A tip for migraine sufferers - game changer!

[MacauliflowerCulkin]

I get migraines maybe 2 or 3 times a year. I suffer with headaches (hormonal) regularly but occasionally I'll get a migraine.

The ones were absolutely nothing helps, you can't talk or look at your phone, vomiting etc.

Yesterday one came on quite suddenly. I took a co-codamol and ibuprofen and nothing helped. 3 hours in and I rang one of my friends who is a GP in tears out of pure desperation and she gave me a little tip that helped more than anything ever has. I don't know if this will work for everybody, but it helped me SO much I can't not tell others who suffer.

She told me (very simple) run a hot bath, almost as hot as you can tolerate. (Don't burn yourself) but has to be steaming. Lay in the bath (no bubbles or perfume).

Lay flat on your back with your legs bent, the bath has to be deep enough to submerge your ears fully and you eyes close your eyes. For an hour. Don't move, don't check your phone. No lights on or anything. Don't fall asleep though!
I instantly felt an ease, and an hour later the migraine was gone. I still felt a bit headachy and tired but it honestly worked.

It may be a total coincidence, and surely something so simple would be so well known if it actually works. Or maybe people already know this hack. But I text her last night thanking her so much.

It may not work for others but it instantly proved me with relief and the migraine slowly eased through the hour.

Any other sufferers give it a try and if there's any GPs on here - is this a thing?

Can a very hot bath really ease them? Sounds crazy but I can't tell you how much it helped!

I'm a chronic sufferer. If I take a bath when I'm feeling even slightly migrainey then I'm done for.
Cold works though but I'm not soaking in a cold bath. Drugs/dark/praying for it to end works for me.

Migraine sufferer here too. I know it's not one-size-fits-all but, my top tip is:

When I feel the beginnings of one, I make a pint of ice cold water. Must be so cold!! Drink until I get brain freeze. Do it again if the brain freeze isn't bad enough. Needs to be the kind that bends me double.

Then go and lie down for half an hour.

This gets rid of all but the very worst ones.

My family think I'm a lunatic.

I don't know about this one but I can see how it would be comforting! The heat would make my migraine worse though.

I'd been getting around 10 migraines a month - even with daily medication. I stumbled across the migraine diet two weeks ago and I've had one migraine that was seen off very quickly. For anyone that is a chronic sufferer, please look at the diet which is about steering clear of three main things - tyrosine, histamines and MSG. I can't believe that no doctor or neurologist had mentioned this to me before. I mean, we've all heard about trigger foods but not why they might cause a migraine or what ingredient might cause this (MSG aside). This has finally linked it together for me. And you can just reduce these foods as they think there can be a daily tolerance that you sometimes topple over which causes the migraine.

Imigran nasal spray and Syndol the original one with the anti histamine is best.

Dispersible asprin also works for me! Paracetamol has no effect, nor ibuprofen. I only discovered that asprin worked because I was visiting my boyfriends house (now DH) and a migraine came on and all he had was asprin. I was very surprised to find that the pain went in about half an hour. Still had all the secondary symptoms, but at least I didn't feel like someone was trying to drive a railway spike through my head.
There's a migraine medication you can get on prescription called Migramax. It basically delivers a targeted shot of asprin to the brain. Works very well.

Ugh, not a chance, the heat alone would make me feel so sick - I need ice. Ice ice and more ice. I burn from the inside-out through all my attacks.

Not a chance a GP recommended this "treatment" unless they were talking about their own migraines and what helps them personally as any competent GP will knot there's a range of symptoms that require different treatments.

Triptans are a migraine abortive - a competent GP would have recommended them first, not a bloody bath.

And no, the daith piercing does f.all except possibly some people work on the hope it does. I have both pierced and they've done diddly.

I'd be worried that was dangerous. I've had migraines so bad that I've been violently sick, then can't move, then fallen into some sort of sleep state while crushed by the pain and blindness.

I'd probably drown while choking on my own vomit.

Yeah. Daith piercing isn't a cure unfortunately. If it 'works' for you, amazing. I had my daith pierced because I liked it, I only found out a few years later that it was supposed to be a migraine cure.
A high dose of aspirin dissolved in a can of full fat coke can work wonders. Today a triptan worked. It doesn't always though.
I've tried elimination diets, 4 different preventative meds, various home remedies. I think I just need to wait for the menopause now.

I can understand why people used to drill holes in their head.

For me it has been a case of - b vitamins (especially high dose thiamin and folate) and electrolytes. Hardly get any now. Nutrient deficiency in effect (very common!).

Migraines make me super hot and heat averse - I crave cold - so a hot bath would be hell. But we are all different!

