Migraines-Tips/Tricks?

[redsox33413]

***NOT SEEKING MEDICAL ADVICE*** (Would just like some ideas/tips/tricks to run by my doc...
BG: I used to be one of those ignorant idiots who thought, "Migraine, shmigraine. It's just a headache. Take an aspirin and walk it off, cupcake."
Then I hit 30. And karma hit me...
With migraines. End BG.
So...
My sincere apologies to anyone I ever doubted about how bad these get.
They are truly AWFUL!
Mine flare up a few times a month, so far nothing I can think of specifically triggers them. And sometimes, there is NO "walking it off, cupcake".
Had 3 so far that have made me physically sick (nausea).
They come on VERY fast, and the Excedrin Migraine only works about 50-50.
A friend recommended rubbing a small amount of Vicks Vapo-rub on my neck and temples?
I've also heard about some herbal remedies and some Rx options, but frankly, the side effects I've read about are slighty alarming (if not worse than the migraines themselves!).
NOT asking for medical advice, but does anyone have any luck with anything more homeopathic/herbal? I also kind of want to run a laundry list by my doc to see what may be available under my insurance.
So, what "triggers" did you find, if any, and what maybe worked the least or most for you?
Thanks in advance for any input.

[AccountingDrone]

Little more info -

male or female?
if female, are you 'regular' hormonally - many women get hormone based migraines, they are usually following a pattern. If this just started and there is a pattern that indicates it might be hormonal rather than stress, have you seen a gyn lately?
are you under some new stress?
keep a food diary - we found out that high fructose corn syrup is a trigger after noticing I got them after eating commercial/convenience foods with HFCS in them.
keep a stress/sleep diary to see if you are perhaps reacting to stress.

[redsox33413]

LOL... Female, and pretty regular across the board.

I have been trying to eat healthier and more organic fruits and veggies, so I slightly suspect maybe my system is just adjusting to the changes I am making.

I do know that I don't drink enough water, that might also be part of it.

I like your idea of the food and sleep diaries... That might be good to keep track of other stuff, too!

[telecom_goddess]

Well the piece of advice I will give is make sure you are seeing a migraine specialist, they are going to be a neurologist. I take prescription fioricet for mine and they work great with no side effects.

They'll tell you to keep the diary and stuff like people are saying here

[Kaylyn]

The important thing to remember is that migraines affect everyone differently and are triggered differently in everyone. A lot of people say to avoid caffeine to prevent them, but I GET them if I avoid caffeine, and caffeine is the active ingredient in a lot of prescription and over-the-counter migraine medicines. A caffeine headache, to me, feels like a very low-key version of a migraine without the associated auras (visual problems that I like to call "sparklies").

I noticed an increase in migraines when I attempted to switch to diet sodas and at first attributed it to aspartame, but upon getting involved in scientific skepticism and hearing from scientists there that aspartame itself isn't proven to cause migraines, I looked more into it, and it turns out that SUCH a huge drop in my usual sugar intake was a potential cause. Switched back to normal soda, which...isn't healthy obviously, but it means I need to make the change much more slowly than a cold-turkey approach so my body doesn't freak out over the sudden drop in sugar intake. And since you mentioned a recent change in diet, I can almost guarantee that your trigger lies in there somewhere, whether it's reduced sugar intake or something else you've recently cut out or added. For example, does your new diet cut out caffeine at all? Could very well be tied to that!

Definitely do what everyone has suggested and keep a food diary. If you can't seem to pin it down on a trigger, at least note whether or not your migraines are increasing or decreasing in frequency. If decreasing, it could very well be your body adjusting to diet changes. Either way, you might need to give yourself permission to add back some of the things you've been trying to avoid with your new diet and lifestyle, one at a time, starting with the more common triggers, and see if they stop or decrease in severity or frequency.

I can't recommend true homeopathy because of my scientific skepticism (a topic which shall not be debated in the open on this board!), but herbal medicine is the basis on which modern medicine was founded and has the potential to be helpful. I, personally, don't tend to use herbs, and have a prescription for Imitrex (sumatriptan succinate) for mine, but a quick Google search screams that feverfew is the one most herbalists seem to recommend, if taken at the very first twinge of a migraine.

Your best bet, IMO, is to see a doctor and pay attention to your diet, especially with the recent change to healthier eating. I actually diagnosed myself and brought it up to my GP that way ("so...I think I have migraines, here are my symptoms" "yep, sounds like it to me!"), who put me on Imitrex to stop the migraine (brain activity) itself and tried several things for the pain. I could take the pain meds and feel okay, except for the auras that kept cycling and telling me that behind the pain block, the migraine was still going on. Fioricet works very well for the pain, but I found out I can't take it due to Department of Transportation regulations after I'd gotten attached to it. Toradol also worked, but it's hell on your stomach after extended use, and he refused to refill that prescription and put me on prescription-strength naproxen. Which I have not yet had the opportunity to test against a migraine unfortunately(?), having not had one since the change in prescription.

[Aethian]

One of my triggers is lack of water. The best minimum requirement I've found for non caffeine liquid intake is

Body weight in lbs/2 = amount of water in ounces.

