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[Tenrius]

I got diagnosed with migraine a few months ago and it really sucks.

I've been having strong headaches pretty much all my life with occasional auras and bouts photo sensitivity. I used to think that only the latter were migraine attacks, but most of my headaches are of that nature according to my doctor.

So I started a pain journal and was surprised with how much pain I have to be dealing with. Rating it on the scale from 1 to 10, it never really gets lower than 2-3 and I get 5-7 on a pretty much daily basis with dips to the 8-9 territory. Doesn't help that it's mainly caused by stress and I have a very stressful job.

So yeah. I've been taking some medication, but it didn't really do much. My doctor tells me that I do some Botox injections, but I'm not sure about that (it's somewhat expensive, for starters). I'm sure there are fellow sufferers on GAF. What was your experience? What ultimately helped you? If anyone has any experience with Botox, I'd love to hear it.

 

[Paganmoon]

Migraines are fucking shit, sorry to hear.
I've luckily haven't had any episodes in quite a while now, not sure if it's got to do with starting to excersise, eating better, or trying to have more normal sleeping habits, or a combination of all, or just pure luck. Don't have any tips for you, unfortunatley.

There's a thread where other migraine sufferers have posted their experiences, some mention their prefered medication:

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

 

[Baskcm]

i suffer from them to can only say i know what your going through.

i had one last week at work ended up in the toilets in the dark vomiting my guts up best thing that normally works for me is sleep

 

[Skinpop]

Ive been suffering migraines since I was 11. I hate it and worst are people who just don't understand it and think you are faking.

I often get migraines when the weather changes. Rain and overcast mean certain pain. Its cool to have forecasting powers though...

 

[Machina]

Migraines are a cunt. I get them semi regularly. They make you feel like you're dying.

 

[DBT85]

Posted in the thread above, used to suffer regularly, now that I'm off the soft drinks and drink more water I've not had one in months and months.

No idea what the fuck botox is going to do though.

I can safely say, however, that as bad as I've had them in the past, nothing yet has compared to agony of the tooth infection I had 2 weeks ago.

 

[ubique]

I had them all my life. Started happening on a daily basis a few months ago, then the neurologist put me on a small dose of heart pressure medication. Now they happen once every ten days and it's always really weak

 

[TheChaos0]

Had these my whole life. They are very rare and not as bad these days. Of course, life can't be this easy sometimes photo-sensitivity doesn't go away for a few days! It's not as bad as during migraine but makes up by lasting much longer. Argh, annoying!

 

[nekkid]

I've had migraines with auras for 20 years. I've tried to work out what causes it but still not sure. It might be tiredness.

I just pop a couple of paracetamol and try and get on with my day. I find that lying down and dwelling on it makes my recovery from it much worse. If I keep active it helps me forget about it, but I've also usually gotten over it an hour or two later.

 

[AdequateSubject]

I get the type of migraine which is a very intense pain in one side of the head, usually behind my right eye. Nasal spray works really well when that happens. There are specific anti-migraine nasal sprays that are incredibly effective, but I've found that even regular anti-congestion nasal spray works well enough in a pinch.

 

[Scarecrow]

I had severe migraines all the time until I quit sodas. Caffeine's a real dick

 

[Dunkley]

I've been having extremely painful migraines bi-weekly since I was 6 years old, even spent a year in hospital just researching it.

What's ultimately helped me so far is for one, cutting down on soda, especially Ice Tea is a big trigger to my migraines, finding the right painkiller to at least mitigate them from painful to bothersome, and sadly enough starting to smoke. The last I managed to change into vaping but yeah, not gonna brag about my addictions there.

Migraines suck, can't say more than that. I get happy if I manage to go on for a week without a headache, but normally I always jinx it at that point.

 

[Tenrius]

I've had migraines with auras for 20 years. I've tried to work out what causes it but still not sure. It might be tiredness.

I just pop a couple of paracetamol and try and get on with my day. I find that lying down and dwelling on it makes my recovery from it much worse. If I keep active it helps me forget about it, but I've also usually gotten over it an hour or two later.

I've been using Ibuprofen for a long time, but the doctor actually said that some of my headaches might have caused by abusing it. I don't think quitting it and moving on to some other painkillers made any significant difference though. Either way, it's probably a good idea to stick to some rules while taking painkillers.

