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Expert
Posts: 1477
  
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | I was recently diagnosed with migraines after years of sever headaches. My doctor never would treat me so I changed doctors. What triggers yours and what's the best treatment for yours? Mine are sever and I keep them for several days. I've been fighting one since Friday and I ended up in the ER Sunday night in the worst pain I've ever been in and running fever and throwing up. They gave me some strong pain meds and meds for nausea and told me to go home and sleep. I've been talking to a few people and a lot
Of them said this was the only way to get rid of theirs. I don't like the way the pain meds make me feel so has anyone found a more natural way of getting rid of them? |
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
 
Location: Gainesville, TX | First of all, you might look at what triggers them. I get them when I'm hormonal. Going on chemical birth control actually cut down on the number of mine. Going off caffeine too fast or high stress situations are two other triggers. One of the things I do is try to anticipate them and take some advil (and really a lot of advil) BEFORE they get terrible and sometimes I'll just get a bit achy without the full on headache.
That being said, I know a lot of people have also had fewer instances with diet changes. Also alternative therapies like acupuncture and chiropractic seem to help people some. Meditative techniques also help some people. Me, I take as many advil as won't tear up my stomach, take some form of sleep aid (like NyQuil), turn off all the lights and noise and try to sleep it off. |
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Cat Collector
Posts: 1430
| I have suffered from migraines my entire life... I started using the red box and I went from having at least 2 a week to only 1 per month which is huge for me. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 550
| TessBelle - 2015-12-09 11:23 AM
I was recently diagnosed with migraines after years of sever headaches. My doctor never would treat me so I changed doctors. What triggers yours and what's the best treatment for yours? Mine are sever and I keep them for several days. I've been fighting one since Friday and I ended up in the ER Sunday night in the worst pain I've ever been in and running fever and throwing up. They gave me some strong pain meds and meds for nausea and told me to go home and sleep. I've been talking to a few people and a lot
Of them said this was the only way to get rid of theirs. I don't like the way the pain meds make me feel so has anyone found a more natural way of getting rid of them?
Not eating is a trigger for me.
Lack of sleep & dehydration for my son.
For females they are also often tied to your cycle.
Essential oils are supposed to help some people. I've tried peppermint, lavendar, eucalyptus and frankincense and they have not helped me, but peppermint does seem to give my son some relief. He had one last week, and couldn't go to sleep because it was so painful, and after a put on some peppermint oil diluted in coconut oil he was able to sleep.
The only thing that works for me is to catch it as soon as I feel it coming on, and take a hot shower- as hot as I can stand it, and let it run down over my eye (that is where most of my pain is), then lay down in a cool, quiet, dark room. If I do this, typically when I wake up the next day it is gone. If I try to keep going after I have that initial feeling of a migraine coming on, I feel bad the next day too.
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 Expert
Posts: 2097
Location: Deep South | There are SO MANY triggers and theories and methods out there. The list is endless.
In my experience in talking with people really it's just different for everyone. You have to find what works for you.
Some people have luck with seeing a chiropractor regularly. Some people change their diets and see them go away. Some people log their sleep patterns and notice a difference. I have talked to someone where a particular smell triggers hers.
For myself, I haven't been able to find my trigger. I think it is sight related, but don't know exactly how. As I have gotten older my sight has worsened and my migraines increased. I'm now on Topomax. I take it daily to prevent the migraines from ever starting, as none of the meds they prescribed me to take once a migraine hit ever helped.
Good luck. Finding the right regimen is tough. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 425
Location: California | I actually just got rid of a bad headache. Don't know if I would go as far as calling it a migraine, since yours sounds MUCH worse than mine. It started yesterday around noon, I took one Excedrin Migraine (I usually take two, but it wasn't that bad yet). I was fine, but extremely tired by 230pm. Got off work @ 330, had dinner right at 5 & shortly after maybe 6 or 630 I had a full blown headache on the right side of my head. By now the right side of my neck was pretty kinked up (now not sure of what came first). My SO gave me a norco since I left my Excedrin @ work. My headache was so bad that I started to have a panic attack. It went away & I slept okay, but as soon as I woke up, the headache flooded back. I am also on that time off the month.
98% positive I am anemic, but I'm still waiting on blood tests. I do not take iron, but the plan is to get some asap.
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | I have read a lot about them being caused by hormonal changes and that birth control helps. I have the Nexplannon implant and I'm not sure that it hasn't made mine worse. I don't think it's enough to have it removed because I had them bad anyway but it may have made them slightly worse. |
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 It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | I really like Deep Relief from Young Living. It seems to help me. Excedrin makes me feel sick so I stay away from that. Like someone else said I do try to catch it before it is bad with some Aleve or something.
