Had my first (severe) migraine today

E

EVOL 100%

Member
I always had headaches, usually on the weekends (dunno why). Sometimes the pain was bit more severe, but most of the headaches I've experienced were mostly inconsequential and just ended up being nothing more than nuisances.

But today was different. I had the preemptive warning signs with the blurred vision, runny nose, and then one side of my head started to hurt so bad I threw up multiple times, and I spent the rest of the day sleeping and just wasted away my entire Saturday.

This probably isn't the best place to ask, but any other fellow migraine sufferers out there? Any tips on how to prevent migraines with happening, and do you have any go-to solutions when you get the first warning signs of a migraine attack?

And before you ask, yes, I went to a doctor. He didn't really say much though, just gave me some painkillers and told me to visit again next week.
 
Red bull.

If you have these headaches at the same time or you sorta know the triggers than I would suggest drinking a highly carbonated beverage ahead of the time you normally expect them. Caffeine is known to help with these types of issues and I have used this tech from time to time and I think its works.
 
CarlisleDavid1979 said:
Migraines pass. Just try to stay hydrated.
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I did drink boatloads of water, but then again I always do.

Soapbox Killer said:
Red bull.

If you have these headaches at the same time or you sorta know the triggers than I would suggest drinking a highly carbonated beverage ahead of the time you normally expect them. Caffeine is known to help with these types of issues and I have used this tech from time to time and I think its works.
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How much does it mitigate the pain? Does it help enough to let you go on with your day?
 
I get headaches, used to vomit when I was younger. They are easy to prevent if I eat properly. Do you eat your normal meals? Do you have a decently healthy lifestyle? When I do get a headache, I take extra strength Advil and a hot shower in the dark (lights irritate). Also, having your neck and head massaged will do wonders
 
I've never figured out what cause mine, but taking ibuprofen and laying in a dark room for the day are pretty much all that makes them bearable.
 
stn said:
I get headaches, used to vomit when I was younger. They are easy to prevent if I eat properly. Do you eat your normal meals? Do you have a decently healthy lifestyle? When I do get a headache, I take extra strength Advil and a hot shower in the dark (lights irritate). Also, having your neck and head massaged will do wonders
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I exercise pretty regularly and try to eat healthily. That's probably all thrown out of the window by smoking though. I should really quit this dumbass habit.

I do have scoliosis, although it's gotten better ever since I've been doing the Alexander Technique. I wonder if my scoliosis has to do with it. Thanks for the hot shower tip though, didn't think of that.
 
I remember the first time that I experienced a migraine aura. Shit was terrifying, thought that my retina was being torn off or something.

Ibuprofen is the answer for the actual headache. I've found that popping a 400 mg tablet when an aura appears dulls the pain almost completely.
 
Orcastar said:
I remember the first time that I experienced a migraine aura. Shit was terrifying, thought that my retina was being torn off or something.

Ibuprofen is the answer for the actual headache. I've found that popping a 400 mg tablet when an aura appears dulls the pain almost completely.
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Shame it only seems to dull it for 2-3 hours, but you're only supposed to take them every 4. Can't have everything I suppose.
 
Soapbox Killer said:
Red bull.

If you have these headaches at the same time or you sorta know the triggers than I would suggest drinking a highly carbonated beverage ahead of the time you normally expect them. Caffeine is known to help with these types of issues and I have used this tech from time to time and I think its works.
Click to expand...

Really? I've found caffeine makes it worse, not to mention it keeps you awake. Trying to sleep is pretty much impossible with a migraine but going unconscious is the only reprieve for it. Something like Red Bull which is just sugar sounds even worse.

Though I haven't found anything that really helps beyond maybe Advil or prescription anti-inflammatories. I just had a night where I think I was delirious from pain and it fucked up my sleep schedule for a week.
 
I suffer from migraines pretty regularly. Excedrin Migraine is the only stuff that works for me. Highly recommend it.
 
EVOL 100% said:
How much does it mitigate the pain? Does it help enough to let you go on with your day?
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I don't get them often and it was only recently did I find out it was a migraine. But to answer your question, it felt like it helped a lot but I get them at night normally when I'm leaving work. Say like it's 7p, and i start feeling it, I go get some kind of caffeinated drink and then lie down under my desk for 15 min or so. Once I get back up, I'm usually ok and the pain isn't stopping in me in my tracks.

