Migraines

[Pembroke_Corgi]

yuck!
I am glad you feel better.
I got one last nite at work and it subsided when I threw up.
I came home and took a cold shower and it helped a lot.
Believe it or not but I have an Amish home remedy book and
it says to eat honey (not store processed- but kind you find from
bee keepers- raw) and sniff vinegar.
I haven't tried the honey but have tried the vinegar when I'm home and
it does subside it!

Gosh, sorry you had one too! They are so awful. I think I will buy some vinegar today, too. It doesn't sound pleasant sniffing vinegar, but if it works, then I'm definitely up for trying it!

[drothergoodnow]

I've had migraines my whole life. I had one when I was 17 brought on by a chiropractor that lasted until I was 25, when I somehow manager to pop the vertebra back into place. I get them now from stress. What I do is 1 benadryl, 2 psudaphed and 3 ibuprophen followed my sleep. This usually works, but sometimes they are so bad that the combination above plus very LOUD heavy metal music works. Why? i have no idea, but it makes them bearable after about 30 minutes, then I turn the music off and sleep it off.

Bright Blessings

Dr. Jasper Goodnow

[RobiLee]

I recently read a newspaper article that said taking Vitamin B 2 was a preventative for migraines. It said to take 200 to 400 mg. a day. You might want to do a search on that subject. Alden has severe migraines and uses Imitrex. The nasal kind. I recently bought him the vitamin b2, but since he isn't here now I don't know if it has helped him or not.

[Chica]

I have suffered with migraine headaches all my life. The only thing I can do when I get one is take special medication for it. My doctor prescribed a medication made to relieve migraines called Max-alt. It works very well. My triggers are alcohlic beverages of any kind, getting over heated,skipped meals, irregular sleep patterns, and a big one WEATHER CHANGES, also strong chemical odors. I was diagnosed with chronic motor rhionitis. I take sudafed every day and fiorinol when I need it. I feel pressure in my face around my eyes and the bridge of my nose. The weather changes really affect me. I was also told that this is a hereditery problem also. I inherited this from my mother, and my sister get migraines to.


Causes
Types of headaches
Although much about headaches still isn't understood, some researchers think migraines may be caused by functional changes in the trigeminal nerve system, a major pain pathway in your nervous system, and by imbalances in brain chemicals, including serotonin, which regulates pain messages going through this pathway.

During a headache, serotonin levels drop. Researchers believe this causes the trigeminal nerve to release substances called neuropeptides, which travel to your brain's outer covering. There they cause blood vessels to become dilated and inflamed. The result is headache pain.

Because levels of magnesium, a mineral involved in nerve cell function, also drop right before or during a migraine headache, it's possible that low amounts of magnesium may cause nerve cells in the brain to misfire.
The chemicals dopamine and serotonin are among those involved in migraine. These chemicals are found normally in the brain and can cause blood vessels to act abnormally if they are present in abnormal amounts or if the blood vessels are unusually sensitive to them.

Sumatriptan (Imitrex)


Zolmitriptan (Zomig)


Eletriptan (Relpax)


Naratriptan (Amerge, Naramig)


Rizatriptan (Maxalt)


Frovatriptan (Frova)


Almotriptan (Axert)

Try to ask your doctor for one of theses medications so you can have it on hand when you get a migraine.

[Taz_Zoee]

I have one right now. And can't even read everyone suggestions cuz it hurts so bad. So I'll have to come back later to read them.

[Scooter's Mom]

I just found this thread...

I have had migraines for many years. I have to take Topamax as a preventative. Then if I do get a migraine I take Imitrex.

I was having migraines for about 4 of the 7 days every week, until I started the Topamax. Now I have maybe one a month, sometimes as infrequently as one every 3 months.

Sure does make working hard when you can't open your eyes! Thankfully the Topamax has them MOSTLY under control.

[Scooter's Mom]

Wow, I was the last to reply to this thread.

Since I commented about migraines, mine have gone out of control again. I am back to having migraine headaches all the time. Daily now. I've been to the ER several times, discovered not to let them give me morphine as the rebound headache is even worse than the original migraine. The nausea that accompanies the migraine is the pits... It is constant.

I can't take most of the Excedrin products, because I developed an allergy to aspirin.

Anyone else have their migraine headaches recently get worse?

[Nomilynn]

I have recently made the connection that my migraines mostly happen around my period, usually the worst on the first few days I go off the pill for the week. I googled it and realised that there is something called menstrual migraines, and it's more common in women that take the pill due to the sudden drop of the hormone during the week you don't take it. I've recently started a lower dose pill so I'm hoping this will help me. I've noticed this in only the past 3-4 months.

I also trigger migraines when my blood sugars have gone crazy, like rapid highs and lows (I'm diabetic).

I can take 3 advil and 3 tylenol at one time and this will numb the pain enough for me to function, but it makes me feel woozy. I always make sure I eat with them. For me, I find that caffeine helps so I tend to take them with a cup of coffee Probably not too healthy but it works!

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

My migraines are hormonal related. I used to have several attacks per week, but since nearly 1 year, it came down to 1 attack per 2 weeks!! I am 52 now, so I am in my menopauze now. The doctor promised me that from now on it will only get better and better!! Viva menopauze (lol)
I almost always get help with Zomig and Imitrex, sometimes I also take Naramig

[lizbud]

I just developed migraines last year & never had them before that. After
visits to a neuroligist who prescribed amitriptylime in various doses, I finally
found a dosage that has worked to end them. Migraines are the pits.

During testing with the neuroloist, I found a anyurism that I didn't know
I had. I found out it was a small (5mm) type & behind my right eye. It was
not the cause of the migraines because my pain was always on the left
side of my head. The medication is supposed to break the cycle of daily
headaches I was having & seems to work so far.

[JuniorxMyxLove]

Ugh I dunno if you would call them migraines or not, but ever since Semptember I have had one huge ongoing headache. We thought it was from a horse-related fall (fell on my head/neck, popped a vertebrae out of place which was pinching a nerve) but even going to the chiro once ever 2-3 weeks doesn't help.

They're always in my neck going up the right side of my face and they stop right behind my right eye. It gets so bad that I can't open that eye at all. I have missed countless days of school because I couldn't get out of bed. Now they're getting worse, going by my jaw which already has problems (verryy painful) and spreading over the top of my head.

For a while I would take 2-3 Ibuprofin and that would stop it, but not anymore. Nothing helps. I have a heating/cooling pad that I use, but it doesn't make much difference. I've got it all day, everyday. It's very rare now that I wake up without a headache. I've been having sleeping problems because there's just so much pain.

So yes, I've got them. Or something. Either way, they suck.

[mom2thomas]

I take a very low dose of topamax, an anti-seizure drug daily for my migraines. Mine are so bad I was hospitalize da few years ago because they had gotten to the point at the onset I could not speak, recognize speech, read or write. My GP thought I was having a stroke at the age of 29. Fortunately I was not.

As previous posters said, finding your triggers and trying to avoid them is the best. My triggers are stress, too much caffeiene (makes me feel hungover the next day), sleeping on my back, and poorly lit rooms. I cannot watch TV in a room without other lights on. The pinpoint of light coming from the TV is almost an instant migraine for me.

Talk to your physician about seeing a neurologist and having an MRI done. They can determine whether or not you are experiencing vascular migraines. If you do have vascular migraines, any caffeiene will only aggravate them.