Fountain Coke usually helps me too- as gross as it sounds. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2152
Location: Northern MN | I have suffered from migraines for about the last 15 years. They didn't get bad until I was in my late 20's. I have tried every medication there is. I have tried massage, acupunture, chiorpractors you name it. I have a tens unit, I have pain meds and I have Imitrex (injections and pills) I also take a high blood pressure med (I don't have high bp) that is supposed to be a preventiive. I just came out of my last migraine on Monday. It lasted for 6 days. The only thing that seems to help me is a hot shower and sleep. And it needs to be quiet. I have ended up in the ER many times and have had nausea medication, benadryl, morphine, oxy...I have tried it all. It is very frustrating but there seems to be no magic trick to make them not happen or go away when they come. I just hibernate. I have unfortunately had to miss work. How can you talk on the phone all day when your head is pounding and it feels like my left eye is going to pop out of my head? I always get them on the left side too...always. I wish someone would find a miracle cure or at least something that would end them once they start. Oh and I have tried "natural" things as well. I do find a little relief from ice pack on my head and neck when I am laying down, that is about the only thing that helps. |
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Expert
Posts: 1207
| When I was younger I used to get them severely. Not sure exactly what caused them as they hit at various times, stress was a BIG factor I think. I took Excedrin Migraine with Feverfew that I got at the health food store. Also I read that processed foods contributed to them. |
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Veteran
Posts: 225
Location: Montgomery TX | I think everyone has different triggers. For me, it was a combination of things - hormones, smoking, stress and alignment issues with my back/neck. Of course, it took me years and lots of trial and error to figure it all out. What surprised me the most is how smoking/nicotine triggered them - even if you don't smoke and are around people smoking. I smoked for 20+ years and it wasn't until I quit a few months ago that they have totally went away. We went out the other night for a few hours and by the time we left, I could feel one coming on.
What helped me the most - catching it early, excedrin migraine, quiet and darkness and there's this thing called a migrastik, its essential oils basically and you can get it from health food stores and apply it to your temples and pressure points behind your ears and a warm cloth. The warmth helps trigger the ingredients in the migrastik. I know it has menthelatum (sp) and lavender oils, but not sure what else. I swear its a miracle worker for any type of headache. Almost everyone I work with has one in their desk now.... Best of luck to you my dear, I hope you are able to get some relief!
Edited to add - When I quit smoking, I also started exercising - which helps tremendously with stress relieve which was a big trigger for me also.
Edited by bten 2015-12-09 11:29 AM
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Veteran
Posts: 152
| Find a good chiropractor! That REALLY helped mine. My neck is always out and causes my migraines. Usually 1 visit every 6-8 weeks keeps me free and clear of migraines. If on the rare occasion I get a bad one between visits I have a prescription to help knock them out. Pills are always my last resort though. |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | oija - 2015-12-09 10:36 AM . Going on chemical birth control actually cut down on the number of mine.
Huh, for me it WAS the birth control that I believe was causing them.
I wouldn't get migraines but I would get headaches very often. I could at least function through them but it was rather annoying to sometimes have a headache every single day.
Excedrin was the only thing that would make them go away, but I hated having to take it every day!
I saw a neurologist finally and he made some natural suggestions, one of which was magnesium. I started taking that around the same time that I stopped taking my birth control b/c hubby and I were going to try to have a baby.
I rarely get a headache, since being off the birth control. I'll bet that had way more to do with it than the magnesium.
When I go back on it someday, I'm going to be paying close attention for headaches.
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Veteran
Posts: 111
| If I can find a way to possibly go to sleep, that will usually help me more than anything. It kind of resets my brain and usually works - so long as I can get my mind of my headache long enough to fall asleep.
One handy trick I've discovered that really helps me is to get in the shower, and take a few drops of peppermint oil and mix it in my shampoo. I massage the shampoo through my hair, all over my head and down my neck. After you get out of the shower, the oil cools everywhere it touched, and it's like magic to get rid of my headaches.