@doadeer

Yes over the counter - the tablets I posted. I keep them in stock all the time and always travel with them. They are a god send. Nothing else touches my migraines.

Yes, indeed. But £8 for two tablets 😖. Plus my pharmacy wouldn't sell them to me as often as I needed them so I had to go to different places, plus you do have to confirm you've been "diagnosed" by your GP (I never have, so had to lie) and they will also ask the last time you bought them.

You can buy similar unbranded online at £6 for four tablets (I think that's what it was). Or, get a prescription from your GP for £9.35 for six. If you pay for prescriptions. My GP put two boxes on my last script so I had twelve, and I had bought a prepayment certificate (due to HRT scripts) so didn't pay extra.

Just see your GP and get sumatriptan on prescription. Far safer than lying at the chemist's as it's not recommended with some types of pill and other medications. Boots Migraine Relief is another OTC sumatriptan.

I think I've read that MSG being linked to migraine had been debunked, but I'm inclined to think if something provides you with relief then you well as well try it. Not sure how you would eliminate tyrosine as it's produced by the body from other things?

Yea I try this, I read that a hot bath pulls blood away from the area do stops the pounding sensation. Really helps me!!

Probably more due to coincidence. I am a chronic sufferer. I have been hospitalised twice. I have them 2-3 times per month and they can last up to 2 weeks. I have tried literally everything, including hot baths, in order to relax as water is definitely soothing. I doubt this was the reason it past, but the relaxation definately helped

Passed*

@Pyri

I don't get them enough to take triptans and things I don't think.

What? This doesn’t make sense. A triptan is literally one tablet you take when you have a migraine and it stops the migraine. It isn’t an ongoing course of medicine to stop them occurring.

The tablets @doadeer posted are triptans?

You can get them over the counter and I assure you they’re worth trying

Oh sorry! I thought they were like a daily medication to take as a preventative!!

My bad I'll look into them

@SilverHairedCat

Ugh, not a chance, the heat alone would make me feel so sick - I need ice. Ice ice and more ice. I burn from the inside-out through all my attacks.

Not a chance a GP recommended this "treatment" unless they were talking about their own migraines and what helps them personally as any competent GP will knot there's a range of symptoms that require different treatments.

Triptans are a migraine abortive - a competent GP would have recommended them first, not a bloody bath.

And no, the daith piercing does f.all except possibly some people work on the hope it does. I have both pierced and they've done diddly.

She suffers from migraines and it's just what she told me to do.

I know it's not a one size fits all hence I said in the original post it may not work for others! It really helped me abs a few others on this threat have mentioned hot water helps them.

She wasn't on duty and she isn't my GP, I just called out of desperation for some advice. She told me and for me it worked but as I said could be coincidence but will take a look at what others posted (triptans) etc.

It's the heat aspect. A heated neck wrap would work just as well and I use mine when I have a migraine (get them frequently). Sometimes a cold pack works instead. Failing all that I take a Sumatriptan with two nurofens to knock it out. But nothing works 100% of the time, it's always a mixture of things in my experience.

Having said that, I would try it! Except that I took out my bath and just have a shower. Standing (or sitting) in the shower with hot water running over my head and neck and eyes closed works wonders sometimes.

Ugh I'm on day 3 of one - it's fading slowly, I'm up and about but it's just grinding low level pain - and all the descriptions of migraine symptoms are not helping! I know, I'll stop reading.

Never have found anything 100% effective, I've got triptans etc. Playing music helps about 50% of the time.

Am a chronic migrainer. Am on different preventative medications, monthly injections etc. Heat feels horrible for me but I do have an ice pack for my neck which does help. A triptan, 3 aspirin and sugar + cefaly device can help me at the beginning if I can catch it but often I get into cycles of weeks and months and if that happens nothing helps really.

Wouldn't work for me as hot baths make me sick, and migraines makes me sick. Doubly whammy there!

3 x aspirin, slice of toast with peanut butter and a very strong coffee or coke (not diet). Works every time.

I'm glad it works for you through, finding the right trick is paramount when you get migraines!

@FrancesFlute

I'm glad it helped you.

I don't think submerging up to ears for one hour sounds particularly safe though. I'd be worried about falling asleep!

My DH (incidentally a GP and migraine sufferer) has never heard of it. Someone I know has had success with tyromine exclusion diet.

I'm puzzled - what would be dangerous about being in a bath for an hour? Or falling asleep in it?

My GP suggested taking a double dose of ibuprofen at the very outset of a migraine. That has worked for me on occasion.

For me, rizatriptan and ondansetron when it's acute, and topiramate, nortriptyline and botox as preventative measures. That gets it to a bearable level.