how to get rid of migraines?
 

Does anyone know of good ways to get rid of headaches/migraines? I get them pretty bad sometimes by the time i come home from work (i work on a computer ALL day and usually have to get stuff done on them at night too), and it pretty much reders me useless.

Thankfully I'll only be at this job for another week, but I'd like to hear if anyone has any remedies. OTC drugs don't seem to work- 2 Aleves don't do anything! ARGH!

Thanks for any help!

Go to the doctor. I get migraines, and the best medication I have found is Zomig. I don't go anywhere without it. There is a pretty good variety of prescription migraine medications out now, so if one doesn't work for you, ask your doctor to prescribe another. They are expensive (but worth every penny), so find out the maximum number of pills your insurance company will pay for per month, and ask your doctor to prescribe that many. For example, I'm allowed 12 Zomig each month. OTC drugs won't touch my headaches.

Some people also have luck using muscle relaxers and beta blockers to prevent migraines, but I haven't found them very useful. Again, you may respond differently to them.

Learn what your triggers are. Certain foods bother some people. I can't eat bananas, but chocolate doesn't hurt me, thank goodness! Light is one of my main triggers. I have huge, geeky wraparound sunglasses to wear outside and a glare filter on my computer at work, both of which really help. Keep a diary, and backtrack to what might have caused a migraine when you get one. You should be able to narrow down your triggers and avoid them somewhat.

Good luck. You have to get migraines to understand just how disabling they can be. I've done a lot of research on this, so feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Dani -

Cut out all caffeine from your diet, including chocolate. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water (the recommended 8x8 oz. per day at least).

I find that my migraines are caffiene and dehydration triggered. Caffeine is a dehydrating substance, so it goes hand in hand.

Danielle,

One of my coworkers gets bad migraines concurrent with her cycle. The doctor said they would go away if she got pregnant.

Hey, I'm just telling you what I heard. :p

Her doctor must be a man. No woman would suggest getting pregnant as a "solution" to headaches. My mother had migraines before she had me and continues having them to this day. Hormones do play a huge role, though. Migraines frequently start around puberty, and they do tend to happen around your period.

I used to get horrible migraines where I would go to the point of vomiting. I had them for three years, and I had a CT scan, etc... and everything was normal. It turned out for me that I needed glasses, and my migraines were from squinting. I still get migranes once and a while, and I finally figured out after months that I get them when I have to go the bathroom, and don't. :eek:

I heard some of the new drugs like Imitrex work or those inhalers, the woman I used to babysit for used that and also ate blue corn chips , :confused: and that made them go away. Also, look at what you are eating, many people are allergic to MSG (commonly found in Chinese food) and get headaches from that. Also, if you take a OTC pain reliever on a regular basis (say for a week while you are on your period for cramps), and then stop when it is over, you can get like rebound headaches. I've gotten those, and they best thing to do is just relax and see if the pain goes away, but not if they are migraines.

Good luck to you, and I hope you start to feel better!
L.

I've only had a few migraines, and there's not much that I've found that works for them, although I've never tried prescription medication. I think that my triggers are lack of sleep or sometimes red wine -- but usually I'm okay with no sleep and some red wine. ;)

As far as less serious headaches -- I usually have luck with Excedrin migraine, which is basically aspirin and caffeine. That seems to work for me, but I always have to take that with food or it will upset my tummy. If I don't have any Excedrin migraine, I've gotten by with plain old aspirin and a big old cup of coffee. Sometimes ibuprofen works, but only if it's not a really bad headache.

I started having Migraines recently and come to find out, the prescription in my glasses and contacts was too much. I kept putting off going to the doctor and didn't get a new prescription when I was suppose to.

~Kddani, did you go to the doc and tell him/her about the problem when you sit in front of the computer? They (Sears and Lenscrafters) have some new glasses/contacts from people who work with computers for long periods of time.

I would like to know how the hell to get rid of my headache...this is day five.

All I drink is water. (I don't drink pop anymore)
I don't eat candy.
It's not my time of the month.
I have already been to the eye doctor to get my eyes and glasses checked.

I think I'm going to explode :eek:

Thank you everyone for your advice, I definately plan on trying some of it.
One of my triggers definately seems to be light... especially light from the computer monitor and strong outdoor light. I've always been sensitive to light (i have very light blue eyes, that seems to not help at all) and it seems to be getting worse lately.

I definately think there's something to the caffeine helping cause it.... I had cut down significantly on my caffeine intake and I had fewer headaches. However I've been drinking more of it lately and have been having more headaches lately.

