For those of you who get migraines, have you found any fantastic trick that helps? Please?


For those of you who get migraines, have you found any fantastic trick that helps? Please?
I started getting migraines in college, and typically only get them during times of severe, prolonged stress. Now I rarely get them, thank goodness.
I would recommend the following:
1. Take 2 Advil or 2-3 Tylenol the minute you even notice a hint of a headache and/or a migraine aura (flashes of light, dancing patterns, blind spots).
2. You may wish to chase this with caffeine of some kind (coffee, pop), especially if your headaches tend to stem from caffeine addiction.
3. Drink plenty of water after the pop, because headaches are frequently caused by dehydration.
4. Eat something small, because if you're like me, having a bad headache can make me nauseous, but not having eaten only makes it worse.
5. If possible, take a nap for a couple hours.
You may still develop a headache, but it shouldn't be debilitating like migraines can be.
Regular exercise, plenty of sleep, stress reduction and drinking enough water should help keep your headaches to a minimum.
^^everything she said.
Plus turn all lights off and noise..I know for me,lights especially are triggers.
Talk to you Dr about migraine meds..you have to take them at the onset...once the migraine has started they wont work. Sadly..I cant take them because they all make me puke, so I have to take painkillers. It's important that whatever you take..take it AS SOON as the symptoms start...my Dr told me that once the pain receptors start firing..they will continue unless you cut them off completely.
Try to work on what triggers them for you..keep a diary of everything that happened right before each one and look for a pattern.
I feel for you...migraines SUCK.
I don't have any great solution to stop them, but bright lights are painful when I have them. I find wearing sunglasses and/or turning the lights down helps some.
I take 2-3 ibuprofen, followed by 2 tylenol. i lay down in bed with something over my eyes if it's daytime, or all lights off if it's night. The combination of NSAID with acetaminophen is what I've found to be most helpful for migraine, and I've taken all kind of "specialty" migraine meds in the past.
Yes I'm sure it's awful for my body to take all these painkillers together, but it's the only thing that stops the headache and vomiting.

Lilah - you should see a neurologist. I suffer from migraines and cluster headaches. Painkillers are not the answer and generally cause rebound headaches. Talk to your neuro about verapamil , it is a type of blood pressure medication called a vascoconstrictor , but is showing great promise off label as a preventative for migraines and cluster headaches (works great for me). Other meds that many neuros use are depakote, topamax, lithium , oxygen. Triptans , like Imitrex , are effective many times to abort the headaches - but it is very costly , though the doctor usually has samples to hand out. Lots of doctors also use prednisone , I can't stand it personally. There are lots of home remedies that many have tried , the most popular I am aware of are mushroom seeds.
The biggest drawbacks for me as far as the preventatives are that most of them make me feel lethargic and increase the frequency of urination.
A couple of sites I visit for info:
www.clusterheadaches.com
www.clusterbusters.com
stop eating fake sugar worked wonders for me. that includes saachrin, phlyneke, splenda (all that weird stuff)

Sorry Cameron - I must have typed it in wrong. www.clusterheadaches.com and www.clusterbusters.com . The headaches nearly ruined my life for the past 12 years and the preventatives I have taken have been a godsend. The medications for migraines and cluster headaches are similar , especially the imitrex. As far as pain medications go , if I didn't have the other meds around I would not have a problem taking what it took to make me forget about it for a while.
I sincerely hope you get some relief for your headaches as I know how terrible they are.
Wow, my husband has been on every medicine you listed, and some that you didn't mention--and nothing helps. He's sicker than he's ever been and I know he's losing hope. His head pain isn't a traditional migraine, it's more of a nerve problem. He's seen neurologists, pain doctors, and he's had nerve blocks and other treatments, and again, nothing works.
Lately he just comes home from work and goes straight to bed and stays there until morning. It really sucks.

The first step for me was to reduce the stress and bullshit in my life and that really helped. One of the most therapeutic things for me is to listen to classical music , notably Moonlight Sonata.
If the other meds do not work and narcotic analgesics do work , I would inquire about Stadol NS. I have used it before and the onset of the medication is quick. It tended to make me more nauseous than hydrocodone or oxycodone. I have also been given Klonopin off label for the headaches and it worked a little but weirded me out and I wanted to sleep too much.
There are times my headaches are precipitated by tmj problems - something to think about. Many people have success changing their diets and drinking more water. Unfortunately there apparently isn't a lot of pathology for severe headaches.
Last edited by painintheworld; 04-05-2008 at 05:07 AM.
The problem with me,outside of the fact that most meds dont work on me, is that my headaches are from several different sources..which apparently makes them difficult to treat.
1) stress...if anyone knows a way to rid your life of it, please tell me so we can bottle it and be millionaires!
2) head injury...I hit my head about 7 months ago and now have permanent nerve damage behind my right eye.It droops ever so slightly now(thankfully,unless you know about it you cant really notice it) Causes migraines to hit like lightning bolts out of NOWHERE...I'll just be going about my day and BAM..I'm on the floor clutching my head and crying. Sucks
3) tension. I have back problems that cause the muscles in my neck to seize up. Right now for instance, there are knots up by my skull that are causing amazing amounts of pain..I've gone to a massage therapist, going again tomorrow..heat,ice..everything drs have told me and it isnt going away. Theres also a knot in my shoulder that is so swollen I look like I have another head growing out of my shoulder...
I've yet to find a cure all for all 3 causes. My Drs have all been mystified as to how to treat me...all I can do right now is take painkillers and try to treat the symptoms...





