Migraine sufferers

[pinkmint]

If you get migraines, what are your triggers and what seems to help?

 

I'm really struggling lately. I wake up every day with head pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and sounds etc.

 

I try to resist taking Advil and Tylenol constantly. I know it can't be good but I don't know what to do. Looking online there are so many potential causes and triggers, who knows where to start?

 

A couple years ago I did see the dr about my migraines specifically. He just gave me a medication that gave me all kinds of messed up side effects (Topamax) and didn't really even help.

 

I sometimes wonder if it's orthodontic related since my teeth are quite crowded and my jaw is not aligned properly but ortho work is considered cosmetic and would be out of pocket and there's just no way we could afford that. Plus what if it doesn't help?

 

Anyway it's frustrating not having a clue what's causing it and feeling helpless in how to manage it.

Edited August 15, 2016 by pinkmint

[gardenmom5]

triggers:

too much sun, too much sugar, not enough water, not enough sleep.

 

they've gotten better as I've gotten older.   Excedrin was the only otc that would touch them.

 

learning to keep my blood sugar more stable, drink enough, sleep enough, helped.  working on some other nutritional deficiencies helped too.  thyroid can also be a trigger, and I've been on rx for seven? years.  (adrenal dysfunction can  also be a trigger - and I probably was pretty low even as a teen.)

[Carrie12345]

I never got to the root of mine.  I was on preventative meds once they started and became frequent, but I weaned off of them years ago.  Now I may get two in a month, or one in two months.  Fortunately, Advil Migraine works well for me.

 

My daughter is triggered by too much heat, sun, and dehydration.  Eyeglasses helped a little, chiropractic helped some, but water (or Gatorade if she's been very active) is her real friend.  She doesn't take any pain relievers b/c she'll just throw them up.

[Guest]

So I went to the doctor abut something unrelated to migraines and she suggested I start on blood pressure meds (unrelated to what I went in to her for). I wanted to laugh at her because my blood pressure was on the higher end of normal, but still fine. I started taking them and now my blood pressure is on the low end, but I haven't had a migraine since. If I forget to take that stupid little pill, it's almost guaranteed that I will get a migraine.

[pinkmint]

Interesting about the blood pressure meds.

 

I was given Topamax (otherwise known as Dope-a-max because of it's side effects) and I couldn't stand it.

[Riverland]

Excedrine Migraine (NON-generic) is the best for me. I tried all the OTC I could find, and nothing touched them except this. I did have a prescription one time, but don't recall what it was. But the Excedrine Migraine worked just as well and was cheaper. I take it as soon as I have the pre-migraine feeling. Do not wait until your migraine is bad because then it is harder to stop.

[LucyStoner]

Sumatriptan is an rx that can help. I haven't had side effects with it.

 

Exercise, sleep and hydration are also important for me in reducing migraine frequency.

[Hyacinth]

Agreeing with those who mentioned Excedrin Migraine. That cocktail of aspirin, acetaminophen, and caffeine is potent. Advil or Tylenol alone wouldn't touch my headaches.

 

Other things that kinda sorta help (once I've taken the excedrin) include a super hot shower, peppermint oil on my temples and back of my neck, and an ice pack on my forehead.

 

It's anecdotal, but mine decreased significantly when I ditched the Diet Coke habit.

[Lady Marmalade]

I get migraines when I consume artificial sweeteners and too many nitrates.  I can eat one sausage, or 1-2 strips of bacon with a meal, but I cannot just sit down to a whole lot of meat loaded with preservatives.  

 

Also, if I skip a meal I will get a doozy of a headache that will lead to a migraine if I don't correct course.  

 

One time I had a migraine that was triggered by wonky fonts and text in a Rachael Ray magazine.  That one was scary- I was reading the magazine and struggling just a little bit with the colored fonts and colored backgrounds when my eyes started twitching and I was seeing spots and swirls and the migraine was instantaneous.  It lasted for two days, and I've never picked up a RR magazine since. 

 

I take Motrin for headaches, but if I feel like I'm drifting towards migraine territory I will add Excedrine Migraine.  Once I was out and I successfully used peppermint oil- I put two drops in a steaming cup of water and gently breathed in the vapors.  I couldn't believe it worked, but it did.

[fdrinca]

Dehydration is my most reliable trigger.

 

I find a great deal of relief by taking caffeine. Problem: Caffeine is hard to drink while you have a migraine. Solution: caffeine pills. I feel like a junkie high schooler, but they work very effectively for me. 

 

If it's bad, I'll often take some caffeine and take a nap. Advil works well in this cocktail as well. Sometimes, the kids are sent to watch Netflix and be QUIET FOR THE SAKE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY during this time. 

