Migraines - advice for dealing?

[Aurian]

Anyone have any advice for dealing with migraines?

 

I always used to get them at random once or twice a year, but lately I've been getting them almost every week (possibly due to stress). I also notice that they seem to be trigged by changes in air pressure - when the weather makes a big change, I get a whammy. I have visited my doctor numerous times, but each time I just get a new drug to try out to stop a migraine once its started.

 

The problem with drugs for me is that I either react very badly to them (ever get a list of the potential side effects with your prescription? I usually get those #-o ). If I do find something that works without a bad side effect, my body seems to get used to it very quickly and it stops working.

 

The doctor wants to try putting me on a regular prescription that I would take every day to stop a migraine from even starting. However, thanks to the above two, that makes me rather nervous!

 

So any home remedies I could try to deal with a migraine? Certainly going into a dark room for an hour helps, but that's not always an option when I am at work! =;

[hoppy27]

i feel for you. my mother and sister both got migranes regularly. sometimes it seemed every month one of them was down. they are debilitating. both of them would experienece spouts of vomiting whenthe migranes were around. could have been the medication both used. i beleieve it was called IMITREX. i believe you can get it in a pill form but both of them had the shots. they worked quicker to relieve the pain.

i dont know of any home remedies. im sorry.

i do know how tough they can be to deal with though. goodluck!!

[DN]

I read that two glasses of Gatorade can get rid of a headache. Haven't tried it yet but i will as soon as I need to.

 

Ice pack sometimes helps me and stretching the neck muscles.

[PRSOV]

1 - Get specialised help You are already doing this

 

2 - Keep a migraine diary by keeping records, you may be able to reduce the frequency of headaches by identifying triggers that set off migraine episodes and then avoiding those triggers or providing the information to your doctor, who may be able to tailor your treatment accordingly.

 

When your migraine occurred

How severe it was

Where your headache was located

How long the migraine lasted

Additional symptoms you experienced with your migraine

What you ate before the migraine occurred

Your sleep pattern and amount of sleep

Where you are in your menstrual cycles (to see if it is hormone-related)

Medications taken before and after your migraine

Events that took place before your migraine, such as a night of drinking, a hard day at work, a marital spat or other stressful occurrences

 

3. Know and avoid your trigger actions

Knowing what can bring on migraines is a key step in preventing them. Even when you can't avoid a trigger, being aware of it can help you prepare for a migraine and reduce symptoms by taking medication, applying cool cloths to your head or relaxing in a darkened room.

 

 

4. Find out what medications work for you.

 

 

5. Investigate other treatments

Try a variety of other things like yoga, acupuncture to try and treat the symptoms.

 

6. Lead a healthy life

You may be able to reduce the frequency or severity of attacks by practicing good everyday health habits. That includes getting plenty of sleep and keeping a regular sleep pattern, eating a nutritious diet, exercising regularly, limiting caffeine and alcohol, not smoking, avoiding secondhand smoke and practicing relaxation and stress-reduction techniques.

 

Even when a migraine episode does occur, you may be able to cope with it better if you practice these positive habits and are in good condition.

 

7. Don't hide your condition

 

When your arm is in a cast, everyone knows you broke a bone. But people don't know you're suffering with a migraine. You don't need to talk about your problem to people who have no need to know, but it may be helpful to explain to your family everything you have learned about migraines. Let them know what your triggers are and how they can assist you in avoiding these triggers.

 

Hope this helps

[Jennster]

I have migraines too and I only recently figured out my problem. Some people with migraines have triggers. For me it's caffine and ice cream. I know I know - most headache medicines contain caffine! My problem was worsened because I was brought up taking medicine for every ache. It ended up becoming a cyclical process. If I took so much medicine I'd end up getting a headache when I'd go through a withdrawal of the medicine and end up taking more medicine to get rid of that one.

 

I read about triggers and visited my doctor. I have a prescription for Imitrex but I can honestly tell you I haven't had any headaches in over 3 weeks...and I know it's because I avoid caffine and ice cream. I am also sensitive to weather changes. The one day it stormed big time here I had massive head pressure but not a real headache.

 

I think if you look for alternative causes of your headaches you'll find what really will work.

[Aurian]

Hmm... maybe keeping a migraine journal might help the doctor pinpoint why I am getting the migraines. I don't seem to have any trigger other than air pressure changes, and that's only a guess because I seem to have them at the same times as two of the ladies I work with - and i dont share their hobbies, diet patterns or anything else with them!

 

I am already pretty healthy, except for exercising. I have signed up for some courses though, so maybe that will help once they start.

 

Gatorade? I haven't heard of that one. I'll keep a bottle near my desk and try it when I feel one coming on. Could be some salt or nutrient in there that a lack of causes a migraine to trigger....

 

Hoppy - feeling sick might not be the medication's fault. When I get a migraine, I can't keep anything down, and anything I've already eaten....!!!! And that's before I've taken anything.

[Aurian]

Hmm... don't eat ice cream and I've always had a good amount of caffiene in my diet - I haven't been drinking more or less lately to set off a trigger...

 

Does anyone know what are common triggers? I would like to see if I can figure out if anything has changed lately to set off regular migraines.

[PRSOV]

Hmm... don't eat ice cream and I've always had a good amount of caffiene in my diet - I haven't been drinking more or less lately to set off a trigger...

 

Does anyone know what are common triggers? I would like to see if I can figure out if anything has changed lately to set off regular migraines.

 

Some triggers, such as the hormonal changes caused by menstruation, pregnancy or menopause, can't be avoided. But others, such as cigarette smoke and caffeine, can. Though they may take some trial and error to identify with the elimination and reintroduction of suspect foods one at a time, food triggers (for example, chocolate, nuts or dairy products) are also generally avoidable. When medications are implicated, doctors are often able to find treatment alternatives.

[Managor]

The most-often reported triggers include stress, over-illumination or glare, alcohol, foods, too much or too little sleep, and weather. Sometimes the migraine occurs with no apparent “cause.”

 

from link removed.

 

So I'd say it may be a combination of stress and weather changes, though stress (and weather changes of course) may be hard to avoid for you at the moment : (

[Aurian]

Well, if it is stress and weather (both the most likely culprits for me!), time will take care of one, and time will take care of the other (weather here only fluctuates in the fall and spring - its usually sunny all summer and raining all winter!).

 

I'll try the journalling thing to see if anything else pops up.