33girl- so you're suggesting i run out and get pregnant? :p I think that may just give me an even bigger headache.... however I have heard some people say that sex actually helps get rid of headaches.... but I don't have a man right now and i'm not one for random hookups, so i guess i'll have to wait to try that remedy.

Thanks again everyone for your suggestions! AOX81, hope you feel better very soon!

How to get rid of a migraine-

Get a divorce!:D Just kidding!

Sometimes you really do need to see a doctor. Our assistant is stresing out about her wedding right now and her doctor gave her an Rx for Vicadin and something to help her relax.

Hubby just had accupuncture and he is now a believer-his was for "golf" elbow, however.

Hootie, my migraines make my eyes hurt, too. In fact, when the backs of my eyes start to feel sore, I know that it's a migraine and not a tension or sinus headache.

AOX81, go to your GP and ask for something specifically for migraines. Call your doctor, tell him you've had a headache for five days, and maybe he'll call something in for you to tide you over until you can see him. My doctor has done that.

Another trigger is the weather. When the barometric pressure changes, the pressure inside your head changes, too. I live in the South, where we have nasty heat and humidity. There's nothing I can do to control that at all.

Eirene--DGP, I'm going to ask my eye doctor about those contacts and glasses (I alternate between the two, depending on whether I feel like fooling with putting in my contacts) for people who work in front of computers. I'm a copy editor, so I'm at a computer all day.

A warning about cutting back on caffeine: Do it slowly, or you'll get a killer withdrawal headache.

I too am a migraine sufferer. I used to vomit so much when I had them I had to go the hospital 5 times my senior year in school. Here is my advice....
Like everyone said, caffiene and hydration are a biggie. I'd keep a record of foods that you eat and when you get your migraines. I think you will find something that may trigger them. One to watch out for is dried fruit, like raisons etc. some of the stuff they use to dry it has been known to cause migraines.

Second, I hate to get personal here but birth control pills can cause or worsen migraines. That was one the ones that made it worse for me.

Excedrin and other over the counter drugs are fine, but if you over use them too often you may damage your stomach.

I took everything imaginable, amedrine imotrex, maxalt, eventually I was on Percosets and vicoden. They made me so sick I decided to stop taking them.

I've managed to recognize my triggers so now I take a natural herbal supplement (which some people think helps) called feverfew. you have to take it everyday for a couple of months to get the benefits, but it has been suggested that it has the properties of a vasoconstrictor. This with a few advil migraine, which don't upset my stomach usually subdues or eliminates it.

As far as the computer screen goes, you can get screens for the front of a computer that will lessen the glare.

And that concludes my pseudo health lessons for today.

Silverblue is soooooo right. I have read article upon article about stopping your caffeine intake suddenly and experiencing MASSIVE "cluster" headaches.

've only had one such headache in my life-Iserved on a HUGE EVENT decorations committee with a perfection freak. The moment the style show started and nothing more could be don, my headache INSTANTLY went away. Is there anything stressing you out?

So little can be done for this situation. I hope you find relief!

The vast majority of headaches including migraines are because of muscle tension.

This is why it mostly doesn't respond to medication or conventional treatment.

How many times have we all heard the complaint of someone in an accident: I have these horrible headaches now . . .? Especially from Whiplash.

If I were a betting man kddani, I would say it was less the glare from your monitor than the posture of your body while sitting at the computer as well as various muscle imbalances created over time.

I know someone that has had chronic headaches (one never ending one) punctuated by dizziness, and feelings of dying for 3-4 years as a result of a couple accidents.

After a lot of medication and expensive therapy she stumbled on the idea of "trigger points" and picked up a couple books. Some of the therapy she received was trigger points and seemed to make a difference.

Anyway, the progress she made from 10 days of manipulating her own trigger points has exceeded 18 months of expensive therapy.

Headaches have lessesned in intensity, duration and frequency. She has also had obvious improvement in range of body movement especially the head and neck.

I have tried it myself and it definitely works. Over time you can clear the trigger points totally and thus get rid of the pain pattern.

I have done a bunch of follow-up research. The original Doctor that did much of the research was Janet Travell, JFK's Doctor. Her and David Simmons wrote some definitive text books on the subject.

Their research found that a lot of our problems are muscular in origin . . .

Anyway, she and I have found that certain foods and products will definitely intensify headaches, but if you are really aware you will notice that they tighten certain muscles, often in the head, neck and upper back which are the real culprits.