I get the type of migraine which is a very intense pain in one side of the head, usually behind my right eye. Nasal spray works really well when that happens. There are specific anti-migraine nasal sprays that are incredibly effective, but I've found that even regular anti-congestion nasal spray works well enough in a pinch.

Nasal spray? That sounds unconventional, especially the regular one. How did you even discover that it helps?

I had severe migraines all the time until I quit sodas. Caffeine's a real dick

Caffeine generally helps in my experience, although I heard it can a trigger for some people.

I've been having extremely painful migraines bi-weekly since I was 6 years old, even spent a year in hospital just researching it.

What's ultimately helped me so far is for one, cutting down on soda, especially Ice Tea is a big trigger to my migraines, finding the right painkiller to at least mitigate them from painful to bothersome, and sadly enough starting to smoke. The last I managed to change into vaping but yeah, not gonna brag about my addictions there.

Migraines suck, can't say more than that. I get happy if I manage to go on for a week without a headache, but normally I always jinx it at that point.

Smoking is one of the biggest triggers for me, actually. Went to a party on Saturday and everyone was smoking there almost non-stop. This caused a pretty severe attack. Peculiarly enough, my girlfriend (who is also a migraine sufferer) isn't generally affected by this. We are both non-smokers.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

I've had migraines my whole life.

I have found that regularly consuming THC in some form works.

 

[Tenrius]

Migraines are fucking shit, sorry to hear.
I've luckily haven't had any episodes in quite a while now, not sure if it's got to do with starting to excersise, eating better, or trying to have more normal sleeping habits, or a combination of all, or just pure luck. Don't have any tips for you, unfortunatley.

There's a thread where other migraine sufferers have posted their experiences, some mention their prefered medication:

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

Thanks for the link, should be interesting to read.

 

[Like the hat?]

Ask your doc about Treximet. It's a life saver.

I've learned that my biggest trigger is carbs. I have recently tried going keto and I went from having migraines twice a week on average to once or twice a month.

 

[nekkid]

I've been using Ibuprofen for a long time, but the doctor actually said that some of my headaches might have caused by abusing it. I don't think quitting it and moving on to some other painkillers made any significant difference though. Either way, it's probably a good idea to stick to some rules while taking painkillers.

I used to hammer the ibuprofen when having them, but it never really worked. Paracetamol just works for me.

Nasal spray? That sounds unconventional, especially the regular one. How did you even discover that it helps?

I'm interested in trying this. It always feels like the pain is around my sinus when I have them.

Caffeine generally helps in my experience, although I heard it can a trigger for some people.

I largely gave up caffeine (I let myself have the odd cup) to try and combat my migraines. In actuality I think that the constant caffeine wasn't the problem, it was the tiredness it caused when I wasn't on the high.

 

[Earthpainting]

I am sensitive to light and noise, so things get better or worse depending on the seasons and my social calendar. Everyone I know with migraines has pretty different experiences sadly enough, so there's not going to be many universal tips and tricks to share. One thing I can tell you though, is if you ever get "migraines" without auras for an extended period of time, it might be worth taking a trip to the doctor's office. I've had two instances already where I had meningitis and wrote it off as yet another migraine. They felt almost identical, but were lacking the auras for me. I don't know if this is something universal, but it might be worth keeping in mind.

Caffeine generally helps in my experience, although I heard it can a trigger for some people.

Smoking is one of the biggest triggers for me, actually. Went to a party on Saturday and everyone was smoking there almost non-stop. This caused a pretty severe attack. Peculiarly enough, my girlfriend (who is also a migraine sufferer) isn't generally affected by this. We are both non-smokers.

Both of these are the same for me. Caffeine alleviates my symptoms, and hanging around smokers is a pretty reliable way to ruin me. Weirdly enough, it doesn't trigger until a good hour or so.

 

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

I used to have them frequently, and the only thing that helped was the prescription migraine medication. I forget the name of it. It took around a half hour to kick in, but it worked wonders. The problem was that I could only get 10 pills per month, and I was getting more migraines than that.

I haven't had one in a year or so, no idea why.

 

[maxcriden]

To everyone in this thread who has and is suffering, I hope you find relief. Migraines are awful, I've been dealing with them for 6+ years and my relief is at times only mild, at times moderate but often I'm still plagued by them. Please take this as empathy and not cause for Perry for your own treatment, though - many people get relief from migraine when they find the treatment that works best for them, be it an exclusion diet or medicine or both or something else entirely.

