Migraines

[Numbers]

Anyone know of any non-prescription cures for migraines?

My doctor won't give me medicine unless I see a neurologist. But I really don't have time for that, and my insurance probably won't cover it.

Right now the only thing that works for me is sleep. If I get a migraine during work, I go downstairs to my car and nap it off. I've never tried Excedrine -- but that's just tylenol, aspirin, and caffeine. Does it work?

[The Ponzzz]

Extra Strength does for me, when it happens. Mine are rare, though. Migranes can lead to bad things, I would see the neurologist.

[Geshron]

Caffeine, and weed.

[radamanthys]

Sex

[diethx]

Jesus Mario your new avatar.. lol.

[The Ponzzz]

Ride or die, mo fuggahs!

[Deathravin]

Never found anything that would remove a real migraine except a prescription (Imitrex or Maxalt), and sleep.

I've been able to quell the pain a bit by tying a rag tightly around my head (a robe tie works well for this).

But ya... Even when I do take a pill, it goes away that day but I always have one the next day. The only way that I've been able to actually get rid of a migraine is sleep.

The way I KNOW it's a migraine is because no non-prescription pills work for it and I feel like I'm going to vomit the whole time (and sometimes I see flashes and an aura type of thing). SOMETIMES if I drink enough caffeine I can make it bearable. But most of the time if I have something to do that day, I'll pop a Maxalt melt, and free up the next day.


Now if you sleep a good, full 8 hours and it's still there, you need to see a doctor cause bad things may be happening.

[radamanthys]

Never found anything that would remove a real migraine except a prescription (Imitrex or Maxalt), and sleep.

I've been able to quell the pain a bit by tying a rag tightly around my head (a robe tie works well for this).

But ya... Even when I do take a pill, it goes away that day but I always have one the next day. The only way that I've been able to actually get rid of a migraine is sleep.

The way I KNOW it's a migraine is because no non-prescription pills work for it and I feel like I'm going to vomit the whole time (and sometimes I see flashes and an aura type of thing). SOMETIMES if I drink enough caffeine I can make it bearable. But most of the time if I have something to do that day, I'll pop a Maxalt melt, and free up the next day.


Now if you sleep a good, full 8 hours and it's still there, you need to see a doctor cause bad things may be happening.

Beta blockers helped my headaches.

[Androidpk]

Caffeine, and medicinal marijuana.

The #1 cure for everything.

[Stunseed]

Sex


This made it 10x worse for me. I had one on V-day.

[radamanthys]

This made it 10x worse for me. I had one on V-day.

That sucks. Hope you didn't waste you super extra special v-day bonus sex from whatever gift she conned you into buying.

[Euler]

I do the robe tie thing too. Also sleep. Showers help me. Also, if it is real bad, I make myself puke. The aura thing is an ocular migraine. I always get those 12-14 hours before the painful migraine. Get another doctor.

[Stunseed]

That sucks. Hope you didn't waste you super extra special v-day bonus sex from whatever gift she conned you into buying.

Nah, I took care of all that shit.

[Mighty Nikkisaurus]

Sleep, and Botox.

I get cluster migraines. Basically I feel like taking a fork to my eyeball, prying it out, and then bashing my brains into a blunt object.

That being said, there is no natural cure for me. Typically I called out of work, took a ridiculously hot shower (to the point I felt I may be scalding myself) in the dark without the fan on, then drank a few glasses of water and laid down in bed in my very darkened room (as black as possible).. trying to force myself to sleep. If I didn't fall asleep, I looked forward to random bouts of dizziness, aura, and then getting sick. Once the pounding pressure and aura passed I tended to pass out for like 16 hours + at a time.

I got botox shots at the base of my neck and almost immediately these stopped. It wears off after a while but the shots relax your blood vessels and placed properly seem to cut off debilitating migraines. I still got some cluster headaches, and other pressure, but it was easily manageable compared to the migraines.

[Androidpk]

Sleep, and Botox.

I get cluster migraines. Basically I feel like taking a fork to my eyeball, prying it out, and then bashing my brains into a blunt object.

That being said, there is no natural cure for me. Typically I called out of work, took a ridiculously hot shower (to the point I felt I may be scalding myself) in the dark without the fan on, then drank a few glasses of water and laid down in bed in my very darkened room (as black as possible).. trying to force myself to sleep. If I didn't fall asleep, I looked forward to random bouts of dizziness, aura, and then getting sick. Once the pounding pressure and aura passed I tended to pass out for like 16 hours + at a time.

I got botox shots at the base of my neck and almost immediately these stopped. It wears off after a while but the shots relax your blood vessels and placed properly seem to cut off debilitating migraines. I still got some cluster headaches, and other pressure, but it was easily manageable compared to the migraines.


Wow, are you sure you aren't mistaking your migraine for brain cancer? I didn't know migraines could get that bad, i've never had one though.

[Alfster]

Cluster migraines are considered to be one of the most painful things out there.