And that's basic so if your more active you need more water. At first you pee a lot and then it settles down.

[Rock Lobster]

Cut back drastically on salt. Avoid foods like chocolate, shrimp, figs, hot dogs, lunch meat, and boxed cookies. Ask your doctor if you have high blood pressure. My dr put me on160 milligrams of Inderal for high blood pressure and migraine prevention. I am also low on serotonin so I take 25 mg of Elavil per day. It is an antidepressant. Do you have any heart problems? My mitral valve prolapse is related to my migraines. I also take Imitrex for when I get a migraine it is prescription also. Do you have a history of concussions or whiplash? You need some caffeine every single day. It can also be stress or weather or hormone related. The most important thing is: if your doctor does not take you seriously find a new doctor. I went to a neurologist at Cleveland Clinic and he sent me to a psychiatrist! I have physical issues that cause the migraine not mental ones. My dr also ordered an xray to see if I had arthritis in my neck. Also avoid red food dye. Yours may also be triggered by yellow food dye. I avoid red dye like the plague. Also anything colored pink contains red dye. For goodness sake avoid hot chocolate! Wound up in the ER from that one! Also see a dentist! Tooth and jaw problems can trigger migraines.

[retailworker7]

I too am one of those people that get migraines. I did all the diaries and then we realized that mine are pretty much triggered by the weather. Changes in the barometric pressure are the main cause of mine. I have also recently learned through a new doctor that although my headaches are migraines they can have a sinus component to them.

My doctor recommended taking allergy medicine when the weather is likely to cause migraines since the sinus issue can make them harder to get rid off.

I generally use an over the counter medicine like Excedrin Migraine. I will also use caffeine to help get rid of migraines. When those do not work I take Tramadol which is a non-narcotic pain reliever. I can not use narcotics for my migraine because they give me rebound headaches. I also have Zofran for if I get nautious. If nothing is working my doctor's office has injectable non-narcotic pain meds and nausea meds. Sometimes warm showers help with my headaches. Another thing that helps is wearing sunglasses indoors to aviod bright light when needed. I also need to make sure I do not allow myself to get over-heated and stay hydrated.

I would also keep a journal of the weather. It took a few years to figure out that mine were controlled by the weather.

[Mishi]

Everyone is different - I normally eat a fairly low-salt diet because I became used to cooking that way when Nan was living with us. Oddly enough, when I'm laid out with a migraine, the thing that works best is for me to eat something salty and/or consume some caffeine. I'd normally take an NSAID, but since I'm pregnant, that isn't an option and neither is excess caffeine consumption. (Don't worry, it's just hormonal and not pre-eclampsia.)

Definitely keep a diary, it makes things so much easier for the doctor.

[AccountingDrone]

Ah, high blood pressure .... have I got experience with that one ...

I was doing a liquiprep preoperatively, tee off time was 11 am, so nothing by mouth after midnight. Of course I ended up massively dehydrated - I was crapping my brains out and had been since 6 pm in the evening. I ended up with a massive migraine, and when they took my BP it was 210/190 and instead of a hysterectomy I ended up admitted with malignant hypertension because they were afraid I would stroke out. [took another several months of weekly appointments to work out a drug regimen that keeps me almost normal - no meds I pop back up to Eye of Mordor level hypertension.]

I no loner get hormonal migraines, but I can tell the instant my BP is creeping up, or the barometer tanks, or I am dehydrated.

Frovatryptan is my med of choice followed by midrin. I would love to take imitrex but I react seriously badly to it. Everybody has their own particular meds they respond best to

[Treasure]

I agree with Rock_Lobster about seeing your dentist (esp if you've never had your wisdom teeth removed)

Additionally - if possible, have your spinal column "checked for leaks" I don't really know how else to put it - my mom had a triple laminectomy due to Spinal Stenosis, and had a small tear in her dura-membrane, (the sheath around the spinal nerve) the dr thought he got it repaired, but somehow it started leaking; mom ended up with a bulge where the spinal fluid was gathering - the dr/nurses were surprised that she wasn't having headaches as its a common symptom of leaking spinal fluid

I realize something like that can be cost prohibitive, and scary; And I agree - rule out the obvious and easy things first; but don't discount something like that just b/c it sounds outlandish.

[Docmayhem]

My migraines started about 30 years ago, in 4th grade.

They turned out to be primarily stress related (I was told by my psychologist that I have symptoms of depression and PTSD).

What worked for me was biofeedback training - basically learning conscious control of body functions that are normally unconscious. It took about 6 months to get to the point where I could (mostly) avoid getting migraines, and years to reach the point where I could stop one that had already started.

As others have said, your mileage may vary, but it's worth considering as either a drug-free solution, or as a supplement to a drug regimen. At a minimum you'll learn some cool party tricks (I can make my hands get warm at will).

Your doctor may know a psychiatrist/ psycologist with a specialty in this field.

Good luck and best wishes from someone who knows how much this sucks.