Excedrin has caffeine in it that's why they target migraine sufferers.
 
KarmaCow said:
Really? I've found caffeine makes it worse, not to mention it keeps you awake. Trying to sleep is pretty much impossible with a migraine but going unconscious is the only reprieve for it. Something like Red Bull which is just sugar sounds even worse.

Though I haven't found anything that really helps beyond maybe Advil or prescription anti-inflammatories. I just had a night where I think I was delirious from pain and it fucked up my sleep schedule for a week.
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Caffeine is terrible for headaches but good for migraines. Well, it's supposed to be, anyway. I prefer to try sleeping, so I haven't done it.
 
I haven't had any for a few years. My advice is to take the painkillers every four hours or as soon as you're allowed to take them again, and halfway through take ibuprofen. That's the only thing that let me function on even a basic level.
 
The caffeine talk is getting me thinking - Whenever I had my headaches I certainly did feel a lot better after having a strong cup of coffee. I'm not sure if it will be enough to stop the amount of pain I was feeling today though, that shit was just unbearable.

I'm worried about getting a migraine in the middle of class or something - I have no idea what I should be doing if I get an attack as severe as I did today.

I should definitely talk to the doctor about ibuprofen the next time I meet him.
 
Write down what you ate, what your did and how you were feeling prior to the migraine so you may be able to figure out what your triggers are.

For me, my migraines seem to crop up either when I'm under extreme stress or after a long day, like where I've been in the sun and I'm exhausted or dehydrated.

An ice pack on my head or neck seem to help the symptoms but I have definitely had entire days lost where all I could do is lay in bed in the dark.
 
welcome to the club. i get the visual cues about 30 min before i get one. immediately take 2 excedrin migrain and get to a quiet or dark place if i can.

mine get to where i cant even think of common words or understand writing. i thought i was having a stroke the first time lol.

pre emptive attack is best to lessen the intensity in my experience.
 
I've been having migraines since I was in 7th grade. I still don't know what triggers them, but in general making sure you're eating regular meals and having a good sleep schedule are important. Migraines are a tricky thing to deal with. I studied them in school and I remember caffeine being specifically listed as both a cause and a treatment. A lot of those migraine medications will have caffeine in them. Another important step is finding a medication that works for you. I've tried prescription-strength medication meant for migraines, and they did not help. I recently started taking this powder called Goody's that seem to dull the pain fairly well. Enough to the point I wasn't throwing up and could at least stay awake and do work.

Migraines are no fun OP. I think it's worse because a lot of people don't seem to understand how debilitating it really is. It's just a "bad headache" to a lot of people.
 
Nosgotham said:
welcome to the club. i get the visual cues about 30 min before i get one. immediately take 2 excedrin migrain and get to a quiet or dark place if i can.

mine get to where i cant even think of common words or understand writing. i thought i was having a stroke the first time lol.

pre emptive attack is best to lessen the intensity in my experience.
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What visual cues?
 
RandomDancing said:
Write down what you ate, what your did and how you were feeling prior to the migraine so you may be able to figure out what your triggers are.

For me, my migraines seem to crop up either when I'm under extreme stress or after a long day, like where I've been in the sun and I'm exhausted or dehydrated.
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For me it's weekends, lol. I never had headaches during weekdays.

I guess it has something to do with my diet during Fridays or an accumulation of stress or release of it. Time to go buy a notebook.
 
Nothing really helps me except time so I just go lay down in a dark room under covers.

I've had a few happen while driving or out somewhere else and that is a fucking nightmare. Migraine + full blown panic attack. Yeah baby.
 
I have real migraines from time to time as well. Usually starts with those wild spots in my vision that grow in size until I'm blinded in one or both eyes along with puking and of course intense pain following.

I don't know if it's luck or if it actually works but for the past couple years, whenever I start seeing those spots start before the pain shows up, I take at least 600mg ibuprofen right away, drink a couple cups of water, and stop looking at screens of any kind. As long as I've been doing that, the spots fade after half an hour and the pain never comes.

Doing that after the fact though pretty much does jack shit, it's too late and youll find me alternating between a dark room and the toilet.
 
I had one similar to yours a few months ago. I was so bad that at one point my SO was about to call an ambulance since she had never seen me as bad as I was. Migraines suck so much.