Edited by IdahoBarrelRacer756 2015-12-09 11:45 AM
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 Veteran
Posts: 216
| I have had migraines for years. I have tried several medications and have found 2 that definitely work. Usually as soon as I feel one coming (seeing stars etc) I will take 2 Excedrin Migraine, if I then feel the actual headache coming on I will take Imitrex, if that doesn't work then I will take Maxalt. Maxalt is expensive and in my experience the doctors don't offer it as an option unless you ask for it. Maxalt literally gets rid of it in 10 to 20 minutes. Triggers for me include eating too much sugar late at night, weather changes i.e. cold or warm fronts moving through, certain smells or perfumes, hot dogs and bakes beans. I also agree with super hot shower, lay down with rag on face and eyes and sleep. Mine usually last about 3 days so staying on top of it before the pain gets bad is the key to managing it. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 639
Location: God's country...aka TEXAS | I've has migraines my whole life. There are a lot of triggers...but getting medicine for them is the best thing. I take Treximet as soon as I feel one coming on and its completely gone within 30-45 mins. You can also get on a daily preventative that helps prevent them also. Very manageable with the correct meds. Also, these meds don't make you feel sick or anything. |
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | I did notice that a lot of my pain was in my right eye. My migraines are almost always on the right side or the back of my head. They have me a shot of dahladid and finagin I belive. Then had to give me a shot of something else because apparently I'm allergic to dahladid. Once they got that under control I was able to lay down and sleep. I slept almost 13hrs without getting up. I got up for about an hour and I started feeling it coming back so I took the pill the dr have me at the ER and went back to sleep
For about 5hrs. I woke up this morning and felt great. I cooked breakfast Went and fed my horses and calf came home help my dad clean fish now I'm layed up on the couch with a pounding headache agin. This is the 6th day in a row. I've about decided I don't have any triggers. They just come when ever they want lol. I just took 2 Aleeve and gonna try to sleep and see what that does. |
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | My daughter takes Topomax daily. There were some side effects the first month, but she has not had a headache in about 2 years since starting that. I don't know if it's for everyone, but it changed her life.
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Expert
Posts: 2152
Location: Northern MN | JLBerry - 2015-12-09 11:56 AM I've has migraines my whole life. There are a lot of triggers...but getting medicine for them is the best thing. I take Treximet as soon as I feel one coming on and its completely gone within 30-45 mins. You can also get on a daily preventative that helps prevent them also. Very manageable with the correct meds. Also, these meds don't make you feel sick or anything.
Very manageable for some. You are very fortunate that you have found something that works. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1611
Location: bring on the heat, NV | Mine are triggered mostly by lack of sleep and stress. Ive not found anything all natural to help. I just try to catch it early. |
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 Horsey Gene Carrier
Posts: 1888
Location: LaBelle, Florida | I get the 3 day migrains also, usually hormonal.
However, when I was in my early 30's, I cut my hair to above shoulder length (paige boy type cut). I went for almost a year without a bad migrain. Then as my hair got longer, they started to come back. Apparantly the weight of long hair was trigger.
I am in my later 40's now and have given up on ever having long hair, went with a boy style hair cut for ease of care. I also go to the chiropractor once a month to get adjusted. These 2 things have cut the migrains down to headaches and if I get the ibupofen taken as soon as it starts, then just a dull throb.
I have tried prescription medication, that only worked for awhile and then quit working. When I was actively trying to find a medication, the doc I was going to was very helpful. No I don't use her anymore.
My recommedations:
Make sure you are getting enough sleep, cut the stress, caffine, get a massage and see the chiropractor. If you have long hair, try cutting several inches or thin it to get the weight off.
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | moapajetrider - 2015-12-09 1:13 PM Mine are triggered mostly by lack of sleep and stress. Ive not found anything all natural to help. I just try to catch it early.
that is what mine are triggered by. I get awful ones, like ones so bad I want to sit in a dark room and try to sleep cause my head hurts so bad....and the tunnel vision is horrible. |
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 Saint Stacey
| Gluten was a huge trigger for me and my daughter. We both suffered from migraines lasting as long as 3 weeks. I stopped eating gluten and rarely get them now. When I do get them, I can control them with BC Powder.
My daughter wasn't so lucky. Removing gluten helped but didn't stop them. She had one for 3 weeks and couldn't function. O read about piercing that ridge in the middle of your ear by the ear canal. There's an accupressure point there for migraines. Shemainly gets them oon the left side. The article said to pierce the side you get them on. She opted to do both. It is one of the more painful piercings. She did the right side first. No big deal and it really didn't jury. When she got the left side done, she thought she was going to die. It was extremely painful and it gushed blood. The bleeding wouldn't stop. They finally got it to stop and she came home.
That was a week ago. Her migraine went away. She had to bartend a party the other night with a loud band. She came home with a bad headache and went to bed. As soon as she laid down, it went away and was gone the next morning. That NEVER happens. When she gets one that had, it has always stayed for a solid week.
