migraine sufferers

[Freyaka]

You all are very knowledgeable about migraines. I guess you have to since you live with them.

Read an article about migraines (Better Homes and Gardens--What type of headache do you have?) and you've covered most of it here.

Know your triggers: Stress, hormonal changes, chocolate, cheese, red wine, caffeine and cured meat.

Work up a sweat: One study found out that 40 minutes of cardio 3 times a week was as effective as daily medication.

Look into alternatives: Acupuncture (nearly halved the number of migraines per month) and biofeedback (can cut frequency and severity by 45-60 percent).

Supplements: Magnesium can prevent migraines, especially those linked to monthly hormonal changes. Riboflavin may reduce the number and pain.

Well I've been trying to literally exercise my butt off...hopefully that'll help.

[DevilSpawn]

You all are very knowledgeable about migraines. I guess you have to since you live with them.

Read an article about migraines (Better Homes and Gardens--What type of headache do you have?) and you've covered most of it here.

Know your triggers: Stress, hormonal changes, chocolate, cheese, red wine, caffeine and cured meat.

Work up a sweat: One study found out that 40 minutes of cardio 3 times a week was as effective as daily medication.

Look into alternatives: Acupuncture (nearly halved the number of migraines per month) and biofeedback (can cut frequency and severity by 45-60 percent).

Supplements: Magnesium can prevent migraines, especially those linked to monthly hormonal changes. Riboflavin may reduce the number and pain.

Stress - Biggest one for me. The slightest stress gives me a headache.

Chocolate - This doesn't trigger headaches for me, despite the caffeine.

Cheese - Ironically this was a cure for me for a while. 2 Slices of pizza and a cup of coffee. Still works but I don't eat pizza as much as I limit carbs.

Red wine - I just noticed this 2 weeks ago. I'm sticking to grapes and vodka lol.

Caffeine - Now this is tricky. It helps stop my migraines and cures most of my headaches, but it also gives me rebound headaches. It's the reason why I stopped taking Excedrin and switched to coffee.

Cured meat - I don't think I eat this. I usually get farmed raised salmon, unseasoned chicken breastststs and raw veges.

[DevilSpawn]

Well I've been trying to literally exercise my butt off...hopefully that'll help.

You mean you're trying to shrink that big ol butt of yours?

[DevilSpawn]

I don't know that what works for me will work for you, but I hope so... The specialist I saw didn't saw didn't say anything really when I mentioned that I felt vitamin D had helped over the years. I'm also vitamin D deficient, work indoors, and don't get a lot of sun expect maybe get more on the weekends - anytime I stop taking it as a supplement I seem to see a difference in how I feel and I start again. It kinda make sense, since lack of vitamin D is common with depression - so I would think it also has an impact on stress and just overall well being. I'm not saying what the specialist suggested works for me, because I only started with this last month and haven't and it's still just a trial period - haven't had time to make a decision if it's helped or not. He suggested though for me - vitamin supplement Magnesium 400 mg, Riboflavin 400 mg, and CoQ10 for 300 mg's. He said most people he would tell 800 mg of Magnesium, but due to my lower blood pressure not to do that - since it can lower it more I guess. I can see why the Magnesium would help, since it is kinda calming and helps people sleep... I'll admit i don't really know the benefits of the other two supplements.

Same for me with the icepacks ... it's more of a way to dull the pain, so it doesn't feel like a knife in my eye, but more dull...

The running or strenuous exercise doesn't always help, but sometimes it's the only thing that will work. It often surprises me. Kinda like last weekend when I had a headache off and on for multiple days, then the eye pain started. I don't know if it was the 4 cups of coffee that morning or the strenuous exercise that did the trick. Maybe both. After walking more than five miles, it was an uphill walk for about 1.5 miles back to the car, and it was then I noticed both the headache and the eye pain were gone. Was very happy, and hadn't expected that to work with the onset of the eye pain, since exercise typically only works for me at the very end when it's lingering but dulled.

Hope you feel better soon, and it doesn't lay you up for too long DS.

Thanks Sophia, you too. I may try magnesium tablets. It didn't work the first time I tried years ago but I may have abandoned it too soon.

[HUMCALC]

I wish that I had a brain tumor, not for the dying reason (as much), but so I would know why I've had migraines for 2+ years without relief & what's causing them

[Sophia23]

I wish that I had a brain tumor, not for the dying reason (as much), but so I would know why I've had migraines for 2+ years without relief & what's causing them

There are a thousand different reasons people get migraines Humcalc.... don't ever wish for something so crazy. From this thread I've even learned how many get them from high blood pressure ... which makes sense why beta blockers are effective for some. I never paid so much attention to foods that can cause them until the last couple years, but have picked up on foods to avoid myself. They are most often my favorite foods. Stress can be a cause with many - I know when we had our roof replaced a couple months back the contractors ran out of materials, didn't seal anything off - Huge storm had water coming in and not just leaking on the floor, but filling up our kitchen cupboards. I went from feeling fine - to a migraine in probably 20 minutes and even after the mess was cleaned up, it carried over for about 2 days. I basically have three major reasons for mine, the primary being from hormonal changes at this time in my life.

I imagine the amount of people who actually have migraines coming from tumors are very low compared to the general population who have them stemming from a number of other items. I think you probably have enough to deal with, without wishing for something that would worsen your life.