I'm sorry I cant help you out though. All I can say is exercise, it has helped me not have migraines as often as I used to have them. Also get your eyes checked, might need new glasses!
 
My oldest suffered a concussion playing hockey a few years ago and gets migraines. He's on meds to try and control them, but when he feels one coming in, he'll pop a couple excedrin migraine and an aleve to knock it out. We'll, that's what he does if he doesn't have his prescription strength meds with him.
 
I've suffered from migraines badly enough to be dismissed from a job because of the fact I consistently couldn't turn up for work.

If like me, you're vomiting repeatedly throughout it, normal pills like Ibuprofen or Sumitriptan are useless as you'll be bringing it up before your body has a chance to absorb anything.

Ask your doctor for a prescription of Zolmitriptan if the migraines persist. It's a pill that dissolves in the mouth and helps reduce migraine symptoms such as the vomiting and bilateral headache.

If it becomes an ongoing issue, certain medications can help prevent them from occurring, but I've so far not found anything that wipes them out completely. I've been on Propranalol and Topiramate so far, and have progressively gone from one migraine a day at the end of 2015, to one every six weeks or so.
 
I used to have them fairly regularly when I was younger... Changing to a healthy lifestyle helped tremendously (drinking water, no sodas, some exercise).


Knuckle Sandwich said:
Nothing really helps me except time so I just go lay down in a dark room under covers.
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This, I just had to shut off from external stimuli. No loud sounds, strong smells or bright lights.
 
Volimar said:
What visual cues?
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I usually start an aura migraine by seeing a black and white shimmering line in my peripheral vision on the right. If I try to look straight at it, it moves further right. The line continues to grow over time until I see if straight in front of me. The line will then fade and I'll either lose my peripheral vision totally (goes black) or my vision will just clear up. Then the pain starts. Usually takes about a half hour from the vision changes to the pain, which gives you a good window to get home or get some medicine in you.

There are YouTube videos which show an example of what the shimmering line looks like, if you YouTube "aura migraines", but be careful because sometimes watching the videos can trigger a migraine in those inclined to have them.

My last migraine was totally different. I did not have the shimmering line at all, it was just that all of a sudden I could not read text on my laptop. It was like I could not focus on the words. I honestly thought I was having a stroke at first.
 
Sorry to hear. They are a real pain. :(

I can't take any migraine medicine because of how it interacts with my meds but it's something to consider if it becomes a regular thing.

If I start getting a migraine or get any warning signs, I pop three Advil. That's what a doctor told me to do but ask yours about the dosage.

Then I try one of these:
  • Sit under a hot shower with the lights off.
  • Lay in bed with the lights off. Use an ice pack or those heated rice packs on where it hurts the most. Try to sleep.
  • Have my boyfriend massage the area. Try to sleep. Also in a dark room.

Usually the Advil keeps it from being so painful that I throw up. When that happens I just spend an hour or two in a dark bathroom alternating between hugging the toilet and sitting in the shower. And fantasizing about smashing my head against the wall.
 
I get migraines all the time.

But when I grew up here in the US of A my mother also gets migraines all the time. So no doctors no figuring out fixes or ways to make it better and no complaining about it either allowed growing up.

Now I get migraines and sit down and wait till it goes away lol
 
Migraines are awful and I still suffer from them from time to time. I always have to keep my excedrin migraine on hand just in case.

Florescent lights seem to raise my chance of getting migraine from what my doctor told me.
 
I get Migraines all the time. I've even had cluster headaches.

I take 3 excedrins with a starbucks double shot and put a cold towel on my face. This usually works.
 
Migraines run if my family. They're terrible.

Quitting caffeine helped with mine. I don't think it's so much that the caffeine caused them, but more that now when I feel one starting my body isn't as immune to caffeine's effects, so the Excedrin migraine I take is more effective.

They do suck though. If you're fast enough you can usually stop them before they get too bad, but once they get started you've just got to ride it out. I suggest getting into as dark and quiet of a room as you can, and just trying to sleep. You'll feel like crap the rest of the day, even after the pain stops.
 
