Migraine help!

[StormsDontLastForever]

Have had a terrible migraine for the last 3 days! Today it was too much to handle, dark room didn’t help, painkillers didn’t help, didn’t want to eat, couldn’t sleep. I still have it just now but not as bad as earlier but I still cannot sleep, worried it will return tomorrow. Does anyone have any tips?

My gp said vitamin b2 can help. My sympathies, they can be a nightmare.

I take migrileve Over the counter sober you take them when the migraine starts the better. Good luck they are horrid

Thanks to all, I will try get some stuff tomorrow from chemist. It is absolutley awful how bad they make you feel

What painkillers have you tried ?

I was getting 3 or 4 a month for a few days at a time, it felt like I had one constantly. After trying all the over counter meds and prescribed meds, doctor finally put me on propanalol as a preventative a year ago, I haven't had one since

I totally sympathise OP, so awful and people just don't get it.

Unfinished do you take that every day? Does it knock you out?

Pink migraleve tablets! Taken as soon as you get a whiff of a migraine coming on. Followed by yellow migraleve if symptoms are persistent.
The only thing that I find works.
I was prescribed propranolol a few years back too but it’s not something I’d take lightly. Caused heart flutters and palpitations for me

300mg soluble aspirin. Take 3 dissolved in full fat coke at the first sign of future migraines. Kills mine instantly. Not sure if will work on established ones but worth a try.

Strong coffee (not decaff) is highly recommended and worked for me. Lots of information available if you Google it. Hope you find some relief OP.

If you can't get pink migraleve then ask the chemist about imigran (sumitriptan) you can get it prescribed by your GP or you can buy a small amount otc (fill in health questions) expensive but taken before or as migraine starts can knock it out . Ask about naproxen as it is a good strong painkiller and can be taken on top of other abortive meds if needed (you can get otc in Feminax ultra).

Migrileve was not being made for a while - is it still available to buy otc? I have been using an old stock

Another vote for aspirin and full sugar coke plus my GP also recommended dextrose tablets to get my sugar level up as the soft drinks don’t have as much in them and she said to raise my sugar levels at the first signs of an attack. Dark room, cold compress and distraction in form of the radio or podcasts.

I’ve been prescribed zumitriptan now which really helps.

My DH swears by sticking his head in a bucket of hot water! He also has something sugary and some caffeine, which often helps. I tend to try to sleep them off, hot water bottles on or under my head help, though I look ridiculous). The problem with medication is that it has to be taken early on, and usually at that stage i'm thinking is this a migraine or not?, by the time I realise that it is, it's too llate. Hateful things.

In the moment thing, put your feet in warm water and put something cold on your head. This diverts the blood flow away from the head which relieve the pressure. There’s also this YouTube thing here which should help.

Tomorrow if you can get to a pharmacy you can try migralieve but I swear by triptans. I started getting loads of migraines (at least one a fortnight) and I’m on a preventer meditation with triptans if they do kick in and they are brilliant at knocking them on the head.

Sumatriptan is the only thing that works for me. My doctor prescribes it, but I think you can buy it over the counter.

Syndol in the dark blue box for me and a hot wheat bag on the back of my neck

A paramedic I know recommended white tiger balm.

DH can't take triptans, they make him really ill. It took him forever to find a regime that works. He takes dispersible aspirin in full fat Coke and ergotamine tartrate which is getting harder and harder to find.

Are 3 day migraines normal for you?

I've been able to buy pink migraleve in the last month.
OP, try hot / cold compresses. I get 2 types of migraine, hot works for 1, cold for the other!

Pink Migraleve has been back for a few months now.

OP I find Pink Migraleve, 4Head, a cool cloth on my head/neck and total darkness in a cool room and sleep. Sometimes something sugary helps, but it can also make it worse. Fizzy mineral water helps more than still IME.

Painkillers of any type need to be used with caution because of the risk of overuse creating a new beast of medication overuse headache. It is a bastard to come off, been there, had the month worth of pain.

Migraleve is the biggest con on the market because it contains codeine which is NOT recommended for migraine at all. I wish pharmacists and neurologists would come out and say this and get it off the shelves.

If basic painkillers haven't worked (and they commonly won't for a migraine because it's not a headache it's a neurological disorder) then you need triptans for your migraines.

You can buy sumatriptan over the counter at pharmacy, but there are many additional varieties of triptan which can also be prescribed. One may work for you, another may not.

I need ice cold temperatures, sugar and caffeine to support me over a migraine and have ice caps for pressure on my head, and all sorts of things available to me for this! You may prefer heat, no pressure on your scalp etc.

Strong scents like white tiger balm - may be pleasant enough to some, may make others sick.

See here for clinical guidance - the NHS website is awful for advice on migraine treatment.

northeast.devonformularyguidance.nhs.uk/formulary/chapters/4.-central-nervous-system/migraine

Do you know what your triggers are and/or what triggered this one?

I find hot, very sweet tea helps me (I don't usually have sugar in tea) if I sense one coming on, it can also help during the migraine provided I'm not throwing up. Soluble painkillers seem to be the most effective.

I would call the GP and ask for a triptan prescription. Be careful with products that contain codeine because they can make it worse. When my migraines were out of control I would listen to migraine music and try to meditate.

CornishPorche I can't take codeine at all it makes me sick so have always avoided Migraleve, so interesting to read your post.

Cassandra unfortunately 25+yrs of migraine, currently chronic, have meant I've done a LOT of research into triggers (almost impossible to identify as they often happen 72hrs before a migraine), phases of migraine, treatments, management of migraine etc means I'm a bit fascinated by it all.

And I get very angry with people who think it's just a headache.... I get several types of migraine including hemiplegic, which mimics a stroke so I am probably a bit touchy!

I'm currently having Botox (40+injections into the head, neck and shoulders) very three months, wear VistaMesh glasses for computer work, have had to declare my migraines a disability at work and spend a fortune each month on non-prescriotion meds the neurologist recommended, and I still get them twice a week at least!

This talks about the clinical benefits of B2 (note you need 400mg/ day for this to be effective - a daily multivitamin has only a few g in it.....)
www.migrainetrust.org/living-with-migraine/treatments/supplements-and-herbs/