Migraines - does anyone have any remedies?

[NellDunnHadItRight]

Hi all, a brand new mum asking for advice on behalf of DH. Our DD was born nearly two weeks ago and is beautiful and healthy. However, DH isn't doing as well. He's been diagnosed with migraines and since DD came home has really been struggling with horrible headaches due to broken sleep and increased stress. It doesn't help that DD has a tongue tie which means that although she's keen to nurse she can't breastfeed very well and must be topped up with formula/expressed milk, which he's been dealing with so I can concentrate on breastfeeding.

DH has just been prescribed sumatriptan after paracetamol couldn't help, and DD has a referral for the tongue tie in a week - if it's snipped we hope she'll breastfeed much better and I can take over night feeds and we can work out a rota system so we can both get more rest. This isn't guaranteed, however, and although he's soldiering on sometimes he just crashes and can barely function.

I feel so lost - we should be savouring this time with DD, exhaustion notwithstanding and instead I'm worrying about DH's health. He adores his baby and is stepping up to do as much as he can but when a migraine hits he can barely keep his eyes open and I'm effectively a single parent. We're lucky in having lots of family support and my super Mum has stopped overnight a couple of times so DH can get a decent night's rest, but he's due back at work soon which won't help.

Sorry about the long rant, I just wanted to get it off my chest. Basically, does anyone know if sumatriptan is effective or does anyone have any migraine remedies? He's been told to lay off the caffeine but apart from that we're novices! Any and all advice desperately needed, or is it just a matter of persevering until DD is older and sleeping better?

Hey OP first of all congratulation to you on your little one!

I've suffered with migraines for a long time, I never did well with medications as my migraines make me sick so they never stayed down.
As you have been advised avoid caffeine, also for me coke, cheese and chocolate also trigger migraines.
What I've found helps is drink lots, lie down in a dark room, no screens or devices and alternate a hot water bottle and an ice pack on my forehead and back of neck. So hot water bottle on forehead, ice pack on base of neck, and swap every 5 mins, sounds bizarre but really works for me!
Fingers crossed for you both to get some rest and feel better!

Feverfew (can get from Amazon or H&B) as a preventative has been life changing for me, definitely worth a try.
Using white Tiger Balm on the forehead alongside pain medication helps take the edge of during an attack for me too.
Hth

Sumatriptan works for me but the main thing that prevents them is regular neck/shoulder massage. If I’m stressed or over tired then it’s more important to get gentle massage regularly

If it's a ongoing thing look at amitriptyline. It's a anti depressant but at lower doses it treat migraine pretty well. You normally take it for three months to break the pain cycle

I’ve had migraines for 30 years (since puberty started).
I’ve tried so many things, cutting out chocolate, caffeine, coke, cheese, dairy etc.
Nothing works.
The only thing that helps when one strikes is lying down in a dark room.

I’ve suffered with migraines for 25 years and they are awful, he has my sympathy. You cannot just plough on through the pain. At the first sign of one, take the sumatriptan and lie down in a dark room. I am really pleased that you are sympathetic to your DH - migraines are a total killer any many people just don’t understand what is is like for the sufferer. Of course its not ideal with the baby but as you say, lack of sleep is a real trigger

If you can get it, Immigran nasal spray or Zomig rapimelt is good.

I’ve had migraine since childhood they take me out for 2-4 days when I get an attack

If the medication isn’t helping get him to ask the de for different ones. Can take a while to get it right.

Cold wet flannel or cloth on the back of my neck helps. Those kool forehead strips you can get are really helpful for me too.

Flat Coke also weirdly really helps me but the only thing that actually helps long term is the meds for me

Dark rooms and cold pillows help, I have a jml chill max pillow which is cool without being in the fridge. I take propranolol daily which helps prevent migraines and has actually changed my life but triptans don't seem to work for me unfortunately. When I get a migraine I dissolve aspirins in full fat coke. You are very sympathetic! Congratulations with the baby too.

Congrats and so sorry for your DH and also for you ! Bloody hell, eh ?
Want to second the need to take sumatriptan as soon as it is clear it’s a migraine. For me as soon as I am rubbing my head or touching my eyes I know it’s not just a headache and down one. This has made huge difference. They work for me.
Screens can trigger or be part of a trigger so reduced time is good.
For me foods like oranges chocolate and oddly onions and alcohol used to be triggers so I avoid them when I’ve recently had a migraine.
This sounds v much as though it is stress (understandable) combined with lack of sleep. Just when you need him on hand he needs to relax - baths/massage suggestion above good and rest. Easier said then done.
Good luck.