I do recommend everyone read David Bucholz's book Heal your Headache for some great tips of exclusion diets and the like. I personally have a lot of food triggers for my migraines and avoiding those foods does help.

Posted in the thread above, used to suffer regularly, now that I'm off the soft drinks and drink more water I've not had one in months and months.

No idea what the fuck botox is going to do though.

I can safely say, however, that as bad as I've had them in the past, nothing yet has compared to agony of the tooth infection I had 2 weeks ago.

I'm glad to hear your migraines are improved, and really sorry to hear about your tooth infection, I hope that has improved also.

Botox injections are a clinically proven treatment for migraines, and I believe are often covered by insurance to an extent when people fail multiple other migraine treatments. The Botox injections are not done in the same locations as when done for cosmetic purposes, and I believe the dosing is different also. You get the injections typically I believe in your head and neck. It sounds surprising I'm sure but it is a real treatment.

 

[maxcriden]

I had severe migraines all the time until I quit sodas. Caffeine's a real dick

I've been using Ibuprofen for a long time, but the doctor actually said that some of my headaches might have caused by abusing it. I don't think quitting it and moving on to some other painkillers made any significant difference though. Either way, it's probably a good idea to stick to some rules while taking painkillers.

Caffeine generally helps in my experience, although I heard it can a trigger for some people.

Smoking is one of the biggest triggers for me, actually. Went to a party on Saturday and everyone was smoking there almost non-stop. This caused a pretty severe attack. Peculiarly enough, my girlfriend (who is also a migraine sufferer) isn't generally affected by this. We are both non-smokers.

I largely gave up caffeine (I let myself have the odd cup) to try and combat my migraines. In actuality I think that the constant caffeine wasn't the problem, it was the tiredness it caused when I wasn't on the high.

Both of these are the same for me. Caffeine alleviates my symptoms, and hanging around smokers is a pretty reliable way to ruin me. Weirdly enough, it doesn't trigger until a good hour or so.

Regarding caffeine and NSAIDs like ibuprofen, my (limited) understanding is that they both can create rebound headaches - essentially they both can provide relief but after long-term use they will no longer provide relief and make the headaches more likely to be difficult to treat.

BTW Earthpainting, I'm sorry to hear about your sensitivity to light and sound - I have the same with my migraines, it is not fun.

 

[jm89]

When paracetamol or ibuprofen doesn't work i just take diphenhydramine, my migraines feel better when i am barely awake.

 

[Phased]

I deal with frequent migraines, I'm very sorry you're struggling.

I have weeks where the pain is an everyday thing and then it will go away for a month. Excedrin basically lets me function if I feel the pressure building up and catch it in time, if I don't then I'm basically done for the day and have to lay down because it makes me so sick to my stomach.

I've had them all of my life and Excedrin is the only thing that helps. It's a miracle drug for me although I've read it can stop being as effective for people as they get older which would suck.

 

[Pau]

Daily? Shit the only thing that gets me through mine is knowing that it'll be gone the next morning. Those of you who get them more frequently or longer than a day... damn. I'm sorry.

 

[The Boat]

Get them all the time, weed helps a bit.

 

[MarkMclovin]

I get the headache which makes me feel unwell and awful pain behind an eye or temple to temple. I get them towards the end of each week but lately its been twice a week.

I drink lots of coffee thoigh and not enough water. But when I train and my water consuption shoots up they tend to reduce.

Years ago I used to get them every friday without fail.

 

[stn]

I'm not sure if I get migraines but I am prone to getting strong headaches. I have found the following to be very helpful:

-Ibuprofen (400mg dose, usually called extra strength)
-Coffee
-Having someone massage your neck, shoulders, and head
-Hot shower in the dark, with the spray towards your eyes and face
-EAT PROPERLY!! Can't be overstated.

I don't drink soda, haven't even had a Coke in 10-15 years. I also don't smoke as second-hand smoke from cigarettes can be a huge trigger for me. So can perfume and other strong scents.

 

[barik]

I used to get them a lot, they stopped when I started drinking more water, eating more healthily, and cutting out soda. Haven't had them in years, thankfully.

 

[maxcriden]

I get the headache which makes me feel unwell and awful pain behind an eye or temple to temple. I get them towards the end of each week but lately its been twice a week.

