To ask what helps your migraines?!

[PitifulPrincess]

Since I had my second child 2 years ago I've been getting migraines on average 3 times a month. I get awful nausea and vomiting every time. I haven't pinpointed a cause but it's probably stress related. I have a busy life and a child with autism whose behaviour can be difficult, 'managing stress' isn't really an option.

Please tell me any miracle migraine cures you've found that actually have worked for you to lessen a migraine once it's started or prevented them!

Same and I am now 53.

Two Paracetamol and 2 ibuprofen all taken together

This works for me too if I take it right at the beginning, when I get the head tingles and the feeling in my neck. Once the headache has developed then it's no good because I can't get the tablets down or to stay down.

I developed alcohol related migraines after menopause, and if one of those sets in then there's no stopping it and I just have to vomit for about four hours straight and then sleep, because there's nothing else I can do. So very unpleasant that I've given up drinking altogether!

I’m on zolmitriptain for my migraines. Do see your GP as there’s plenty of things you can try. Mine are mainly hormonal, but other triggers include dehydration, lack of sleep, come down from stress and artificial sweeteners.

Things that help:
Sugary coke and aspirin if one comes on
Regular exercise (not over doing it as that can trigger them especially dehydration in the heat!)
Then keeping everything as regular as I can - meals/sleep/water etc.!

Aspirin and paracetamol taken together. Sumitriptan.

Mine were menstrual migraine - maybe look it up and start keeping a diary?

Sumatriptan, but only if I can sit down and snooze. I uses to struggle through the day and have one at bedtime, but lately they seem to aggravate my bladder and I'm up for the loo several times at night, so now I take it at about 6pm.
Until then I take ibuprofen lysine (same as Hedex), binge on whatever my body craves, often it's sliced tomato dipped in balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with salt, or salty crisps as above.
The following day I eat like I've got hollow legs.
I've got vestibular migraines, and lots of things trigger it, weather changes, bright lights, not enough sleep, hot weather, sometimes strong smelling perfume or after shave.

I take Boots ibuprofen and codeine and lie down for a while. If I feel very sick, I might take buccastem as well, or swap it all for migraleve pink.

I had an absolute nightmare with migraines when I was perimenopausal, I would get them on day 2 or 3 of my period, and I think it was related to the drop in progesterone production.

I also had a bad time with them when I had low ferratin and also when my blood pressure was raised and untreated. Everyone knows that really high blood pressure can result in headaches, but for me it was also a symptom of slightly raised blood pressure.

Hope you find relief soon, it's a nightmare.

I have sumatriptan on hand and take one and go straight to bed at the first sign of a migraine. This stops it in its tracks. I appreciate that may be more difficult for you to do with a young child but that’s what works for me.

Mine are caused by my hormones so as I’m older HRT has helped me. If you’re on birth control it may help to have a review?

I’ve been on 10mg of Amitriptyline since February and it’s been amazing. I had two weeks of awful side effects to begin with but since then only a couple of mild migraines which had been quickly resolved with a triptan. I suffered for years beforehand, be smarter than me and see a dr about a preventative asap.

I agree that pizotifen taken every night before bed, 1.5mg and a good dose of sumatriptan too helps me, but still out of action for 24 hours too. My sympathy to all migraine sufferers...

Yes should have added this only works if you catch it early - I ignored warning signs last week … bit of pain in my right eye, achey feeling in my neck … went to bed without taking anything - spent the next 24 hours feeling like I’d been hit by a bus. Nothing would touch it after that

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

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 :)

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.

Sumatriptan.

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

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

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.

Sleep
Total relaxation

Cold and flu pills

Cold coca cola , full sugar

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 😭

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

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?

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.

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.