Migraines?

skeeter1

So, I get a migraine a few times a year. I usually take some Advil and I'm fine.

But, this past month, I've had about 4 migraines. One is coming on right now, and I'm about to take an Advil. I guess I need to go to the doctor, but am reluctant to go. I'm scared of prescription medicine. The side effects look terrible, though they are "rare". If Advil works, I'll stick with it.

Anyone out there dealing with migraines? What's worked and what's not. Did they 'get worse'? Or, is it induced by watching too much "news", politics, and the economy?

Skeeter

Pams girl

Hi Skeeter, Ive had them since the age of 11, and Im 40 now.

My migraines have recently increased, I think its hormonal change. We use Migraleve here in the UK, which is available at chemists.

The first thing Id say is go for an eye test.

After that, inform your GP so it can be written in your notes and they can advise you of your options.

Its been shown that atmospheric pressure changes can precipitate migraines......whats the weather doing with you? Stress is another factor.

Paula x

bigmac

i suffered terrible migraines in my teens & early 20's---real horrors--often each week

a friends mum suggested i try this

an inhaler--ergotamine---this was made by riker labs--in the early 70's

its was nothing short of a miracle. stops headache--dead--although you may feel nauseous for a while.

after a few years they stopped completely--for many years--although these days i do get them occasionally--just the eyesight pyrotechnics--but no headaches ---- havent used ergotamine in 25 years now.

try it if your plagued by them--here in the UK they are prescription only ( or were )

oh--& i also realised i was an atheist about the same time, i wonder--------

The Quiet One

Oxygen works for some people (in a canister, obviously) and ice packs are helpful for relieving them to an extent, or so I've heard..

blondie

Advil = ibuprofen = my best bet, it deals with expanded blood vessels in your head.

I use 600 to 800 mg to kick it with a 800 mg followup 2 hours later. But........I see a neurologist and I get pills stronger than Advil OTC.

Check and see if you can up your dosage...

Blondie (who would rather give headaches than haven one)

Nickolas

Find a nice, quiet, dark room and veg for awhile.

I've had what the doctor described as a "silent migraine". Flashing lights, no headache. Thought I might be having a stroke. Weird.

IsaacJ22

I just might be the migraine King. :) I used to have a suicide migraine for several years. That's a migraine that literally doesn't go away. Then I had them 3 to 4 times a week. Recently, they've almost gone away, but that could be the weather. They may come back this Winter. We'll see. A full-on migraine can be completely debilitating, as mine used to be. I couldn't work for a long time thanks to mine.

I tried Migrelief (must be similar to Migraleve as someone else mentioned). It's a cocoction of supplements/minerals. Not herbs. It takes a while of continuous use to work. I read about it in Psychology Today and thought I'd give it a try. It's supposed to take a couple months to work, and it works gradually. But now it works better than any migraine preventative my doctors prescribed. You can get it shipped for free from Amazon.com if you subscribe to it. That means you sign up to have Amazon send it to you automatically on a regular basis. (You can tell them to stop whenever you want, though.) You also get it at a discount if you do this.

Ibruprofen and naproxen sodium work better than any other over the counter pain killer. Probably because they're also anti-inflammatories. Most drugs seem to work best if you take them before the migraine get bad. Including Imitrex. If you wait until the pain is unbearable, they tend to be less effective.

Bear in mind that migraines are somewhat mysterious. They used to blame blood vessels in the brain, but that was disproven. Then they did scans that show that true migraines usually begin in the brain stem. It's like a pulse of electricity that shoots through the brain. Some brains are more susceptible in certain regions, so some people get nauseous, as I did. Others see auras. Etc.

Sometimes, sinus sufferers (me also) get migraines--or at least pain that can be considered a migraine. I seem to have multiple problems. Lack of sleep and migraines often go together. I also suffer from insomnia.

There are plenty of web sites that give info and advice on both insomnia and migraines. You might want to start checking them out.

talesin

Isaac -- that is really informational - the new medical theory of where migraines come from. I've never had suicide migraines (continuous), but for years had really bad ones where I thought my head would explode and wanted to die, also nausea, and painless ones like Nickolas describes. One time, I had a painless migraine and my whole face/throat/chest had no sensation --- I could touch my face and not feel it. Went to the hospital as it freaked me out.

End of the tale,,, after 15 years of therapy for my PTSD (I'm cured!), I no longer have them ... never, for about 10 years. I still have insomnia and night terrors, but the migraines were related to my emotional health. (oops, remembered that I did have one, about six months after I tore my foot - it was an 'ocular' migraine, and I had what looked like water running through my vision) I realize that others get migraine from foods, atmospheric pressure and other causes, so not suggesting that is the cause of anyone elses's migraines.

My body tends to manifest emotional pain physically (fibromyalgia),,, and I am not only free of the migraines, but of the severe bronchitis that would land me in hospital 4-5 times a year. It was all about wholistic healing.

One suggestion for anyone --- as soon as you see the aura,,, take your meds! As expressed earlier, the sooner the quicker. My GP used to say, "when you feel one coming on, hammer the $h*t out of it!"

There is hope for healing, and I'm glad it's much better for you now.

tal

Meeting Junkie No More

I used to get them - lots of aura, flashing lights to the point that you can't drive or even see straight and then the pounding headache...what works best for me is Aspirin as soon as I feel it coming on - usually knocks it out. My doctor advised me that, in my case, I should ABSOLUTELY NEVER take ergotamine; it is good for some migraines, but not for me - can't remember now the exact reason why so I've never taken it but was thankful for the heads up.

MSG is a terrible trigger for me, as well as yellow/orange food colouring (cheddar cheese), bacon (nitrates/nitrites?) and tannins in red wine; sometimes a sudden change in atmospheric pressure. Glad to say that for the past few years, I seem to be suffering from them less and less but I am avoiding my triggers. It might help to keep a diary of what you eat and see if there is any correlation between when they come on and what triggers them...just my 2c - hope that helps!

mummatron

I get them too, though thankfully with much less frequency since taking SSRI's. I'm allergic to ibuprofen/advil so I usually end up taking Paracetamol, Codeine (usually combined with the Codeine in varying strengths as either Co-Codamol, Co-Dydramol or Solpadol) and I use Diclofenac Sodium in place of ibuprofen. I can't take Sumatriptan/Imitrex as I'm on SSRI's.

In the UK we have this stuff called 4Head which is levomenthol in a stick - drug free and surprisingly effective - which you rub on your temples. I find the cooling sensation helps take the edge off it.

It's interesting that like IsaacJ22 & talesin I also suffer from insomnia, sinusitis, PTSD and fibromyalgia.

Whatever you do, don't combine Sumatriptan/Imitrex with SSRI's. A friend of mine was taking Citalopram and used to use his girlfriend's prescribed Sumatriptan if he got a bad headache. He'd then be sick and agitated for several days afterwards. He was lucky he was on a low dose of Citalopram and is a large guy as Serotonin Syndrome can be fatal!

Migraines?

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