I drink lots of coffee thoigh and not enough water. But when I train and my water consuption shoots up they tend to reduce.

Years ago I used to get them every friday without fail.

I'm not sure if I get migraines but I am prone to getting strong headaches. I have found the following to be very helpful:

-Ibuprofen (400mg dose, usually called extra strength)
-Coffee
-Having someone massage your neck, shoulders, and head
-Hot shower in the dark, with the spray towards your eyes and face
-EAT PROPERLY!! Can't be overstated.

I don't drink soda, haven't even had a Coke in 10-15 years. I also don't smoke as second-hand smoke from cigarettes can be a huge trigger for me. So can perfume and other strong scents.

I'm really sorry you are both going through this. Regarding caffeine and NSAID use, please see my above posts. Please also consider seeing a neurologist in case there is more effective treatment available to you.

 

[Bruce Springsteen]

I used to get migraines but grew out of it, perhaps not coincidently, I also have been the healthiest I've ever been

hard to say with a neurological issue

I'm not sure if I get migraines but I am prone to getting strong headaches. I have found the following to be very helpful:

-Ibuprofen (400mg dose, usually called extra strength)
-Coffee
-Having someone massage your neck, shoulders, and head
-Hot shower in the dark, with the spray towards your eyes and face
-EAT PROPERLY!! Can't be overstated.

I don't drink soda, haven't even had a Coke in 10-15 years. I also don't smoke as second-hand smoke from cigarettes can be a huge trigger for me. So can perfume and other strong scents.

headaches (as strong as you think it is) is not a migraine. I migraine is so severe you get nausea and can't do a damn thing, often with very sharp pains, strong headaches are much less severe

 

[CrocMother]

The worst part is how people don't understand how painful and debilitating they can be.

"You have to leave work because of a headache? Sure...Man up!..." Etc

 

[maxcriden]

I used to get migraines but grew out of it, perhaps not coincidently, I also have been the healthiest I've ever been

hard to say with a neurological issue

headaches (as strong as you think it is) is not a migraine. I migraine is so severe you get nausea and can't do a damn thing, often with very sharp pains, strong headaches are much less severe

I'm glad to hear you have had relief of your migraines. To clarify, a migraine is not necessarily as you described it. Also, other types of headaches are not necessarily less severe than migraines, a cluster HA or sinus HA for example could be just as painful.

Definition from Wiki:

Migraine is a primary headache disorder characterized by recurrent headaches that are moderate to severe.[1] Typically, the headaches affect one half of the head, are pulsating in nature, and last from two to 72 hours.[1] Associated symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, sound, or smell.[2] The pain is generally made worse by physical activity.[3] Up to one-third of people have an aura: typically a short period of visual disturbance which signals that the headache will soon occur.[3] Occasionally, an aura can occur with little or no headache following it.[4]

So to clarify, migraines are recurrent, generally at least moderate in severity, and nausea is not always associated but often is. My point being only to politely say this insofar the person you quoted may very well have migraines; nothing about what they wrote rules out the possibility.

The worst part is how people don't understand how painful and debilitating they can be.

"You have to leave work because of a headache? Sure...Man up!..." Etc

Yes, it is really difficult. Even when people are understanding about it, I often feel like there is skepticism of the severity of it because people cannot see it. When people say things like "I never would imagine you have migraines," "you seem so healthy" it feels like perhaps they might question how bad they really are; sometimes I feel I am punished for doing my best to keep a good attitude and a smile on my face insofar as people then may doubt the pain I am in from a migraine.

This article about migraine presenteeism, the idea that people go into work and aren't as able to accomplish as much due to migraines, is kind of related to what we're discussing, I'm sure those of us who work and have migraines have been through this: http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/understanding-migraine-404690-5.html.

-

This presentation is quite illustrating for the prevalence and severity of migraines (and also discusses overuse HAs for those of you using OTC NSAIDs and caffeine):

https://www.uvm.edu/medicine/documents/CMSShapiro051011.pdf

 

[Bruce Springsteen]

I'm glad to hear you have had relief of your migraines. To clarify, a migraine is not necessarily as you described it. Also, other types of headaches are not necessarily less severe than migraines, a cluster HA or sinus HA for example could be just as painful.

