migraine any advise please?

[strongandenduringfriendships]

in June I had 2 migraines, ended up in bed with throbbing side of head, 111 directed me to migraleve which helped but I was off work 3 days & no use to anyone. Since then I'm terrified of it coming back as I have to function! (family, work etc) So now no alcohol, always wearing sunglasses, drinking lots of water, strict early nights, not socialising, avoiding stress where possible. Age 52 and on hrt for 2 years, consider myself to be healthy. I have a holiday coming up & I"m dreading the onset of pounding to the side of my head which I know will last for up to 4 days, anyone any advise please?

Sumatriptan, you can buy it over the counter in some Boots pharmacies.

Sumatriptan from the GP, anti emetics too. If you take it during the first hour it can stop it in it's tracks. Migraleve is just codeine so cheap and easy to get abroad if required, but I'd recommend asking the GP about triptans.

I get these and one of the triggers (I have several) are hormones- just something to be aware of.

If you take any medication take it quickly before it takes hold. Sumatriptan is good and does help.

If you have only had 2, then I wouldn't panic.

Best option would be to see your GP to talk about triptans instead of Migraleve. They won't prescribe a preventative treatment unless you are having several every month.

I have severe chronic migraine and even then to avoid triggers I didn't go as far as you.
You can have caffeine as long as it's the same amount every day.
I could have alcohol as long as it's a glass and no cheap red wine.
Go to bed the same time every day - about 10pm for me - but hey, we all need to socialise sometimes it's worth the risk
Avoid stress - possibly the most useless advice ever, how does anyone do that?
The most useful thing was to avoid being hungry as that is a big trigger

Given you are on HRT, are you on the right dose? My migraine went to pieces with menopause.

Just looked up Migraleve - it's just paracetamol and codeine. Codeine is crap for migraine.

You would be better with a full fat coke and a high strength ibuprofen. And an icepack - I like those packs of frozen herbs.

I always take 3 ibuprofen when I know one is coming on. It works every time - if I catch it in time. I also have to lie down in a dark room - a nap usually stops it in its tracks too.

thanks for advice, I will speak to my gp about triptans, I'm on the lowest dose of hrt so that may be a factor. Avoiding the triggers is a real bore but the pain was so intense I'm dreading a recurrence.

Sumitripan is a godsend

If you are on the lowest dose of HRT, then hormones may be triggering your migraines.

I found whenever I had a hot flush, I got a migraine.

The other 2 big triggers you haven't mentioned are the weather, which obvs we can't do anything about, and fragrance. Which I can mostly avoid.

I forgot - if you have migraine you should only have patches or gel HRT.

Agree with previous advice. I also have a gel eye mask I keep in the fridge, it's really soothing when one strikes.

Not socialising is extreme, just stick to minimal alcohol and a good sleep pattern.

Stay hydrated, eat regularly to avoid low blood sugar, don’t exercise on an empty stomach, manage stress (meditation, yoga, relaxing), keep a diary to see if you can identify any food triggers then avoid them. Sumatriptan taken at early warning signs can help. I also find a Coke Zero during helps!!

I suffered really badly with migraines for 40 years. Incapacitated for 2 to 3 days, blinding headaches and 48 hour vomitting. No OTC medicine ever worked. My GP put me on Naramig and I have not had a full blown migraine for 10years. They have literally changed my life.

Sumatriptan is a miracle cure for my migraines!

Yep, sumatriptan. I keep 2 in my wallet so always have it on me. That with 2 paracetamol, 3 aspirin and a can of Coke and a sleep usually sort me out. Half a day of feeling pretty ordinary instead of two days of horrific pain with vomiting.

Two isn’t enough to have worked out your triggers but that really is key. You’ll wear yourself out trying to avoid everything but the chances are it’s only one or two specific things for you.

If you can track that would be a great help - watch your menstrual cycle and hrt cycle, and the interplay between them. If they’re off set it could be at a particular point of interaction that is vulnerable.

Try and capture as much information as you can remember - I’ve had migraine for years and I’d still struggle to describe the onset. It’s just a very specific form of weird.

mine are triggered by stress letdown, and with perimenopause I notice a distinct emotional lability in the run up. A dose of hydration salts helps (when I was younger I swore by coke and aspirin but they bring other issues now)

sleep is crucial. It cuts the aura phase in half and restores basic functioning.

thank you for this information everyone