To ask what helps your migraines?!

Propranolol for me too, been on it 5 years for migraine prevention...best thing I've ever done

Original syndol as early as possible (but need to be at home as they can make me very drowsy).

Paracetamol/ibuprofen together if not possible to take syndol. But this isn't as effective and may get vomited up.

Hrt has reduced the number I get (early 40s, pre hrt, I could get a migraine a week). Now down to one every 2 months or so.

Darkness/sunglasses indoors.

Also fizzy drinks and any food I crave (for some reason as the migraine fades I crave a shit tonne of junk food- all the carbs, all the sugar, and all the salt!).

@drspousejust so you're aware my Doctor drilled into me that I must never ever take Propanol as in asthmatic.
The practice I go to is a training practice and a student had suggested it for my migraines and he told them no, not ever for asthmatics. Apparently there's a close link with deaths from asthma and Propanol. I said my asthma was mild and he said it didn't matter.
I hadn't been aware before then.

Also has a student who had awful migraines. She had Botox injections in the neck once she turned 18 and it helped.

Cocodomol, tiger balm or Vicks on my forehead and coffee.

I’ve just bought a cold cap thing off Amazon as well which helps a bit.

Mine are hormonal and I get them either side of my period.

Has anyone had CBT for migraines? A friend's DD is on a waiting list for it and is trying melatonin.

I was getting a couple of bad migraines a week which were not helped by medication when I happened upon a private physiotherapist with an interest in headaches and migraine. She uses a method developed in Australia by a physio called Dean Watson who regards some migraines as cervicogenic (caused by problems in the neck). She could stop a full-on migraine in its tracks and did this with me so often it couldn’t be placebo. I’m now in a position where i rarely get them, in fact I can’t remember when I last had one. Through my consultations, I also became aware that simply bending my neck downwards could trigger a migraine, eg when looking down at a book or screen on my lap. I had to stop using a laptop and bought a reading stand for my tablet which means I can avoid that trigger movement.

I think that the Dean Watson method is not widely known in the UK but there are some practitioners. If you’re at the end of your tether with your migraines, as I was, you may find it interesting to browse the website and you can search for a practitioner on it if you’re interested.

https://watsonheadache.com/watson-headache-clinic-1/

Sumatriptan works for me. Mine are hormonal though so it’s worth looking at that. Not much you can do if they are, but they’re easier to predict. I didn’t get any at all while pregnant but don’t fancy that again at 45!

Cold helps mine. So menthol forehead stick/tiger balm and a cool cap from Amazon. Medications from the GP I have tried:

amitriptyline - helped day to day headaches but not exertion ones or migraines. Very drowsy due to them

nortriptyline - as above, slightly less drowsy

indomethacin - no negative effects. Relieved day to day headaches and helped a lot with exertion & migraines but only allowed to take them for 6 months as can affect kidneys

sumatriptan nasal spray - good if taken at onset of a migraine. Doesn’t stop it happening but makes it just ‘bad headache’ level

propanalol - just started them a week ago. Hoping for a miracle.

When I had IVF, was pregnant and for 6m post partum when I couldn’t take medications, I had acupuncture every 2 weeks which was amazing, completely controlled day to day headaches & migraines. Exertion headaches weren’t nearly as bad. I’ve moved house though & on no MAT pay now so can’t have it at the moment 🥲

zolmitriptain, but only if caught early enough otherwise it does nothing for me. Coke, aspirin and something salty can take the edge off at the beginning for me but rarely actually solves it

Sumatriptan medication. It’s behind the counter in boots (you have to fill out a little form to be able to have it). Or get it on prescription. It’s magic. The only thing that stops my migraines.

another vote for coke (fat coke preferably), carbs and I use pink migraleve (which I think is basically the anti nausea drug plus co-codamol).
however my GP suggested going on the mirena coil which really helped. However, mine were definitely hormone related and got much worse in my 30’s. They stopped when I was pregnant and breastfeeding and would then return afterwards. I knew I was pregnant by the lack of migraine each time I was due on before it showed up on a test. So the mirena coil stabilised my hormones and migraines were less frequent and less severe.
However GP did say it could make them worse so I guess I was lucky.
if yours are linked to hormones, some good news is that they may go away post menopause. I’m now late 50’s and get one or two a year. I do think there are different underlying causes for migraines which is why different treatments work for different people.

I take propranolol and an antihistimine daily as a preventative measure. When an attack hits I have a sumatriptan on prescription and usually take Excedrin as well. Excedrin is specific to migraine pain and contains paracetamol/aspirin and caffeine.
Apart from meds I find a cold can/bottle of Lucozade helps after I've taken my meds if I need to try power through, otherwise its lying down in a dark room with an ice pack at my head and a hot water bottle at my feet.
Like people have previously said working out your triggers is half the battle but talk to your GP, there is help out there.

Two dissolvable asprin in a glass of full fat coke (the branded stuff, alternatives do not work as well). Do this as soon as you feel any sort of headache and it should clear it.

This is what my Dr prescribed for me. It worked for me so worth a try?

My mum used to suffer a lot. Cutting out chocolate, cheese and caffeine helped big time.

HRT, I think it worked two fold, it’s helped with the hormones and it’s massively helped with sleep. HRT has been miraculous for me. I love it. I still get the occasional migraine but they subside with Ibuprofen and activity. Moving about seems to I’ve important even if im feeling like vomiting. Come to think it, vomiting helps too 😭

Cold and flu pills

Cold coca cola , full sugar

Sleep
Total relaxation

If. I've learned anything about migraines (and I have, not least from amazing MNetters) it's that they are so specific to each person. One person's cure makes someone else's worse.

But the best advice I got was to check out the National Migraine Centre. They're a charity and have amazing resources online and a brilliant podcast that deep dives into everything you could want to know in bite sized episodes. Prevention and cure.

They also do appointments with migraine consultants. They're free if you can wait 6 months or so, some money if you can wait a few months and quite a bit of money if you want them quickly. But it's 45 minutes of a really individual consultation and is well worth it. They then give you a written report including recommended medication and also send it to your GP.

100mg sumatriptan seems to be helping a bit at the minute

Hormones. For me hrt helped stabilise (as im peri menopuase)
Dairy seems to be a trigger for me. I wake the next day with headache

Sumatriptan.

Mine improved dramatically once I started taking magnesium regularly … I also take perimenopause supplements as I think they were hormonal, although usually triggered by light.

Two panadol, iced coffee in a can ( not a watery one from a shop, it needs the sugar content ), mcdonalds chips and chicken nuggets, hot water bottle on the back of my neck, avoid seeing DH's family for a few days :)

Having a sports drink (not an energy drink), instead of water at the start of a migraine sorted mine out. The doctor mentioned trying it and it worked