As for me, I seem to get migraines in spurts. I'll go 2 or 3 months without one, then I'll have one nonstop for about a week. Sleep is not an option when I get mine, so I generally end up drinking a ton of water and laying down when I can.

[AnticorRifling]

My wife gets them. I don't understand them as I don't get them. I just get out of the way and stay quiet.

[Mighty Nikkisaurus]

Wow, are you sure you aren't mistaking your migraine for brain cancer? I didn't know migraines could get that bad, i've never had one though.

From what I understand my experience is exactly like other sufferers of cluster migraines. Not a tumor or anything like that, though honestly the first time I went through one I totally panicked and thought I was dying from an anneurism or something because I had no idea why I was seeing the aura and throwing up. I was like 14 though.

What I describe is also why other migraine sufferers seem relieved when they find out a boss, etc has migraines, because otherwise it's impossible to really let someone know how bad it is. It's not like a "bad headache" in that you can pop some ibuprofen and power through. I have a very high pain tolerance and every single time it knocked me right out.

[ElvenFury]

From what I understand my experience is exactly like other sufferers of cluster migraines. Not a tumor or anything like that, though honestly the first time I went through one I totally panicked and thought I was dying from an anneurism or something because I had no idea why I was seeing the aura and throwing up. I was like 14 though.

I started getting them at around that age too. The aura is fucking scary when you don't know what it is. I thought I was going blind.

My migraines vary widely in pain, but they always start with the aura. I try to take Excedrin Migraine as soon as I get the aura, but it takes 30 minutes for it to kick in, so I'm usually 40-60% blind during that time until the aura goes away. After that, it's about 50/50 if I'll be able to continue functioning, or if I need to go sleep for about 12 hours.

Someone earlier suggested sex. Masturbation can be a great way to help yourself fall asleep if the pain is keeping you awake, but any kind of strenuous activity (like real sex) is just going to get your blood pumping and make the pounding in your head exponentially worse.

[Trouble]

I don't get them anywhere near as bad as y'all but if I take Advil as soon as the aura starts, sometimes I can function almost normally within 20 mins or so. Other times I'm useless for a good hour or two. For me they come in clusters too, I'll get 3 in a week then none for months. I think mine are related to dehydration or sinus/allergies but I have no proof.

The frustration of not being able to see bugs me as much as the pain.

[Fallen]

Sleep always seems to help me most, though my headaches are allergy related. I pop sleeping medicine and write the day off as a loss.

[AnticorRifling]

I always offer to punch it out. The wife tells me to drown in a puddle.

[Jorddyn]

I get the aura, the nausea, the sensitivity to light and smell, everything but the pain. I have no idea why.

Sleep is the only thing that makes it better for me. Otherwise, I sit there for the rest of the day looking stoned with my eyes watering.

I tried Imitrix and wound up curled up in the fetal position on the bathroom floor for the entire night. The only migraine med that didn't cause this reaction was Axert, but it made the nausea twice as bad and really didn't do anything to clear up the rest of my symptoms.

Now, the second I see little flashy things, I'll shut my eyes for 10 minutes or so - not sleep, just close my eyes and wait. I've then got about a 50/50 shot of not getting a migraine, which is far better than any drug I ever took.

ETA: Regardless, I wind up with this ridiculous knot, usually in my neck, but it has happened everywhere from my lower back to my shoulder blades. After one good night of sleep, it's just an annoyance. Takes the second good night of sleep and usually a solid CRACK to fully go away.

[Jorddyn]

I think mine are related to dehydration or sinus/allergies but I have no proof.

Copious amounts of water seems to be a theme in this thread. Maybe I'll start drinking a huge glass of water as soon as I feel one coming on.



The frustration of not being able to see bugs me as much as the pain.

I don't get the pain often, but I often wonder if I'd rather have it than the rest of the other symptoms.

[Liagala]

I've never gotten the aura, but I get the rest sometimes. My migraines tend to be low-intensity, but they don't go away. When I get one it stays for 3-4 days, no matter what I do. Extra strength Excedrin is amazing with them. I have to take a fair amount more than the directions tell you to, but it works. They dull the pain down so that I can function semi-normally. Cold stuff on my head feels incredible, too. I ended up sleeping on a bag of frozen veggies one night, because I had nothing else cold in the house and it felt so good.

[DCSL]

When I lived in Hell, I mean New Jersey, I got the cluster headaches as well. My pain tolerance is pretty high, like Nikki's. I mean, one of the other theater tech people dropped a fifty pound riser on one of my feet and fractured a couple of my bones. I walked around on it for the rest of the school day until someone noticed blood leaking through the top of my white shoe (a couple of my toenails had broken too). But these migraines kicked my ass.

A couple of times, I actually threw up from the pain, which was a first for me. It hurt so bad that my vision went white and I was practically blind. My mother freaked out and I had all kinds of MRIs and CT scans and allergy tests. Maxalt was what they prescribed for me, in that little dissolving tab form. It worked if I caught the migraine early enough. If I missed it, well, I was shit out of luck.

Other than that, yeah, sleep. If you can manage it.