[HUMCALC]

There are a thousand different reasons people get migraines Humcalc.... don't ever wish for something so crazy. From this thread I've even learned how many get them from high blood pressure ... which makes sense why beta blockers are effective for some. I never paid so much attention to foods that can cause them until the last couple years, but have picked up on foods to avoid myself. They are most often my favorite foods. Stress can be a cause with many - I know when we had our roof replaced a couple months back the contractors ran out of materials, didn't seal anything off - Huge storm had water coming in and not just leaking on the floor, but filling up our kitchen cupboards. I went from feeling fine - to a migraine in probably 20 minutes and even after the mess was cleaned up, it carried over for about 2 days. I basically have three major reasons for mine, the primary being from hormonal changes at this time in my life.

I imagine the amount of people who actually have migraines coming from tumors are very low compared to the general population who have them stemming from a number of other items. I think you probably have enough to deal with, without wishing for something that would worsen your life.

That's where we disagree. I think it'd make my life better. I can rule out:

Stress
Blood Pressure
Food
Exercise
Sinuses

[Sophia23]

Thanks Sophia, you too. I may try magnesium tablets. It didn't work the first time I tried years ago but I may have abandoned it too soon.

I'll admit I don't think much of them at this time. I'm trying to give them a fair chance, but I've been taking the vitamins daily for about 6 or 7 weeks now. My experience is the way a migraine comes on is different than it's been for the past 5 years, but it hasn't lessoned them or prevented them. What's worse is because they are different, I haven't recognized them to stop them early and they've ended up being worse.

Three times now, I've had a migraine that didn't start with eye pain. The eye pain has always been my indication to take the fioricet. fioricet doesn't work, unless you catch it early to stop it in its tracks. Each of the last 3, I've thought I had a regular headache, taken some excedrin, then learned it was a migraine when I either had the dry heaves or was getting sick. By then too late and both times last 3-4 days. Not impressed with the vitamins. And the eye pain isn't gone, just delayed. Each time after the first or second day of it.... have gotten the severe eye pain ... just didn't start with it, it's like it delayed it.

I'll give it another month or two, but not impressed with the vitamin prevention at this time....

[DevilSpawn]

I'm in the middle of a migraine, grading it 8 out of 10 in severity. I've had it since yesterday morning. I know what caused this one. Chocolate. A LOT of chocolate. With blueberries inside. So tempting. So delicious. And I ate i right before I went to sleep. I rarely eat anything after 8PM but I just came back from a party and wanted a snack before bed. Dumb dumb dumb. :brick:

[Sophia23]

I'm in the middle of a migraine, grading it 8 out of 10 in severity. I've had it since yesterday morning. I know what caused this one. Chocolate. A LOT of chocolate. With blueberries inside. So tempting. So delicious. And I ate i right before I went to sleep. I rarely eat anything after 8PM but I just came back from a party and wanted a snack before bed. Dumb dumb dumb. :brick:

I have already given up so many foods that I love for migraines ... Can't wait for the day I can eat a PopTart again, been a few years .... Don't know what i'd do if chocolate was a trigger for me though ... love chocolate way too much. Sorry DS, think your a bit like me if you know and do it anyways ... I test them pretty often myself to see what I can get away with, then cuss myself the next day thinking I'll never do that again. Hope it's passed by now for you....

I would say the one I had that started last week was about an 8 of 10 ... 3 horrible days, almost gone on friday, right back again Saturday morning ... it's the longest one's knocked me out in a long time ...

I would live in the dark if I could hate freaking light some days....

[Saddletramp]

Do you know if she still gets them?

(just messin with ya)

🤣😂🤣😂
Don't know, really don't care.

[Sophia23]

Missed more work in November from Migraines than I think I've ever missed in the last 10 years... Thank God I have a bonus coming next week to help make up the pay ...... hoping for a better December. The last time I had a Doctor visit because of these, he mentioned switching me to Imatrix < not sure if that's spelled right.... didn't make the switch, because he said some people complain of not being able to breath or feeling like their heart is being squeezed who take this medication. Sounded like a pretty bad side effect, but willing to try other things at this time. I know this med has been mentioned here before, has anyone who takes it experienced bad side effects?

[HUMCALC]

I've had terrible headaches these past 2 weeks, but I'm pretty sure that they're weather related

[broncoslover115]

Missed more work in November from Migraines than I think I've ever missed in the last 10 years... Thank God I have a bonus coming next week to help make up the pay ...... hoping for a better December. The last time I had a Doctor visit because of these, he mentioned switching me to Imatrix < not sure if that's spelled right.... didn't make the switch, because he said some people complain of not being able to breath or feeling like their heart is being squeezed who take this medication. Sounded like a pretty bad side effect, but willing to try other things at this time. I know this med has been mentioned here before, has anyone who takes it experienced bad side effects?

I’ve had migraines since I was 10 years old. Have had to go to the ER at times and was actually hospitalized once for a week because it wouldn’t lift.

Have tried everything. I finally was given Topamax and boom, haven’t had one in two years.

[Saddletramp]

I was getting a few last week, I had started drinking a homemade energy drink my boss's wife makes. That was a bad idea! I was not aware that I would have a reaction to lemons, garlic and Perrier all boiled together..... Quit drinking them and have been fine.