Suffered with migraines since I was a child, I still find soluble aspirin to be the most effective, even over triptans

I've managed to reduce the frequency and severity of mine by taking daily magnesium supplements. I take sumitriptan and cocodomol when one strikes, usually eating loads of salty food, and that tends to help me function enough until an early bedtime. And staying hydrated helps.

Good luck.

I take 2x syndol and have a sleep in a dark room. Never have had to have more than 2 doses and the migraine has always gone.

I’ve had fortnightly and more migraines since DS was born 8 years ago.

I have been prescribed aspirin, sumatriptan, zolmatriptans, amitriptyline and frovatriptans on a rotational basis

They all work to varying degrees until your body gets used to them and they start to cause more migraines than they relieve.

The exception was the amitrips which gave me sleep paralysis and the worst nightmares I have ever had

Three months ago I was told I had high blood pressure and prescribed amlodipine for that….haven’t had a migraine since

Has your DH had his BP checked?

Cold strips/flannel/towel, 4 head/white Tiger Balm, Cawston Press Elderflower Lemonade. Mine are exacerbated by a shoulder injury so normal Tiger Balm, chiropractor and massage on that help. The only meds that seem to work for me are Migraleve, didn’t find Sumatriptan that great and it’s really expensive (I was only prescribed 6 at a time).

Weirdly, I find I can do crosswords really quickly when I’m having one!

Something that has helped me a lot is the neck massages (for tension headaches), whatever tablets I’m on and putting a very cold can of whatever on the nape of my neck.

The cold in that area helps to bring the pain to a bearable level, you just to have a couple of tins or cans in the freezer for when the migraine hits. It is apparently a Japanese remedy.

I’ve suffered migraines for 20 years. Recommend he try:
Warmth, cold - see which is best.
Go on a food elimination diet. I have a massive list of food triggers. Caffeine, alcohol, soy, sweeteners, msg, blue/green cheese, processed meats… it’s taken me years to figure out that many, I still get a lot of migraines though.
Magnesium tablets.

Check out The Migraine Trust for other recommendations.

I had to avoid cheese and oranges. I had to make sure my blood sugar didn't drop too low and that I didn't get dehydrated. If I sort of half work in the night with a bit of a headache I had to train myself to get up, have a sweet drink and a couple of paracetamol or I'd have a raging migraine in the morning.

The final cure for me was a hysterectomy with ovaries removed but I don't think that's going to work for your husband.

Another vote for amitriptyline, it has done wonders for me.

Avoiding getting overtired really helps too but I appreciate that will be tricky for him in your situation!

Has he been seen by a neurologist or was he diagnosed by the GP? If the latter it's worth asking for a referral.

Congratulations on your baby

Trampolining helps

@ViewsAreMine

Trampolining helps

What the actual?! During the migraine?? Or as a preventative?

My is only 17 and has sumatriptan for migraines. He has the nasal spray.

He also suffers exactly the same as it it happens so fast and he just cannot stay awake and is brought on by exhaustion.

If it's not helping I agree with asking for preventative.

But congratulations to you both and I'm glad to hear you're co parenting well despite the difficulties.

Has you DH taken paternity leave? If not I'd have that now whilst dd has the tongue tie and things are most difficult.

Good luck with the appointment.

I have migraines several times a month. Sumatriptan works for me maybe 8 times out of 10, IF taken early enough and at a dose of 100mg (the GP started me at 50mg but for most people the migraines laugh in the face of that). There are different triptans if the first one you try isn't effective. You do need to be careful not to take them too many days in a row or too many times a month or medication overuse headache can replace migraine as an issue.

If triptans not working or migraines too frequent there are other things the GP can move to as the next step, with the aim of preventing migraine attacks as opposed to stopping them in their tracks once started. The migraine trust has good info on its website.

Managing triggers is the best defence but can be easier said than done.
Triggers for me are changes in stress levels, disrupted/poor sleep and hormone fluctuations. Not always possible to control! The newborn phase was not fun on the migraine front - DH gets them too so we just crossed our fingers to not both get one at the same time!

There are loads of triptans out there to try - tell DH to go back to the doctor if the sumatriptan isn’t packing enough of a punch. I take Zolmitriptan along with 2 cocodamol, and it works every time.

I do find my husband massaging my scalp really helps - maybe something to do with getting the blood flowing. I get him to vigourously wash my hair 😂 I did this quite a lot when I couldn’t take the magic triptan/cocodamol combo when I was pregnant.