Assuming you are serious about taking charge of your own health I'll post the title of the books, if you ask.

But its probably the best way to permanently get rid of things like headaches . . .

Oh and Justamom, it works on Tennis Elbow also, and will prevent Tennis Elbow from returning:)


Have a nice day everyone:)

James, please post the titles. Zomig is a wonder drug for me, and I intend to keep a good supply of it on hand, but I'm willing to try a non-drug alternative to stop migraines that have just started. Manipulating trigger points certainly would help with stress-induced headaches. Stress is definitely a trigger for me.

However, light (including glare on a computer screen) is a major trigger for many migraine sufferers. Bright light makes you squint, which can keep those muscles tight all day.

Also, food triggers are different for everyone. This is why keeping a diary is so useful.

If you get migraines frequently, I'd suggest going to your doctor and asking for a referral to a neurologist if they aren't too familiar with migraines (mine wasn't at all). I went to my family doctor and he put me on Imitrex. It worked well, until I discovered I was highly allergic. Since all the migraine drugs are part of that same class, chances are I'd be allergic to all of them, so my doctor sent me to a neurologist.

My neurologist had me keep a headache diary of how long I had them, how bad they were, and anything that could've possibly triggered each one (foods, weather, noise, smells, etc.). I realized I got them more often than I thought, and that some lasted a few days or more. At the same time as I was doing this, he put me on Fioricet for the pain, and those are pretty hardcore drugs (not narcotics, but still knock-you-on-your-butt if you're not careful). There were times when I'd take my daily dosage within the first 4 hours and still be in pain.

When he saw that wasn't working for me, my doctor put me on Atenolol (blood pressure medication). I joked about being geriatric, but the stuff worked - when my blood pressure was lowered, the headaches really couldn't begin in the first place. I've stopped taking it since I stopped taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen (I was on that for various hormonal reasons and I really think that's what made my headaches worse) - my blood pressure was already messed up enough from the Ortho and I got sick of feeling like I was going to pass out whenever I stood up. I'm sure my doc could've adjusted the dosage, but I went to a lower dose for a month and then went off it completely.

One thing you might want to check if you're trying to figure out a cause is the weather - I'm in Cleveland, so our weather changes at the drop of a hat. Whenever there were drastic pressure changes, I'd get headaches (sort of like people with arthritis feeling it in their joints). Another migraine tip: no matter what painkiller you use, take it as soon as you feel you might be getting a migraine (I'd usually take 3 Excedrin - the caffeine in it helps because it dilates the blood vessels and releases some of the pressure, according to my doc). If you don't catch it right away, you're usually in it for the long haul.

I also wouldn't recommend cutting caffeine completely to try to get rid of them. You might end up with headaches from the caffeine withdrawal instead, and those can be just as bad.

Good luck,
Liz

I haven't had a bad one like this in quite awhile. Hoping the pharmacy has finished filling the order so I can pick it up. :(

Awww, wrigley, sending you good thoughts. I know how awful they can be.

Hope the meds kick in soon! I suffer horribly from migraines and keep Imitrex shots in my purse at all times. I guess for people who get them infrequently, it's hard to keep a supply in case one pops up.

I get migraines, too, and am finally learning what my triggers are. MSG, aspertame, changes in the weather, hormones, intense stress. But it also runs in my family - my mom gets them, and my dad got cluster headaches, which are supposedly worse than migraines. My mom always warned me that when she started taking birth control pills, that's when she started getting migraines, and sure enough, that's what happened to me. The biggest trigger for me seems to be the weather, and it seems that my sinus problems and allergies are somehow tied to the migraines, because my dr just put me on some nose spray a few months ago for allergies and I've only had one migraine since.

My migraines are mostly throbbing ones that go away temporarily with one Imitrex. But every once in a while I get a really bad one that doesn't respond to the medication right away and I have to combine a couple Imitrex with OTC meds to make it go away. The last one I had wouldn't respond to anything but Vicodin. Most of my migraines last 72 hours; I just take another Imitrex when the previous dose wears off. And Imitrex is the only prescription I've tried so far that worked. It took some getting used to (I felt funny at first), and it's expensive for just 9 pills per pack, but it's worth every penny to me.

This is going to sound so weird, but for less intense migraines or if you just have a headache my mom always recommends taking a cup of tea putting the hot mug on your forehead, temples, eyelids, etc. People will look at you kind of funny but its very soothing.