Definition from Wiki:


So to clarify, migraines are recurrent, generally at least moderate in severity, and nausea is not always associated but often is. My point being only to politely say this insofar the person you quoted may very well have migraines; nothing about what they wrote rules out the possibility.



Yes, it is really difficult. Even when people are understanding about it, I often feel like there is skepticism of the severity of it because people cannot see it. When people say things like "I never would imagine you have migraines," "you seem so healthy" it feels like perhaps they might question how bad they really are; sometimes I feel I am punished for doing my best to keep a good attitude and a smile on my face insofar as people then may doubt the pain I am in from a migraine.

This article about migraine presenteeism, the idea that people go into work and aren't as able to accomplish as much due to migraines, is kind of related to what we're discussing, I'm sure those of us who work and have migraines have been through this: http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/understanding-migraine-404690-5.html.

-

This presentation is quite illustrating for the prevalence and severity of migraines (and also discusses overuse HAs for those of you using OTC NSAIDs and caffeine):

https://www.uvm.edu/medicine/documents/CMSShapiro051011.pdf

you make a good point, have nothing to refute what you said. My only issue is in general when people talk about migraines it's used very loosely, which is fine, until it's said to someone who actually does get them

In my experience, headaches have always been general throbbing pain around the forehead while migraines are very sharp and concentrated (much worse IMO)

 

[terencecah]

I didn't get migraines until I was 30, and I haven't had one in months until this morning after I read this topic


I hope I have my imitrex on me

 

[pantsmith]

I got diagnosed with migraine a few months ago and it really sucks.

I've been having strong headaches pretty much all my life with occasional auras and bouts photo sensitivity. I used to think that only the latter were migraine attacks, but most of my headaches are of that nature according to my doctor.

I started getting incredible headaches with my first major "office" job. It got to the point that I assumed I was going to have to live with them for the rest of my life.

The headache journal is a great step, though I'd encourage you to keep track of everything in your life to try and identify correlations. Is your pain worse on one day? What did you eat that day? How about sleep?

For me, I slowly discovered that I wasn't sleeping properly when I'd go to bed. My headaches were brought on by jaw clenching and stress at night, which were made even worse with undiagnosed apnea. The two fed off of eachother and made life so much worse. This took me about four years of really trying to figure out what my body was trying to tell me, different tests, medicines, and a lot of hopelessness.

Simple tips worth their weight in gold: drink lots of water, avoid junk food, get plenty of sleep. More than you need, even. Exercise at some point during the day, even if its a 30 minute walk.

 

[maxcriden]

you make a good point, have nothing to refute what you said. My only issue is in general when people talk about migraines it's used very loosely, which is fine, until it's said to someone who actually does get them

In my experience, headaches have always been general throbbing pain around the forehead while migraines are very sharp and concentrated (much worse IMO)

I completely agree, it is really frustrating when people casually throw the term around. I think everyone who has reasonable access to health care should see a neurologist if they have chronic headaches and get properly diagnosed and hopefully treated.

As to your headaches, in terms of degree and location and quality (throbbing, stabbing, et al.) of pain, my understanding is it really differs person to person. Generally migraines are going to be worse than garden variety headaches, for sure, my only point was that it's not necessarily a prerequisite or guarantee. Anyway, I am really glad you've been able to get relief.

Simple tips worth their weight in gold: drink lots of water, avoid junk food, get plenty of sleep. More than you need, even. Exercise at some point during the day, even if its a 30 minute walk.

I'll gladly second all of these: increased water intake tends to help me, junk food tends to have a higher likelihood of trigger food items, sleep is hugely necessarily (people seem to scoff when I say I need 8 hours, that's really the bare minimum for me though) and daily exercise is crucial for me in staving them off or reducing symptoms.

 

[sojour]

I use to have horrible headaches mainly stemming from the fact that I grind my teeth at night. These would last all day even to the next with no relief throughout the day. Pretty horrible stuff.

 

[Poppy]

i rarely get migraines that leave me unable to function and just curl into a ball waiting to die, but i feel like as soon as i feel one coming on if i immediately stop what i am doing, drink some water and pop some excedrin and lay down in the dark for a while i can prevent it from getting out of hand.

but yeah, when they are bad they are basically just waiting around on bed in pain to please fall asleep so i dont have to deal with it anymore. usually the triggers for me are stress (usually while playing games, quitting dota was good for me), garlic (occasionally, especially when chopping by hand) and improper hydration.

i had a weird one the other day while i was cooking black bean sauce, i felt the nausea and headache coming on but also massive weakness and a numbness or trembling in my hand, it went away decently fast after i took meds and lay down but it was pretty weird.

