Not a bike question; headaches

[psnbye]

Anyone have a good cure for migraines? This group has a broad range of experiances to draw from and I really need help. I've had migraines for about ten years now and this last bit has dropped me for the last two days, no work, only dark and quiet help. I havent found any medication, perscription or OTC that takes them away completely. I know there are sites dedicated to medical things, but I really dont get much from them except; throw money at it and hope it goes away. Home remedies might have something for me. Thanks for anything, Shawn

 

[Wh0M3]

Have you tried going to a chiropractor? I've never had a migraine and I've never been to a chiropractor either, but I have heard that sometime it can help.

 

[grouzer]

Relplax works excellent for my wife. Kills it quick if you take it at the start. Script only.

 

[Kazza]

You gotta go to your doc. Mine referred me to a neurosurgeon. Gave me some meds (which I no longer need) and some good tips on migraines.

He told me when you are FIRST getting the symptons of a migraine, immediately down a short black coffee - extremely strong.

If your migraine has already started, DO NOT do the caffeine thing - it will make the migraine worse.

A bad headache is one thing, but a migraine, unless you get them, they are indescribable. As soon as someone has a bad headache they call it a migraine - not the case, as you well know.

Good luck with your remedies. Try the caffeine - really works for me

 

[rsw81]

The first thing you need to do is find your trigger. Often times this is a perfume/cologne, a particular food, a particular activity, pets, etc. The best way to do this is to keep a log every day of ALL the food you eat, including snacks/meals/drinks. See if there are any similarities in the days you get the headaches. Is your sleep cycle directly related? As in, are you not getting enough sleep the night before a bad headache hits you? Are you more stressed during the time period that it comes in clusters?

Questions you should also answer, is if you even are a classic versus common migraine.

1. Do you get an aura before the onset of the headache?
2. Is it on both sides or only on one side? Is it the same side every time?
3. Do you get nauseated or vomit? Do you have light and/or sound sensitivity?

In all honesty, the best "treatment" of a migraine is preventing it from happening in the first place by finding your trigger mechanism. Otherwise, there is such a wide variety of pharmacologic methods to treat, none of which are the "magic bullet" you might be looking for. It would be a case of trial and error to find what works for you.

Hope that helps a bit,
Dr. Rob

 

[macem29]

don't know if it'll help, but I gotta prety simple outlook on these things:
sleeping & pooping, you need quality and balance with those two and
if you ain't got it, you won't feel well, hard part is finding/changing
whatever it is that's messin' it up

 

[Dennis in NH]

I get mild migraine headaches quite rarely but I remember having them as a teenager. For me the symptom was the seeing of the wavy lines toward the side of my head. I usually slept it off.

One thing that tended to give me a little relief was keeping my eyes open for a long time until they started to burn and get tears. I don't know why but it seemed to help even if just a little. Perhaps the pain is sharper and feels better than the dull pain of the migraine.

I figure it can't hurt to try.

Dennis

 

[Senior]

The first thing you need to do is find your trigger. Often times this is a perfume/cologne, a particular food, a particular activity, pets, etc. The best way to do this is to keep a log every day of ALL the food you eat, including snacks/meals/drinks. See if there are any similarities in the days you get the headaches. Is your sleep cycle directly related? As in, are you not getting enough sleep the night before a bad headache hits you? Are you more stressed during the time period that it comes in clusters?

Questions you should also answer, is if you even are a classic versus common migraine.

1. Do you get an aura before the onset of the headache?
2. Is it on both sides or only on one side? Is it the same side every time?
3. Do you get nauseated or vomit? Do you have light and/or sound sensitivity?

In all honesty, the best "treatment" of a migraine is preventing it from happening in the first place by finding your trigger mechanism. Otherwise, there is such a wide variety of pharmacologic methods to treat, none of which are the "magic bullet" you might be looking for. It would be a case of trial and error to find what works for you.

Hope that helps a bit,
Dr. Rob

rsw81 has asked the questions I would, but here's a few of my thoughts

Generally I get them when I get REALLY dehydrated, which often happens because I've got loads to do at work and end up not drinking enough and getting a bit stressy . . . .