Edited to add that I don't really get them anymore, not since I moved out of NJ. I had one a couple of months ago and it was the first time in years. I don't miss them. Or NJ.

[Kyra231]

Imitrex which is damn near worse than the actual migraine...Midrin was supposed to help if taken at the first sign of a migraine but didn't do a damn thing...Topamax didn't really help the migraines but I did lose 10 lbs without trying.

Not much on the homeopathic front for true migraine treatment I don't think :( Caffeine sometimes if you catch it early, cold showers & exercise outdoors if you can still tolerate the sun.

[TheRoseLady]

Mine are period related, and I just started getting them a few years ago. I use Excedrin Migraine and sleep.

[mgoddess]

FWIW, Excedrin Migraine and Excedrin Extra Strength have the exact same ingredients in the exact same amounts... if you wanna save money, go for the Extra Strength. Also, caffeine is NOT a good thing: it actually makes migraines worse, due to the withdrawal headaches. If you're taking any medicines with caffeine more than once or twice in a week, you need to find a doctor that can prescribe you something better.

Back to the topic, I've had migraines since I was 18-ish. Can't stand them. I don't get the aura thing, but I definitely get the sensitivity to light, noise, and smell, and get nauseous sometimes. I was finally able to afford to see a doctor about them a few years back and I've been on three different preventive medicines (Inderal, didn't work; Topamax, didn't work; Verapamil, working so far... plus a fuck-ton of B Vitamins), as well as a couple different pain meds (Imitrex, which is my nuke-from-the-sky, last-resort pain med; Midrin was like "omg, this stuff rocks, better than Excedrin" stuff, which isn't made anymore (BOOOO!); Darvocet was tried, but my system HATED it).

If your doctor isn't referring you to a neurologist, I would suggest getting a different doctor. Even if a neuro can't find a specific reason for your migraines, (s)he will still (or should still) try their best to help you prevent and/or take care of them.

Oh... and for reasons why you may be getting them: as mentioned above, Caffeine causes a good chunk of the pains the migraine population goes through; also, keep to a certain sleep schedule, if you go to sleep any time you want and wake up anytime you want, your body can't get into a rhythm, and bodies don't like that very much; weather can also play a big role in migraines, if you can, check the weather when you feel a migraine coming one... there's a good chance dew point, humidity, and/or barometric pressure is changing (doesn't matter which way it's changing, most of the time).

[ElvenFury]

Also, caffeine is NOT a good thing: it actually makes migraines worse, due to the withdrawal headaches.

Caffeine can definitely fuck you over if your body is sensitive to the withdrawals, but with meds it absolutely helps kick your migraine's ass. I got a migraine once when I was out with my girlfriend's family, and I couldn't find a place with Excedrin, so I popped four advil and downed a "monster" energy drink. The migraine was GONE in twenty minutes.

You're also right on with the weather. Barometric pressure definitely effects me. Sometimes I'll pop an advil just because I notice a thunderstorm is rolling in and I'm feeling a little light headed. Other big factors for me are lack of sleep, lack of food, and dehydration. Oh, and STRESS in general. A horrible week at work or a big fight at home is an almost guaranteed migraine.

[DCSL]

I have no idea where my migraines came from. I was miserable in NJ, extremely stressed, and I haven't been a good sleeper since I was in middle school, long before the NJ phase. Just a desperately bad time in my life all around. There never seemed to be a reliable trigger for my migraines so it was hard to anticipate them.

I've been forced to conclude that there must have been some psychological factor, because as soon as I moved away, I was fine. The human body is a finely tuned, extremely sensitive engine. Who knows all that it can react to? Stupid piece of junk.

[mgoddess]

Caffeine can definitely fuck you over if your body is sensitive to the withdrawals, but with meds it absolutely helps kick your migraine's ass. I got a migraine once when I was out with my girlfriend's family, and I couldn't find a place with Excedrin, so I popped four advil and downed a "monster" energy drink. The migraine was GONE in twenty minutes.
Yep, caffeine is certainly good in helping medication kick the migraines away. It just has it's drawbacks, like any other drug (medication or not) has.

[ViridianAsp]

I don't get cluster migraines, thank god. But I do have migraines every few weeks. I usually have the ocular migraine first then it's followed up by a sick stomach a dull ache at the back of my head and behind my eyes. I usually take aspirin, a few glasses of water lay down in a dark room with a warm washcloth over my eyes and sleep it out if I can. If I can't...I wear sunglasses indoors and out. Mine usually last hours 5-6.

[TheRunt]

I don't get them but I know 2 girls that swear by a scalp, neck and shoulder massage at the first sign. Either it helped them or they just used it to sucker me into giving them one.:shrug:

[4a6c1]

I have high blood pressure. If I dont run every day I get migranes. Excedrin migrane does the trick for those days when I'm too busy.

Also, I know this sounds nuts but if you have a crippling migrane and your head is pounding try running. It will take your mind off the pain, so to speak. And sometimes the adrenaline does the same thing as caffeine. :)