I'm nervous of taking too much acetaminophen after a friend recently OD'ed accidentally on extra-strength Tylenol. Apparently it's easier to do than you'd expect. HuffPo article, take with grains of salt and such: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/24/tylenol-overdose_n_3976991.html 

[Paula in MS]

Interesting about the blood pressure meds.

 

I was given Topamax (otherwise known as Dope-a-max because of it's side effects) and I couldn't stand it.

 

In high school, I was prescribed blood pressure medicine for migraine prevention.  I think this is/was a fairly normal treatment even in people with normal blood pressure.

[Selkie]

My migraines are triggered by hormonal shifts.  I get two of them per month like clockwork, one right after ovulation and one right before my period starts.

 

I take Advil, drink lots of coffee and Diet Dr. Pepper, and use one of those heating pads that you put in the microwave.  Also, eating salty foods seems to help (I get major salt cravings during headaches and have heard other migraine sufferers say that they experience the same thing.)

 

Eight months ago, I eliminated grains and (most) sugar from my diet, and that seems to have helped a lot in reducing the severity of my migraines.

[HollyDay]

So I went to the doctor abut something unrelated to migraines and she suggested I start on blood pressure meds (unrelated to what I went in to her for). I wanted to laugh at her because my blood pressure was on the higher end of normal, but still fine. I started taking them and now my blood pressure is on the low end, but I haven't had a migraine since. If I forget to take that stupid little pill, it's almost guaranteed that I will get a migraine.

 

I had a similar experience.  I have not had a migraine since starting a beta blocker.  I did have an aura once during the "normalzing period" (first 2 weeks to 30 days) but it never progressed to a migraine.  It has been over 2 years now and I'm migraine free...used to get them at least once a month, sometimes more.

[JanetC]

DD was on an old-school anti-depressant for migraine prevention. What really helped us was a nurse-practitioner who sat down and did a detailed interview:  What time do you take the med? How soon after do you feel the side effect? How long does that last? How do you feel in the morning? She then gave us a couple different dosing schedule changes to try and one of them reduced side effects considerably, which allowed us to up the dose, which made the headaches go away. We eventually got off the meds via biofeedback training.

 

When you have a constant headache, sometimes the trigger of today's headache is "I had a headache yesterday." Or, if you overuse pain relief meds, you can get a rebound headache from trying to stop taking them. (Our doctor said twice a week or less for pain meds.) We never did identify a specific trigger for DD, there seemed to be a lot of things that played a part.

 

If you haven't talked to a doctor about this in a couple years, you should probably see someone.

[LadyR]

Triggers for me are too much screen time or not drinking enough water.  Excedrin migraine is great!  Generic brands also work for me.  I'm super sensitive to meds so just a half pill works for me if I take it early enough.

[Farrar]

I've never been able to get to the root of my triggers. Mysterious. I mean, I know some - a long day with too much to do, especially outside... but I haven't found a clear pattern beyond a few things like that.

 

I have a new doctor and she has me trying sumatriptan. It knocks me out. I'm afraid to drive on it as yet which is pretty limiting, but I've only taken it a few times.

 

I can't take Excedrin Migraine. Caffeine makes me throw up. I don't ingest it in any other contexts except very occasionally tea and the minute amounts in chocolate (I don't drink any soda or coffee) and when it's in medication the medication always makes me throw up.

[PinkTulip]

My triggers are flashes of bright light (strobe lights, or the sun reflecting of a building window), not enough sleep, and physically overdoing it (running a 5k).

 

So I always wear sunglasses, am pretty regimented about going to bed early, and am 15 pounds overweight (still trying to figure out the balance between exercise and not triggering a migraine).

 

When I start getting an aura, I know I have about 20 minutes to drink some Coke, take a few Motrin, and lay down with my eyes closed before it will turn into a full-blown migraine. If I do those things, I can stave it off.

[J-rap]

Heal Your Headache (the book) was very helpful for my husband and one of my dd's.  Another dd has a particularly stubborn chronic migraine (has lasted for 7 years now) that we haven't been able to help, yet.

[sbgrace]

I'm another who gets the best relief from Excedrin Migraine.

 

But waking with them is really miserable. :grouphug: Taking the medicine before it becomes a full on migraine is a lot more helpful than after. You can't do that if you wake with it, and that does happen to me too. If I wake with one or don't catch it fast, I take a hot shower and hope the medicine can take the edge off enough to get through it. I will recover faster if I can fall asleep, but that's hard to do in the morning especially.

 

My cycle/hormones is a big root of mine. But so is uneven/irregular sleep, dehydration, and just plain too much in a day.

[HSmomof2]

Dh gets migraines. Biggest trigger for him is lack of sleep. He takes Excedrin Migraine and also has an rx for Imitrex. He saw a neurologist a couple years ago for them, and she put him on a low dose of blood pressure med, even though his bp wasn't high. This has been the biggest help in preventing migraines for him. He went from having several per month to only 2-3 per year now.