King_Moc said:
Caffeine is terrible for headaches but good for migraines. Well, it's supposed to be, anyway. I prefer to try sleeping, so I haven't done it.
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Huh that's odd. I've for sure had migraines and had stuff like tea which seemingly just made it worse. I just went to the doctor for a recent episode and they recommended avoiding caffeine and alcohol, though maybe that's more because they're diuretics.
 
RandomDancing said:
I usually start an aura migraine by seeing a black and white shimmering line in my peripheral vision on the right. If I try to look straight at it, it moves further right. The line continues to grow over time until I see if straight in front of me. The line will then fade and I'll either lose my peripheral vision totally (goes black) or my vision will just clear up. Then the pain starts. Usually takes about a half hour from the vision changes to the pain, which gives you a good window to get home or get some medicine in you.

There are YouTube videos which show an example of what the shimmering line looks like, if you YouTube "aura migraines", but be careful because sometimes watching the videos can trigger a migraine in those inclined to have them.

My last migraine was totally different. I did not have the shimmering line at all, it was just that all of a sudden I could not read text on my laptop. It was like I could not focus on the words. I honestly thought I was having a stroke at first.
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I never knew to look for that. Wow.
 
Migraines can really wipe you out, I came to think of it as a blessing to pass out on one of those days. Topamax helped with my migraines a whole lot, but I hated the side effects I experienced so much. There's meds you can take to help mitigate the effects when you sense a migraine coming, sadly I can't remember what they were. I suggest finding somewhere dark, quiet and comfortable to ride out migraine attacks.
 
Yeah, migrains suck.

Rizatriptan works for me, it takes 30 minutes and then my migraine is 95% gone.

GF uses Imigran injections, that kills her migraine immediately.

Try out different treatments until you find one that works for you.
 
I seem to get migraines once a month. I've tried a lot to prevent and get rid of them like drinking a lot of water and stimulating pressure points, but for me the only solution is taking some painkillers and laying myself in a dark room. Relieves me every time.
 
I had my first migraine in highschool and it was probably the worst one I ever had. I actually thought I may be dying. I was in the nurse's office, vomiting, with the most piercing pain I've ever felt in my head.

I continue to get migraines today. Maybe 1 every month or 2, but now they are far less painful but I get terrible vision issues when they come. It typically starts with a blind spot and I know right away what's coming. Then it combines into a blind spot with extreme tunnel vision and I'm unable to concentrate. Definitely can't read. They pass in about an hour or 2.

I just take ibuprofen since the pain is no longer the big issue. It just takes time. I lay down and close my eyes until it passes.
 
I get severe migraines too. I know it's about to occur because my vision goes a bit cloudy and I feel pressure behind my eyes, ten minutes later I will be in agony.

Figured out that my trigger is often bright lights, so I installed f.liux on my laptop and all of my devices are always on the lowest brightness setting. I also invested in a pair of blue light reflecting glasses which helps. I still occasionally suffer from them but not nearly as much.
 
I have a few triggers. Aspartame is an almost guarantee but easily avoided. The worst trigger of them all though is when stress is finally removed. For instance, I'll get one right when I finish work before I have several days off work. It's like the stress of life actually keeps the migraine at bay and when it's gone, I get one.
 
As someone who gets chronic very frequent migraines, I am terribly sorry to hear it. Since you already get chronic headaches of some stripe, I think you should talk to your doctor again at the follow up to speak.to them about your headaches more generally, to see if they can treat and diagnose your regular headaches and if the migraines persist at all (hopefully not) they can further treat those (or refer you to a neurologist for the above). If your regular headaches don't bother you much, I understand if you don't want to see a doctor about those, but if they are unpleasant for you there's no reason not to try to get some medical relief from them.

Be careful if you use Aleve or an NSAID as there is risk of rebound headaches if you use an NSAID more than 8 days in a month.

Recommendations for migraines: if they become chronic, sometimes there are food triggers people have, so I would look up the most common ones and try avoiding those foods. Rain and barometric pressure variance can be a big trigger for migraine sufferers also. In terms of individual things you can do, if you have associated neck pain I would try salonpas or icy hot on your neck. Laying in a comfortable position on your back in a dark room with a wet washcloth over your face, especially eyes and forehead is helpful sometimes. Aleve can be helpful. I would caution against the use of caffeine or pills containing caffeine to relieve headaches because just like the NSAID issue I mentioned above, from what I recall too much use of caffeine can cause rebound headaches also, and those are harder to treat. If you find yourself getting more migraines, you may want to try reducing or cutting caffeine consumption.