Sometimes you have to think outside the box with migraines and get creative to control them. |
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Member
Posts: 43
| find someone that is good at treating migraines and takes the time to do it.....its not easy and can take a lot of steps if they are frequent and bad.....don't go into it thinking they are gonna get rid of your headaches....they aren't....the goal is to make them less frequent and less severe.... |
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Cold hands and Warm Heart
Location: oklahoma | I've been getting them for almost 40 years. They're debilitating and are in no way shape or form, a headache. My triggers have changed now that I've gotten older. Nowadays, more than likely it's due to not enough sleep, and/ or hormones. I drink a gazillion liters of water a day, seems like and have started taking magnesium. There's also a pressure point in your ear that has been found to help and its a cute piercing. Allergies brought on by several consecutive days of wind can trigger one. Most of the time I sleep them off by taking 3 extra strength ecedrine for migraines and if that doesn't help, bc powder. Maxalt was the prescription drug for me but I can do the same thing at home and save 30$ a pill. Dark room, cold cloth on my forehead and I'll sleep it off. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 929
| I didtched a lot of synthetic "foods" and sugar and mine have all but disappeared. I used to get: aura, then blindness, then vomiting, then a headache so bad that the wind in the trees would make me go insane. Then it progressed to bloody noses. also went OFF birth control and that helped. The waether seems to be a trigger, too. only had one this year.  |
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 Expert
Posts: 1302
Location: California | I get migraines almost daily. I remember them starting in 4th grade and I am now almost 23. These last few years have been awful. My list of triggers is a mile long and very sporadic. First trigger is foods...all sorts of foods. (sugary, gummy textured, most herbs/teas, strong coffee...) The smell of them is enough to trigger one. I have tried gluten free, organic, ect. and have yet to find anything that works. Motion is another big one. Car rides (if I drive I am usually okay) airplanes, boats, can't do anything spinny or amusement park type ride. And then a lot of times I just wake up with one and they usually stay for days, weeks, even a month. I have ended up in the ER many times and they give me shots and tell me to go home. These shots don't even touch the pain in my head they just make me sleep. I had spoke to a few doctors and they all told me to take Motrin and drink more water. Even my own mother never took me seriously until the other day when we went shopping and by 11am I could no longer stand up on my own. Nothing touches my migraines except narcotics which I will only take if I am at my breaking point. Today I tried a Sumatriptan pill that my friend had prescribed and loves. I felt extremely drugged for the first hour or so and now my migraine is back in full force. I really don't want a solution for the pain so much as I want to get to the bottom of why I get them. They are based on both sides of my head from my temples running towards the back of my head. I tried a chiropracter 2-3 times a week for a few weeks straight and getting adjusted gives me a migraine so bad I have to go straight to bed for days and I never saw any improvement. I am to the point where I don't even know where to start when it comes to doctors. Hormone, neuro, allergist, ect. The only days I have noticed that I usually go without a migraine is if I wake up early, and go workout/ride horses outside all day long. If I sleep in or lay around or be lazy for any period of time I get one. Anyways I hope you get help! Maybe I will find something on this thread to help me too! |
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 Crazy Doggy Mommy
Posts: 1419
Location: Where Governor's make the liscense plates | I've suffered from migraines since childhood. They are triggered by stress, skipping meals, and my period. For the last 6 months I started taking the lowest dose of a calcium channel blocker called Verapamil daily. It has cut the severity down and the frequency substantially!
I now now get maybe 2 migraines a month and they are triggered by my period. And instead of taking maxalt or imitrex I now take Midrin. Which has a sedative affect but help me much more.