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I met a lifeguard while on vacation this past spring and she was telling me she is gluten free because it causes her migraines.  No other side effects from gluten like digestive issues etc... She just gets terrible migraines.  

 

I've met quite a few people over the last couple years since my DH went gluten free that have done so for reasons other than digestive.  

 

 

[pinkmint]

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

I just had to send DH to the store at 6 am for Excedrin. Woke up like this again. Ugh. I hope to get this figured out.

 

Btw does anyone notice their hair affecting things? My hair is very thick and having it in a bun or ponytail seems to cause strain. Tempted to cut it off if it would help.

[scbusf]

Eating Gluten-free has almost completely gotten rid of my migraines. Other triggers for me are: weather changes, MSG, heat, and bright lights.

[Greta]

My personal triggers:

 

If I fail to eat something fairly carby within one hour of waking up, there is precisely a 100% chance that I will get a bad migraine within the next hour. This kind of stinks because I have absolutely no appetite that early, but I've learned from experience that I have to force myself to eat whether I want food or not.

 

Low carb dieting seemed to make it worse, which also really stinks because I loved that diet in every other way.

 

Mine are definitely hormone related, because they appeared with puberty, disappeared during pregnancy and nursing, and became chronic and debilitating with perimenopause.

 

Loud, high-frequency and repetitive, percussive noises are a major trigger for me. Bright flashing lights, watching disorienting rapid motion on a large screen, or experiencing disorienting rapid motion (amusement park rides) are also triggers.

 

Drinking any kind of alcohol has also become a trigger in recent years, though it wasn't in the past.

 

Getting dehydrated, hypoglycemic, or overheated will also trigger.

 

Treatments that work for me:

 

Tri-cyclic antidepressant, taken daily for prevention. I wasn't optimistic, but this stuff has saved my life!

 

Aspirin with caffeine, or sumatriptan taken immediately at the first sign of a migraine works wonders.

 

Minimum of four hours of aerobic exercise per week reduces frequency considerably.

 

Treatment that did NOT work for me: blood pressure lowering meds. My blood pressure has always been on the low end of normal, but my GP tried two diffent blood pressure lowering meds for me anyway. They both made me feel AWFUL. I then saw a neurologist who said that my GP never should have tried that for me, because given what my blood pressure was before the meds, it would only make me feel worse. But if your blood pressure is high, or even high end of normal range, might be worth a shot.

 

I hope you feel better soon!

Edited August 17, 2016 by Greta

[kbutton]

If your hair is bothering you, it might be tension headache. It's a lot like a migraine in how it feels. You are also stressed, and that will lead to them. I found tension headaches to be more persistent in coming and resistant to meds until I figured out what was making me stressed. I actually got them ONLY at my MIL's house, lol! True story, and my DH made the connection. If your jaw is part of the problem, it might also be tension from your jaw not being right vs. a migraine.

 

For migraines, heat is a big deal for me as is stormy weather (even if it goes around us or overhead without storming). Dehydration. I have much less severe migraines now that I am gluten free, but not everyone has that experience. High histamine foods can do it too. Mine are definitely bound up in hormones and allergies, but that was not always the case. I think getting good nutrition helps, particularly magnesium, vitamin D.

 

For pain meds, you can get analgesic rebound headaches. I think there are strategies out there for preventing that. I know that I was counseled to take 800 mg. of ibuprofen right away with aura (or whatever precursor I can identify--there are almost always signs I'm getting one, though they aren't always aura) vs. taking a little of this, a little of that. Then, wait 8 hours to take 800 more (if needed--I rarely have to take a second dose). I did have a migraine "convert" once (stick around for days), and that almost always means a different short-term approach with a doctor. If I feel like I can't drink water or something with caffeine, I can usually drink small amounts of something sugary, and then I feel a little better and can handle some decent food or water/tea. Not sure why the sugary helps, but it does (another trick from DH who doesn't get headaches, lol!).

 

If you are worried about too much acetaminophen, you can get an 8 hour. Some stores carry generic for it, but for sure, you can get name brand. It's an extended release thing, and if you take the max dose of it vs. the max does of the regular, I think you get only about 2/3 as many mg of the actual drug, plus it's effective longer. It's not a bad deal.

 

I think it makes a difference to find a good doctor that really gets migraine. 

 

I am sorry you are struggling with your migraines so much right now. It's the pits.

[Peaceful Isle]

I was diagnosed with migraines about a year ago, although I've had them longer than that by far.

 

I always know when one is coming on. I feel a sense of...not sure how to put it. Very weird feeling...I know it's coming. My brain and eyes almost feel numb and I get light spots before my eyes.

 

What helps, is when the early symptoms happen, I hurry and get medication in me...even though it hardly helps, it takes the edge off so I'm not vomiting in the toilet. :/

Laying down in a cool, dark room helps and drinking water.