Mine are always a constant pain in my left temple and behind my left eye and i take 2 Migraleve Pink tablets which have Paracetamol, Codine and Buclizine. Usually if I get these in early enough and drink loads of water it will be sorted, and if there is a residual headache left then a normal Paracetamol and Codeine tablet will do the rest.

However, if I don't catch it early enough with the tablets it has to be SLEEP in a DARK and SILENT room preferably at home in bed.

The physical symptoms when it gets really bad are not nice, I have terrible nausea and sometimes vomit, I get a really really upset stomach (I'm spare you the details) but worst of all is the aura accompanied with blurred and tunnel vision, slurred speech, impared balance.

So it's really important to recognise when one is starting and always have to hand some medication . . . .

 

[simonwb]

I take 100mg daily of a herb called Feverfew, which acts for me as a preventative for migraines coming on in the first place. Here in the UK, it's available over the counter in products such as MigraHerb: Natural remedies for prevention of migraine headaches - Schwabe Pharma UK
Worth a try?

 

[ozzieboy]

I used to get them in a big way, due to an illness, and I had the same problem. I had one last for 3 months, and I was well and truly ready to put a gun in my mouth. I'd only really tried panadol and aspro at the time, but I must've looked like a druggie, 'cause the quacks never even pescribed Fortes (which don't work for me anyhow...not with migraines). I discovered Neurofen Plus one day, and what an eye opener that was. The pain killing side of it helps, but it also has the anti inflamitory side to it, which helped with the swelling which was causing my misery. If I had've found a doctor that gave enough of a crap to try and help me find out what was causing it I would've found out about my illness a number of years sooner than I did, which would've meant starting treatment sooner, and not having progress so far so fast. So you should go see a doctor for sure, and even more so if it has just "statred up" at some point. There might be an underlying cause that is doing more harm than just causing migraines.

Another very common cause is dehydration. Go hard on the water before you get to the nausia stage if you can.

 

[Spideyrex]

I only get migraine 2-3 a year but they are bad when I do (searing, throbbing pain, nausea, etc). I gte a clear visual aure, like a tunnel vision (part of my vision goes away like a blind spot). When I see that, I talke a 100mg Imitrex(rx) and two extra strength Excedrin (for the caffeine really) and that helps. The migraine goes away but I am really tired and have to sleep anyways. I used to take Maxalt a disolving pill that was like magic, Take it at the fisst sign and it goes away totally! but I developed a reaction to it so no more for me.
I know of a few clear triggers, one being a specific feta cheese.

Another air that helped a few times was sex. Yup you heard me right. At the first sign my wife and I would have sex and I thing the arenalin and endorphins did the same thing that the meds would do (dilating blood vessels). It worked a few times, but not the most convenient way to deal with the symptoms. But worth a try!!!

 

[calvary]

My daughter would get migraines because of some medication she was on after her double lung transplant. I forget who told us this info but mix one cup water and one cup apple cider vinegar and bring it to a boil. Breathe the fumes. It will stink up the house a bit but it worked for her.
Never had one myself but they would totally wipe my daughter out.
Good luck.

 

[BusyWeb]

Hi, there.

I strongly recommend this new depression pill.
Free and very well known for the symptoms like you are having.
But, there is no gurantee for the cure... ha ha ha

Good luck for cure ... and Fuk....it....ol.....

p.s.: I found this pill yesterday in front of my eyes,
but didn't know that I was taking it all the times when I'm on the saddle... ^^;

 

[psnbye]

Thank you all for the great advice, I have already looked up a few of the drugs that I havent heard of and will definately ask my dr. I appreceiate the fact that you all actually know what I deal with, some people just dont get it. Thanks again, it really helps to have some new ideas! Shawn

 

[dean2287]

Shawn, just a couple notes from a pharmacist's perspective.

Be careful with over-the-counter pain meds. Taking analgesics too much to treat headache pain can actually cause headaches...something called "Medication Induced Headache". Regular use of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or OTC codeine products can cause you to have more frequent and less treatable headaches. Usually this results from taking pain relievers 3-4 times weekly or more over a course of several months. If this situation occurs, it can be a difficult thing to correct.