It it took me years to go talk to a neurologist and wish I would've gone sooner- I feel like I've got my life back! |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| My husband suffers from terrible headaches and migraines. He has trouble sleeping, can go to sleep but cannot stay asleep, I am sure the lack of sleep contributes. He also gets severe pain in the back of his neck when he lays down. He went to a dr a few years ago, the prescription they gave him made him naeusous. I have been pestering him to go see someone else. What new meds are out there?? |
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 Mature beyond Years
Posts: 10780
Location: North of the 49th Parallel | I suffer from migraines big time. Mine are mostly weather and stress related. I do NOT suggest even asking your doctor this but I had a good solid migraine for 2 weeks and went to see my ENT surgeon on Monday. I've had tubes in my ear many times and after talking, he put a tube in my ear on Monday and haven't had a migraine yet. I also take Nortripitylene and Depakote. |
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 To the Left
Posts: 1865
Location: Florida | My sister tried cutting her hair, no luck. She tried every diet change you can do, every drug the doctors could come up with. She was actually looking into going to England for an experimental brain surgery when finally a doctor did the right tests. She has MS. Not what any of you want to hear, but there is treatment, look into it. |
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Veteran
Posts: 241
| I just completed a migraine study on using magnesium. I don't know for sure that I had the magnesium, but I went from 1-2 migraines a week to none. Since completing the study I started taking 2 magnesium pills a day and still have very few migraines. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 405
| I too have suffered from migraines seems like forever. Mine were always on the right side. Then something happened about a couple of years ago. I noticed that I wasn't getting hardly any migraines at all. I kept racking my brain over and over trying to figure out what I was doing different but just couldn't figure it out. Then one day while I was at the doctor's office for a check up I told him that I was doing fine on the new blood pressure med that he had prescribed me. He said good and that it was the same one he used and also liked it because it helped with his migraines. At that moment I finally knew why my frequent migraines and decreased to hardly none. The med was Bystolic and has made a tremendous difference in my life. I rarely ever get migraines now and when I do they are nothing like before. I feel for anyone who gets migraines...my daughter gets really bad ones. I think some people just don't understand how painful a true migraine is. Many years ago I overheard a lady talking to another stating "I can't believe someone would go to the hospital for a headache!" Evidently, she never dealt with a true migraine. |
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 Oh excuse me!
Posts: 2473
Location: S. California Beach | Saw a new neurologist today...I am 37 and know my triggers well (just found out intense workouts that I love are one). She is going to do medical botox on the occpiital area (back of head) when I go back next time. |
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 Ms. Elvis
Posts: 9606
Location: Running barrels or watching nascar | I use AcuLife/Lifewave patches when mine get really bad. |
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Expert
Posts: 2152
Location: Northern MN | margoannrodeo - 2015-12-10 2:29 AM Saw a new neurologist today...I am 37 and know my triggers well (just found out intense workouts that I love are one). She is going to do medical botox on the occpiital area (back of head) when I go back next time.
I have thought about that as well. Let us know how it goes!! Good Luck! |
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I Really Love Jeans
Posts: 3173
Location: North Dakota | I suffered bad migraines for twenty years but have completely
Stopped having them! I did this by not drinking soda
Or coffee or anything with caffeine!! Don't eat or drink anything
With high fructose corn syrup in it at all!! Reduce your carb intake to just
A few days a week!!! I also try to avoid cookies, heavy breads etc... Essentially eat like a diabetic and you will change your life completely!!! |
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 Expert
Posts: 1392
Location: Central Texas | zelma - 2015-12-10 8:48 AM margoannrodeo - 2015-12-10 2:29 AM Saw a new neurologist today...I am 37 and know my triggers well (just found out intense workouts that I love are one). She is going to do medical botox on the occpiital area (back of head) when I go back next time. I have thought about that as well. Let us know how it goes!! Good Luck!
One of my freinds had the medical botox done about 6 months ago. She is very happy with the results. The only thing she complained about was right after the injections she said it was like her whole forehead was frozen and she couldn't move her eyebrows. She did say that that went away after a few weeks. Her injection sights were right around her hairline.
I also suffer from migrains but I have figured out most of my triggers. The biggest one for me is I can't have anything with aspartame or any other fake sugar/ sweetener. Took me years to figure out the aspartame. Once I completely eliminated that from my life I now only get maybe one or two migrains a year.
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | A gal at work said her migraines diminished immensely once she started working out regularly. I would suggest a chiropractor, that's who I visit with I start getting frequent headaches. You ladies are TOUGH!!! |
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 Veteran
Posts: 224
Location: So Cal | I've tried just about everything and what has finally gotten me down to a manageable number of migraines is the botox. It's around 30 small injections across my forehead, temples, and neck/shoulder area every 3 months. I'm also on Topamax but it alone didn't help much. When I get a migraine, I can usually take an Imitrex and at least make it tolerable, but can only get 9 of those per month and I was having way more migraines than that. I would wake up with them in the middle of the night or in the morning, not able to open my eyes it hurt so bad, I'd throw up, etc.. Now I only get probably 1-3 per month depending on what's going on. Mine are definitely triggered by stress, another big trigger for me is weather. When a storm comes in, the change in atmospheric pressure or something does it. Also I get them when we have bad winds. Also, for some reason, I can't drink Powerade? Gatorade is fine, I don't know what it is. Weird.
No fun... but for anyone who is a candidate for the Botox (supposed to be like 15 or more per month), definitely check into it! It has helped me a ton! Plus no forehead wrinkles. |
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | barrelracer1983 - 2015-12-10 3:01 AM
I use AcuLife/Lifewave patches when mine get really bad.
I have some and thought about trying them. Where do you put them? |
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OT... Migraine sufferers come here