Migraines - any advice?

4114Effects

Just wondered if there were any other sufferers out there with any tips on avoiding / treating them? 

I get the classic migraine - loss of vision / swirly auras in one eye, then 30 mins later splitting headache and nausea / vomiting. If I pop a couple of Migraleive Pink as soon as I spot the warning signs I can usually avoid the worst of it, although I still have to go sleep in a dark room for a few hours until it wears off. I'm usually spaced out and tired for a couple of days afterwards too - head still hurts when I bend over or cough etc.

Triggers seem to be random, I've not managed to narrow it down to anything - just comes on without warning. Had my eyes tested recently too so it's not that.

octatonic

Ask for a referral to a headache specialist, even if you had one in the past.
There are some new treatments in the last couple of years- one of which is Botox.

https://www.migrainetrust.org/living-with-migraine/treatments/botox/

4114Effects

Kind of puts mine into perspective ... that treatment is for people having more than 15 days of Migraine a month. I can't imagine what that must be like. I get one or two a month ...

axisus

I'm very fortunate, I get the swirly aura, loss of vision etc, which goes on for 30-60 minutes, but I get no actual headache pain at all, not the slightest. It is a pain in the ass though as all you can do is lie down and wait for it to go. I can't function with vision.

I also know what my trigger is, and I get a warning! My trigger is high contrast black and white next to each other, usually stripes and usually on other peoples clothing (striped shirts/blouses). If someone comes to work with stripes on and I'm talking to them, within a few seconds I get a slight jitter with my eyes. At this point I look away and tell them that I have to look away when speaking to them. Usually I manage to avoid it. 

mellowsun

Cut out all dairy.

that was what worked for me. I'd been getting migraines since the age of ten. Cutting out dairy in my mid 20s and they stopped.

bingefeller

I take Topamax after trying a load of other medications over the years, and find it works pretty good.  You should ask your GP about it. 

ESBlonde

You need you look at your diet for some of the answers. I can't be more specific because I'm not a direct sufferer.

octatonic

4114Effects said:

Kind of puts mine into perspective ... that treatment is for people having more than 15 days of Migraine a month. I can't imagine what that must be like. I get one or two a month ...

I know- I've met some of those people and their lives seem to be hell.
No discounting your own experience either- I can't imagine any frequency of migraine is fun.

stickyfiddle

I had migraines pretty much every day in the last few months before I got diagnosed coeliac. Not vomiting but a constant ache around my sinuses. 

strtdv

Botox is for extreme cases, it wouldn't be licenced in your circumstances.

Ask your GP to start you on a triptan (sumatriptan, zomig etc.)
Only take it when the headache stage starts though, not during the aura as there's a theoretical risk of stroke.

900mg of aspirin is also an effective treatment if you take it as soon as symptoms start

sinbaadi

Caffeine addiction gave me withdrawal migraines for years.  There's a reason so many pain relief tablets contain the stuff.

The odd coffee or glass of cola, and regular cups of tea were enough that if I went a day with no caffeine intake, a banging head was waiting for me, curable only with sleep, normally.  Usually happened on a day off when my routine intake changed, so not great.

octatonic

sinbaadi said:

Caffeine addiction gave me withdrawal migraines for years.  There's a reason so many pain relief tablets contain the stuff.

The odd coffee or glass of cola, and regular cups of tea were enough that if I went a day with no caffeine intake, a banging head was waiting for me, curable only with sleep, normally.  Usually happened on a day off when my routine intake changed, so not great.

I'm actually cutting back my caffeine intake- slowly reducing my intake one day at a time.
Next week should be interesting as it will be my first day without any at all- I expect it to be a couple of days of a headache.

stickyfiddle

I get massive headaches if I go 24 hours without coffee, so am cutting down slowly. No more than 3 cups a day now, which by my standards is really good!

DLM

So far, I've had one, and it was utterly brutal. I know a lot of regular sufferers, though, so:

Quit work! (OK – reduce stress!) My dad suffered terribly. More or less disappeared when he retired.

Never visit Munich! The https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foehn_wind triggers migraines like crazy.

Take triptans! (wis'd @strtdv )  Sufferers here in the Alpine foreland have this stuff available at all times.

lasermonkey

The only thing that worked for me was to lie down in a quiet, dark room. Drugs and/or cooling my forehead and temples did nothing.
 Where I used to work there were fluorescent lights everywhere. They were bastards for triggering migraines. If I got one, I'd have to switch everything off, close the door to my room, put some earplugs in and hope for the best.
 Since I quit that job, I haven't had many migraines at all.
 The worst one I had started one morning, as I was watching the morning news, before leaving for work. There was a predominantly blue background and that may have been what kicked it off, as soon after, everything went blue. That was, er, interesting, to say the least!

RedRabbit

I'm back in work today after a migraine.  Still got a bit of a dull ache but the worst of it has passed.  Main issue now is that I'm completely wiped out.

Doctor put me on sumatriptan about 12 months ago.  It works reasonably well if taken in time but I seem to be one of the small percentage who suffer from drowsiness and struggle to concentrate while on it.

I'm yet to figure out what triggers mine.  I get one every couple of months or so and I'm yet to notice any pattern in anything I eat or drink. 

lloyd

I've had relatively few over the last 15 years (5 or 6 bad ones) and for me, the only thing that I could do was lie down in a dark room, didn't make it better, just being in lights/doing anything was not an option. Drugs didn't do a great deal.

Symptoms I get are sickness, dizziness, swirly vision, can't stand up, headaches.

No idea on triggers, just sit it out for a day or two. Horrible things, sympathies for those that get them with any regular frequency.

DLM

Triggers for sufferers I know: shellfish, chocolate

@RedRabbit Nah, I've heard that a few times. Basically, you have to go to bed on it and let it sort you out.

impmann

I've had them since teenage years - as I'm Codene intollerant I take Maxalt at the first signs of one.

We've never managed to work out the trigger - I've tried cutting out all sorts, only to find no difference.

And yes, I get the auras, pains etc... horrible.

See your GP, is the best advice I could give.

gusman2x

No joke, heard bad sufferers say that magic mushrooms help. As a preventative measure though, not a painkiller. Google it.

I used to get them, but luckily they tailed off in my early 20s. Had the worst one I ever had just last week by coincidence. Thought I was having an aneurysm.

JJW1

I suffered with bad migraines from 11years old but they stopped when I turned 21...very strange. I get the odd one now and mine are triggered by bright light or even the sun catching the corner of my eye. I still get the coloured swirly patterns in my eyes but not the bad headaches.A chemist advised me to take two co-codamol on the onset, which is what is in pink migreleve, and it helps. I just end up with a hangover type headache but not the sickness.