[Sapphire Silk]

The important thing to remember is that migraines affect everyone differently and are triggered differently in everyone. A lot of people say to avoid caffeine to prevent them, but I GET them if I avoid caffeine,

That's because you're having caffeine withdrawal. It will go away after a few days if you continue to avoid caffeine.

To the OP: Seeing a doctor should be the first step in order to rule out serious medical problems such as brain tumors or bleeding in the brain, or high blood pressure.

Once confirmed as a migraine of some sort, then keeping a trigger diary is the next step.

Pay attention to:

Foods
Stress
The weather (mine are weather triggered)
Your menstrual cycle (if female)

Take the diary to your doctor and see if you can identify patterns. Avoid anything that you think might be contributing to the headaches.

A migraine specialist is who you want to talk to when it comes to evaluating the pros and cons of various allopathic remedies.

Vicks probably works because in some people menthol can soothe migraines. Just make sure to keep it away from the nose, mouth and eyes. It is irritating to sensitive tissues. It contains petroleum, and so you need to avoid directly inhaling it.

There are all kinds of "natural" remedies, none of which I found did me much good (I've suffered from severe migraines since I was a kid).

There are any number of medications available, and they all have their risks. There are also prophylactic medications, which also have their risks (Depakote did a good job preventing migraines, but softened my teeth to the point I had four broken teeth).

Avoid narcotics whatever you do. Some doctors will follow the path of least resistance and just give you Vicodin. DON'T DO IT! Opiates result in rebound migraines that never go away until you withdraw totally from the opiate.

Other migraine medications can lose effectiveness and also result in rebound migraine. This is well documented in the medical literature; the treatment is to withdraw from everything and just sit the headache out.

Biofeedback can work in some instances; if you have insurance, insurance will pay for it usually.

Ultimately, dealing with migraines is a long term issue that will come and go. Mine are generally under control, but flare up from time to time (I can't do much about the weather, which is my trigger). Work with a specialist to find the plan that will work for you.

[raudf]

I started getting migraines around the age of 14.. and after keeping a headache diary, we figured out a few of them:

Pressure - Pressure changes can help or cause migraines for me. I started keeping up with the weather and when I noticed the first sign of an impending migraine, I'd pop a benadryl and sleep it off. Can't do that as well now, but... *shrug*

Dehydration - Worst time for dehydration for me is at night. So, glass of water (16 oz) right before bed and if I have to to pee in the middle, so be it. Better than a migraine!

Electrolyte imbalance - this happens a lot for me during the summer, when the heat is overwhelming. Try for smaller meals, filled with fruits and salads. Keep a bottle of gatorade on hand. My favorite thing is Ruffles with cottage cheese as a dip. Strange, but it does the trick.

Oversleeping - Easily handled by setting a scheduled bedtime and wake up.

Exercise - Great for stress relief and gets the blood moving properly!

Eating - Don't skip meals. Ever. Low blood sugar can cause 'em too.

Food tracking - Oops, no more orange or grape juice were my biggest triggers food wise. Aspartame only in very small amounts. *sigh* There goes most of my favorite gums!

Monthly migraine from dear Aunt Flow - If possible, try birth control pills. In some women, it helps remove them. In others, like myself, it makes it predictable. For me, this is why the "triptan" class drugs were invented.

Actually, the above have cut my migraines from daily to once, maybe twice a month.

[Seshat]

Doctor, doctor, doctor. Migraines can be a symptom of something Really Serious. Sometimes the only symptom.

However, once the Really Serious things are ruled out.... I think everyone's covered the migraine triggers I can think of offhand. DO make a migraine journal, it'll be a major help to both your regular doctor and the migraine specialist.

High strength Aspirin with codeine, taken the moment she's aware of the migraine approaching, helps a friend of mine manage migraines that get past her trigger avoidance tricks. But everyone's response to drugs is different - and as Sapphire Silk said, your best bet is to avoid the migraine triggers, not to take lots of painkillers indefinitely.

If a trigger is neck tension, learn to control the tension in your back, chest and shoulders. Tension in those creates tension in your neck. If you can afford physiotherapist asssistance, get a physio to help you build up enough strength in your entire body to walk, stand, sit, and generally move in a way that minimises body tensions; and to teach you how to do it. And to teach you how to consciously, deliberately, relax your muscles.
Heat helps reduce muscle tension. Heat packs that are warm enough to feel warm or hot (but not so hot that they cause tissue damage!), placed over tense muscles, will help with your muscle relaxation.
Hot baths or showers can also make a big difference. Or resting in a well-warmed room.
Proper stretching, not just before exercise but a minimum of once a day, can also help keep muscles relaxed - but again, check with your doctor, and if you can, get a physio to supervise your learning.

All of the above about muscle relaxation will, of course, only help migraines caused by muscle tension. So .. doctor time.

NOTE: Other than 'avoid triggers', I don't feel qualified in any way to give advice re other migraines. Muscle tension I know the theory of handling, and the practice of handling for my body. And the aspalgin (aspirin/codeine) helps my friend. She takes it, goes and lies down in a quiet and darkened room, and ... sometimes, the migraine goes away. Mostly, she does her best to avoid the triggers.