 

[Octavia]

Never had it diagnosed, but I think I might have these?

I get really photosensitive often and can't even look at my monitor when it's on 0 brightness/contrast. Can't look outside, has to be really dark in my room. Medicine does nothing, I could OD on ibu and it wouldn't change the pain level. I was getting these once every other day, now I get them like once a week. I can't seem to find a correlation.

Seems like the only cure is to just give up for the night and go to bed early. I usually wake up without the headache.

 

[Bruce Springsteen]

Never had it diagnosed, but I think I might have these?

I get really photosensitive often and can't even look at my monitor when it's on 0 brightness/contrast. Can't look outside, has to be really dark in my room. Medicine does nothing, I could OD on ibu and it wouldn't change the pain level. I was getting these once every other day, now I get them like once a week. I can't seem to find a correlation.

Seems like the only cure is to just give up for the night and go to bed early. I usually wake up without the headache.

that's a classic symptom, when I get really sensitive to the light, I know a migraine is coming. Sounds like you have a similar experience to me

 

[mehrmantrout]

I've suffered from Cluster headaches for 25+ years and botox has been touted as a wonder fix for me. If I hit a big cycle i'll definitely be down to the local clinic for some as when they hit big they can go on for a month averaging 3-4 migraines a day

The key to living with them is working out your triggers and when an attack is building and medicating/trying to relax. I use amitriptyline, Sumitriptan and if its really bad I go to my local hospital to sit on an oxygen mask for a couple of hours. At this point I can pretty much just force myself to sleep if I catch it early enough as well so just wake up with the after effects

Re Caffeine, sometimes its a trigger but other times it helps, for me

 

[maxcriden]

Never had it diagnosed, but I think I might have these?

I get really photosensitive often and can't even look at my monitor when it's on 0 brightness/contrast. Can't look outside, has to be really dark in my room. Medicine does nothing, I could OD on ibu and it wouldn't change the pain level. I was getting these once every other day, now I get them like once a week. I can't seem to find a correlation.

Seems like the only cure is to just give up for the night and go to bed early. I usually wake up without the headache.

that's a classic symptom, when I get really sensitive to the light, I know a migraine is coming. Sounds like you have a similar experience to me

Agreed - I'm really sorry to hear you are dealing with this. If you have access to healthcare, I recommend you seek a consult with a neurologist.

I've suffered from Cluster headaches for 25+ years and botox has been touted as a wonder fix for me. If I hit a big cycle i'll definitely be down to the local clinic for some as when they hit big they can go on for a month averaging 3-4 migraines a day

The key to living with them is working out your triggers and when an attack is building and medicating/trying to relax. I use amitriptyline, Sumitriptan and if its really bad I go to my local hospital to sit on an oxygen mask for a couple of hours. At this point I can pretty much just force myself to sleep if I catch it early enough as well so just wake up with the after effects

Re Caffeine, sometimes its a trigger but other times it helps, for me

Ugh, I am really sad to hear you have had such a long history of dealing with this. I'm glad the Botox at least and some other medicines and strategies bring you some relief. (Regarding caffeine use, please see my first couple post above in case the info in them may be of benefit to you.)

 

[Capra]

Never been diagnosed, but I think these might be becoming a problem for me. I get episodes of "aura" plaguing my vision seemingly at random, sometimes with varying amounts of pain. I've become more sensitive to light recently and I can usually tell if one's about to come on if I find myself unable to look at my monitor or outside light.

I occasionally have episodes where I have difficulty "grounding" myself. I might have a prolonged sense of deja vu while they're happening or, in a couple notable incidents, I might have "stroke-like" symptoms of being unable to read or formulate certain words. There was one day where I spent most of it feeling "disconnected" from my surroundings and lost track of time, although the people around me who I confided in afterwards said I seemed perfectly normal while it was occurring.

I'm primarily anxious about the potential for one to happen while I'm driving. I already have anxiety about driving and avoid it when I can, I really don't need to deal with driving while blind for no apparent reason.

 

[MarkMclovin]

F.lux helps a lot, for people who sit in front of a monitor all day.

