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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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