Tips for making migraine more bearable anyone?

[MonMoo]

OK so heres my tips for what they are worth - my migraines are still pretty hideous....

1. Drink as much 7-Up as you can - this really does seem to stop the headache being quite so severe.
2. Take some codine and ibuprofen and go to bed and get to sleep asap before the headache starts.

Thats it. Anyone got anyhting better? I've tried lots of the triptan medicines and none do anything for me.

[MonMoo]

Come on migraineurs - share with me. I need your help!!

[TheArmadillo]

My stomach gets really bad just when my migraine's wearing off - I take buscopan (IBS medication from supermarkets) and that stops the pain (as bad if not worse sometimes than the migraine) and sitting on the toilet for 3 hours.

Take pills with fizzy caffine drink (e.g. coke) if you can stand the caffine (I know is trigger for some) and it helps the pills act quicker.

Always take tablets as soon as feel coming on.

Drink plenty.

[hippipotami]

eat something carbohydratey when you feel the migraine coming on - bread/toast, crisps, biscuit. Anything stodgy...

[familiaritybreedscontempt]

Have read a really good book published by Dorling Kindersly called 'Migraine; Your Questions Answered'. They have loads of good advice in it, but the most obvious is...

Do not have carbs (should be wholemeal) by themselves, make sure you eat some protein with it, eg, a small handful of nuts/seeds, a yoghurt, a bit of chese (I like the babybel light!). Also, if you can take an aspirin based painkiller before the actual pain part of the headache starts, you can (hopefully) even abort the attack before it happens. The tips in this book do work, I use them myself.

[GentleOtter]

Paracodomol, ear plugs, dark room and sleep if possible.

[NotAnOtter]

ime propanalol are the cure!

[cadelaide]

oh.

NotAnOtter, you're not GentleOtter then, obviously.

[NotAnOtter]

well spotted!

this is my first foray into my old persona for a long while

[GentleOtter]

[cadelaide]

sorry.

stupid post.

[cadelaide]

coke, btw

[Skramble]

Plan crisps, something about the salt I think but it helps to ease the nausea. Salty crackers help me too.

[BouncingTurtle]

Hiding under the duvet.
They're awful. Having real problems coping with migraines as I have to still care for ds 7mo when I have them - and he gets very whingy when I have them, don't know if having the migraine puts something into my BM to make him so whingy! Or whether it is because I can't really play with him and my tolerance is zero.

[juneybean]

I might be being babyish but my mam always gives me a cold flannel??

[blackcoffeenosugar]

I use stuff from the docs.. it's a wafer that you put on your tounge.. tastes gross but works well!

[BouncingTurtle]

Juneybean - not at all, I get those cold gel strips and put them on my forehead, also vapour rub as well is good.
Can't take too much codeine as I get horrible codeine hangovers that are as bad as the original migraine...

[mckenzie]

visit an osteopath. Mine used to be hideous but from when iI started seeing osteopath, who had years ago written a thesis on migraine as he was a sufferer himself, I have seen an improvement beyond my wildest dreams.

[mummyhill]

Warm Bath (have done this at weird times too), cold gel strips, Ibuprofen and codeine here as well. Tried immigran but doesn't always work. Mind you neither does anything else so retreat to s dark room and get DH or someone else to take the kids away before I end up banging my head against the wall due to the pain and the noise the kids cause. Funnily I seem to start feeling better after vomiting!

[Jodee]

Zomig - makes me a little spacey but does the job.

[lowrib]

Are you interested in herbal medicine?

Feverfew is the herbal remedy for migraine.

I was told by a NIMH (national institute for medicinal herbalists) qualified practitioner that the most effective way is to take it as soon as you feel the headache coming on, in a tincture (i.e. liquid form -beware, its quite bitter though!).

But according to the web you can also take it regularly in a pill or include the leaf in your diet.

There does actually seem to be some science to back this one up.

According to the University of Maryland for example "Several controlled human trials have been conducted using feverfew for migraine prevention and treatment. Overall, these studies suggest that feverfew taken daily as dried leaf capsules may reduce the incidence of attacks in patients who experience long-term migraine headaches"
www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/feverfew-000243.htm

You should be able to get it in any decent health food shop, or you can order direct from Baldwins www.baldwins.co.uk as loose leaf, in a capsule, or as a tincture - whichever suits you.

[MonMoo]

Wow lots of help! Thanks everyone will def try your tips. Have started seeing an osteopath and off to docs today to ask for propranalol so fingers crossed something will help.

[MonMoo]

BouncingTurtle sending sympathy and hugs to you. I am also struggling with migraines and small children, it is no fun I know.

[Iklboo]

For me a hot water bottle inside my pillow case works wonders - it dilates the blood vessels and eases it off. Plus I take Migraleve if I feel one coming on (but more often that not I 'wake' with mine)
Thankfully they're pretty rare for me now