Moved this thread to body business where it belongs.
you live like an ivy vine
you can only survive by clinging onto trees
that's your flaw
put down some roots so you can stand on your own
-Kenpachi




I agree with all above, and also want to add about trying some neck exercises. My migraines are from neck tension, so I found that doing some simple exercises (such as laying on your back on the bed and pushing your head back into the pillow for a few seconds) and very easy stretches , can help the pain.
Theres no sense crying over every mistake,
you just keep on trying till you run out of cake
I've been told by dr's to apply ice to the neck. It restricts blood flow to the brain, lessening symptoms.
Dark room, quiet with pain meds.
Mint. Peppermint tea and peppermint oil. It helps.
Sunglasses if there are any lights on or the tv is on.
That's all I got.
I have taught that the sky in all its zones is mortal and its substance was formed by a process of birth




Most people I know with migraines have different triggers and different cures, but one of my friends pointed out there's something in common: most effective cures change blood pressure.
I have always found that eating a salty soup and taking some aspirin helps -- this raises blood pressure quickly. Hot showers/baths also help with this.
Others might need to lower blood pressure, with ice etc. I'm not sure what to eat to lower blood pressure: perhaps bananas, for potassium?
One way to tell what you need to do with your blood pressure -- not foolproof but a good guideline -- is that about half of all people with migraines get worse with caffeine, and half get better. You probably already know whether coffee makes you feel better or worse (although this one is a little tricky as dehydration will make things worse universally, so make sure you're drinking enough water when you observe, or the diuretic effect will cancel out the blood pressure stimulating effects and make you feel worse anyway.)
Now, what I'm talking about here is classic migraine. Classic migraine is pretty much always circulation-related. One way to know is that you might feel hot or cold: my lips always get cold and pale when I have one.
Other sources of severe headache are sinus congestion and neck/back tension.
Try taking sudafed, inhaling steam, and snorting salt water into your sinuses if you think it may be sinus-related.
Tension headaches will sometimes masquerade as the other types. Get your SO, or a friend if you haven't got an SO, to probe various muscles and tendons in your back and neck -- go over every point on the back of the neck and head especially, and pay special attention to the trapezius, which is commonly the source of tension headaches and neckaches. (http://backandneck.about.com/od/muscles/p/trapezius.htm)
Sometimes it's really time-consuming or otherwise not possible to massage out, in which case have a drink (not multiple drinks, being drunk in a hot tub is not safe!) and go immerse yourself in the nearest hot tub: the hot water and the alcohol are both pretty effective at relaxing muscles. There are also some qi gong exercises you can do to relax tendons in your neck, but they're a bit tricky and I can't describe them very well. When I was dancing regularly, I can't count the number of times I doused an awful headache in the hot tub at the gym and came home feeling much better.
Cameron, I hate to worry you, but constant/unrelievable tension like yours might be a symptom of fibromyalgia. There is quite a bit more help for it nowadays than there used to be... you might want to read up and investigate.
Chiropractic!





My migraines were caused by extremely low magnesium blood levels. I haven't suffered an episode since taking magnesium supplements.
I would say that it is worth it to investigate the cause.
I absolutley agree with Chiropractic, I used to suffer with merciless migraines, I tried everything short of chopping my head off..lol
Then I tried chiropractic and it helped so much.
That and coffee for some reason if I drink coffee as soon as I feel it coming on it seems to lessen the severity.
Migraines and headaches suck hard that is for sure!
I take Vicodin.





I have had a headache everyday for 2 weeks now. I have been to my chiropractor and had a massage and it just doesnt go away.
I dont think it's a migraine tho, just a dull headache.
Not sure what its from.
Can stress really cause headaches? I thought it was muscular. but i have been feeling stressed.
There are many stereotypes about the industry that I work in. Sometimes they can be true but human beings are very diverse creatures and cannot be pigeon-holed into one category.
Some of the most effortlessly beautiful, kind, intelligent, successful, motivated, driven and ridiculously hilarious women that I have ever met have been dancers. I've met the best friends that I've ever had in this industry.
BUMP - any other ideas?
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