At the same time, it's conceivable that your regular headaches you get are less severe migraines, so any of the above treatments may help those also.

Stress is also a major trigger for migraines and I presume other kinds of headaches too so if you recognize that as a trigger for headaches it may be helpful to reduce some sources of stress if possible, or to try new coping strategies for it.

Personally I find getting solid sleep, like 8 hours every night at a regular normal time, is crucial in trying to temper my migraines, and so is daily cardio exercise.

I hope this is helpful. You also asked about a thread for migraine sufferers and it is here:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=326805

There are a lot of meds to try for chronic migraines, both prophylactic and abortive, and those can work excellently for people, so if these persist or if you want to see your doc for your regular headaches that you get in case there's something they can do to alleviate them, that's one thing to consider.

BTW, if you get light or noise sensitivity with migraines or with your headaches, the dark quiet room idea can be very helpful for that too.

I really feel for you and I hope this finds you feeling much better.
 
I used to suffer from migraines frequently. They would often last for 2 days with vomiting. Take painkillers the moment you feel it coming on (I use sumatriptan). Don't try to wait it out to see if it gets better. Start a food diary to see what could be the trigger. Mine apparently is bananas (weird I know). I've cut them almost out of my diet completely, and the frequency of a migraine dropped from monthly to yearly. Of course this isn't for everyone but the food diary might pinpoint to something so it's worth a try.
 
They say to stay hydrated, dehydration is the number one cause for headaches and migraines. I get headaches almost daily and have for years, nothing I can do about but take ibuprofen when it gets bad enough.
 
Are you certain it's a migraine? There are many different kinds of headaches:

Stress, cluster, migraine, etc. I had undiagnosed headaches for years until a neurologist diagnosed me with trigeminal neuralgia.

If you're having constant headaches I recommend you see a specialist.
 
OP - cigarettes are terrible for headaches! I've never smoked one before but I used to get headaches frequently from second-hand. Can only imagine what actually smoking might do.
 
EVOL 100% said:
I always had headaches, usually on the weekends (dunno why). Sometimes the pain was bit more severe, but most of the headaches I've experienced were mostly inconsequential and just ended up being nothing more than nuisances.

But today was different. I had the preemptive warning signs with the blurred vision, runny nose, and then one side of my head started to hurt so bad I threw up multiple times, and I spent the rest of the day sleeping and just wasted away my entire Saturday.

This probably isn't the best place to ask, but any other fellow migraine sufferers out there? Any tips on how to prevent migraines with happening, and do you have any go-to solutions when you get the first warning signs of a migraine attack?

And before you ask, yes, I went to a doctor. He didn't really say much though, just gave me some painkillers and told me to visit again next week.
Click to expand...

OP, migraines run in my families. I only get them sometimes but my sister gets them far more often.

My recommendation is see a doctor. He can properly diagnose your headache, which sounds like either a migraine or cluster headache. The aura you have is seen commonly with migraines, but if you have lacrimation, runny nose, retrorbital pain that usually means it's a cluster headache.

The doctor will probably prescribe you preventive drugs, and if you do get a headache a treatment for that.
 
i used to get them a lot as a kid/teenager but luckily somehow grew out of them aside from one every few months or so. i never got auras but i could tell the particular pain was coming because my head would feel a certain way. it's bad for me but when i feel that particular sensation i just take 3 ibuprofen out of paranoia that a migraine is coming and i want to head it off before i spend the next 12 hours vomiting and dry heaving, and if i wait too long i won't be able to hold down the ibuprofen.

one trick that kind of works for me if i'm too late to hit it preemptively is to draw a bath of lukewarm water. take plain alka-seltzer and ibuprofen, and lay down in the tub in such a way that my head is floating weightlessly in the water, with no pressure on it from any direction. (because laying on a pillow, etc, makes it worse) i turn out the lights and just lay there in the tub in the dark for 30-60 minutes. the lack of light and pressure around my head keeps me from feeling too nauseous and gives the ibuprofen a chance to digest.

if it works, then i get up out of the tub luckily "only" feeling like i'm hungover instead of being in pain and puking for the next few hours.

it's harder to fit in the tub in such a way now that i'm 6'3, but it still works
 
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