Also, if you are started on a medication to help prevent migraines, such as amitriptyline, propranolol, flunarizine, etc. make sure to give it a good 2-3 month try before deciding it doesn't work. People often quit these too soon thinking they aren't helping, but they do take time to work.

Finally, if you are given a "triptan" drug to try, like Imitrex, Zomig, Relpax...know that you may need to try a few different types before you find on that works for you. They are all the same family of drug but people do seem to respond to one better than others, and it's a crap shoot. They also do fail on occasion - which could be related to the particular type of headache you have at the time. If it doesn't work, don't take another one for that same headache because it won't work either.

Do see a doctor as there are a number of differential things to rule out to comfirm the diagnosis and direct appropriate treatment.

Good luck!

 

[rsw81]

Shawn, just a couple notes from a pharmacist's perspective.

Be careful with over-the-counter pain meds. Taking analgesics too much to treat headache pain can actually cause headaches...something called "Medication Induced Headache". Regular use of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or OTC codeine products can cause you to have more frequent and less treatable headaches. Usually this results from taking pain relievers 3-4 times weekly or more over a course of several months. If this situation occurs, it can be a difficult thing to correct.

Also, if you are started on a medication to help prevent migraines, such as amitriptyline, propranolol, flunarizine, etc. make sure to give it a good 2-3 month try before deciding it doesn't work. People often quit these too soon thinking they aren't helping, but they do take time to work.

Finally, if you are given a "triptan" drug to try, like Imitrex, Zomig, Relpax...know that you may need to try a few different types before you find on that works for you. They are all the same family of drug but people do seem to respond to one better than others, and it's a crap shoot. They also do fail on occasion - which could be related to the particular type of headache you have at the time. If it doesn't work, don't take another one for that same headache because it won't work either.

Do see a doctor as there are a number of differential things to rule out to comfirm the diagnosis and direct appropriate treatment.

Good luck!

Well said, and I totally agree. As I mentioned before, there isn't one drug that works for everyone of this diagnosis, thus it often is a trial and error situation until you find one that works for you. Patience is the key and also looking for your triggers in the first place to help prevent getting the migraine at all.

Glad to see we have so many health care professionals on this forum. I know of at least half a dozen nurses, now a pharmacist, and there are 2-3 physicians including myself on here. Interesting to see such a dynamic on a motorcycle forum.:thumbup:

 

[lonesoldier84]

Diet makes a huge difference I think. My aunt eliminated things from her diet one by one until she found her migraines happened much less often and the intensity decreased. She reincorporated the rest of her diet but still doesnt eat the stuff she found was a problem.

My cousin used to get them too. Ill ask him how his stopped happening so often.

 

[psnbye]

Found one of my triggers. But it SUCKS because it's CHOCOLATE!!!! MILK CHOCOLATE!!!!! ARGGG!!! Thats HORRIBLE!!!! I love chocolate and I will sorely miss you, my lovely, smooth, rich wonderfullness!! Thank you everybody, I still am adjusting my diet as per my doc, we will see how that goes. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I LOVE THIS SITE!!!

 

[rsw81]

Found one of my triggers. But it SUCKS because it's CHOCOLATE!!!! MILK CHOCOLATE!!!!! ARGGG!!! Thats HORRIBLE!!!! I love chocolate and I will sorely miss you, my lovely, smooth, rich wonderfullness!! Thank you everybody, I still am adjusting my diet as per my doc, we will see how that goes. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I LOVE THIS SITE!!!

Sounds like you're on the right path. Chocolate is actually a very common trigger. That and caffeine drinks. Sorry to hear that's the case for you, chocolate is amazing.

 

[Kazza]

Found one of my triggers. But it SUCKS because it's CHOCOLATE!!!! MILK CHOCOLATE!!!!! ARGGG!!! Thats HORRIBLE!!!! I love chocolate and I will sorely miss you, my lovely, smooth, rich wonderfullness!! Thank you everybody, I still am adjusting my diet as per my doc, we will see how that goes. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I LOVE THIS SITE!!!

You know, there's not much actual cocoa/chocolate in milk chocolate. Look at the % on the ingredients. It's mostly fat/milk solids. Gross....

I feel your pain. Thank God I'm not allergic to marshmallows :cheer: