help. Occasionally it goes away completely after I get sick, but not always. ETA: If I'm not too nauseous, taking a shower in the dark helps me some. That can help when it hurts too much to fall asleep. Oh, I feel bad for your daughter. Do keep a food diary. For many women, though, hormones alone are a trigger. 

[Catwoman]

My son (yes, son) swears by Midol. He tries to take it as soon as he feels one coming on.

 

I do the purchasing for him. :laugh:

I was just going to suggest Midol.

 

LOL about your son not purchasing his own!!! :laugh:

[JFSinIL]

When ds was younger and got frequent migraines,the kind that take you out of commission for a full day, the only thing that helped IF he could take the med as soon as he realized a migraine was starting was Zomig.    Which made Boy Scout campouts really fun, since they would not let him keep a Zomig on his person.  :(

 

He also was put on Depakote as a migraine preventative, which helped him go from almost weekly migraines to one every few months (and then Zomig, a cool wet cloth on his forehead and hiding in a dark room while waiting for Zomig to kick in).

 

Good luck.

 

Zomig is a prescription medication. It comes in individual tiny foil packets. It is one of those tiny soft tablets that dissolves in the mouth.

http://zomig.com/

 

Oh, wow, now I see it comes as a nasal spray!  OK, it has been a decade since ds has needed it (he outgrew his migraines)

[Peaceful Isle]

Oh my goodness, your poor daughter. :(

 

My dr told me a few things to help with my classic migraines, but this is what works best for me:

 

Asprin, 3 Advil, bottle of water or two ( if it is before my nausea comes, if not, forget it) , heating pad on my neck, laying in a dark, cool quiet bedroom, for about 3 hours.

 

If I can catch it soon enough and get all my list done, it usually lessons a bit to be almost bearable. Mine usually last 3 days :(

[hornblower]

There are acetaminophen suppositories if vomiting and/or nausea is severe.

 

Sometimes things are really desperate... :leaving:

 

gravol also comes in suppository and will treat the nausea and has the added benefit of making most people sleepy.

 

Mine are triggered by lack of sleep and occasionally by motion sickness. I had a several bad trips before I figured out I have to schedule departures a certain way so I'm not sleep deprived in a plane or car.

 

I take Robaxacet Platinum (which is ibuprofen and a muscle relaxant) + coke or cup of coffee, rub ice gel on my neck, slap an ice pack on my neck and forehead, and go lie down in a dark room & try to sleep it off.  

[crazyforlatin]

I haven't been doing much except trying to fight it with 600 mg of ibuprofen at the beginning. No wonder that hasn't worked if PP takes 1000 mg. I'm usually out for 2.5 days, and I'm constantly vomiting, almost like when I was pregnant with DD, but worse. I don't bother doing anything during the migraine since I once tried aspirin and one other time tried another 600mg, and neither did anything for me. But I see now that I'm a migraine fighter at a novice level.

[prairiewindmomma]

She should notice if there is an average time between aura and the onslaught of headache. It will help her figure out if she has time to do oral mess or if she needs injectables or suppositories. It will also help her if she has one while away from home and needs to find a safe place to cope.

 

I have enough time to do caffeine + NSAIDs. I have not found an effective Rx, but sleep + magnesium + b-spectrum vitamins keeps them away. I cannot get less than 6 hours total sleep at night without possibly triggering a migraine.

[Classic Mom]

There are medications for migraines that can be taken as soon as the first signs of a migraine appear (aura, etc.).  They basically stop the migraine before it starts.  You can change the down time from the migraine to 15 minutes instead of hours.  Please see a doctor and talk with the doctor about preventive prn migraine meds.  First line drugs are triptans which constrict blood vessels and block the pain pathways of migraines. These are not sedatives and are not addictive.

 

[The Governess]

That's so interesting about your astigmatism. Sometimes I have eye strain and tiredness issues that seem to spark them, especially driving home in the evening. I have an astigmatism and weak eye muscles, I wonder if that could be related?

 

The worst thing about them coming on in cars is not being able to lay down!

I think there must be some relationship. Also sometimes when my eyes are tired I won't get a full migraine, but my eyes will feel a bit strained, and I will get that weird pressure-y yet spacey feeling in my head that's *like* a migraine, but without the extreme pain... If that makes any sense.

 

My Dad gets a lot of migraines, although he rarely gets the headache anymore. He just gets the aura and then his head feels weird for the rest of the day.

[zoobie]

Oh, I forgot- Mexican Coke! It has at least twice the caffeine of regular coke, but it even got rid of a cluster headache for me once. Don't just fall for the stuff in glass bottles. get the glass bottles that have spanish on them and have paper nutrition labels pasted on to make them legal in America. American glass bottled coke is not the same formulation. I've found cases of them at Sam's club, but beware. They're so delicious you can easily drink three, then realize both you and DH are wide awake and shaking at three AM and have no idea why. Then you remember- it was the coke. It's like a double shot of espresso in every bottle.

I had no idea that they have more caffeine. We buy cases at Costco.

[unsinkable]

Lol!

It is funny that I'm embarrassed now...but in my hour of need, I don't. even. care.

[tori@thehomefront]

Apologies if this has been mentioned already. My migraines start with visual auras, and as soon as I see the "flashing" I take 2 extra strength Tylenol and a big dose of caffeine. For me, that's as much Pepsi or coke as I can get down quickly. That makes them bearable.

 

Hugs to you... I know everyone has different methods of dealing, hth. Migraines suck.

[clementine]

I am encouraged by your advice!  I feel dumb that I didn't even think to up the dose of ibuprofen or slam some caffeine or have her take a nap or a bath.  I'll get some pepperment oiI too, since we've had great results treating anxiety with lavender oil & epsom salts.  I still dread the next one, but at least this time I will be armed with help!

 

Thank you so much!!