I'm sorry to hear you have a migraine. I use Imitrex for mine. I also put a damp cloth over my eyes and an ice pack on my upper neck. The ice pack really helps me.

I have cluster headaches too! Most people have no idea what they are and they can be so hard to explain. I was diagnosed with them when I was 18, which was so weird because they mostly happen to middle-aged men.

Too many migraine sufferers!!
 

One of my very first memories is what I now know was a migraine. My preschool teacher noticed that I looked sick, and it ended up being a full-blown migraine that had me out of school for two days. On my mother's side, almost everyone got "bilious attacks" (migraines with the vomiting) except her, so she knew the minute I started getting them. Strangely, I've never had problems with my periods or with birth control and migraines.

I've kept the diary, and noticed that it does change from time to time. MSG isn't a trigger anymore, for example, but light, noise, and intense heat are really bad triggers. I take Imitrix (Zomig didn't even touch it) and if my head can handle it, a cold to not quite warm shower (it's more cooling) - then off to bed with an ice pack. The noise part means it's almost impossible to go to a concert anymore. :(

I think that the best thing you can do (once you've found your triggers) is to refuse to let people tell you that you're crazy or making it up, and to do whatever it takes to make your migraine go away. It's not like you can do anything useful while you have one anyhow.

I've had migraines since a young age, I mean like around or before I was 10 years old. They got so bad that when I was younger, the only way to get rid of them was just to go to sleep. I'm not sure what my triggers are, but I have realized that as long as I take something the second I notice a migraine or headache coming on, I'll be ok. If I don't take anything, I become very light sensitive and start becoming very nauseous.

I think they run in my family too. I haven't seen my Mom with many of them, but my grandmother gets them, and is on prescription medication for hers.

I do not leave the house without my imitrex-it is a miracle drug.

I have lots of "home remedies" for migraines. I get an uncontrollable urge to take a hot bath. It usually works as long as I stay in the bath (one recent bad migraine failed to go away after two Maxalts and two hours in the tub! I finally went to the ER when my husband couldn't find Imitrex shots at any local pharmacy. They gave me the shot, and I was normal in less than 15 minutes!)
I like ice packs but more so when I have a tension headache (I haven't found anything but sleep that makes those go away!) I also want to eat icecream. It's probably because the roof of your mouth is innervated by the same nerve as your meninges.

My triggers include hormones. When I have my drug withdraw week on my birth control, I'll get daily migraines. Some days I take as many as three pills/shots to combat them. To help with this, I take Seasonique- three months of pills in a row without a period, but I still am so miserable for that one week every three months that I just started skipping that week.

Red wine, scotch, sleep deprivation, stress, bright light, tension headaches but no specific foods are my usual triggers. For some reason, I still drink wine, though, it's gotten so bad recently that I drink very infrequently.

I took Beta Blockers for 6-7 years. It worked the first year really well, but after that not so much.

red wine also gives me a migraine
other triggers:
working more than 3 days in a row
taking Lunesta more than 3 days in a row
hangovers-thus i drink infrequently
not eating bread or some other kind of carbohydrate for 12 hours (like mac an cheese or potato)

Heat is good for tension headaches, as those are often muscular. Migraines are neurological, which is why they don't respond to lots of other types of medication and treatment, and why they are different in each person. For instance, heat wouldn't make me feel better...in fact, it would probably make mine feel worse. I sometimes find that a cold washcloth helps, though. My mom eats a popsicle when she gets a migraine...she swears it helps.

Treximet is a miracle worker for me! It is a combo of two drugs-Imitrex and naproxen. When taken at the first sign or beginning of a migraine it knocks it out for me within 30 minutes usually, and very rarely do I have to take the second dose. It comes in it's own little pill box so I take it with me everywhere incase I need it. It also keeps you "functional." So you can still drive after taking it, work, or do whatever without feeling "knocked out."

It is fairly new on the market (last year I think) so there are no generics and it is expensive but it is worth it for the relief!

I was actually a study patient for that drug! It sucked, though, because they gave you two pills, one Treximet and one placebo. I could only take the assigned pill for 8 hours. You can imagine that it didn't seem worth it when I took the placebo!

I agree that Treximet is effective. So far, I've had better luck with it than with anything. I disagree, however, about the functional part! My brain and my body feel extremely disconnected on Treximet - almost like they no longer speak the same language. It's odd. But, I'd rather feel disconnected with no migraine than fully functional with a migraine. Cost v. benefit.