 

[TrounceX]

Sorry to hear that, OP. I get a migraine once every 3 months or so on average. It used to be much worse, like weekly almost. The turning point was dropping real soda in favor of mostly water(and occasionally a diet soda). That seems to be a common theme.

The absolute worse thing I can do is not get enough sleep, get dehydrated, and then drink some type of sugary energy drink. For me, that's a guaranteed migraine.

If I do get one, I find that excedrine is the best medication (though I haven't tried prescription). Lots of caffeine and lots of water.

 

[BHK3]

My migraines have ruined any sort of tolerance I have for headaches, if I have a headache it has a 10% chance of going away or it'll just get worse and worse till I either vomit or can't stand light and sound. I just pop 2 excedrine when I feel it coming on and it doesn't go away a few hours after waking up and just hope the side effects aren't too bad.

 

[MMBosstones86]

Migraines/Headaches suck.

Had mine increasing in frequency for the past 5-6 years until over last summer I was getting daily headaches. Tried a couple meds, a MRI, and a Neurologist. What I learned, it's basically up to you to determine triggers and find a balance that works for you.

I tried a bunch of OTC stuff, but nothing would consistently help. I tend to over-hydrate more, especially before physical activities and that's helped, but really the meds I'm on are about as good as I've had in years.

Daily : Gabapentin 3times/day
Onset : Imitrex (Sumatriptan)

The Imitrex has literally changed my life and can generally knock out a headache within 30 minutes. Gabapentin has done a relatively good job holding things stable. Went from daily headaches to.....1-2 a week, which are handled by the Imitrex.

Basically, it depends how far down the rabbit hole you want to go. Meds can help, but to fix a problem you need to identify the source.

edit : oh, and subbing this thread because fuck headaches.

 

[tri_willy]

In my own experiences, for migraines I read somewhere which stated that consuming a tiny bit of rock salt helps... Yes there has been for/against arguments

So what I've done was consume a really tiny amount if Himilayan salt (Pink rock salt) and I found more often than not that it helps subside these migraines. Please be mindful that results will vary for each individual

Also, stress free activities, regular exercise, a decent diet is also helpful too!

 

[PeteZaTheHutt]

I've been suffering with migraines since I was a teenager. I did try the botox treatment maybe 10 years ago and I found that it did not help me at all. That doesn't mean that it wouldn't work for you however. Somebody above mentioned that it worked for them, so that's awesome. The botulinum toxin basically paralyzes your forehead muscles so that it prevents you from "scrunching" your forehead without realizing it, which is something that people often do when concentrating on something like reading or a computer monitor. The idea is that this will prevent the forehead muscles from over-straining themselves which can subsequently trigger a muscle-tension headache which may then itself trigger a migraine.

A lot of posters here are mentioning migraine-specific meds such as imitrex (aka - sumatriptan) which works wonders for me personally. But you may also want to look into some kind of prophylactic med to take on a daily basis. I have been taking propranolol for several decades now on a daily basis and I believe that it definitely reduces the frequency of the migraines that I get, which is about twice a week. Propranolol is a blood pressure med which is supposed to dilate the blood vessels in the brain (relatively) in order to prevent them from constricting too much to the point where lack of oxygen triggers the blood vessel dilation phase which is the actual cause of the headache pain itself. I'm sure there are other prophylactic meds out there as well, but it may be something to look into.

One last thing, my wife recently purchased this little anti-perspirant roll-on type of bottle with peppermint oil in it which is an essential oils treatment for migraines. Ultimately, it does very little as far as getting rid of the migraine is concerned, but I've found that applying this oil where the pain is located does actually help to somewhat dull the pain of the headache until it wears off. I've found this to be a useful way to tolerate the pain of a migraine during that agonizing period of 30-60 minutes where I'm waiting for the imitrex to kick in and kill it completely.

I sincerely hope that you find something that works well for you. Good luck.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

In my own experiences, for migraines I read somewhere which stated that consuming a tiny bit of rock salt helps... Yes there has been for/against arguments

So what I've done was consume a really tiny amount if Himilayan salt (Pink rock salt) and I found more often than not that it helps subside these migraines. Please be mindful that results will vary for each individual

Also, stress free activities, regular exercise, a decent diet is also helpful too!

Salt can be a trigger for migraines.

Himilayan salt is salt. No magical properties.
https://migraine.com/blog/closer-look-at-the-salt-cure/